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point taken , but if the coaching staff and players don't think that anything negative is said on a fan message board when we have been in the gutter the last few years then they are delusional. It's the off season , I just wanted to bring up a interesting topic we can discuss. That being said I really hope for a 2 - 1 start. The Rice game will be a good measure on how good we are/aren't

The Belt was good to us, but has the time come to move on? I'm not in favor of any move until we see how the realignment turns out. But I will say this, if after it is all said and done, we are still in the belt, I would be in favor of moving to the WAC, if it is unchanged from its current configuration. Playing Boise, Fresno, L.A. Tech, New Mexico State, Nevada, and Hawaii every year sounds alot better then most of who we play in the Sun Belt. I think it would be easier to recruit quality players if we were in the WAC. We were the Belt champs for four straight seasons. Now Troy has been the champs for four straight season, and nobody outside of the Sun Belt cares. Boise has proved that dominating the WAC will advance a program. L.A. Tech only has a budget of about $16.5 million and they play in the WAC. The athletic budget at North Texas is around $15.7 million. We should be able to afford the travel cost, especially with the new fee. I don't think the other schools in the Belt are seroius about building this conference. Monroe has a budget of $8.4 million. Arkansas State's is $9.1 million. Too many or our schools operate under wavier that exempt them from academic accountability. And many Sun Belt schools have terrible attendance numbers. I don't see these problems being addressed by these schools any time soon, and I don't think North Texas can afford to stay in the Sun Belt for another decade, hoping C-USA will invite us in next time expansion comes around. I think the WAC has been good to L.A. Tech. I wonder where North Texas football would be right now if we would have left for the WAC back in 2004? We couldn't be worse then where we are right now, coming off a 5th straight losing season, and a 2-10 record.

Could you please explain this arrogance you speak of. As a TCU alumnus I always root for UNT and have been extremely excited to see y'all in the tournament over the last few years. If you're talking about football scheduling, try putting yourself in our shoes. Most TCU fans don't even want to schedule smew anymore, it does us no good. Not knocking your program, but TCU is trying to build a national reputation more than a north Texas reputation (which we've achieved to it's fullest as a small private school). It would be cool to have more local games (i.e. Oregon State at Jerryworld), but at this point it doesn't fit with our goals to play UNT or smew. Again, I'm not trying to downplay your team or sound arrogant, although I'm sure it will come off like that, and look forward to watching some games at your new stadium (which looks awesome). Best of luck next season guys. Go Frogs Go Mean Green

I think we should treat all coaches at NT the same. Dodge should get the same treatment Coach Jones receives during the basketball season. If we don't come out and score 35 points in the first quarter against Clemson @ Clemson, then Dodge should be shot on the spot, tied to the top of the team bus (ala Aunt Edna of "Vacation" fame) and thrown in to the Mississippi River on the team's trip home.

The tradition of WINNING is at the head of my list.

If for no other reason at all, take a look at ESPN's list of conferences and their rankings. Notice anything peculiar?

http://www.unt.edu/traditions/ we have tradition....use em...

I guess that you just have to be older but SMU had a lot of greatness before the Dickerson/James cheating scandal. Doak Walker was a few years ahead of me but he was a great player and a joy to watch. Ditto for Don Meredith. And Dandy certainly was no "rich kid." In fact, if you want to go back to the 30s, SMU won a national championship. I don't like the arrogance of some (maybe a lot) of their fans but SMU's a quality university. If the two of us could cooperate to the extent of being in the same conference it would far exceed the interest that the two of us could do separately. Even more, if TCU wasn't just as arrogant it would synergistically explode college football in this market.

If a message board has ever effected the way a player plays or the way a coach coaches then we have even bigger problems than I thought If anything putting something out there that is " negative " should only motivate both players & coaches more

As Yogi Berra might say...it takes a full season to see how many games a coach can win in a full season! This whole concept of "fire Dodge" based on some hypothetical start to the season amuses me, but also tires me. It's like beating the same dead horse over and over. Any true fan of the Mean green is more than a little frustrated about the way the last few seasons have gone. And, I, like 99% of the other members of the Mean Green nation know Coach Dodge is in a "make or break" year with the Mean Green. Given that everyone knows the situation, let's just see how it plays out. I think the loyal fans will be treated to a great season and at least six wins. Every team out there is 0-0 for now heading into the new season. It is a time to get excited about college football and how the Mean Green will do this year. It is not the time to drag out the same old worn out topics. No offense meant to NT03 and I am not aiming these comments at him personally, just everyone who wants to play the "fire Dodge" game over and over and over given this or that record. We will all know how it turns out given time and the season's outcome. Sure, message boards are for whatever you want to say, so NT03 has every "right" to start the thread. However, as for me, I choose to look at the season in a positive light. I believe the Mean Green faithful are going to be rewarded for their support these past few down years. 2010 will see the Mean Green come storming back, and we'll be witness to the return of the "Mean" in the Mean Green! GO MEAN GREEN. I am so ready for some Mean Green football. Bring it on!!!!

