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Here is a comparison that ought to drive the point home 2008-09 Conference + NCAA Revenue Louisiana Tech $1.4 million North Texas $800,000 OK so moving to the WAC is a gain of $600,000 per year but with the same entry fee as last time, the first three years it is a gain of $350,000. BUT there is the travel difference Reported Travel Expenses Louisiana Tech $2.5 million North Texas $1.5 million So if you factor travel into the picture, UNT loses $400,000 net by going to the WAC. Factor in the admission fee and UNT loses $650,000 a year for the next three years. This assumes that 1) ESPN doesn't cut the rights fee and Commissioner Benson has already said he expects it to be cut and 2)the WAC's share of BCS revenue does not fall but anyone can go back and look at the numbers over the past few years and determine that WAC revenue is going to fall.

I had cutbacks too and the Star-Telegram has now been trash-canned from my resource list!

You've hired the right coach? What's his name and when does he start? How many games you played in a modern football facility that wasn't a road game. Call it a pep talk if you want, doesn't make it any less correct.

The WAC is not the answer. Why not stay pat, and look at the long term? What about building this thing into a team that contends for Sun Belt championships and bowl games? Winning cures a lot of ills. Build the school, build the brand, add baseball, and make North Texas an irresistable add for C-USA, Mountain West, etc. (the second tier conferences).

Your four year average is $1.9 and ULL's is $1.2. However, it seems odd that you compare ULL who is 180 miles away and uses different airports and has a different set of schools that they can bus to. Why not look 35 miles down the road to ULM who would bus in a similar manner and use the same airports? If you look at their four year average, ULM spends $850,000. On average the past four years ULM has spent a million dollars less per year on travel than Tech has.

I was rocking along fine until they had the image come on with the words strong character...then I turned it off. Texas and strong character? Give me a break.

What rhymes with SMU? BOOOOOOO! I loved yelling that at the SMU fans when they walked by me at the SMU/ UNT game.

It is nice to be wanted.

Got this backwards. UNT passed on the WAC In 2004 the WAC strongly considered the Mean Green, and although the conference passed on the program, Benson said that recent upgrades in facilities have made UNT a more attractive candidate six years later.

Oh but it would. I spoke with the FWST telegram sports editor and this is what he had to say: "I just can't respect North Texas while they're in the Sun Belt. With the student fee increase they're getting and the new stadium I have to wonder why they don't behave like one of their freshmen and blow it all on travel expenses to look slightly cooler in the eyes of the 3% of the DFW population who knows enough about college football outside of the big xii to differentiate between the sun belt and the WAC. I just can't conceive of why they would, knowing that startup costs for baseball are potentially around the corner, stand pat in a geographically sensible conference and put that money toward that. Nope, I can only write about them if they do what the school has historically (prior to the 200's) done and that's fail to build a nest egg to continually upgrade facilities and the game day experience as the program grows. When they come to their senses and continue to act in a manner consistent with ignorance of just how little the national media really cares about the small time conferences but rather the occassional 'star' among them we'll start giving them pres again. Who does North Texas think they are anyway, some smarty pants that realizes conferences come after program's and not conferrnce patches?"

Me too.

I go with Fresno/Hawaii/LA Tech (and Nevada/NM State) Our recent attendance bump can be traced solely to the anticipation and excitement (LOL) of Dodgeball, as well as a couple of service academy games and such. Our lack of attendance in The Big West was mainly related to the fact that we had just left 1AA and that our teams generally sucked. As far as the question goes: 1.YES! 2.YES! I think that "most" older NT fans support a move anywhere upward, while "most" younger NT fans seem to be more accustomed to the mediocrity. Well, mediocrity in football for the past five years may be a bit of a stretch, but you probably get my point. I know that just about everyone I know who was around the program in the late 70's supports change.

This is a dream come true!. While this would be a nightmare.

wouldn't droves of fans coming out in response to WAC membership be speculation and blind hope?

