[What does it take for Seth to stay now?]

I think bowl game is irrelevant. You have to make the decision as soon possible. Waiting two to three weeks after the season ends would make no sense. 

[2023 Head Coach Candidates]

It seems like a good rule of thumb to me to exclude coaches who are currently front runners or at the very least interviewing for P5 jobs. 
 

Neither Deion or Tom Herman want this job. Deion’s name is up at Auburn. Herman is in the driver’s seat at Colorado it sounds like. 
 

We have to be realistic about what we are. 

[2023 Head Coach Candidates]

Joe Gillespie might be the guy. 

[2023 Head Coach Candidates]

I think we can cross Colby Carthel off the list. 😂

 

 

[***OFFICIAL UNT vs. UAB GAME THREAD***]

2 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

If you’re going to move on, you do so directly after the game the decision is made.   He cannot be here for the bowl game if he doesn’t win the CCG.    Period.

Yep - I think he’s gone after the next loss (bowl game not withstanding) 

Beat Rice and UTSA, offer an extension. Lose one of the two, interim coach for the remainder of the year. 

[2023 - Fourth nonconference game]

Also, in the official UNT press release, it states the 4th OOC game will be announce soon. My guess is it’s already scheduled. 

[2023 - Fourth nonconference game]

I would be surprised if we are tied to that September 9th date. Could very easily see an AAC game put in that spot. 

[Taking the Temperature of the Coaches in the American Athletic Conference]

On 11/3/2022 at 11:19 AM, Pellom said:

I subscribe to the Split Zone Duo Patreon so that entitles me to a couple of subscriber only podcasts per week. 
 

Steven Godfrey (the author of the initial post this thread is based on) and Richard Johnson (SEC Network and Sports Illustrated) are cohosts. 
 

1) Godfrey starts his report on UNT by saying he assumed Littrell would be safe after drubbing WKU. Per his sources, that is not the case and they expect Littrell will be terminated at the end of the season regardless of outcome. Winning the CUSA championship might change the calculus, but he said it would likely mean Littrell gets a P5 job and would not likely be fired from UNT. Those are semantics - the end result is the same: new coach for UNT next year. 
 

2) Godfrey’s sources inside the administration at North Texas continue to say they expect to be at the top of the G5 landscape and competing for New Year’s 6 bowl games. He said the model is the University of Houston and UNT expects to fill the gap they leave from jumping to the Big 12. (He goes on to talk about how this sounds unrealistic from UNT’s brass, which can be debated, but what’s not up for debate is expectations have risen.) 

3) Both Godfrey and Johnson say, when they talk to coaches about which G5 jobs are the MOST attractive, the North Texas job is always near the top of the list. We have money and we are signaling to the coaching community that we are ready to spend it. 

Just wanted to follow up on this. A new podcast is out. 
 

Godfrey says for now Littrell is safe - but a lot is riding on making the conference championship game. So the team has to finish the job. 
 

Semi-related to UNT: the expectation is Tulsa and Texas State will open, and both seem to be interested in WSU OC Eric Morris and current UIW HC GJ Kinne. Kinne played QB at Tulsa. I bring this up because their names have been mentioned on this board, and they would theoretically be candidates if we have an opening. 
 

 

[Another reason why I'm glad we're out of CUSA]

$750k per school. That’s a nightmare. 

[If Seth beats UAB on the road should he be extended?]

8 hours ago, MGNation92 said:

Sure they do. It's another opportunity against a quality OOC opponent. Sure winning conference is more important, but we need to be able to compete and win against our nonconference peers as well. It also matters in recruiting. Players get to travel more, it shows you're committed to winning trophies(however trivial they may be, they still count for something), and it shows you're on an upward trajectory. 

Of course I’d rather win them than lose, but my opinion is the outcomes don’t matter because the variation on said outcomes varies so wildly. There’s no way to gauge which team is more enthused to be there, which team has players sitting out due to injury or draft stock, etc. 

Bowl games are good for the players because they get free swag and it’s nice to get the check for the athletic department. But I don’t think anyone outside of the crazies of x fanbase remembers which teams won and which teams lost the participation trophy bowls. 

[If Seth beats UAB on the road should he be extended?]

I voted yes, just because it feels like beating Rice would be a given if we beat UAB. That might end up being a foolish assumption. 
 

