If SMU is indeed our 6th home game in 2015...

[Eagle1855]

I'd love to fill their stadium with green. Send them into a silent count at home.

[untjim1995]

Last year, I said that if we didn't have a winner in place within the next 5 years, that I was gonna call it quits. After all, in the 23 seasons previous to 2013 as a fan, I had seen all of three good years of winning FBS football, 2002-2004, when we played the newbies and dregs of I-A football at the time in the old SBC. Other than that, it had been 20 years of mostly pathetic football at a university that clearly shows that they have zero interest in being a winner. But then, out of nowhere, 2013's magical season occurs. We go 9-4 in CUSA, win the HoD Bowl convincingly in front of 40k Mean Green fans, and extend Mac for turning things around. The slate was clean, again. They did what I asked of them, which was to just act like a program that cared about winning football and rewarding those who made it happen.

But it is stuff like this--poor scheduling of OOC opponents, having an "alternative" home game at someone else's stadium 45 minutes away (when traffic isn't bad, I might add), keeping the student fee way below the state-mandated level that traditional powerhouses like Lamar, Texas State, and UTSA fully take advantage of, and then the worst of all, the building of a great new stadium only to watch teams come here that toilet-bowl Fouts could still host quite easily today--it all just beats me down. I drew my line in the sand as a fan last year and watched the program do what I asked. I have now given 25 years to this place as a student, alum, and fan. I've been rewarded with exactly 5 winning seasons, 4 of which are at the FBS level since 1995. I'm just amazed at the patience (or masochism) of those who graduated in the deacdes before I did in 1995 and still actually care about this place. Most years, I feel like I do right now--like I have completely wasted my time and money. But because of last year's great renaissance season, I feel compelled to keep moving forward, against my better judgement, to see where we go from here. Hell, I'm even at the point of being fine with just being in a pseudo-i-aa setup again, just to see if we can compete for championships in football. That's how much I want to see us win. But there is absolutely nothing from the university's BOR, chancellor, or administration that makes me believe they even care about winning football at all, much less care about it more than I do. And, to me, watching a school go from a toilet bowl of a stadium to a great one in Apogee, from playing in the SBC 1.0 to the SBC 2.0, and from hiring a HS coach to one who actually has been a good head coach in the past, as greatly improved as that is, you still cannot tell me you are about winning football if you schedule 5 games (or less) at home and that you make it clear that buyouts aren't anything to even consider until there is no more than 1 year left on a contract (this is more on hoops than it is on football right now, but the Dodge fiasco stays in my mind here). Its just that we know that if 2015 and 2016 look like 2014 has, that there is zero doubt that McCarney will coach in 2017, just because it would cost to buy him out. Trust me, by the way, I don't want any of this to even have to be debated--I hope and actually believe Mac will get this turned around by 2016, if not sooner. But even he knows that he has until 2017 to turn this around--hell, he could always announce he wants to retire in 2018 and the school would keep him until the end of that contract just to save money. When cost is what you care about the most, quality always suffers--it really doesn't matter if its a house, education, car, food, etc..--if you promote cost as your best attribute, you attract cheapskates, both in customers and in employees. To me, that's the biggest issue we have today, athletically speaking. We view the entire athletic department as a cost, not in terms of revenue.

Edited November 26, 2014 by untjim1995

[keith]

If it's on local TV, then no need to go at all.

[UNT90]

I will never consider a game AT Ford to be a home game, I don't care how they sugar coat it. If we really only have five games, or God forbid four, I am going to be very upset.

We sit at four currently, and there is no way in hell to get out of a contract with Iowa or Tennessee and then schedule 2 additional home games with the time left. The only way to do that would be to get out of the contract and buy 2 FCS home games. Not gonna happen. I don't have the time, but if any of you internet geeks out there (said very respectfully and with admiration) wanna track all of the FBS schedules next year, I wonder if you would even find one school that was looking for an away game at this VERY late point in the college scheduling game.

SMU will be sold as an alternate home game. Mark it.

I hope we buy an FCS for home game #5. Don't discount the recent financial situation and this school's propensity to lay anything and everything at athletics doorstep. I wouldn't be surprised to see us schedule yet another money game next year to "do athletic's part" to pay off the debt.

