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ESPN has made a big 10 year investment in the AAC. Mike Aresco said that part of the new contract included much better promotion of the league. ESPN treated the Smu game like it was a legit college game. Conf USA continues to struggle with its media deal. As long as ESPN has no interest in CUsa no school in the league will get any national traction.

ECU fan here. Have not posted since Marc became the DL coach for the Mean Green. I know Marc and am a coach. He came to my school to recruit some of our kids when we has at ECU. IMO you have hired one of the best DL coaches on the market. Have no idea why it took Marc this long to get back to FBS football. Marc was in my estimation the best defensive coach ECU has had in a decade. Marc is smart ( chemistry major) and a straight shooter. He has excellent knowledge of the game and took some very average dline talent and made them all better to a man. North Texas got a steal with Yellock. Very impressed with your head coach as he recognizes coaching talent. Good luck next season. I will be rooting for Marc and North Texas.

Hey guys, hope this helps with a vision for your program going forward. ONe thing that has helped ECU is the belief that Chancellor must buy into the vision of the sports program as being the best it can be. From a systems standpoint, the poor leadership of your AD for all these years really points to a lack of oversight and management by previous School Presidents. In University settings if the President wants something, he/she gets it. Your AD was allowed to be ineffective because the top leadership either did not care or did not know any better. Either way, as the Chinese proverb states, "The fish rots from the head down." Would love to see you guys start making the other P5 schools in your area a little nervous. Sounds like North Texas has been fighting with one hand tied behind its back for over a decade. Cheers.

Great write up. As an ECU fan i follow North Texas occasionally, started when Mean Green joined CUSA. Some thoughts. 1. It took ECU 3 years to see the type of results we were expecting from the Spread Offense when Lincoln Riley came to ECU. 2.It also took us about 3 years to go from an even to odd front and feel good about our personnel. You are going to need to recruit a big body for nose and speedy lbs who are play makers to make a 3 man front work well. In a 3 set the lbs make most of the plays, the line just usually clogs the gaps 3. Your going to need one good back,one good Wr and one good qb to make the spread work. 3 good players will change your fortunes in this offense. 4. Seth needs time to recruit and sell his vision.Still believe he was a great hire for uou guys. Good luck going forward guys. It will turn,Seth is to good for it not to do so.

There is a reason Ark State did not get invited to CUSA, right? The numbers you provide are easily given to interpretation Willing to bet no school or few achools in the AAC veiw Ark State as a peer school.

But what has Ark Stae done to even get into the AAC? Why would tbose schools see Ark State someone they want to be peers with? Imo,this looks like your AD promoting himself and Ark State rushing to be seen as a player on sports when they have done very little. Its part of the circus that has become college sports.

Yikes. I did not hear any visioning from her. She sound a bit timid and deflated. Not impressed to be honest.

I think Seth is going to make North Texas a place where players want to play.

An excellent and sober analysis of the current state of college sports,especially football. I am an ECU fan and believe that we are holding on for dear life in the AAC. In reality the MWC and the AAC represent as you stated, the last bit of hope, small as it is, at remaining somewhat relevant in college football. If the AAC were to fold, ECU would need to join a regional conference and resign itself to playing a different brand of football than it is now. CUSA, SunBelt and MAC need each other. The MWC and AAC need each other. This is a fight to death and unfortunately most of us will see our beloved football teams playing a levels that we never dreamed possible. We really are now looking at worst case scenarios. Wish it was not so, but I believe it is. Cheer. An excellent and sober analysis of the current state of college sports,especially football. I am an ECU fan and believe that we are holding on for dear life in the AAC. In reality the MWC and the AAC represent as you stated, the last bit of hope, small as it is, at remaining somewhat relevant in college football. If the AAC were to fold, ECU would need to join a regional conference and resign itself to playing a different brand of football than it is now. CUSA, SunBelt and MAC need each other. The MWC and AAC need each other. This is a fight to death and unfortunately most of us will see our beloved football teams playing a levels that we never dreamed possible. We really are now looking at worst case scenarios. Wish it was not so, but I believe it is. Cheer.

