Wac Schools Face Loss Of 1a/ Fbs Status

[Green Mean]

And they are so close and easy to travel to, plus, the media coverage would be wonderful from these locations.

Yes in my opinion it would be better than going to ULM, ULL or anybody in the Sunbelt. If people are interested in NT football, they will watch somehow someway.

[UNTflyer]

The WAC would be devastating to our budget, and the fans would be unable to travel. Even as it stands now, we have trouble travelling because only three schools are within reasonable driving distance (if you call Jonesboro and Lafayette "reasonable").

C-USA would be wonderful... 4 schools could be traveled to and back on the same day (SMU, Tulsa, Houston, Rice) with three others being an overnight trip (UTEP, Tulane and Memphis).

[UNTLifer]

Yes in my opinion it would be better than going to ULM, ULL or anybody in the Sunbelt. If people are interested in NT football, they will watch somehow someway.

You obviously weren't around during the Big West days.

[Green Mean]

You obviously weren't around during the Big West days.

Those were the Big West days and no I was not around during that time. Its a different football landscape now. People know and like BSU. They know and like Hawaii...why? Because they are winning programs that just went to a BCS bowls.

[UNTflyer]

Distance from Denton to:

Boise, ID: 1,661 miles

Fresno, Ca: 1,520 miles

Moscow, ID: 1,976 miles

Reno, NV: 1,629 miles

Las Cruces, NM: 683 miles

San Jose, CA: 1,653 miles

Logan, UT: 1,404 miles

Honolulu, HI: 3,772 miles -- We could not calculate driving directions between Denton, TX, USA and Honolulu, HI.

Edited June 10, 2008 by UNTflyer

[TxStBobcat]

Would some UNT fans idea of moving to the WAC change if say, perhaps Texas State moved up to the WAC?

Hypothetical question of course...

[UNTflyer]

I don't think the WAC would take Texas State as they are trying, rightfully so, to push their claim that they are a legitimate BCS conference. I think if Texas State goes to Div-IA that the Sun Belt will be in their future.

[stebo]

Even with Boise's Fiesta Bowl appearance, I imagine that we would draw about the same that we did when we played them in the Big West... average at best. Nobody around here really cares about any of those WAC teams. Maybe Hawaii would draw well, so let's schedule an OOC 1 and 1 with them... same goes with Fresno, they have a little bit of name recognition but really not enough to justify a conference change and all the expense that goes with it. I don't think that we want to pay to send women's soccer to Oahu.

It is funny because people say that:

"Yes in my opinion it would be better than going to ULM, ULL or anybody in the Sunbelt. If people are interested in NT football, they will watch somehow someway."

Yet, that is the arguement FOR the Belt... if someone is interested in North Texas football, there are going to come watch anyways - whether it be against Utah State or Troy. They (non BCS Auto Bid teams) are virtually all the same as far as name recognition.... little to none (with the exception of the MWC teams and some of CUSA). The WAC, MAC, and Belt are all suffering from the same lack of tradition. At least with the Belt, they are regional and name rcognition can somewhat come with time. The average student will never be interested in seeing Nevada, SJSU, Idaho, etc... even La Tech - which is right up the road from us - scheduled a home and home with us and we had very mediocre attendance for that game. Very mediocre. There is nothing prestige about being in the WAC, it just costs money that we could be spending on bettering ourselves. We just need our fans to come see North Texas and not worry about the opponent.

Edited June 10, 2008 by stebo

[UNTLifer]

Even with Boise's Fiesta Bowl appearance, I imagine that we would draw about the same that we did when we played them in the Big West... average at best. Nobody around here really cares about any of those WAC teams. Maybe Hawaii would draw well, so let's schedule an OOC 1 and 1 with them... same goes with Fresno, they have a little bit of name recognition but really not enough to justify a conference change and all the expense that goes with it. I don't think that we want to pay to send women's soccer to Oahu.

It is funny because people say that:

"Yes in my opinion it would be better than going to ULM, ULL or anybody in the Sunbelt. If people are interested in NT football, they will watch somehow someway."

Yet, that is the arguement FOR the Belt... if someone is interested in North Texas football, there are going to come watch anyways - whether it be against Utah State or Troy. They (non BCS Auto Bid teams) are virtually all the same as far as name recognition.... little to none (with the exception of the MWC teams and some of CUSA). The WAC, MAC, and Belt are all suffering from the same lack of tradition. At least with the Belt, they are regional and name rcognition can somewhat come with time. The average student will never be interested in seeing Nevada, SJSU, Idaho, etc... even La Tech - which is right up the road from us - scheduled a home and home with us and we had very mediocre attendance for that game. Very mediocre. There is nothing prestige about being in the WAC, it just costs money that we could be spending on bettering ourselves. We just need our fans to come see North Texas and not worry about the opponent.