Edited November 26, 2014 by UNT90

[greenit]

I like Mac as the figurehead of the program. I think he needs to take more of a hands off approach with his O-Coordinator and us it as an oppty to groom up and coming offensive minds.

We don't have to go full wild ass circus on offense, but Mac can help mold the D and give the Coordinator some more freedom on O.

[Eagle1855]

I hope we buy an FCS for home game #5. Don't discount the recent financial situation and this school's propensity to lay anything and everything at athletics doorstep. I wouldn't be surprised to see us schedule yet another money game next year to "do athletic's part" to pay off the debt.

Is that possible? I thought these were separate money issues.

[UNT90]

Is that possible? I thought these were separate money issues.

If there is anything UNT has proven, it's that it definitely understands creative accounting...

But seriously, athletics has a budget like any other department. Can the money from a whore game be directly applied to the accounting debt? Probably not. Can athletics budget be reduced due to the fact that the money game provides athletics additional revenue? I don't know why not.

But, then again, I'm not an accountant.

[aztecskin]

Yes.

It is beyond ridiculous to accept this.

[Stan R]

UNT90 is 100% correct and in the right now on this issue. We should all be enraged. It is time for RV to go. I have been mostly quiet on this (RV is still a saint to me over when I look back in history at the big picture) but it is time for a new AD to take us in a new, better direction with this overall program. Our program has stagnated apart from the performance on the field. The two can and should be separated and we should demand more and accept no less now. I am sick of the apathy being shown towards the situation, the lack of communication and the lack of WANT to make things better from the AD office's perspective.

Yes, I understand our olympic sports are all doing well, kudos on that. Don't care. That isn't enough and RV knows it, the BOR knows it, the president of NT knows it (if we hooked him up to a lie detector test). The question now is how much lack of progress are we ALL willing to accept.

At this point it is staring everyone in the face.

[Cerebus]

At this point it is staring everyone in the face.

Problem is I think the higher ups are happy with what RV is doing. Cost efficient D1 athletics. I don't think they are committed to us being successful, or else something as easy as the student fee would already be maxed.

[BillySee58]

He said he was working on a 1 and 1 with a P5. He said us entering CUSA cancelled the Tulsa series and that is the reason we are in a scheduling pickle.

And that is COMPLETE bullshit. What the F have you been doing for 2 years, RV?

The comments are easy to find. It's in one of two podcasts RV was on this season.

I'm tired of being lied to by the AD. You told us better teams would be coming after the new stadium was built. You told people buying club seats there would be 6 home games a year.

How about following through on what you say for a change?

I went back and re-listened to it. He did say that he was confident they were working towards "making that happen again" in 2015. Around the 23:35 mark.

http://www.gomeangreen.com/_/gmgcom-barbershop-podcast-129-wrv-r924

Edited November 26, 2014 by BillySee58

[Green P1]

Where is that rich guy with inside connections to come tell us it's all a joke or clown show??????

[untjim1995]

Where is that rich guy with inside connections to come tell us it's all a joke or clown show??????

Hanging out with RV and some BOR folks, laughing at how awesome it is that he can rub elbows with the AD and the BOR at his school...I mean, its just like knowing Deloss Dodds and a BOR member at UT, right?!!

NOT A CLOWN SHOW AT ALL AT UNT!!

[GL2Greatness]

of course a money game can be used to pay off the debt to the state

north texas subsidizes the athletics department to the tine of 7 million in addition to the money from the athletics fee so every dollar of that direct subsidy that gets replaced with income can go right to the debt

[cogido]

Lot's of frustration expressed in all of these posts on this topic. I think we all hit the concrete really hard when we fell back to earth after having a 9-4, bowl win season. It was an unexpected and very hard fall. I believe that the only real impact we fans, students and alums (who aren't millionaires) can have is to write or contact members of the BOR , same as we do congressmen, and let them know how passionate we are about our university and that we demand that they prioritize the athletic program. I am not minimizing research and academics, but this issue of athletics puts a major spotlight on UNT. Success at the HOD bowl brought huge tangible and intangible benefits for UNT, the BOR should be loud and clear that the momentum gained in 2013-14 be aggressively maintained.

