[smu hits a new low]

On 3/15/2024 at 5:34 PM, DentonStang said:

No.  I can't emotionally invest in SMU basketball that much when I have zero confidence in Lanier. Once we're out of the same conference maybe I become a UNT bball fan.  Better chance of going to the tournament.

It was fun watching ESPN dump the rest of the Pony ads yesterday afternoon during the UAB game. Of course they flamed out in their first tourney game. Quite on-brand, really.

I honestly have always wished SMU the best, because I'm not living in the 1970s, and our universities have totally different missions. I still think this move to the ACC is absolute desperation, and the deal just keeps getting worse - the Playoff share is a third of what they projected (but is tripling overall, which means even for them) and assumes the headline names stay in the ACC, which is... quite the assumption. SMU's got money, but donor fatigue's gonna catch up fast, which is why they're stuck with Lanier. When you're paying off the new endzone facility, have lost your biggest on-campus attendance draw (UNT in both football and basketball), have to compete with Miami for throwing money at problems, are subsidizing your own broadcasting rights, and have to pay exit fees... all of a sudden you're asking for over a quarter-billion dollars to lose to Wake Forest in Charlotte.

For the American, Army is a great pickup for everyone but us (I would have preferred rescuing UTEP). Especially for basketball, a UTEP for SMU trade would have been even at worst just for the program history. 

[North Texas receives access to Texas University Fund]

6 hours ago, Cerebus said:

Getting into the AAU would be harder than getting into the P5 (P2?).  

I'm not saying it's impossible, it's just a real hard climb.

The only Texas school better positioned to enter the AAU than us is Houston (AAU doesn't consider Ag Department research expenditures, which dings Texas State a bit and absolutely murders TTU's chances). Of the privates, only Baylor is even on the radar. 

That said, the gap between the AAU and Houston is large, and between us and Houston research-wise is similarly huge. The best thing UNT can do for now is to continue to dance with the partner who brought us and keep making real strides in the humanities - which is less effective for research dollars but far more useful for publishing statistics, which is also a part of the AAU and the TUF's methodology.

[SMU raises 100 million in a week?]

On 9/19/2023 at 10:55 AM, rcade said:

If SMU can afford $100 million to forego all ACC revenue until 2034, Florida State and Clemson can afford the $120 million it would take to buy themselves out of the ACC.

SMU bought itself a place in a P5 that will be a P3 in 10 years. Or maybe even a P2.

I totally understand why SMU would do this, but it's one hell of a risky bet. So far, what SMU has done is to buy an upgrade to first class on the Titanic, but after all the lifeboats have already left. There's still two stages left in this realignment until it settles down - first a final few pickups out of the ACC, and then either a P2 with one Fox and one ESPN, or a 32-team premiership with the Big 10 and SEC dropping some deadweight. 

What SMU is betting on is that the ACC without its major teams will still be a step above the other conferences, but I think that's a risky bet, and their value is suspect. After the ACC's raided, there will be a further, titanic shakeout into regionals or into the pro-rel system the Mountain Pacific is considering. 

In either case, if I'm a conference I have an easy ask for SMU - why not pay us $400 million to take you? SMU's set a precedent that they're willing to throw money, and while that can get you into the ACC for $200 million, it also means that with the new endzone facility, $350 million that could have been spent elsewhere on campus or on athletics is off the board, and that you could end up being in back in the American for $400 million a few years later. 

Good luck to the Ponies, but I think it's telling that other teams with private money haven't even suggested doing this (hi Temple or BYU pre-XII). 

[USF receives Tier I Status]

It absolutely is. Having done some admissions work at several different levels, AAU>AAU Affiliate>Shanghai/ARWU>Carnegie>throwing all the universities in a washing machine>USNWR.

[UNT hired Washington State offensive coordinator and former Incarnate Word head coach Eric Morris to take over its program on Tuesday]

I remember how happy I was when we got a coach who had an extensive record and experience at a P5 FBS school. I was also happy when we hired the young new HC straight out of high school.