The students should create traditions.

No...Coach Dodge was brought back for a 4th year---he deserves a full year to see what happens. And btw....we might just be underdogs in all three of the first games. So everyone who is expecting Army and Rice to be guaranteed Ws...may be in for a rude awakening.

We let him finish out the season... but, no way do we keep him here if he can't win 7 games.

I'm not sure if I follow. Chico and D-Lo will both have pretty close to total control over the offense and the defense. If we lose the first 3 games, at least one of those two will be every bit as much to blame as Coach Dodge. So we then throw the added responsibility of head coach upon one of them instead of allowing them to direct all their focus on their side of the line? I don't agree, unless something is pointing to Dodge as the problem. At the end of the season, if we have a season like any of the last 5, there needs to be a complete housecleaning. But really, considering this is before the season even starts, I see this as an unnecessary thread. Our recent history has not been kind, but can't we show a little hope for the new season?

Until the WAC gets opponents closer to NT, I'm not interested in the conference. It's nice that Boise has really elevated their program, but outside of BSU there is no other program that is nearly as dominant. Take BSU out of the WAC and what do you have? This year's WAC BBall tournament was held in Reno, NV so that rules me out of going to the tournament. I'd rather watch the game on the internet/TV then drop the cash needed to fly out for the WAC tourney. At least with the Sun Belt BBall tournament in Hot Springs, it provides NT fans with an affordable destination within a reasonable driving distance.

Thank you for proving my point UNT Traditions

Actually RV specifically said 6-6 is not his idea of progress. I agree completely. This "if we win 6 we should keep him" crap is ludicrous. Next we'll be accepting 5 wins and a couple moral victories. Apparently the bar is so low based on the last few seasons that "progress" has lost its meaning. If I went to work and beat every motorist, then started beating only half of them...ta da!!!! Progress!!!

This post is a fine example of another of NT's traditions. Those that find something wrong with everything NT does or does not do.

The time to evaluate the season is at the end of the season. In 2001 we got off to a miserable start. After the La-Monroe game I had pretty much given up hope for the season. I came very close to mailing back my tickets for the rest of the home games. One week later we upset Middle Tennessee and started our run to New Orleans. I was sure glad that I did not mail back those tickets. I do not think Todd Dodge can get it done but he deserves the entire season to show what he can do.

Charlie and his mother and dad attended a lot of alumni events associated with football. I believe that his dad may have played at Auburn; at least he's big enough to have done that. Great family!

Fixed for you. I think this is what you meant

IF we start 0-3 and we finish with 7 wins, folks we're talking about a possible conference championship and a N.O. bowl bid (including a win over Troy, MT, or KSt)! Fire him at 0-3, or wait for the end of the season... either way, you have a lame-duck coach for the season. If you fire him after a hypothetical 0-3 start, it doesn't matter if you promote D-Lo or Chico for the remainder, no matter how they do, they're gone when the new coach is hired. Ask R. McNeil at E.Carolina. Players will quit on the team and the whole year is lost this way. If you let him coach out the year after the hypothetical 0-3 start, then barring a miracle, there are surely more losses coming and the whole year is lost this way as well. At least there is a chance for the 2010 season to mean something here though. We have expectations. The team has expectations. Let's hope the team's expectations are greater than ours. Let's go coach Dodge! Prove your supporters (myself included) right!

He would probably be safe with 6 wins. 6-6 is a huge improvement. It will be an interesting season.

smu is the spoiled brat kid you always have hated. they deserve no respect. cheaters forever!

What's the point of a message board then ? You want me to pump you full of Green Kool Aid. How about if we start out 3 - 0 , should we give Dodge a extension ? Of the 2 cases , which one is more likely ? Your right, our past is why there is liitle hope and until something is proven on the field this is a very legit question

Well Ryan had a great relationship with Matt Purke and his family, and that really helped us sign... Oh. Crap.

Is he willing to play for free ?

I'd like to beat down TCU and UTA when we play them in any sport, but I don't hate them. ...SMU, because of the direct history we have with them AND based on the fact that what little greatness they had came as a result of cheating - I hate. It has nothing to do with them being "rich". ...sayin'.

We will just have to wait this out. Once the shakeups at the top begin they will trickle down quickly. Hopefully RV has a plan mapped out as we are one of the few teams in the Belt that might be desirable to other conferences.

Hello Kitty uni.