Honestly, I still haven't seen a compelling argument for staying in the SBC or joining the WAC. Each option seems to have greater risk than reward to me. The WAC just lost it's figure head and the SBC has never really had one. The SBC is widely accepted to be the worst football conference in the FBS. I think that is due in part to a poor record against other conferences but also because of the large number of former FCS teams in the SBC. The WAC is strongly considering adding FCS teams and their success against other conferences will most certainly be reduced with the loss of Boise State. So, the choice is bad or worse - only we can't scientifically deduce which one is bad and which one is worse at this point in time. Since football is the driving force behind any conference affiliation decision, I don't really care about travel costs for the other sports. A good portion of those costs will, obviously, have to be offset by additional revenue generated from the new conference affiliation, but could also potentially be funded by the increased athletic budget realized from the student athletic fee. I didn't travel to any of the Big West games against teams currently in the WAC, mainly because I didn't have the means to do so back then. A lot has changed. While I am only able to make it to a couple of OOC games each year now, I no longer have many of the obstacles that prevented me from attending Big West opponents. Several of the WAC markets are appealing to me because I love to ski and just like cold weather, in general. Hawai'i also doesn't sound bad and it'd be easy to talk my wife into visiting. Still, the weekend road trip is a nice option. I'm also not buying into the media coverage issues of playing in the Pacific or Mountain time zones. I loved it when they used to show the Hawai'i games live (with a 9 or 10 PM Central k/o time) and I watched quite a few of them because it was the last live game of the day. Besides, how much local media coverage do we really get now? Does anyone think Vito will stop blogging about UNT if we join the WAC? I guess my point is that I really don't care which conference we're affiliated with because it doesn't really matter unless we're winning (not unless we're Baylor or Vanderbilt - losing record every year but still raking in millions from the league payout). If we were still dominating the SBC, I think the decision would be tougher because we'd be the top dog in our conference eight years straight. We'd have built a foundation of success that should get us noticed by the conferences for which we aspire to belong. If, at that point, that recognition we desire still hadn't come, it would make more sense to look elsewhere to prove that we could dominate outside of the SBC. Sorry folks but the bottom line is that is all comes down to winning in today's college football world. We have to win both conference and non-conference games. If we consistently win, we will get more media coverage, higher attendance, better traveling fans, more donations, more apparel sales, more respect for North Texas and more respect for whichever conference we choose to align. Then, and only then, will the "sleeping giant" we claim to be awake from the slumber.

http://florida.scout.com/2/980435.html I'm sorry for the conferences that have been getting stuck in the play-in games. But that is the only fair way to do this. The teams determined to be teams 61-68 should be in the play-in games. If you do some kind of rotational crap...how fair is that? One year you might have say the 56th team playing a play-in game....while the 68th doesn't have to. If your league and teams are so bad...the onus is on your league/teams to get better and avoid play-in games that way. And I say this....even if a SBC team (like UNT) was to be considered 61-68. If we're rated that low...we should have to play in the play-in game.

I been pondering some different ideas for my 2010 tailgating menu. Last year I fresh ground pork to make both my Cheesy Sausage balls and my Stuffing sausage balls. They worked our pretty well the balls were easy to handle with one hand and you could still easily hold a beer in the other. All I had to do was keep the sausage balls warm. I am thinking about a tweak to the Stuffing sausage balls, I am going to try grinding some turkey breast into my balls. Last year I roasted a turkey breast on the rotisserie then chopped it up to combine with the ball mix. How does homemade Pork Dumplings sound with some dipping sauce or potato, cheese, & onion perogies sautéed with onions served with bacon? Both can be handled with one hand? Also if there are any new grills & smokers on the tailgating market . I keep hearing about some green egg which seems fitting for North Texas.

Sorry, but this point doesn't hold water. New Mexico State: once in Sun Belt now in the WAC Utah State: once in the Sun Belt now in the WAC Idaho: once in the Sun Belt now in the WAC Why did they get chosen to go to the WAC? Because they fit the footprint of the WAC. FAU: new program, Schellenberger failed at OU, close to finishing his career, gets to call all the shots and build a program from the ground up. Troy: Blakney has been there for 17 years. I would think if he wanted to leave he could and has probably had many opportunities. Why don't they move up? Academics for one. Troy's are a mess and many conferences determine their membership on things other than a good football program. Also, they are in a nonexistent media market. Boise State: great institutional and community support led them to building a successful program. They became BcS busters and moved up to the MWC because they fit the MWC's footprint and have a pretty good overall program. Colorado: Has always recruited California well and didn't like being in the Big XII North where schools are treated like a step child as opposed to the Big XII South. The same reason Nebraska jumped ship and Missouri wanted to. Plus, they bring the Denver market to the PAC 10. Now to NT. I'm not against us moving up the "food chain," but the WAC is not the place for us to go. It is in survival mode right now, lost its money maker in BSU which will decrease their take from the BcS and from their television agreement. The Sun Belt, while not the best conference, is better than the WAC in its current state. Also, the revised WAC that some would like to see before we make the jump gains us what? We would still be in a conference division with potentially ULL, Ark. State, NMSU, USU and La. Tech. That is just a form of the current or past SBC with La. Tech thrown in. We need to finish the stadium project, get baseball off the ground, see Dodge start to turn it around this year after a couple of good recruiting classes and filling his staff with college experienced assistants and continue to build support from the students, alumni, Denton citizens and the surrounding communities.