Given the results, maybe this type of hire is the right one.

[What's the Next Big Project?]

On 12/31/2021 at 6:11 PM, Cr1028 said:

I don’t agree with this. UTEP and UTSA would like nothing more than to beat Texas at any sport they play. The same could be said about the TAMU-CC Islanders wanting to beat the Aggies at Basketball. ALL available resources should be poured into the flagship and once we reach Texas levels of resources, then and only then should we worry about trying to help and woo the satellites.

Of course they'd love to beat the home school, beyond that, though, they're fans. In either event, it's a good thing for the program as a whole which, right now, needs to secure our home market to the greatest extent possible. I'm not talking about throwing millions to the Trailblazers, but where we can help - say joint advertising - we should.

On 12/31/2021 at 7:03 PM, GrandGreen said:

No, NT at Denton has no obligation or need to help Frisco and Dallas campuses.   UT could not care less about UTEP, UTA, etc.  The board over the whole UT system might, but only if it is not going to interfere with their massive funding of UT Austin.  

Worrying about either the SPit or Apogee is imo unnecessary.  Sure maintenance has to keep the facilities in top condition, but there does not need to be any major capital projects.  Unless it can be demonstrated that they would actually pay for themselves like suites at the SPit.

NT money now needs to go athlete facilities that help recruiting.   As stupid as it seems, build the gaudy dressing rooms and study areas that appeal to high school athletes. 

UT doesn't have to care about getting more attention. We do. However we need to do that, drawing more people in the Metroplex into a relationship with North Texas - however that is done - is a necessary predicate to expanding our programs. Leveraging our presence area-wide is a part of that.

On 12/31/2021 at 8:12 PM, Green Otaku said:

Interesting about the lighting at Apogee, how was it supposed to be originally? 

The final renders still had them in (attached), but they were cut just before construction started. It really is the little things sometimes at a venue, and it's a minor outlay for a good return. 
 

On 1/2/2022 at 12:22 PM, outoftown said:

There is one big porject that needs to be ahead of infrastrucutre etc. It is making sure -with wht is possible within the rules - that NT is up there among its peers or better in the NIL game

Great add I overlooked.

1 hour ago, DentonLurker said:

Your stock answer doesn't really address the "we have bigger priorities" argument though. I have no doubt we could find the budget if we wanted to. There's just a long list of things that need to happen prior to adding baseball, in my mind. AC expansion, new basketball arena, new SB facilities, etc. There's a lot we still need to accomplish for the sports we have before we look at adding more.

I think that's where a lot of us, including Admin, are about baseball. Even if we chose to start it as opposed to the far-cheaper and equally popular soccer option, both items are down the list a bit. The big thing is student athlete experience, and that means a new AC and making sure we match up well on the NIL front.

[What's the Next Big Project?]

Assuming the Super Pit remains in fundamentally solid shape, my priorities would be:

1. Athletic Center/Apogee Refresh: It's a good one, but the arms race in facilities includes amenities for athletes. With the impact of NIL, it's important to make sure our students are very happy with what they have compared with the competition. Additionally, while Apogee is still one of the better venues in CUSA or AAC, we need to ensure it stays that way. Doing the Center means also addressing Apogee's technology and display systems, so I'd include moving the main screen to its original WingZone location, replacing the corner board that exists and placing additional ones at each corner, finishing Apogee's electronic boards, and completing the lighting as originally designed. Seriously, even the lights at a facility make a difference, and the light stands and type at Toyota Stadium would make Apogee look even better.

2. Secure our agreements with local professional leagues for as long as possible: I hear it from other fans at other schools all the time - our advertising and academic agreement with the Dallas Cowboys impresses all. This should be extended at practically any cost, and be extended to include every major sports franchise in the DFW area.

