Unt 2011 Football Preview

[Harry]

I like UNT’s new coaching staff, but this team was built to win last year and has a lot of holes and unproven players at key spots. My gut feeling is that UNT will finish 4-8, which would be a hugely successful season. UNT hasn’t won more than three games in a season since 2004 and is 13-58 since the 2004 New Orleans Bowl. It would be a big step in the right direction if UNT can win four.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/2011-college-football-preview-north-texas-mean-green

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[untjim1995]

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/2011-college-football-preview-north-texas-mean-green

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I tend to agree with this assessment. I just don't see how, with our current line issues and QB uncertainty, not to mention a new coaching staff, how anyone could expect a heckuva lot more than this in Coach Mac's first year. If we won 4 games, that would be our most wins in a season since 2004, so I do agree that it would represent solid progress.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Calling four wins "hugely successful" is an overstatement, but it is a realistic expectation both ways. Those who are thinking 7-8 wins are probably not being realistic, but less than 4 wins should certainly be considered a disappointment.

[UNT90]

Less than 5 wins is a disappointment. Going from 3 to 4 wins is not a "huge improvement."

Coach matters in this league. Everything indicates that we now have it. We damn sure didn't the last 4 years.

[KRAM1]

UNT will win more than 4 games next season...write it down!

GO MEAN GREEN!

[greenminer]

UNT’s biggest issue was coaching. UNT went 6-37 under former high school coach Todd Dodge. UNT went 1-6 and was averaging 16.9 points a game under Dodge who lasted just seven games into his fourth year. UNT went 2-3, nearly won a 49-41 shootout with Kansas State and averaged 33.8 points once it finally fired Dodge and put offensive coordinator Mike Canales in charge. That pretty much says it all right there.

Well, if you liked playing the Vito hated Dodge card, there's some fodder for ya.

[UNT90]

I actually just read the interview and could not believe that Vito's Dodge hate was so strong that he would COMPLETEY ignore the injuries. You can't say that coaching last year was a bigger factor than losing so many key players. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Except that we won 2 of the last 5, including playing tough against Troy and K State.

That would not have happened with Dodge still here. I'm glad he didn't mention the injuries. No excuses.

[Merle]

I have gone on record saying that UNT will win 5 to 6 games next year, with a big home win aganist Indiana. Coaching goes a long ways in the Sunbelt and can make up for lack of talent. Lets not forget how close some of our losses have been the last couple of years, could better coaching turn some of those games in to wins, I think so.

[Daddy Dumpsalot]

UNT will win more than 4 games next season...write it down!

GO MEAN GREEN!

Is it sad that this is our benchmark? Not "we will have a winning season" or "we will win our conference" but "we will win more games than we have in the past 5 horrible seasons".

[KRAM1]

Is it sad that this is our benchmark? Not "we will have a winning season" or "we will win our conference" but "we will win more games than we have in the past 5 horrible seasons".

It is also sad that some of our posters read things into postings that certainly are not there. By saying we will win more than 4 games this next year was not the setting of any sort of benchmark, just a simple reply to an other's post regarding a 3-4 win prediction.

But, I guess if you like finding negatives in everything it will work as good as anything else to light your fire.

[untjim1995]

Less than 5 wins is a disappointment. Going from 3 to 4 wins is not a "huge improvement."

Coach matters in this league. Everything indicates that we now have it. We damn sure didn't the last 4 years.

That seems too simplistic to me. Darrell Dickey was the SBC Coach of the Year 4 years in a row, then in his last two seasons he won a total of 5 games and was fired. Recruiting matters in this league, especially on the lines and at QB. McCarney says we aren't there yet, and frankly, I agree with him. You can be disappointed at 4-8, but most of us look at that number as solid progress. If we get to 5-6 wins, he will be a shoo-in for SBC Coach of the Year. Every publication that we have seen a prediction for our record this upcoming year has been consistently between 3 and 4 wins.

[oldguystudent]

Well, if you liked playing the Vito hated Dodge card, there's some fodder for ya.

I don't think my unabashed feelings about the past staff are any secret to anyone, but even I was taken aback by Vito using his place as a public figure (granted, one with an audience of 12) to air his grievances with the past in print. I have been accused of many things, most of them rightfully so, but unprofessional behavior on the job in the way of a bully pulpit for my personal misgivings has never been one of them.

[GreenStreet]

For LANCE sake I hope we do better than 4 wins. It will help UNT the higher he goes in the draft should he go. The first home game will tell it all. Now this is just my view but I think we will handle FIU becuase of the excitement of the new coach and what we have to work with as far different plays and throwing vs quick outs on 3rd downs. The Next game will be the true test. Can't wait.

[UNT90]

That seems too simplistic to me. Darrell Dickey was the SBC Coach of the Year 4 years in a row, then in his last two seasons he won a total of 5 games and was fired. Recruiting matters in this league, especially on the lines and at QB. McCarney says we aren't there yet, and frankly, I agree with him. You can be disappointed at 4-8, but most of us look at that number as solid progress. If we get to 5-6 wins, he will be a shoo-in for SBC Coach of the Year. Every publication that we have seen a prediction for our record this upcoming year has been consistently between 3 and 4 wins.