[flyonthewall]

drinking a glass of wine wondering why I donated all of the money I did for this lack of progress. You guys are a joke. Go ahead, make fun, but we were all part of the progress, all in different ways. Some by merely showing up, but we all did what we could do. RV has to go.....blah blah blah. McCarney shouldn't have been extended.....blah blah blah. Us "rich guys" are completely happy with dismal basketball and reverting in football..... blah blah blah. It's all ok because I know the new President.....blah blah blah. Yeah.....

I guess it was a mistake to jump on board with the capital campaign at apogee, or to help with.......nevermind.

#itreallyisallajoke

Pile on haters

[UNT90]

I went back and re-listened to it. He did say that he was confident they were working towards "making that happen again" in 2015. Around the 23:35 mark.

http://www.gomeangreen.com/_/gmgcom-barbershop-podcast-129-wrv-r924

Listened to it again and it just makes my head want to explode. So much shucking and jiving.

It is unclear whether he is talking about 6 home games a year or renewing the Tulsa series when he makes the remark "working toward making that happen." I tend to think he was talking about 6 home games.

And everything about Tulsa causing 5 hiome games in 2015 was straight BS. RV says that because Tupsa left CUSA it affected our OOC schedule. Complete crap. Tulsa was a CONFERENCE GAME!!!! That doesn't affect the OOC schedule!

The Tulsa series was cancelled when we entered the conference. We knew we were entering a year before we actually did enter, which means RV has had the better part of 3 years to solve this apparently unsolvable problem.

And there isn't any excuse that he didnt know Tulsa would leave. If he couldn't see that coming, he should be fired for incompetency.

Fact of the matter is RV wanted 2 whore games in 2015, so we have 2 whore games in 2015. Just that simple.

Also, RV stated that "it is our goal to have 6 home games a year." Well, you have only reach that very attainable goal 2 times in a 4 year period. Is that considered acceptable? Only at UNT.

Good post by Jim above. Sadly, we will spin our wheels until the BOR decides that athletics should be considered as much of a priority as other programs within the university.

The moment they do that, we will have a new AD.

[GOMG2013]

With two games at Iowa and tenn, most likely losses, the 5th home game needs to be an almost guaranteed win.

[Stan R]

drinking a glass of wine wondering why I donated all of the money I did for this lack of progress. You guys are a joke. Go ahead, make fun, but we were all part of the progress, all in different ways. Some by merely showing up, but we all did what we could do. RV has to go.....blah blah blah. McCarney shouldn't have been extended.....blah blah blah. Us "rich guys" are completely happy with dismal basketball and reverting in football..... blah blah blah. It's all ok because I know the new President.....blah blah blah. Yeah.....

I guess it was a mistake to jump on board with the capital campaign at apogee, or to help with.......nevermind.

#itreallyisallajoke

Pile on haters

Whoa. I don't think anyone is hatin on the richie riches of the NT affiliated world, which I guess you are to some extent. The fact that you are donating serious hard earned money (notice I didn't say stolen or "off the backs of the people"?) is to be commended. What we are complaining about is the lack of accountability or real communication coming from the highest levels of the NT administration.

I think you knew this, I'm just guessing you are venting at those who "just show up" and are ticked at the fact that us "show-uppers" aren't pulling our fair load of the problem? I think that is actually misguided, but I am really curious at what your real perspective is on this because I think that honestly, the more we kick each other in the teeth (UNT fans of all shapes and sizes I mean) the more we just reduce our overall fan base.

I have no problem with NT90 incessantly ranting about this because I know of no other way for us little guys to get the attention of the AD office, assuming that they have eyes on this site.

Do you have a better suggestion of how to deal with this? I'm all ears. Should we picket the front offices? Wear paper bags on our heads at all events (my vote)?

[untjim1995]

Whoa. I don't think anyone is hatin on the richie riches of the NT affiliated world, which I guess you are to some extent. The fact that you are donating serious hard earned money (notice I didn't say stolen or "off the backs of the people"?) is to be commended. What we are complaining about is the lack of accountability or real communication coming from the highest levels of the NT administration.

