Which Would Be Better?

[trud1966]

B.

We don't recruit against zero U.

Rick

Exactly! We have more to gain in the future with recruits with a win over SMU. Dont get me wrong, I dont care for OU, dont hate them, but I'd love a win. But the short of the long is they ARE a very fast powerful team. I love our guys, but the odds are against them and that's still ok. Alot of eyes are going to be on TD to see if this entire system of his will work in D1. We'd love to beat those guys.... We'd love to lose but keep it really close....Some of us wouldnt mind losing, and just scare the @#!!##$ of them for 12 minutes. Personally, with a new HC, a new staff, a new uni, a new offense, etc etc, if we simply go out there and show that this new system "works" on several plays, keep everyone healthy and dont lose anyone to injury, raise a few eyebrows of the OU faithful, then it will be a success. To me, our season BEGINS in Dallas the following week at SMUt. OU is OUR warmup game, not theirs...

Edited June 25, 2007 by trud1966

[Mean Green 93-98]

B. With no hesitation whatsoever.

[SilverEagle]

How does what most would consider a fluke win over OU help us in the long run?

I'll answer this question if you answer mine.

To repeat. How much respect did we get from our fellow Texans for our four bowl trips and our record setting conference winning streak.

[Green Crazy]

I'll answer this question if you answer mine.

To repeat. How much respect did we get from our fellow Texans for our four bowl trips and our record setting conference winning streak.

Not very much, but the first bowl we went to with a losing record and each bowl after that we went without beating a ooc opponent, winning just one.

[Charlie NT 73]

I chose "B".

Zero u will be a top 10 team, even with breaking in a new QB, finding a

replacement for Peterson at RB, and revamping their OL. I would like to see

a good game, not another 65-0 blow out. Beleive me, zero u will be prepaired

for this game, and they are still smarting over the Bosie State loss.

I want North Texas to blast the phonies on their home turf. Peroid.

For the sooie pigs- this is a maybe game-hard to judge. I think North

Texas has a better shot for a win here than at zero-u. Navy- I think North

Texas has much better odds here for a win. OOC games, I see 2-2.

Conference, all roads go through Troy. This years Troy team is very good.

Can North Texas win, yes, but it will be another close game.

The muts, are highly over rated and over hyped. Replacing numerious players,

QB ahd OL. I see North Texas winning big at home.

Can North Texas win the SBC championship, yes. I think North Texas has as

much chance as the other projected favorite teams.

[Eagle1855]

Considering we've already gone 9-3 a few short years ago and nobody really cared "because we didnt beat anyone that mattered", I'm gonna have to go with 'A' on this one. Though I honestly cant envision a situation where we knock off top-ten-ranked OU then win just 5 more games the rest of the season- especially playing in the awfulness that is the Sun Belt.

People are waaaay too obsessed with SMU... SMU is pretty much irrelevant to the rest of the college football world. OU, however, is not. They wouldn't just talk about it for a couple days, they'd talk about it all year.

[Superfrog]

As a TCU fan being in this situation..........beating OU by far outweighs beating SMU. Our joy after this victory was greater than our dissppointment after the SMU loss. Even with the loss to SMU the following week, the OU win does far more for your program than a "fluke" loss to SMU. OU coming off of back to back national championship appearances, top 5 ranking, in Norman, first non-confernce home loss since TCU beat them in 1997. Yes, the SMU loss cost us a BCS spot (which we didn't know would do at the time) and was devastating, but ripping off 10 consecutive wins and ending up in the top 25 was pretty impressive as well. There is a reason only 1 team ends the season undefeated every year.......its nearly impossible no matter who you play.

[Mean Green 93-98]

I think just about all of us would rather beat OU than SMU--but that was not the scenario presented. If we were to follow up an OU win with an SMU loss and then 10 consecutive wins, I would be pleased as punch. But an SMU win as part of a great season sounds better to me than an OU win followed by a mediocre season.

[Stan R]

I'd have to pick A. Beat OU and the recruits would perk up their ears even with a 1-10 season -

"oh - those are the guys who beat OU. "

"but they lost to everyone else"

"who CARES man - they beat freaking OU - IN NORMAN!"

end of discussion.

[Superfrog]

I think just about all of us would rather beat OU than SMU--but that was not the scenario presented. If we were to follow up an OU win with an SMU loss and then 10 consecutive wins, I would be pleased as punch. But an SMU win as part of a great season sounds better to me than an OU win followed by a mediocre season.

