NCAAbbs

None of the media has ruled the Mean Green out. They seem more logical than La Tech.

I think one problem facing North Texas is that the "new" C-USA already has SMU in the Dallas market. I think the athletic directors recommended UTEP partly because UTEP is in a market that has never had any C-USA schools nearby.

As I think I mentioned before, UNT comes out of this smelling like a rose. They got considered for CUSA, a big step up for them. Then if UTEP gets the invite, UNT is the choice of the WAC to be La Tech's travelin' partner, so they still move up to the WAC. A number of UNT alumni have said UNT will jump all over a WAC invitation, it's a major step for them. Their recruiting will improve dramatically with a WAC membership. They may even replace TCU in a few years in recruiting in the North Texas and Central Texas area!!!! If UNT got a little more fan and alumni support they could be a sleeping giant and a WAC or in the past tense, a CUSA membership, could be just the thing to wake them up!!!

I think the Dallas Market is so big that the UNT would have the benefit of gaining more instead of having a stagnant affect. They also aren't that big of recruiting competion with SMU given the public/nonsecular status. A cross city rivalry would be great for both schools.

Can anyone understand why TCU moved to MWC?

Not if I were to sit and think about it for 1,000 years...

I mean, I know WHY they did it - to avoid SMU. But to understand is not possible for those out of touch with their inner frog.

If anyone can give me a valid argument for why TCU moved, I'm all ears.

Good grief. Could TCU's leaders really be that petty?

I am hearing from inside sources that UTEP will be offerred the CUSA slot. Also that SMU worked very hard against NT. Interesting that SMU in recent years has refused to play NT in FB although they might bow to "schedule regional opponents" instead of Big 12 BCS schools in the future ...starting in 2006. Read NT. Teams they hope to have a chance to beat

NT definately competes with SMU for athletics. In fact, our FB recruits were ranked higher than SMU by Rivals this year.

It's interesting that CUSA picked a team (SMU) which had one winning FB season in the last 17 years with over 50 % of those games 3 win seasons or less. Also that CUS chose UTEP which in the last 30 years has had 3 winning FB seasons.


We have almost equal press coverage with SMU in the Dallas Morning News. The DMN owns the Denton paper and they print all the NT Denton articles.

My Prediction: NT will soon be in an eastern WAC division with NMSU, LaTech, Ark State, La Laf, and Troy state with a conference championship game between the east and west divisions. This would have the New Orleans bowl game between the WAC and CUSA conferences.

NT also has an advantage on walk ons because of the difference in cost between a state school and the SMU cost. We will also have 14-15 walkons this fall to select from ....all of whom ahave Div I ability. We have a reputation of walkons earning ships...One of our starting LB last year..a .two year all conference player who was a former walkon. Just like our 5-11 , 315 lb All American Defensive nose tackle Brandon Kennedy had every HS with a player shorter than 6 foot calling NT trying to get us to consider their players. Kennedy had 20 QB sacks last year even playing most of the year with an ankle injury. BK signed with the Denver Broncos to play with his brother....a safety on the Broncos.

OH, our middle LB Cody Spencer was drafter by a California NFL team who traded up with Dallas to select him.

Troy State if they go anywhere goes to the MAC with Middle Tenn.

SunBelt dies this next round

I am starting to think that "inside sources" might really refer to those voices inside your head. If you have these, you might want to get those checked out before you go off on some innocent children.

1. SMU is 1 of 11 votes. I say yet again, had there been ANY support for NT, SMU would jump on the bandwagon. Once again, I am not aware of any AD or President who publicly endorsed/lobbied for a spot in CUSA for NT. SMU and President Turner had little effect on this decision.

2. As far as OOC opponents in Football, my preference has and will always be in this order: Former SWC BCS schools, BCS schools, TCU and everyone else. Playing other BCS-excluded schools makes zero sense when you only have a maximum of 2 OOC home spots. We play NT in EVERY freakin' sport except football. That should tell you something. If we were in the same conference, I think it might be a great game. I just choose not to waste a precious OOC game with NT -- I feel the same about TCU BTW.