Football isn't rocket science, and, if anything, the Dodge years should have taught us that. I respect your right to set whatever benchmark you want to have the feeling of a successful season, but if you think that Coach Mac will win SBC Coach of the Year while winning 5 or 6 games (2 or 3 more than last year), I would say that you have been drinking WAY too much of the Coach Mac Kool-Aid.

MAYBE if all 6 wins are conference wins AND if every other contender falls on their collective faces and 6 wins takes the conference crown, then Coach Mac would win SBC COTY. That is the ONLY scenerio in which this happens. Yes, Darrell Dickey won COTY 4 straight times, to go along with 4 straight SBC titles.

See the correlation?

[emmitt01]

I don't think my unabashed feelings about the past staff are any secret to anyone, but even I was taken aback by Vito using his place as a public figure (granted, one with an audience of 12) to air his grievances with the past in print. I have been accused of many things, most of them rightfully so, but unprofessional behavior on the job in the way of a bully pulpit for my personal misgivings has never been one of them.

I just see it as drawing the OBVIOUS comparison between what we had and what we now have. Not so much taking shots at Dodge as giving kudos to Mac for being head and shoulders above in both coaching experience and pedigree.

[jimbob]

I tend to agree with this assessment. I just don't see how, with our current line issues and QB uncertainty, not to mention a new coaching staff, how anyone could expect a heckuva lot more than this in Coach Mac's first year. If we won 4 games, that would be our most wins in a season since 2004, so I do agree that it would represent solid progress.

I don't know about line issues. We have a pretty veteran line except for one tackle. You really have to watch them in last years games and JJ the year before. JJ-vet, Tommy-vet, Fort-vet, Feeley-vet, not one of these guys has less than 15 games under their belt. I do think QB is in question, but Canales/Mac should do well training Thompson. I'm starting to think we don't lose a conference game and we lose the rest, but that would be an improvement. Coaches make a huge difference.

[Green Lantern]

I don't know about line issues. We have a pretty veteran line except for one tackle. You really have to watch them in last years games and JJ the year before. JJ-vet, Tommy-vet, Fort-vet, Feeley-vet, not one of these guys has less than 15 games under their belt. I do think QB is in question, but Canales/Mac should do well training Thompson. I'm starting to think we don't lose a conference game and we lose the rest, but that would be an improvement. Coaches make a huge difference.

I'm gonna go ahead and point to the FIU game last year to highlight the differences in top flight SBC offensive and defensive lines. They absolutely dominated us in the trenches. I'm sure that we'll see physical improvements in our guys between now and the fall, but we have a ways to go.

[untjim1995]

I'm gonna go ahead and point to the FIU game last year to highlight the differences in top flight SBC offensive and defensive lines. They absolutely dominated us in the trenches. I'm sure that we'll see physical improvements in our guys between now and the fall, but we have a ways to go.

This.

I don't see FIU or Troy taking a step back in the SBC, at least not the way FAU did this past year. I suspect Middle will be better this year because the QB issue shouldn't be a headache for them like it was last season, which still ended in a bowl. Those three schools are the SBC gold standard right now. I look at our situation like I did FIUs from a few years ago. They hired Cristobal at a time when they were about the worst program in America, paid him nicely, he recruited very well, and in three years got them to the top of the league and won a bowl game, as well as not embarrassing themselves when playing any AQ OOC games (see bama and A&M from last two years). This is what I expect to see from Coach Mac--strong progress over the next few years that gets us back to the top of the SBC. I think all of our wins this upcoming year will be in conference, as the OOC is very tough for our current situation. Bama is obvious, but UH (esp. with Keenum) and Tulsa are both very good teams that will probably challenge each other for the top spot in CUSA. Indiana will be more even, and it could be the one we get in OOC, but I see our 4 wins coming against WKU, FAU, Arky State, and one of the LA schools. Coach Mac and his staff will get us from being in the bottom three of the SBC this year. My belief is that by next year, we will be in the top three, and then be at the top by year three. That's what I expect.

Edited May 26, 2011 by untjim1995

[Harry]

This.

I don't see FIU or Troy taking a step back in the SBC, at least not the way FAU did this past year. I suspect Middle will be better this year because the QB issue shouldn't be a headache for them like it was last season, which still ended in a bowl. Those three schools are the SBC gold standard right now. I look at our situation like I did FIUs from a few years ago. They hired Cristobal at a time when they were about the worst program in America, paid him nicely, he recruited very well, and in three years got them to the top of the league and won a bowl game, as well as not embarrassing themselves when playing any AQ OOC games (see bama and A&M from last two years). This is what I expect to see from Coach Mac--strong progress over the next few years that gets us back to the top of the SBC. I think all of our wins this upcoming year will be in conference, as the OOC is very tough for our current situation. Bama is obvious, but UH (esp. with Keenum) and Tulsa are both very good teams that will probably challenge each other for the top spot in CUSA. Indiana will be more even, and it could be the one we get in OOC, but I see our 4 wins coming against WKU, FAU, Arky State, and one of the LA schools. Coach Mac and his staff will get us from being in the bottom three of the SBC this year. My belief is that by next year, we will be in the top three, and then be at the top by year three. That's what I expect.

I think this is a very realistic assessment! The key is Macs 2nd recruiting class. I think he will be able to significantly improve the talent level with an entire year to develop relationships. I also think the walkon program will be rekindled. GMG!