That's a stretch. Move it out of Ruston and then maybe... It would also look better in the SunBelt.

If a writer can't get the right teams in the conference, then I doubt he has any credibility that the WACky is a better conference for this reason or that reason.

The answer isn't standing pat. The answer is choosing to not waste resources by losing money in the WAC and deploying those funds in a manner that advances the program (ie. the stadium is a fantastic start), unless something happens in football you are going to require funds to make a competitive head coach hire and invest in ass'ts.

Yeah, it really needs to be the last 8 seeded teams in the field. Hell, if they don't change the way shares work - the winners of those opening round games will get more money than teams that lose in the traditional first round.

http://www.latechsports.com/genrel/062910aai.html Basically La Tech is raising $20 million to build an endzone facility (see photo album at site). rah, rah!

Sun Belt bball tournament? That event is like a pep band circus show with a little basketball played between songs. Well, my experience, anyways. Bands are in prime position to not only show personality, but also tactically show off their free throw distractions/toys. I've seen everything from dizzying optical illlusions, to life-size female blow up dolls in bikinis. And that is not referencing our band.

Personally I think the way the landscape has changed, Tech could find a better future in the Belt simply because the money is about to become more similar, the Belt bowls are more regional and Tech could be the tipping point to finally open the Ibowl doors and move the league up the BCS revenue chart.

Way to insult the fan base that voted nearly 2 to 1 against the WAC. If you think that little of the rest of us, support another school.

"Furthermore, North Texas interim president Lane Rawlins is known as a program builder when it comes to NCAA programs, and helped put together Conference-USA while serving as president of Memphis in 1995. If there is anyone who can bring North Texas to a higher level, it’s him." Humm...I like him more and more.

If it doesn't fit , you must acquit

"A new $78 million dollar stadium is set to open in 2011, and when completed is expected to be among the most energy efficient stadiums in the country. Not a bad proposition for a conference dominated by ageing stadiums and sub-par facilities that don’t fire up potential recruits" Yes, the bolded comments are referring to the WAC. So much for that conference upgrade.

It is nice to be wanted... I wonder if conference realignment works the same way as girlfriend realignment, you know how as soon as you get a new girlfriend and are no longer single it seems like there are more girls out there interested than ever? Maybe all it takes is one conference wanting us and perhaps we can use the momentum carried by that one conference into getting asked out by the conference we want! Probably not but it seemed like a good idea.

Guess I missed that.

I am going to hand deliver them, or use one of those new flat rate boxes.

Mortgaged everything??? Our athletic budget has increased $4 million from 05-06 to 08-09. We have added $6 million in improvements to our athletic facilities. We have ended fiscal year 07-08 and 08-09 with surpluses in our athletic budget. We are announcing a major athletic facility addition in the very near future despite the state being in financial difficulty. Our 5 year average for travel expenses is $1.7 million, while ULL has a 5 year average of $1.2 million.

I doubt if Tech could afford the shipping cost.

The old ones are being shipped to Denton for use at the new Fouts Field.

The big green egg is awesome! By probably a bit big for tailgating, unless you are used to bringing a full sized grill with you, plus a bit..... It is quite tall. It is a ceramic grill/smoker tht runs on charred wood chips. It keeps temps reasonable, avoids hotspots and also works as a slow cooker. I have cooked on one a few times and it is amazing! Never gives you dry meat and keeps hot for a long time. Perfect for tailgate!

Hey I always share my food including my Cheesy Sausage balls and Sausage Stuffing Balls, they get around.

Man, that post could be utilized for comedy gold with the proper cutting and pasting. Is you last name Schwetty?

How many port-o-potties do they need? They don't even fill the four they have now.