When Coach Ruffin and Lincoln Riley brought the Air Raid/Spread to ECU it took a full 3 years for us to see the results we were hoping for when the system was introduced. Everything about NOrth Texas will have to be oriented towards this type of Offense. This includes finding the right type of players to play OL, WR, RB and Qb. There are body types and speed guys that Littrell is going to need to recruit to make this system work. Be patient as I believe LIttrell knows what he is doing. The Ol for example will need tall guys that pass block first, run block second. Wr's will need to be speed guys who are good at YAC. WR's are given lots of freedom in this offense so he will need to recruit smart guys as well. RB's need to be able to run stretch plays, dart plays, and counter plays. The offense wil require to Littrell to rebuild the bones of the Offense. This includes players and mindset.

Really impressed with Littrell. Kids are going to want to play for him as well. As an outsider (ECU fan) I can say you guys got a very good one. He is bringing his version of the spread which will allow players to play without a huge playbpoker to learn. UNT is going to be fun to watch. Enjoy him while you can.

Harry, good post and spot on imo. As an outsider I see North Texas as a true gem that has yet to be cultivated properly. This could really be an up and coming program with the right person in place. The key as in everything is to find t h e right leadership for the job. Priority number 1 has to be recruiting. You need a good evaluator of talent and a coach who understands he has to sell NOrth Texas as a place to come in and shape the program right away. More than anything else the new guy and his staff will have to b e willing to spend a crazy amount of time in local high schools and find kids that can be developed into good football players. Imo,the new coach needs to love recruiting and hire a staff that does as well. Priority 2 has to be shifting to an offense that has the potential to score points in a hurry. No more pro style sets for NT. I think your new coach has to sell the program to recruits and fans alike as a fast and entertaining brand of football. Priority 3, sell,sell and sell some more the UNT program as one that is worth playing for and one worth supporting. Sell the UNT brand as one that will fight to the last whistle, player and fan to win. The best college football coaches imo are great recruiters,hire good people and can sell the brand and narrative of the school to all constituents. Wish you guys well in your search.

AAC took many of the schools from C-USA that had won the conference either in football or basketball. Most of those schools already had experienced success on a steady and consistent basis. Whether or not the AAC stays at this current level,they do have a collection of schools that are used to winning. In fairness to the board, I am an ECU fan who has been posting here for a couple of years (hopefully you have found me to be respectful, when you guys joined CUSA I actually started following and rooting for you) I think the most powerful asset for the league has been the partnership with Espn. In truth,we were very lucky they signed on to giving the league the exposure they did. Not sure where CUSA is with their new contract negotiations, I certainly think this league needs some type of deal with them. Would not be surprised if there is one. Good luck against Marshall.

ECU fan here. I joined this board when North Texas was invited to Conf USA. I have posted just a few times here. First,sorry about your season. I really thought North Texas had turned the corner with the bowl game two years ago. For what it's worth, I think NOrth Texas has all the necessary ingredients to be successful on a regular basis in football. Big school, location, recruiting, facilities and a strong core group of fans. Knowing that I risk sounding like the guy who knows it all (especially being a fan of another team) here are a couple of thoughts from an outsider. 1. Winning really does begin with a full and complete commitment from the top. ECU has been fortunate to have had leadership from the Chancellor position since the late 60's. Without the top brass support the football program is destined to fail. 2. I don't think North Texas has really found its niche yet. Every school needs something to hang their hat on. From my perspective North Texas has all the key ingredients to be successful but struggles with brand articulation. I see North Texas in a very different position than the UTEP's of the world. I just do not think you guys have had a leader who has put the great assists that U NT has together yet. It seems to me UNT approaches football with one hand tied behind its back. 3. Run the Air Raid,or something close to it. This system atracts good athletes and allows the team to compete against better recruiting teams almost overnight. In truth, I am not sure what the North Texas offensive identity is and it will be hard to get recruits without a wide open game. You have to have something to sell to recruits that the can be seen and understood.. 4.Find the right Head Coach. Easier said than done of course. As an outsider though, I have to really question the person who has made the last few hires for you guys. The Head Coach is everything to a College Football team. I know nothing about your AD. I do know this however, if he is the person who has made the last few hires, he needs help from an outside consulting source with the next hire. IMO North Texas is very fertile ground for an up and coming OC who recognizes that UNT already has everything it needs to be a winning program. 5. Last but not least, keep demanding accountability from your school leaders. The only thing that forces these guys to change is the threat of lost revenue from supporters and alumni. Letters will not cut it guys, only the withholding of money will. In short, as an outsider I see no reason why UNT should not be able to put a strong product on the field more times than not. You have great facilities, a strong core of supporters, a big school and you are in the heart of great recruiting. To me it boils down to leadership. I do not believe think UNT is destined to fail. Put the right people in place and you will see your program bloom.