Thanks for typing what I am too lazy and beat down to explain again.

[UNTflyer]

The only real advantage I see in being in the WAC is the 13-Game Rule with Hawaii.

Edited June 11, 2008 by UNTflyer

[emmitt01]

Those were the Big West days and no I was not around during that time. Its a different football landscape now. People know and like BSU. They know and like Hawaii...why? Because they are winning programs that just went to a BCS bowls.

This is the argument that gives me the most tired head...and makes the least sense to me.

"Let's join a conference because the other people in the conference might be a draw for our fans." Not, let's do what's best to advance NT football (e.g. leave us enough money that we can afford to recruit more heavily, build facilities, etc)...no, let's worry about whether our fans will come out to see THE OPPONENT. And is our aim really to be a program that doesn't worry about whether or not we have a fan base that cares about North Texas but rather about the opponent? Just how much do we want to be the Baylor of the WAC?

Furthermore, just how badly to we want to cater to our fans only 5 games out of the year? Let's just assume, a BIG assumption, that we could get 20,000 plus if Boise or Hawaii come to Denton. We would get those numbers either once a year if they alternated or twice in one year and not in the next if they came in the same year. Great, so we may get two highly attended games. (Oh, and let's not forget that their fans will contribute approximately ZERO to our attendance because they're not travelling all the way to Denton) Now we have one conference game every two years that our fans can/will travel to. Hell of a way to build a fan base if you ask me...take away completely one of the things that builds lifetime fans which is going on the road to watch your team.

I think the sad problem that we are running into with a lot of our fans is that the SBC is so unappetizing to many that they will hitch their wagon to something, anything, that seems more appealing...even if it means ignoring the inherent drawbacks because they get in the way of wishing.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

Even with Boise's Fiesta Bowl appearance, I imagine that we would draw about the same that we did when we played them in the Big West... average at best. Nobody around here really cares about any of those WAC teams. Maybe Hawaii would draw well, so let's schedule an OOC 1 and 1 with them... same goes with Fresno, they have a little bit of name recognition but really not enough to justify a conference change and all the expense that goes with it. I don't think that we want to pay to send women's soccer to Oahu.

It is funny because people say that:

"Yes in my opinion it would be better than going to ULM, ULL or anybody in the Sunbelt. If people are interested in NT football, they will watch somehow someway."

Yet, that is the arguement FOR the Belt... if someone is interested in North Texas football, there are going to come watch anyways - whether it be against Utah State or Troy. They (non BCS Auto Bid teams) are virtually all the same as far as name recognition.... little to none (with the exception of the MWC teams and some of CUSA). The WAC, MAC, and Belt are all suffering from the same lack of tradition. At least with the Belt, they are regional and name rcognition can somewhat come with time. The average student will never be interested in seeing Nevada, SJSU, Idaho, etc... even La Tech - which is right up the road from us - scheduled a home and home with us and we had very mediocre attendance for that game. Very mediocre. There is nothing prestige about being in the WAC, it just costs money that we could be spending on bettering ourselves. We just need our fans to come see North Texas and not worry about the opponent.

This is the argument that gives me the most tired head...and makes the least sense to me.

"Let's join a conference because the other people in the conference might be a draw for our fans." Not, let's do what's best to advance NT football (e.g. leave us enough money that we can afford to recruit more heavily, build facilities, etc)...no, let's worry about whether our fans will come out to see THE OPPONENT. And is our aim really to be a program that doesn't worry about whether or not we have a fan base that cares about North Texas but rather about the opponent? Just how much do we want to be the Baylor of the WAC?

Furthermore, just how badly to we want to cater to our fans only 5 games out of the year? Let's just assume, a BIG assumption, that we could get 20,000 plus if Boise or Hawaii come to Denton. We would get those numbers either once a year if they alternated or twice in one year and not in the next if they came in the same year. Great, so we may get two highly attended games. (Oh, and let's not forget that their fans will contribute approximately ZERO to our attendance because they're not travelling all the way to Denton) Now we have one conference game every two years that our fans can/will travel to. Hell of a way to build a fan base if you ask me...take away completely one of the things that builds lifetime fans which is going on the road to watch your team.

I think the sad problem that we are running into with a lot of our fans is that the SBC is so unappetizing to many that they will hitch their wagon to something, anything, that seems more appealing...even if it means ignoring the inherent drawbacks because they get in the way of wishing.

Possibly the BEST two posts I have read on this issue. Thanks boys - I am officially off the "going to the WAC" bus.