I am less inclined than others to make a conference championship or bowl game win mandatory. 1) UTSA is better than us so it feels anti-intellectual to feel that way but also deem it a must win. 2) Bowl game results don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. 

[DRC: Unity Plaza dedication brings back memories for Abner Haynes, Leon King]

The SID staff needs to be pitching these stories to The Athletic, NYT, ESPN, etc. 

We should display our pride prominently. 

[Soooo...]

22 minutes ago, Udomann said:

Its a little more obvious than not though. 3 straight poor prior seasons. Inability to use portal effectively. Still getting blown out in games we shouldn't (UNLV and SMU just this year alone).

He's having a good/great year against horrid competition. Could he be turning a corner? Maybe. But there's nothing definitive saying he has. What we do have is definitive history that he has underachieved. 

Underachieved to what standard? He’s been much better than the two coaches that preceded him. A better W/L record than anyone since Hayden Fry. 
 

Listen, I understand wanting a new coach just for the simplicity of trying something different. But to say Seth Littrell has underachieved at North Texas, of all places, is asinine. 

[Soooo...]

Despite the influx of money in recent years, I do believe it is hard to win at North Texas and even harder to change the culture both in fan support and in recruiting. We are 10-1 in our last 11 conference games. 
 

Of course, we need to see the job finished. We need to win the next two games. UAB is tough. Rice shouldn’t be. 
 

I’m sorry if you wanted something else. I’ve seen plenty of you openly root against the team to get this coach fired. But 8-4 (7-1 in conference) with a conference championship game appearance would deserve immense praise and an instant contract extension. Seth would and should be able to dictate his terms. 

 

 

[FIU new head coach]

Do you drink in the mornings or are most of your posts remnants of the night before?

[Taking the Temperature of the Coaches in the American Athletic Conference]

I subscribe to the Split Zone Duo Patreon so that entitles me to a couple of subscriber only podcasts per week. 
 

Steven Godfrey (the author of the initial post this thread is based on) and Richard Johnson (SEC Network and Sports Illustrated) are cohosts. 
 

1) Godfrey starts his report on UNT by saying he assumed Littrell would be safe after drubbing WKU. Per his sources, that is not the case and they expect Littrell will be terminated at the end of the season regardless of outcome. Winning the CUSA championship might change the calculus, but he said it would likely mean Littrell gets a P5 job and would not likely be fired from UNT. Those are semantics - the end result is the same: new coach for UNT next year. 
 

2) Godfrey’s sources inside the administration at North Texas continue to say they expect to be at the top of the G5 landscape and competing for New Year’s 6 bowl games. He said the model is the University of Houston and UNT expects to fill the gap they leave from jumping to the Big 12. (He goes on to talk about how this sounds unrealistic from UNT’s brass, which can be debated, but what’s not up for debate is expectations have risen.) 

3) Both Godfrey and Johnson say, when they talk to coaches about which G5 jobs are the MOST attractive, the North Texas job is always near the top of the list. We have money and we are signaling to the coaching community that we are ready to spend it. 

[Seth Support]

Interesting. 
 

I wonder if they know something we don’t. 

[Brett Vito's Influence On The Program]

18 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

I have stated several times that NT is very lucky to have a beat reporter covering the program.  There are not very many actual newspapers left anywhere.

Personally, I like Vito; but think he takes the objectivity standard too seriously. 

Who cares that his journalist standards are maintained.    My guess maybe him and very few others. 

I actually take the DRC, a fact that I have been told on this forum, no one cares about; just to read about NT sports.  

It is NT's coaches job to be open with and endure the press.  That is basically Vito and a student reporter. 

I want a Brett that is both willing to criticize NT and be a fan when things go well. 

It is very rare to see someone stick in a position like this for so long. It’s a thankless job covering G5 programs for a living. Brett is great at it. 

[Taking the Temperature of the Coaches in the American Athletic Conference]

20 hours ago, MeanGreenGlory said:

Using a single example out of a much larger body of work is not a logical way to rationalize something. 