3. Rivals rankings methodology changes with the seasons. If it makes you feel better that NT finished at 72 (2.11 stars/120 pts) where SMU was ranked 76 (2.05/113 pts) that is perfectly fine. A better objective measure is the number and quality of the recruits' other offers.

4. NT and SMU rarely cross paths in the recruiting wars. There's just far too much talent just in DFW, much less Texas, for any school to cover them all. I am only aware of two SMU recruits that received offers from NT, but they also received attention/offers from just about every school in the Top 25. I am not aware of any NT players that were offered by SMU. But I can't confirm that, so it is a moot point. Needless to say the schools cater to very different types of prospects.

5. If you think the Dallas Morning News provides equal coverage of NT, I've got some swamp land in West (or East) Texas to sell you. Even with the oversaturation of pro sports and UT stuff, the DMN has always assigned a full-time beat writer and covered ALL SMU sports. Maybe the Denton edition pops a few extra stories now and then, but so what? That is what, 1/8 of the DMN circulation? Here's some more conspiracy ammunition. There are are a few SMU alums who are sports writers at the DMN. Hmmmmm.

6. I think the WAC would be a huge boost to NT. The football team is ready to play a tougher slate, and the rest of your sports need better competition to improve. The travel stinks, but the opportunity would be worth it at least short term.

Did you know that there are a few UTEP alums that are editors at the DMN too? :D

I've got an inner frog. But I'm hoping a couple more hits of Robitussin will take care of that.

*COUGH*

:laugh:

"2. As far as OOC opponents in Football, my preference has and will always be in this order: Former SWC BCS schools, BCS schools, TCU and everyone else. Playing other BCS-excluded schools makes zero sense when you only have a maximum of 2 OOC home spots. We play NT in EVERY freakin' sport except football. That should tell you something. If we were in the same conference, I think it might be a great game. I just choose not to waste a precious OOC game with NT -- I feel the same about TCU BTW."

It seems from recent DMN articles that SMU is finally talking to NT about a FB series...1st game in 2006..(to give Bennett more time to improve your winless program).. Of course we know how many winning FB seasons SMU has had in the last 17 years (ONE) with 50 % of those 17 years THREE wins or less.

"3. Rivals rankings methodology changes with the seasons. If it makes you feel better that NT finished at 72 (2.11 stars/120 pts) where SMU was ranked 76 (2.05/113 pts) that is perfectly fine. A better objective measure is the number and quality of the recruits' other offers."

"4 NT and SMU rarely cross paths in the recruiting wars. There's just far too much talent just in DFW, much less Texas, for any school to cover them all. I am only aware of two SMU recruits that received offers from NT, but they also received attention/offers from just about every school in the Top 25. I am not aware of any NT players that were offered by SMU. But I can't confirm that, so it is a moot point. Needless to say the schools cater to very different types of prospects."

NT signed the # 2 RB in the state of Texas, # 21 ranked nationally...per rivals. (JaMario Thomas) Top state 100 per DMN. Also CB TJ Covington listed by Rivals as the 58th best JC player in the country. Both 3 * recruits...SMU signed one 3 * so that is the difference in ratings. I know of one player who wanted to sign with NT and we had no more ships...we referred him to Baylor and they signed him. We will also have 14 walkons this fall, each with Div 1 quality to sift through. Wonder how many SMU will have to further sift through.

IT is my understanding that the DMN supported NT's inclusion in CUSA with contacts made directly to CUSA to that effect.

At least I haven't responded with personal insults in my postings like you did in your post.

OK, let me get this straight.

Its OK to post libelous, unsubstantiated claims about a school, its President and alumni, quoting some "inside sources"?

Its OK to continually belittle a fine university and its athletes?

Its OK to perpetuate these paranoid delusions of SMU keeping NT down?

Its OK to continually post any negative information with glee, even to the point of claiming a coach taking a leave of absence to care for his family is somehow proof that the program is falling apart. My gosh, his wife died!

I'll be the big man and apologize if the smack went over the top. I wished I had phrased it differently because the intent was to poke fun at everyone's "inside sources" instead of you personally. It did not come out as intended.

A final thought...