3. Continue to assist the development of sports at UNTD: While a different University, everything UNTD achieves also helps home campus, and brings additional fans who have loyalty to the Mean Green. There's not many UTA, UTEP or UTSA fans who aren't even bigger Texas fans. We can leverage that, too. Plus, the thought of SMU basketball losing to UNTD has me indescribably turgid, and it also helps goal #2 viz UNTD's arrangements with Mark Cuban. Athletics at UNTD and making sure students at UNTHSC and UNTTCUSM have some loyalty to home campus it the way to total Metroplex domination. 

4. Football (Association Rules): Already hosting a great women's squad, UNT should go all in on starting a companion men's program. Association Football has a much younger and richer demographic than any other sport in the US, and while it's been "going to be more popular than baseball" for decades now, it appears it may finally do that in the next 5 years. Facilities would require little additional investment, the program would benefit from the World Cup in Dallas in 2026, and the AAC has provided championship-level teams (Navy) and coaches (Wichita State's Ted Lasso, who is at AFC Richmond).

5. HyperPit: The SuperPit is like Fouts Field was in one respect - it will last well past it becomes badly outdated. While it remains the only Texas arena to host both the NIT and CIT, it still shows age, and risks becoming a Frankenstein's monster of patches before too much longer. In the medium term, a new facility is needed, and we best get started on it. 

[6,243 days.... since the last time unT won a conference football championship....]

2 hours ago, UTSAMarineVet09 said:

Sorry guys, I cant hear yall over our Conference USA championship trophy. Do yall have one of those? You know what, never mind, but funny that yall call us insecure, yet you have about 10 threads on your first page regarding UTSA... I going to go now, I have a 12 win season to enjoy... do yall have one of those too?

Our name's on the trophy every year, and on the basketball one, too. It's hard to get worked up about having our name on the same trophy twice. 

[UTSA has issues]

I swear anytime I come in here and UTSA is mentioned, it has the same damn energy as PonyFans whenever we're mentioned.

Except UTSA fans can spell and do basic math. PonyFans people are all excited about blowing 200k for undergrad and then ending up at UTSA for grad school.

Edited for kindness. I'm sure 2 or 3 SMU peeps could qualify for UNT's or UTEP's grad programs, and several for UTSA or UTA, but most are still gonna end up at TAMU Commerce or Tarleton.

Point is, UTSA is not the enemy - the true enemy of both of us is far closer.

[Field at Toyota Stadium?]

It being a Tuesday game makes things more difficult. People can stretch Thursday off, but Tuesday will be tough for the Runners. I would still hope they bring a respectable crowd. 

[UTEP gets New Mexico bowl vs Fresno]

Great pull by the Miners. Will still need to hold their noses passing through Cruces (ok maybe stop at Weck’s) but good news for them.

[2021 - Final bottom 10]

14 hours ago, VideoEagle said:

I'm not sure who is/was older - Paul Blake or Austin Aune. 

Paul Blake graduated, disappeared for forever, and then ended up in space. I dare Austin to match that.

[2021 - Final bottom 10]

Any committee that includes Coach Gennero has my full support. Having a female supermodel kicker was a brilliant move to help our recruiting. 

[Sonny Dykes heading to TCU]

I sure hope SMU doesn't steal our DC.

[UTSA Ticket Allotment Sold Out]

Did anyone salvage the "turn off headset" button from Fouts? Asking for a friend.

[Facilities - Existing AAC School Points to UNT’s Example]

On 10/26/2021 at 10:40 AM, ChristopherRyanWilkes said:

You just pointed out SMU’s biggest problem. They claim they don’t want to increase enrollment, in reality they can’t. Don’t have the space. 

I thought the recent news that SMU has sold it's Plano facilities and may be leaving completely was a telling move. It's an admission that they're capped, and that either they are facing issues with applications (because you can now get more for less at the area state schools) or intend to raise admission standards (by only offering admission to the top 95% of Jesuit, St. Mark's, Hockaday and Ursuline students). 