While I love nothing better than to get the best of SMU, TCU, UTA, etc., I hold no real ill-will for any of them. They are our rivals on the field and for the fan base of the Metroplex, but having strong programs in our backyard does nothing but help the Mean Green as it focuses more attention on schools in the area, gets the area more TV exposure, etc., etc. While SMU has a "not-so-kind" history of non-support for UNT in conference moves, I dare say UNT would have had the same opinion should the shoe have been on the other foot. As a UNT fan, I think it stinks. I know SMU fans who have a different opinion entirely. All I know is that I would love to play TCU and SMU on a regular basis home & home to help build a decent rivalry and to pack the stadiums of the home team for each game. Until that time, they are pretty much a "who cares" for me...no love lost one way or the other. Frankly, I find it a bit amusing that so many UNT fans "love to hate the Ponies". Short of any real on field rivalry, I guess the "I hate the rich-kid school" will have to do for some UNT fans. Maybe the pending conference re-alignments will get UNT into a conference where it can build some great rivalries of its own that the UNT faithful can really care about.

I like June Jones. Sucks that he works for the rich kids' team over in Big D, while widdle ol' NT picked the wrong spread guru to run the show. Such is life. I need some advice: how much do we officially loathe SMU n TCU? I mean, I think I've said before that I hate 'em but mostly because they are local pseudo-rivals. So lemme know, fellow faithful.

I noticed FAU signed someone which means someone had to have left...they lost 2, G/F Sanchez Hughley (9.9ppg, 4.4rpg) and F Chris Watson (injured last season). This is significant b/c the player FAU has signed, Dennis Mavin is graded an 85, tied for the 6th best signing in the conference...and it appears they may be the front-runner to land Ray Shipman, former Mr. Florida basketball who transfered from Florida at the end of last season. The Shipman rumor seems to have more legs than any of the potential UNT transfers (Babb, Morgan) talked about this off-season. Many of the K. State fans were much more keen on landing Shipman than Babb...though I never understood why. Shipman to the Belt, and forming a guard rotation with the likes of Gantt, Taylor and Mavin would be lethal in this conference. ASU still has Bryant and Finn and Allison...and should get Donald Boone back if he gets his summer classwork finished...they also signed a solid freshman PG and has a wing named Kinley Branch who redshirted last season and had verballed to George Washington before opting to go to ASU. Losing Reed hurts, but they still have a ton of talent returning.

Winning a weak Sun Belt in a 68 team tournament....makes our chances of being in a play-in game....very realistic.

Unfortunately, NT in football is the poorest of the sisters. It sure is fun to bad mouth the Belt, does anyone ever considered were NT would be without it? The problem is outside of the even worst fit WAC; nobody else wants NT. CUSA which is obviously a better fit geographically may look great from NT' view but many of the Western Division members think it is in their best interest to exclude NT. The non-Texas members don't want another Texas team, and the Texas teams don't want to help an in-state rival. Even if CUSA wanted NT, has anyone looked at the budget differences between NT and CUSA teams. Part of those differences would be made up with more funds coming from the conference and possible reduced travel, but NT would still most likely be by far the poorest funded school in CUSA. Yes, NT should always try to be better in athletics and academics and part of that is moving up the conference food chain. However, the Belt is not the problem and the continued my school is too good for the Belt mantra coming from supporters of every conference member is beyond old.

a lot of the country feels this way about the sunbelt. sisters of the poor. we need out asap.

any idea what % of our student body commutes? utep is a commuter school with an athletic program and fan support that i would kill for, and probably more closely resembles utsa than usf.

Sorry but I don't think a less competitive Sunbelt is anything to get excited about. I am disappointed to see him leave the SBC. If we want to win a game in the tourney, we will need to have a hyper-competitive SBC with top notch players.

So having an interest in what the design is equals me wanting to expand the stadium now...really...why would I want to do that....expanding the stadium for one of the worse teams in college football, in one of the worse conferences in college football just doesn't make sense...does it....much like your post.

"I don't believe that genre of information needs to be leaked out to the public". Sorry, I just didn't know this was TOP SECRET info....but I suppose we do need to protect our place at the top of the food chain.

Commuter school card is way overplayed especially in a market as big as San Antonio. I just visited Orlando which like SA and the Spurs only has one pro team the Magic. I went to the UCF campus and toured the school and athletic facilities. I was amazed at their progress in such a short time. Great athletic facilities, students, campus, and clean fun night spots ( no dope laden old Fry St. was to be found). Look for the Big East to jump at the opportunity to land them.