Here is one bloggers look at the current state of North Texas Football: North Texas Faces Uncertain Future on the Gridiron, Again http://g5conferencenews.blogspot.com/

Ha, ha. Well said. Cheers to each of you and the North Texas program. McCarney is one heck of a coach. You guys are very lucky to have him. It looks like he believes in the North Texas program and wants to stay put for awhile. Every school in the G5 needs someone like that. My own sense of things right now is that what is more important than conference affiliation is the strength and commitment of each individual program in the G5. I think what we will see from now on is that the top 1 or 2 programs in each of the G5 conferences will be miles ahead of the ones on the bottom of each of those conferences. IMO, this means that the schools with the most commitment to winning, ie money, fan support, leadership, will be okay within the new landscape of college football. Those that don't have these elements will struggle greatly.

Sure, my apologies. I am an ECU fan. I joined this site shortly after North Texas joined Conference USA. I joined because I thought North Texas was a good addition to Conference USA. I do not post often, but have been complimentary of the North Texas program in the past. I am somewhat of a college football geek. I particularly enjoyed following this site last year as North Texas made its very good run. I also think you guys have one of the best coaching staff's in Conference USA.

These schools are in unusual down years. Well Tulane is always in a down year. Tulsa, SMU, Houston etc have the history and money needed to turn things around. The AAC is the premier G5 conference because of basketball, resources and ESPN. The coverage ESPN has provided the AAC is a huge advantage and impressive. Even SMU has the majority of their games on national tv via ESPN. The league was very fortunate to sign their contract with ESPN. In the end this imo, is why down years in the AAC are not as bad for the league as it is for the rest of the G5. Football players want to be on tv. The AAC can deliver this in spades because of their partnership with ESPN.

ECU's academics are no worse than Louisville. ECU has a great Med School and Dental School. They also have a terrific nursing program. A few days ago in the Raleigh newspaper, The NEws and Observer, 4 ACC beat writers said that ECU should be asked to join the ACC. IMO, ECU is one of the top model G5 programs. Great fan support, tradition, players and coaching. Would not be surprised at all is the Big 12 brought them into the fold with UCF, and maybe Cincy or UCONN. WVU needs a travel partner and they have a long history with ECU.

I think the article is pretty good. I was an English major and compared to how these things are usually written it's not to bad. More importantly, others are noticing about the turn around in the program.

"Fortunately for Mean Green fans their program has everything in place now to win on a regular basis. It also has everything it needs for North Texas to become a top 15 G5 program every year . If neither of these reachable goals ever materialize , then North Texas will have no one else to blame but themselves. There is little doubt however, that Coach McCarney will do everything in his power to make both of these important goals a reality." http://g5conferencenews.blogspot.com/

As fans, what would you do in the next 5 yrs to raise the profile of North Texas to be ready for the next round of realignment.

The AAC is in very good shape going forward. In truth I don't think Conf USA and the AAC are very close in standing right now. The AAC has a P5 tv contract with ESPN, in terms of coverage. IMO, this will be one of the greatest divides between the G5 and the AAC. North Texas needs to keep winning and raise its profile so when the next round of realignment comes, they will be ready to move out of Co f USA.

The AAC is probably the most stable of the bunch as it is now clear that any team in Conf USA will jump at the chance to leave and join the AAC if asked to do so.

Interesting and helpful posts. ECU is the red headed step child in NC among the UNC system. We have had to battle against UNC and NC STATE for everything. I think the posts about the role of leadership in making a program successful or not successful are very true. We have been fortunate in that starting the late 60 we had University Presidents who saw football as a ticket for many things at ECU. I suspect that with a commitment from your administration and with the fertile Texas recruiting area you all have tremendous potential. Sounds like you have had one hand tied behind your back for many years.