On 10/26/2021 at 5:29 PM, DentonLurker said:

The problem with the Super Pit to me is that you would just never really be able to make it truly feel like a modern arena. The stands are too far from the court, the floor seats look like what they are…floor seats added to an arena that was built without them. It really just feels dated, as previously stated, and I just don’t think you could overcome that. It’s just time to move on and start over.

I doubt it's economically viable, but the best way to get rid of the Superpit in favor of building a Hyperpit is to talk the Music Department into renovating it for their opera house. Those people get everything they want.

On 10/26/2021 at 10:33 PM, Mike Jackson said:

Spot on. This part of Texas is not exactly a hotbed of baseball talent and fan interest.  We at least had 3 minor league teams fold or move from the area in the past 20 years.  Two before Covid.  And the Air Hogs probably would have folded without Covid.  They merged with an Amarillo team to stay afloat before Covid was an issue.  I just had to look up the Denton Outlaws.  (At the time they were active I thought they were a pizza joint.  I got them confused with Pizza Patron I think. 😂)  No rush for baseball.  It will hemorrhage money getting started and it makes balancing thing for title 9 a little harder. 

I love the SuperPit.  The location is perfect.  If the AD doesn’t own it then something should worked out.  Even if there is a compromise and the new Arena takes over the block that had Sac & Save, IHOP, and McDonalds long ago.  You can move those offices anywhere.

Baseball is a saturated market. It is in relative decline, and it makes no sense throwing money into a sport which is already over-competitive and over-recruited in Texas and where we'd be competing with UTSA for relevance. It also requires the construction of a separate facility.

There are two sports where the DFW area has become an incubator for talent, which either require no new facilities or they can be built as part of other contemplated facilities, that have growing fan bases, and that provide an ability to set ourselves apart from other schools or to reinforce current rivalries. I would support the addition of men's soccer, or of men's and women's ice hockey well before adding baseball.

There's a reason we don't have baseball facilities or even a team yet even after trying for years. Baseball doesn't attract enough support from donors to justify its addition. Trying something totally different and unique in an area with strong interest but no college teams (hockey) or something which requires minimal additional investment but is filled with area talent (soccer) would both offer better support than baseball has.

[Newly Freed-up OOC Schedule]

13 hours ago, denton_days said:

We have to raise our OOC games if we really want to prove ourselves at the next level. Would love good G5 teams, and bad P5 teams to play. Games that people would be interested in seeing, even if they weren't a fan. Teams like Costal, Boise, K-State, Houston. I'd prefer that we got as far away from the teams in our current C-USA to really break away from that association. 

I don't entirely disagree, but until 2025 our options are limited - most P5s are scheduled out that far. I do think games against credible, nationally known G5s are the best option. Teams like Coastal offer declining returns - still not too many know they're legit, so the downside of losing is higher than the upside of winning.

Our serieses with SMU and Houston were critical for getting attention from both the American and Mountain West. Keeping a relationship with Houston must be a priority. Other than that, I prefer our basketball scheduling philosophy - OOC is for getting our team ready to face the big boys, not for getting our single win against the Little Sisters of the Poor. 

As far as UTEP goes, they (along with us and Houston for a while) were kept out of the SWC because of integration, so it's a nod to history to keep playing them, plus if we help them out of a jam it helps us politically.

[Newly Freed-up OOC Schedule]

So, here's what our options generally look like (tried to give 3). Of course, we have no clue right now what kind of schedule certain teams will have, but we know enough. Ranked by appearance. No, TCU still won't because they are cowards. We already have paychecks - sorry, opportunity games - for all of these years. 