I think our fans have proven that nationally televised games don't mean they should represent the university well. I remember seeing one of our band members wearing a huge Obama mask at the NCAA tourney game this year. How embarrassing to watch the other schools look classy and put together and then see our band walk out wearing ugly green wigs and Obama masks like it was a halloween contest.

I truly believe the Belt is stronger than the Boiseless WAC. I'd take the MUTS or TROY to dominate anyone in the newly weaker WAC. I don't know if any of you have watched any football in the last few years but believe Boise went undefeated in '08 but did not get into the BCS and Utah did. The reason? The perception that Boise walked through a WEAK conference. Why the hell would we want to leave a weak cocnference for an equally or even weaker conference that involves about twice the travel? The WAC proponents on here are promoting change just for the sake of change. Thanks Obama. Ughh .

No one screwed NT in to anything. Ultimately you control your own destiny. It's been decades since they supposedly blocked us from the SWC...so what happened after that? Well going down to D1AA was very nice. Lets blame that on SMU also. We had and still have apathetic alumni...yup its all SMU's fault. Until a few years ago we had worse facilities than the YMCA except for the Super Pit...damn those Ponies its all their fault!! I've been out in the real world for a long time and associate with SMU grads and SMU people and they are no different than anybody else. I've met just as many NT douchers as I have SMU douchers and in the end.....douchery is douchery all across the board. And when you were in school their COBA wasn't even accredited....WELL WHO GIVES A FLIP? The fact that they turned the corner and funded the hell out of that thing and today whether we like it or not it is a very well recognized and prestigious program.

Blue Moon - It used to be Shiner but I got real bad heartburn because of it. I made the switch and no longer have heartburn issues.

You could have brought up Kerry Wood pages ago and won this battle much quicker.

Nice sales job Mr. Benson. Let's look a little closer at this post. Fresno State: You state they are "cash strapped." Just what I want to be associated with, plus their academics are suspect which makes them not attractive to the PAC-10 and MWC. Just don't see them being the next BCS buster, and again, being "cash strapped" is a negative to me. Hawaii: great road trip; too bad it costs an arm and a leg to get there. Has been a BCS buster, but they have terrible facilities and are on a downward slide since Jones left. La. Tech: "An up and coming program" really? Talk about cash strapped. Their facilities are horrendous and they've mortgaged everything to be in the WAC. The would jump all over a CUSA invite if one came. Nevada: Good program and a perfect fit for the WAC. Basketball schools: We've shared a conference with USU and NMSU and they did nothing for our attendance. Well, NMSU did but USU does nothing for me. The thing that scares me about the WAC is its instability. You've stated that Fresno St. is "cash strapped" and so is La Tech and Hawaii. Bowl Games: The Humanitarian Bowl is gone, the Hawaii Bowl isn't financially viable if Hawaii isn't playing there and who watches the Poinsetta or New Mexico Bowl? I'd much rather go to New Orleans or Mobile than to any of the bowls you've listed. The WAC is in survival mode which is something I don't want to be associated with. The ESPN contract will be drastically changed, and not for the better, with the departure of Boise State.

I hope we go to the WAC because I can't wait for the Humanitarian Bowl. There is just something about a blue playing field and blue players' faces (sub zero) that I find irresistable. The 4,000 mile trip to Boise is also a plus for fans.

Belt offers finacial stability for one. I prefer the Bowls we have to the ones the WAC has. The conference tournament is close enough for our fans to get to - I could never see more than a handful making it to Vegas for the WAC tournament. And if it goes back to Reno or wherever, I really couldn't see any making it. Also, half the current WAC was in the Big West when we were in it. That whole era was a god awful mess for us. I was a student back then, and it nearly destroyed our fanbase. I see you edited your post around the time I was posting so I didn't get to reply to all of it. Our revenues might go up in the WAC, but we'd spend a whole helluva lot more too. WAC would be bad news for us IMHO. I'm not speaking for ME tho....hell if we were in the WAC I could go see us play SJSU and Fresno. As it is, I'm lucky to see us once a year if I can co-ordinate a trip home around the football or basketball season. But I think it'd be a tremendous mistake for us to make that move.

The non-AQ conferences need to merge and hire Vince McMahon, Gene Simmons, Steve Jobs and Tex Schramm to promote and market them. Maybe they could even make a reality TV program out of it?

No, You just needed to look under high schools for some reason. I have no idea why.