It definiteley depends on how your season ends up, but anytime a non-bcs team beats a BCS powerhouse at their place, it helps with the credibility and respectiblity on many levels. Unfortunately for non-bcs teams its an all or nothing mind frame. You have to go undefeated to make a BCS bowl game.......so really anything less than that is considered mediocre by most of america.

[NT80]

A. Beat Zero-U.

We would be in the Top 25 for one week, all highways to Denton would be snarled because of the media frenzy trying to interview Dodge, and finally we would replace Tennessee as the all-time biggest win. Beat SMUT? Great for a week or two; go to N.O. Bowl? Fun, but hard to remember after Burbon Street. Give me big wins over big programs; Boise-us upwards!

Edited June 26, 2007 by NT80

[Dodge2007]

Fox Sports and UNT beating OU would be a dream for Dodge and the program. I just want the Mean Green to play respectable and be in the game in the second half, that would be quite an accomplishment and set the tone for the rest of the season. If Dodge can get some early success in Norman, it might be a fun game to watch. If not, it could be a long day.

Dodge opening up with a loss with be something awfully new for him. He will be ready for the pony ride, the following week.

[greenminer]

I don't know how some of you think a win over OU would make a 1-10 season justifiable. Think long and hard about how miserable and long a 10 game losing streak would be to live through.

And I'd rather be on Bourbon drinking myself silly, drowning the N.O. Bowl in Grenades, rather than sitting at home drinking myself silly watching someone else on TV represent the Belt at the bowl.

[UNTFan23]

I don't know how some of you think a win over OU would make a 1-10 season justifiable. Think long and hard about how miserable and long a 10 game losing streak would be to live through.

We play 12 games this season.

[greenminer]

We play 12 games this season.

I stand corrected, and my point still stands. I just read Stan's reply above and plugged the number into my response.

I'd have to pick A. Beat OU and the recruits would perk up their ears even with a 1-10 season -

Thanks for picking on me and not Stan

[UNTFan23]

I stand corrected, and my point still stands. I just read Stan's reply above and plugged the number into my response.

Thanks for picking on me and not Stan

Been a long day. My ability to pay attention to drops off significantly when I get home from work.

[Green Lantern]

Considering we've already gone 9-3 a few short years ago and nobody really cared "because we didnt beat anyone that mattered", I'm gonna have to go with 'A' on this one. Though I honestly cant envision a situation where we knock off top-ten-ranked OU then win just 5 more games the rest of the season- especially playing in the awfulness that is the Sun Belt.

People are waaaay too obsessed with SMU... SMU is pretty much irrelevant to the rest of the college football world. OU, however, is not. They wouldn't just talk about it for a couple days, they'd talk about it all year.

Exactly the way I feel about it. We had a really good team the year that we played Memphis in the NO Bowl. No one on the national scene gave us any more recognition than we received in the previous year.

I also agree about SMU. We seem to focus so much time and energy on a program that has no relevance in today's college football landscape. I think that beating Navy this year would do us a whole hell of a lot more than a win against SMU. People actually talk about Navy on the national level occasionally. I understand the need for a rival but SMU doesn't really do much for me.

[TIgreen01]

Yeah...I'd have to go with A as well. If you changed up the scenario to include a NO Bowl "WIN", then I'd pick B. Like many have said, we've already had a 9-3 season that ended with a loss in the NO Bowl to a mediocre team. That 2003 season was a great season but the bowl loss ended it on a really bad note for us. It only helped further prove that we were just the "king of the dipsh!ts" as many have said before. We couldn't win an OOC game to save our lives in those days....and THAT is what took the glory out of our 26 game in-conference winning streak and 4 bowl appearances in the media's eyes.

[LongJim]

I know we all want to beat Oklahoma b/c it would let us thump our chests a bit and would make for great cooler talk today and for years to come but would worth it if not followed up by a stellar season?

Not really. It would scream 'fluke' to me, but whatever. It's typical behavior for the aTm's of the world, but I would want more for UNT. I'd love to see UNT beat UT-Norman, but I'd like to see UTN go 0-12, as well.

Which would you rather have?

A)Win over OU that leaves our team worn out and not having game planned for SMU...resulting in a loss the next week against SMU (ala TCU a few years back) and a few conference losses. Final season record 6-6.

B)Loss to OU, maybe even a big one, followed up by a convincing win over the ponies and losses to Navy and Ark but a run through the belt save a loss to Troy or MUTS. Final season record 9-3 with the trip to N.O.

I would take A--grumbling--if it meant a 6-6 record, considering how UNT has fared the past 2 years, but I wouldn't be completely happy about it, since the MG would not have taken care of business in their own conference. I would expect UNT to build on 2007, and dominate the SBC the next year, and possibly win a couple of OOC's they weren't expected to.