2023
9/9 - Texas/Oklahoma (replacing SEC teams, assuming all moves happen at the same time), UTEP (assuming small/no conference for them), Louisiana (open, need another non-con)
9/16 - Houston (replacing Kansas for them), MTSU/NMSU (open, need another non-con)

2024
9/7 - Houston/UTEP/UNLV (open, need another non-con)

2025
9/13 - Houston/LATech/SoMiss (open, need another non-con)

2028
9/23 - Air Force (we already play Army and Navy), Houston/TxSt (open, need another non-con)

2029
9/8 - Air Force (we already play Army and Navy), LaTech/UTEP (open, need another non-con)

[IT IS OFFICIAL UNT TO the AAC!]

20 minutes ago, Rowdy said:

Wanted to drop this gem here for you guys.  

 

 

This is magnificent.

Now let's get to work. Which is annoying the private schools in our division so much that they move to the Southland.

[RUMOR: Southern Miss to the Sun Belt]

12 hours ago, keith said:

C-USA blew its opportunity when the news of UT and OU going to the SEC broke.  At that point, everything was set in motion.  C-USA should have immediately tried to woo several schools from the SBC in anticipation of the dominos that were sure to fall.  No clue if C-USA would have been successful.  The window of leveraging the perceived hierarchy of conference movement was still slightly open at that time...C-USA draws from SBC and SBC is the entry point for FCS schools moving up.  Instead it decided to pay "consultants" to hear what everyone already knew and float an offer that reeked of desperation to the AAC that was DOA before it was ever sent.  Complete fail.

A lot of this is outside the conference's remit early on, as there were pretty high level boosters for a large exurban university and a moderately sized suburban university already meeting like absconding lovers at a breadwinning breakfast location a day or tue after the TX/OU news broke. A lot of the preparatory work for this happens years before anything actually happens. 

[UNT TO AAC]

2 minutes ago, emmitt01 said:

It’s a good move for the AAC if, and only if, they believe the MWC may want to get into Texas.  This move removes DFW, Houston, and San Antonio from their options.  

Absolutely, this is a pre-emptive strike, but not just on the MWC. AAC West teams were worried that a combination of CUSA and Sun Belt teams could overtake them as well. This eliminates that concern, while managing to keep toeholds in Houston and Florida, and actually expanding the league's presence in Dallas.

[UNT TO AAC]

36 minutes ago, Side.Show.Joe said:

UNT, SMU, Rice, UTSA, Tulsa, Navy, & Tulane would make a nice western division. Just wonder how SMU will vote in all of this.

That's a solid division, and with our institutional plusses, we could be very competitive in a few years. Navy might actually consider this, too, because recruiting. As far as how SMU will vote, 

Spoiler

definitely for Rice and UNT, since those two were their idea in the first place.

 

[Does AAC make a mad dash for UNT when it looks like the MWC wants UNT & the Texas TV & Recruiting market?]

This round, just like the last several rounds of realignment, is about money. Last time that meant TV markets, and the CUSA is a prime example of why that strategy doesn't work. 

This time around it's about adding schools that can afford to continue to invest in an era with diminishing media rights distributions while other schools (specifically in the XII and the AAC) have to cut budgets significantly to accommodate the new distributions. 

What happened between the Mountain and AAC suggests that the math in going to the AAC has been done, and for most even CUSA schools it wouldn't make sense. Notice how that discussion died so quickly? I'm willing to best a substantial sum that ESPN told the AAC what it's post-raid distribution would be, and it was a huge haircut - probably on the order of 50%. ESPN was paying the AAC for Cincy vs UCF, not Tulsa vs ECU. 

There is a real question for some schools - especially those who don't own their own facilities - as to whether moving to the AAC can make any economic sense. Which is why things seem to have suddenly hit a wall.

[Mountain West or AAC?]

Moving from the kitchen to the smoking lounge won't change the fact that we're all on the Titanic. No moves unless a majority of Texas schools are included with us.

[***Alabame Birmingham vs. UNT OFFICIAL Game thread***]

Current Game Status: does anyone know if the steakhouse in the Winstar has any 9:00 tables?