I agree with this person being ignorant! However, the small business person is who is currently squeezed. Paying a majority of the income taxes while being held hostage by government in the following areas. Health Insurance: Tort reform needed to help healthcare providers lower costs. Red tape to get basic prescriptions. Banks: Only loans available are at astronomical rates. How can I expand paying over 15% for anything. Did we just not bail them out. Also they get gov $ to loan at o%. They say Bankruptcy is killing them but they are the ones who extended bad credit in the first place. Oil.. Well I don't know as much about this subject but when the 3 big oil companies are the of the largest corporations in the world and they donate to every party well if that is not collusion then I don't know what is..... When you have corporations gouging the little guy at every turn it is hard to go out on your own. I just want a fair shake for the middle class. Our system is set up to be indebted to the banks, healthcare, and there is no alternate transportation besides using gas to get around. Too much goes to making laws and servicing these laws....We don't let large corporations fail. Why? We let small business' fail every day. We don't have the political power to have a say in government. 99/100 people are not entrepreneurs. Some are just intelligent folks who want to have a home, family, work hard! That is not possible in this country anymore. A truck driver and waitress have to live in squalor with limited healthcare and rent. Our money continues to fly out of this country overseas, to Mexico, and in the pockets of the elite .... I think you are ignoring the real middle class....the forgotten class that works at blue collar jobs.

Um, I'm a little afraid to ask, but I will. What kind of football are they playing over on the hilltop?

--You must not live in Texas, Teacher Union's have no power here. I taught 30 years in public schools (retired but have 34 years in college math classes as well, now part-time) and both of my sons made more their first month on the job in industry than I did my last month in Texas classrooms. That is exactly why it is so difficult to hire good math and science people now, especially male ones. Women are a bit different since some teach so they can have a similiar schedule as their kids and be home with their kids in summers and during some holidays. ---Poor teachers rarely last long but those still around are there often because nothing better exists, so much competiton from the private sector. To say Teacher Unions have any real power in Texas is just showing no understanding of the realities in Texas. What you say may be true in some northern states, not here. ---Salery minimums are set by the Texas Legislature, the local school boards can raise them from there if they chose. Where did you come up with the Union comments??? No Union has any contract with any school district in Texas. ---Ran by bureaucrats??...hmmmm.. locally it is run by schools boards which YOU elect. They even have final say on who gets hired as administrators and teachers in your district. Statewide YOU elect the state school board and the legislature that controls schools.. That is a rather crazy comment. Who do you want to be in charge then???

It doesn't... but pointing out things change... what some once called socialist ideas are widely accepted now. Once the debate was over birth control pills and now that area that has changed to something else. --Maybe I live a sheltered life but had not heard that joke. Out here in West Texas, rowing is rarely an option, wading happens quite a bit though, including last night.....LOL.

---Is public schools, public hospitals, public fire depts, public ambulances (there weren't any where I lived as a kid, all privately owned in my town), food inspectors, banking inspectors, FFA, CDC, etc.... socialism... where does it stop?? Maybe we should just "trust" everyone to provide safe food and products to the population... maybe we should let each county build the roads they want and not support the interstate system either...that is obviously a socialist big-government idea. Where is the line??? Those ideas at one time in the past would have been considered socialistic. The police interfere with my freedom all the time... I can't drive 90 mph. ..that is government interference of my right to do as I want. ---There are some people who just yell LIBERAL or SOCIALIST if you dare disagree with them on anything or don't attend the church they attend and belief exactly as they do... [ Prohibition anyone?? ] That was big-government (also some religious groups) telling people what they could or couldn't do. ---Row vs. Wade is also a big issue now.... when I was in high school, they were a lot of groups that opposed ANY birth control and especially the pill. Some still do. Times change, as well as issues and attitudes.

So f those lazy veterans who don't have the resources of your father? I mean they served their country, but then they probably all turned to drugs, had children out of wedlock and are already nursing at the teat of the government like the rest of the poor, right? And certainly why should we establish any regulations on what we put into our body? Ground chuck for $.10 a pound? Hell ya. Who cares if it actually came from horse that died 3 weeks ago and has been rotting in a 90 degree chop-house? And we can just let the pharm companies test their latest break-through out on all of those lazy poor...if it turns out to be successful or carcinogenic its win-win!

I disagree with the notion that this board be blindly rah-rah so as not to harm the delicate psyche of the team, parents, coaches, fans etc. Also, I think this far out from the season is when we can get the best view of the Big Picture. It would be a nightmare scenario if we let Canales coach this team. 1) I don't think he is all that great 2) It would mean we sucked to start out and that ain't cool, man. But, to answer the thread question: 0-3 = fire the dude. Lame duck coach < Interim coach

Well based on that response this board is no place for hypotheticals , something to discuss in the off season or preparing for what might come in the future & speculating what might happen if our history does in fact repeat itself Let's face it , this is a real possibility ( us going 0 -3 ) & Dodge is not above any criticism. Until he produces a winning product on the field then 5 - 31 is all we can go by at this point.