I think you knew this, I'm just guessing you are venting at those who "just show up" and are ticked at the fact that us "show-uppers" aren't pulling our fair load of the problem? I think that is actually misguided, but I am really curious at what your real perspective is on this because I think that honestly, the more we kick each other in the teeth (UNT fans of all shapes and sizes I mean) the more we just reduce our overall fan base.

I have no problem with NT90 incessantly ranting about this because I know of no other way for us little guys to get the attention of the AD office, assuming that they have eyes on this site.

Do you have a better suggestion of how to deal with this? I'm all ears. Should we picket the front offices? Wear paper bags on our heads at all events (my vote)?

Good luck on getting an answer, StanR...I've asked him to tell me what it would take for him to feel like the Benford hire has been a disappointment--the answer has been crickets.

[Green Mean]

drinking a glass of wine wondering why I donated all of the money I did for this lack of progress. You guys are a joke. Go ahead, make fun, but we were all part of the progress, all in different ways. Some by merely showing up, but we all did what we could do. RV has to go.....blah blah blah. McCarney shouldn't have been extended.....blah blah blah. Us "rich guys" are completely happy with dismal basketball and reverting in football..... blah blah blah. It's all ok because I know the new President.....blah blah blah. Yeah.....

I guess it was a mistake to jump on board with the capital campaign at apogee, or to help with.......nevermind.

#itreallyisallajoke

Pile on haters

Does NT ever do anything wrong in your eyes?

[oldguystudent]

Does NT ever do anything wrong in your eyes?

He had stated many times, criticize in private, praise in public.

I'm otherwise not going to put words in anybody's mouth.

[Cerebus]

He had stated many times, criticize in private, praise in public.

That's a really great approach if you are talking about an employee you can hire/fire, OR if it's someone you can't hire/fire but have a lot of influence with.

If you are one of the masses, with no special influence, then you mobilize latent power by communicating, planning and organizing large numbers of people to aggregate influence. Which is exactly what this board is capable of doing.

I can also see why someone with influence would preach this model to others, especially those without influence. If the opposite were to happen, their influence would be diminished, if not outright swamped by numbers. While rile a system that maximizes your influence?

[SilverEagle]

drinking a glass of wine wondering why I donated all of the money I did for this lack of progress. You guys are a joke. Go ahead, make fun, but we were all part of the progress, all in different ways. Some by merely showing up, but we all did what we could do. RV has to go.....blah blah blah. McCarney shouldn't have been extended.....blah blah blah. Us "rich guys" are completely happy with dismal basketball and reverting in football..... blah blah blah. It's all ok because I know the new President.....blah blah blah. Yeah.....

I guess it was a mistake to jump on board with the capital campaign at apogee, or to help with.......nevermind.

#itreallyisallajoke

Pile on haters

Ok, let me ask you this. Did you consider your contribution(as well as others of your financial level) to the capital campaign a one and done situation? In other words, no need to more forward in a timely manner to get other people on board? No accountability as to how the funds were being utilized? Was it your expectation that your capital campaign contribution (and others like you) was to fund "same as always" regarding North Texas' image in the Texas, or D/FW, college football scene?

When you evaluated your employees/managers did you accept "same as always" regarding the area in your business that they were responsible for managing?

And when you were in an evaluation meeting with your employees and they held up some significant acquisition for the company that you knew someone else actually did for them, but they are taking credit for it (Apogee stadium, SGA got it with the student vote, not RV), did you smile and say "well, good job! now we can cruise along and not worry about moving onward and upward (increase in attendance....paid attendance) and we can just take it easy.

[TIgreen01]

Are we really dog-piling on one of our better alums (support wise, at the least that can't be argued) because he chooses to see the positives over the negatives? It's ridiculous to constantly b1tch about scheduling because it is clear that he's never going to please everyone. I think we should be playing the weakest schedule in the nation every single year until we are winning 7-8-9 games every year (ala Boise, TCU, Hawaii, and our own Johnny Jones BBall teams).

If you want to run off RV, you need to focus on the records of our 3 major sports teams. No need to dilute your argument with something as subjective as your satisfaction with our schedule. My $.02.