The DFW college sports market is not a zero-sum game. NT, SMU and TCU can all succeed in the same conference or in different conferences. That's why this envy/hatred for SMU displayed by NT posters makes no sense to me. My gosh there are 5 million people in DFW and over 150 1A recruits in this area. If the DFW area were a state, it would rank 4th in the US. All three schools can and SHOULD succeed whether they play each other or not. And any success and/or failure by any of the three will not hurt or help the others.

Of course it is. If we did not do this, what would we do on these boards? Trade recipes?

Please note, I did edit the quote, so it is more of a paraphrase.

"ll be the big man and apologize if the smack went over the top. I wished I had phrased it differently because the intent was to poke fun at everyone's "inside sources" instead of you personally. It did not come out as intended.'ll be the big man and apologize if the smack went over the top"

I accept this as an apology. I am 68 years old and that is the first time anyone has accussed me of being a pervert.

You could at least acknowledge that I apologized on this board for my comments re the asst coach had left SMU for "personal reasons". I went over the line in that post. But, how many times has someone "left the job" for personal reasons when in effect he was fired. That was where I came from. I had no knowledge of children involved.

As far as my comments on andinsider source.......I will not name the individual or his position, but those comments were made....not made up. You or someone could question the validity of the comments, but don't accuse the poster of "making Up information".

I don't know your age, but would not believe you were around as an adult when Daryl Royal was trying to get NT into the SWC....and SMU stopped it, so maybe you don't have that personal knowledge or history.

Other than the above my comments were FACTS...the recruiting info, the SMU FB record over the last 17 years, sorry if that is insulting to a "fine university"........and SMU is a fine University...I never questioned that. The fact that SMU, Tulsa and Rice were backing La Tech was in the newspaper along with comments about Tulane also....but not coming from a Tulane source...It is easy to believe is SMU was backing another university over North Texas that that is trying to keep NT from CUSA.

It sounds like CUSA is going to select UTEP so really the La Tech, North Texas arguments are no longer pertinent. IF I REMEMBER MY INITIAL POST IN THIS SERIES WAS WHERE DOES NT, LATECH, ARK ST, TROY St. and La Laf go from here WHICH IS WHAT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT.

In response to your many comments that it is not OK to attack a university on this board please read some of the meanest post I have ever seen attacking various univiersities or individual posters....try the slam board.

I'm not going to contribute to the "SMU kept us out" theory. I think the reasons North Texas was not chosen are as follows:

C-USA considers attendance and facilities far more important than football power and regionality. North Texas only averaged 19k last season, and our new stadium isn't built yet. We will continue to grow and will be an even stronger candidate next time around. Ideally, a new WAC with an eastern division can be formed to help us gain respect nationally. If not, we'll continue on in the Sun Belt...it's helped us so far.

UTEP can offer a steady 20k attendance figure even in down years, we can't. They also compete with a lot less sportswise in that area, but that's not too relevant. While we are ranked 40-50 spots ahead of them in football, their basketball program is much more established than ours. They have a nice stadium right now...even if it is in the mountains where TCU ran off to play.

Like I said, facilities and attendance seemed to be the biggest deciding factor, and North Texas is steadily improving in both of these areas. Watch and see where we're at in 3 years.

You are right about how the decision was made. It was about attendance and facilities not athletics. I was in favor of La Tech because of their athletics but since UNT is just 20 miles up the road, I would have gladly taken them too. I guess CUSA decided they needed one school in the middle of a desert for diversity, politically correct you know!! :D I hope UTEP can come up with a football team and I don't think their BB team will duplicate this past year since they lost their two top recruits when Gillespie left!! I do hope this is a done deal today and we can get ready for football---YEAH!!!

Just to put an asterisk on how insignificant any SMU lobbying was, they were backing Tulane's request to add La. Tech. Guess our lobbying really paid off, huh. I am sure Daryl Royal said, he'd love to have NTSTC in the SWC. I am also sure that he said it being nice. He never lobbied it. There was never a motion or vote to add NTSTC in the SWC. SMU had a long standing position in that conference to oppose any growth to the SWC unless it made economic sense (it voted against TT, Houston on several ballots as well). We like keeping the rest of the world down. After all several of those indicted Enron Exec's were proud SMU alums.