[Wren Baker to West Virginia]

48 minutes ago, GreenBacker said:

I agree that this probably locks Littrell in unless he gets blown out in the next two games, but if they don’t extend him that leaves him as a lame duck going into the last year of his contract which will kill recruiting.  So we either fire him, leave him with one year left, or extend and try and get a low buy out to help with recruiting.  We’re in a tough spot.  Negatives no matter which way we go.  

An extension doesn't have to be 5 years, despite what Sexton might say.  It can be 2.    

Again, NT isn't over the barrel this time.   No P5 is knocking on Littrell's door to hire him away right now like KSSt was last time.

[Herman off the board]

1 hour ago, Cougar King said:

UNT never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

 

In other news, it looks like your friends at UNLV are zeroing in on Gary Patterson.

Oh y'all,
If Gary Patterson has an itch to be a HC again, and we haven't reached out to him already, or have no plans to after Saturday... leadership is really stupid.

[Wren Baker to West Virginia]

17 minutes ago, ThatMeanGreen said:

Sure, but who is going to make the right strategic moves? There’s no AD, and almost certainly won’t be one until January, and good luck making a good coaching hire after the calendar turns. Then you’re looking at no time to recruit, guys naturally leaving in the turnover, and making assistant hires. Maybe you get an excitement boost from potential coaches based on the AD hire, but that’s a big gamble when we’re also facing the uncertainty of navigating a new conference. I’m by no means a Littrell lover, but it doesn’t make sense to let him go at this juncture. A new AD, conference and head coach are a recipe for disaster — let’s sort out the first two before moving into the third.

Honestly, I would think Baker has not waited to react to whatever Littrell does as far as a coaching search has gone.  He likely already has dudes on a list and lined up, or has already talked to them.   In that case, I would also assume Mosely has been in the passenger seat the whole time, so he's very familiar with what's going on. 
Smatresk was extremely involved in Littrell's hire (basically taking all of the credit when things were going well).  No reason he wouldn't want to be extremely involved this time as well.    Not having an AD is not the end of the world in that search. 

The only possible ramification in all of that would be if the AD Smatresk lines up doesn't like the football hire enough to balk at coming here.   And I just don't think NT makes that poor of a hire.   Like if UAB were in the same boat, and hires Dilfer (just dumb) before an AD, that might be enough to have the AD back out.

[Does the new AD need to bring a football coach with him?]

47 minutes ago, southsideguy said:

SL will be our very own Stockstill just sign him to lifetime contract and get it over with.

This is the perfect example of "settling".    You get some up years.  You get some down years.   But you don't ever expect anything more.

[I have a Good Feeling about Today]

KD Davis has to shine today.   Aune has to drive Bloesch's bus flawlessly.    If we hit on both of those, I really think NT can win.

[Wren Baker to West Virginia]

Just now, ThatMeanGreen said:

And you think a new coach will magically produce more than 7 wins next season?

Yes.  And it's not magic.  It's motivation.  It's head-coaching ability, which is much more than just knowing Offensive X's & O's.  

NT's recruiting classes in 2020 & 2021 were highly-regarded.   Those dudes are starting to play a lot now.  There's no reason this can't be taken over by someone who can LEAD... similar to what Dykes has done at TCU after Patterson sort-of checked out there.
Right now, SL is leaning heavily on his OC & DC.   One of those dudes has all-but-said he's done after this season.   The other one has demonstrated he's ready for a P5 job, and will have serious opportunities this offseason for one.

What then?   Can he lean as heavily on Gush and whoever his new OC is?

[Wren Baker to West Virginia]

11 hours ago, ThatMeanGreen said:

...

Coach: Realistically I think the Littrell hate is a bit overblown. I know we all expect better results, but I absolutely understand the hesitancy of firing a “good” coach and take the risk of getting someone who could tank the program just as soon as elevate it. I think it’s unreasonable to expect anything much higher than 6/7 wins and making a bowl in the next two seasons — the AAC is still a somewhat sizable jump in talent, and expectations should be measured as such as we transition. New AD should understand this and make it clear, but also have Seth on a short leash if we’re getting the doors blown off every game.

...

I love your "realistic" (re: small time) thinking.

 

EDIT:
I bet UCF leadership and a lot of their fans were thinking this same way when they eventually fired Kruczek (after strikingly similar results to SL's) in 2003.  20 years later, they're in a P5 conference.    If we're going to do the same thing, and there's no reason we can't, NT has to start somewhere.