To me, UNT needs to take care of their business in their conference every year, no matter what. That's the expectation RIGHT NOW. Dodge will have a honeymoon period as he gets his program together, but the step after that will be to beat the other mids on the schedule, and that should be the expectation. Then the next step will be to beat the BCS schools on the schedule.

[Stan R]

To me, UNT needs to take care of their business in their conference every year, no matter what. That's the expectation RIGHT NOW. Dodge will have a honeymoon period as he gets his program together, but the step after that will be to beat the other mids on the schedule, and that should be the expectation. Then the next step will be to beat the BCS schools on the schedule.

Good point Jim, just setting expectations within the framework of the Dodge era is important in my mind. I'm expecting the following if TD is going to live up to his name and reputation at this level:

1.) This year: we are respectable and are at least .500 in wins. At least one OOC win. Playing close in all other OOC games. Losing by less than 27 to OU.

2.) Next year: we win 75% of SBC games. Win half of OOC games. Start to dominate SBC games in the wins. Losing bodybag games by less than 17.

3.) Third year: for Dodge - win 90% of SBC games. Should win the conf. If we are in a bowl we should win. Should scare the crap out of our money game opponents to the point where they may back out of "bodybag games" because they are afraid they may be the ones in the bodybag.

4.) Forth year: TD's name at this point should be kicked around for CUSA/WAC jobs. He should be in final stages of approval from the FDA for his cancer cure. At least one player on offense or defense should be a finalist for the nobel peace prize.

That is all.

[Mean Green 93-98]

4.) Forth year: TD's name at this point should be kicked around for CUSA/WAC jobs.

I expect this to happen halfway through this season. Fourth year, Mack Brown, Pete Carroll, and Charlie Weis are all asking him if they can work as assistants under him.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

I don't know how some of you think a win over OU would make a 1-10 season justifiable. Think long and hard about how miserable and long a 10 game losing streak would be to live through.

And I'd rather be on Bourbon drinking myself silly, drowning the N.O. Bowl in Grenades, rather than sitting at home drinking myself silly watching someone else on TV represent the Belt at the bowl.

I believe that the scenario was that we would be 6-6 on the year. We've been through a season where we ran the table in the SBC and lost all of the OOC games and that didn't work for us. In fact, I believe that we won two games the following season. Lord, please deliver us from another season like that one.

[FirefightnRick]

Some of y'all have short memories.

In 2002 we finished 8-4 with an upset win over co-C-USA champion Cincinnati in front of a national TV audience in the bowl game. Cincy was only moments away from beating eventual national (Voted/computerized) champion Ohio State and beat the other co C-USA champion in a 10-2 TCU squad early on that season.

In 2003 we finished 9-4 with a large upset- shelacking of Baylor and again played in front of a national TV audience with our loss against Memphis in the bowl game.

To say that no one cared about running the Belt and the games we won during those two seasons is BS. A lot of people cared and noticed. If they didn't then who the hell are all these people at Fouts Field in mid November?

Both seasons gained us a lot of interest, respect and press and the Mean Green earned it's first ever front cover of Dave Campbells for the '04 edition because of it.

Rick

[Eagle1855]

Well, Baylor went 3-9 in 2002, 2003, and 2004. In 2003 they got beat by a lousy UAB team, barely beat an SMU team that was on it's way to an 0-12 campaign- at home- then lost a couple more by scores of 73-10, 56-0, 38-10, 62-14, and 41-3. It was their worst team in a long time. We laid down a thorough beating for sure, and I had a hell of a time at the game (was one of my fondest memories of gameday at UNT), but to call it a LARGE upset is going a little far. Beat OU in the opener this year, then we've got a large upset.

While it wasn't the best record, 2002 was probably our best team during those years. We played a few OOC games close (still lost them all, except to the powerhouse that is Nicholls State) then capped it off with the win over a good Cincy team. We carried that momentum with us, going on to get our asses kicked in every other OOC game (save Baylor) we played after that year.

I'm not taking away from what we accomplished- it got us here today. I had a hell of a time at every one of those New Orleans Bowls.

In my opinion, having the back-to-back rushing champs is what got us the most press during that time, not our "impressive" dominance of the Little Sisters of the Poor- but thats a matter of opinion. Winning 26 straight conference games is never easy, no matter who you play against. It just would have helped the 'belt in it's quest for legitimacy had we managed a couple OOC wins a year during that run...

Edited June 28, 2007 by Eagle1855