Here's Seth's non-conference history at UNT excluding FCS teams:

Year	Date	Opponent	Result
2016	September 3	SMU*	L 21–34
2016	September 17	at No. 23 Florida*	L 0–32
2016	October 22	at Army*	W 35–18
2016	December 27	vs. Army*	L 31–38 OT
2017	September 9	at SMU*	L 32–54
2017	September 16	at Iowa*	L 14–31
2017	November 18	Army*	W 52–49
2017	December 16	vs. Troy*	L 30–50
2018	September 1	SMU*	W 46–23
2018	September 15	at Arkansas*	W 44–17
2018	September 22	at Liberty*	W 47–7
2018	December 15	vs. Utah State*	L 13–52
2019	September 7	at SMU*	L 27–49
2019	September 14	at California*	L 17–23
2019	September 28	Houston*	L 25–46
2020	September 19	SMU*	L 35–65
2020	December 21	vs. Appalachian State*	L 28–56
2021	September 11	at SMU*	L 12–35
2021	October 9	at Missouri*	L 35–48
2021	October 23	Liberty*	L 26–35
2021	December 23	vs. Miami (OH)*	L 14–27
2022	September 3	SMU*	L 10–48
2022	September 17	at UNLV*	L 27–58
2022	September 24	at Memphis*	L 34–44

To save you from counting, that's a 5-18 record—a winning percentage of 21.74%. Not good.

And before you say, "Oh, well there are some good teams in there like Florida! We can't reasonably expect to beat Florida!" Okay, I can agree with you on that. But 2016 Florida is really the only team. Everyone else was beatable.

And before you say, "Oh, well some of those teams aren't in the AAC so it's not apples to apples." Okay, let's look at just the teams from the AAC during the seven seasons:

Year	Date	Opponent	Result
2016	September 3	SMU*	L 21–34
2017	September 9	at SMU*	L 32–54
2018	September 1	SMU*	W 46–23
2019	September 7	at SMU*	L 27–49
2019	September 28	Houston*	L 25–46
2020	September 19	SMU*	L 35–65
2021	September 11	at SMU*	L 12–35
2022	September 3	SMU*	L 10–48
2022	September 24	at Memphis*	L 34–44

That's a 1-8 record against AAC teams during his tenure—a winning percentage of just 11.11%.

I appreciate Seth for the positive things he has done at UNT, but he's not the guy who will lead us to AAC championships and playoff bids.

Thank you for putting in the work. Great post. 
 

Here is something I presume to be true, but you might disagree: while our athletic budget has been very high compared to other CUSA teams, there is still a natural limitation on the kind of program - and by default, the kind of athlete - UNT can currently run in the current set-up. 
 

With the new AAC money we’re about to get, in addition to more eyeballs (games on the ESPN family of networks vs. CBS Sports and Stadium), I think it is realistic our current staff will have more resources to up their level of performance. Not a guarantee, but realistic. 

[Football 2023 - For conversation Sake]

Need to find a QB. Maybe I am reading too much into the limited packages provided for him, but it seems like Stone Earle has passed Gunnell on the depth chart. I don’t know if I trust either one of them to be able to throw the ball on time consistently. 
 

More talent on defense. 

[Despite The "Negative Waves" for Mr. Aune....]

Aune has been fine, but the Bloesch (Briles) offense scripts guys open. He misses far more than he should given our wide splits and pace. 
 

Look at Tennessee. 

[Taking the Temperature of the Coaches in the American Athletic Conference]

Interesting wording in the report. Godfrey is a great source for this stuff. My educated guess is he has sources inside the athletic department and is not getting his info from the coaching staff. 
 

I’m definitely split on this: I think even if we lose to UAB, Seth probably deserves an extension at 7-5 (assuming we are still playing in the championship game). However, I’m not sure he would take it if another opportunity presented itself. He’s already been linked to Colorado. I could see Arizona State being in play as well: he has coached in the state before and I think it’s safe to say they are going to have a hard time hiring anyone of note due to the impending NCAA sanctions. Another remote possibility is Tulsa if they fire their coach. 

[The New American]

Should be a very fun conference if/when USF and Memphis get their acts together  

I think we can definitely compete for 8-10 win seasons in the new AAC. I like our offense a lot. 

[Only Extend Seth Littrell Only if...]

How about we just shut up and let the season play out? 

[DRC: Prediction -- WKU is a bad matchup for UNT, which will see its C-USA title hopes fade in loss to Hilltoppers]

Big swing game here because this one feels more winnable than UAB. I think Littrell’s job security probably swings drastically at 6 wins vs. 7 wins.