[Herman off the board]

10 hours ago, Cr1028 said:

After 7 years, a 7-5 record (6-2 conference) with title game and bowl appearances is good enough for me. 

Next season, we won't have the luxury of playing a Skip-less LATech, FIU, or UTEP in conference to pad that record.    We can't be myopic about this.   

It's the same exact thing we saw last year, just with wins in different order:   Smashed in non-conference by bad peer institutions.  Then saved by some atrocious conference mates.   It's the same mirage that will dry up as soon as we play some middle of the pack MWC/SBC/MAC team in our bowl game.

[Who's won our conference titles since 2004]

[McMurphy projecting us to New Orleans against Coastal]

3 hours ago, Coffee and TV said:

Buncha suburbanites and local yokels debating the merits of cities they spend so little time in...

 

I generally think of New Orleans as overrated but the last time I was down there was with old friends of my fiance and we stayed in the Bywater and that felt way more authentically New Orleans than Bourbon Street. 

Bywater is great.  
Frenchman St. >>>> Bourbon St.

[Wren Baker to West Virginia]

2 hours ago, TheTastyGreek said:

Nobody respects a commitment anymore, and nobody wants to work through adversity. 

The transfer portal is killing college sports. 

I hope the door hits his rear on the way out.    He was so undisciplined, often getting called for backbreaking unsportsmanlike gameday parking penalties that cost us 15 fans at a time.  Clearly in it for himself and the money.

[Wren Baker to West Virginia]

2 minutes ago, Dannymacfan said:

This.   Wren bringing McCasland was part of the attraction for WVU.  Hudgkinson  is about to retire and Mac will be his replacement!  Mark it down.

Highly doubtful.    Basketball is a little different than football.   You can take a team like Gonzaga to a National Championship in basketball.    You can't do that in football.

I believe we'll have McCasland until Baylor, or some other nearby P5 school comes calling.    I would worry more about when Dixon retires in Ft. Worth than Huggy.

[Wren Baker to West Virginia]

Based on Wren's tenure here, and how he handled Benford, WVU fans who are frustrated with Neal Brown are not going to be happy with Wren Baker for the foreseeable future.

I would gladly trade them though.

[Wren Baker to West Virginia]

Thanks, and Good Luck Wren!

[McMurphy projecting us to New Orleans against Coastal]

McMurphy thinks we're going to win this weekend.

[For Just This Week...]

[Ryan Walters may be our guy]

11 hours ago, 97and03 said:

The real transfer deadline is much later, likely 2-3 weeks in. Our kick returner Horton is clear evidence of that. 

Correct.   Anyone who signs out of the portal on the day it opens already had their transfer lined up prior to entering.

[UNT projected to play Air Force in Hawaii Bowl]

Utah State's path looks remarkably like ours (but, Yikes! They have a FCS loss.), with early season drubbings, then beating up on the bad MWC teams and losing to the good ones.

It would be a good game for sure.

[Darrell Dickey leaving A&M]

3 minutes ago, Coach Andy Mac said:

https://gotigersgo.com/sports/football/coaches/2015

2014 is the staff I'm talking about.     Galen Scott (as we found out) was not a good hire.

[Darrell Dickey leaving A&M]

2 of the 3 that made Memphis a power are now jobless.   Odom may not be far behind.    Reassemble that staff & the sky's the limit.

[Do the right thing Wren!]

48 minutes ago, TheReal_jayD said:

The latter is closer to the truth. 

I don't see why they can't both be true.  ...at least, I hope so.
The Lovelace family is definitely on record regarding their relationships with SL.  So we KNOW that's true.    Whether or not they'd pull their support if SL were fired remains to be seen.

[Seth's moral record is hard to argue against... EXTEND HIM!!!!]

13 minutes ago, Wag Tag said:

Uh uh do we get trophy?

NT's Moral Trophy Case is pretty extensive:

Just look at all of that moral hardware!    Incredible!     #blessed

[Do the right thing Wren!]

9 hours ago, TheReal_jayD said:

 

Who are the big money donor that are in love with Seth? I keep seeing that on this board. But I feel it has zero validity. 

The only ones who have been vocal about it, and have ties to him are the Lovelaces.   They're pretty big.

However, we've also been told by another one of the big money donors that Don would fire his own grandmother if she weren't performing.   So, who knows?

[Seth’s greatest legacy at NT]

Mason Fine & ushering in a new era of NT football.   Raising the bar.

[Eliminate the “down vote.”]

Rule #1 about downvotes:   
Never complain about downvotes, unless you want a bevy of them.

Kindly ask for a Ray, and kind souls may award you one.