Leaderboard

I'm trying to figure out why Utah STATE (not Utah), Idaho (NOT Boise), San Jose State and NMSU (NOT New Mexico) are so much better known to everyone than Arkansas State, ULM, UL or MT. I know most the people in my office don't know who ANY of them are as my office has a lot of OU, UT and various Pac 10 fans. If what you are looking for is the "respect" around the water cooler by Big XII fans, it is not going to happen soon. They don't give respect to the bottom six of the Big XII!

I think we are most definitely in a glass house on this one. It wasn't too long ago that writers were calling our football team the Mean Ganja-Green.

I voted 'yes' because I love America and freedom. Commies.

I wouldn't consider any establishment that features a band full of soul stealing cyborg forest animals "family friendly."

Bigger bowls? Boise: Going away. New Mexico: #2 vs. MWC 3/4 Hawaii: Guaranteed to Hawaii if eligible but if you do the research, NEVER has a mainland team gone to the Hawaii Bowl without losing between $1 million and $1.8 million. Kraft Fight Hunger (Emerald in San Francisco) vs. Pac-10 #6 in 2010 and 2013 Poinsettia (San Diego) vs. MWC #2 in 2011 and 2012 That's three bowl ties, the closest is New Mexico. Between the GMAC, New Orleans, Humanitarian, Hawaii, Emerald, and Poinsettia which had ranked teams last year? The GMAC drew a larger TV audience than: Armed Forces (Houston v. Air Force) Eagle Bank (UCLA v. Temple) Hawaii (SMU v. Nevada) Humanitarian (Bowling Green v. Idaho) Independence (Texas A&M v. Georgia) Insight (Minnesota v. Iowa State) International (South Florida v. Northern Illinois) Las Vegas (BYU v. Oregon State) Music City (Kentucky v. Clemson) New Orleans (Southern Miss v. Middle Tenn) PapaJohns.com (South Carolina v. Connecticut) St. Pete (UCF v. Rutgers) Texas (Navy v. Missouri)

He's just baiting trying to draw folks in to a religious discussion.

Build a new stadium instead of an endzone add-on facility. Spurned their college football sexual advances (made through a note from their friend, The WAC), Live in DFW instead of Ruston freaking Louisiana. Not be a technical school. Have 28 million more in our endowment. Have 26K more active students. Actually have good looking coeds on campus. They sound like a bunch of spurned little girls to me.

Shut up, UNT03.

Beer sales should be limited to wet t-shirt decks. Pretending your worried about alcohol use and the colleges images is BS. The school lets beer companies sponsor all types of things. I'm also calling out FLF on alcohol is not family friendly. They sell beer at every sporting event which markets itself to a family friendly market.

Here's two solutions: 1) Don't read the threads. They are clearly labeled. 2) Start a thread about something which you think others might want to discuss. Pretty simple, really

I know this is another common off-season topic, but it's better than expansion talk, right? Please state your preference and rationale. Below are several articles on what other programs are doing or have done over the last few years. Keep in mind, while the NCAA does not encourage alcohol sales at sporting events, they do not regulate school activities during the regular season in any sport, so the decision is at the discretion of the individual institution. Beer sales at Memphis opener provide a boon to city's coffers (USA Today) Beer Sales Make a Comeback at College Stadiums: Struggling Cities and Schools Hope to Cash In While Avoiding Underage Drinking and Violence; No Suds After Halftime (Wall Street Journal) University (La-La) decides to allow beer inside stadium Last Call? Administrators continue to struggle with decisions regarding the sale of alcohol at sporting events. Policy evokes sobering reply Texas colleges see no need for Minnesota-like program since logistics and responsible drinking by fans make it untenable (Houston Chronicle on UH-Robertson Stadium)

Back home and $460 lighter, but pretty good tickets (I think?) on row 24 section F. Also I snapped a few pics with my phone of the stadium from ground level and some immediately to the left of the touchdown terrace at below ground level. Click for larger version.

Now why would DWI's become a greater concern?

http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=3247

What would it take to get UNT to join the WAC? A WAC TV package with assurances of up to $20 million per year and the guarantee that UNT will be allowed to pursue our own TV network.

Never heard of Little Bunny Foo Foo I take it?

It seems like a lot of WAC schools are dying on the vine. In the past few weeks, I've never read so many articles about budget problems as I have for several of the schools in that conference. Seems too risky, especially if we end up in a double dip recession where states have to make further cuts.

I'm totally excited about the season.. I really am... I REALLY think we're going to improve - ...but can we stop talking about being bowl eligible? You're gonna jinx the whole damn thing.

If you love prospects so much why don't you go marry them?

Hopefully? Winning.

LaTech (and those hillbillies on their boards) need UNT in their conference a hell of a lot more than we need any of them. I voted earlier in one of the "UNT to the WAC" polls in the affirmative. I am officially reversing field on that vote. The WAC is a doomed conference whose teams will soon be looking for homes even in the Sun Belt which they almost universally show disdain for. Maybe the Southland Conference has room for LaTech during their next expansion.

I thought there was only 1 judge ?

I'm probably headed up to Denton tomorrow to make my $250 donation, buy season tix in section D, and re-up on NT Exes. I can't imagine that it would be sold out or that there would be a shortage of blue passes. I remember reading somewhere on the site that 8/1 is the cutoff for all parking passes.

who cares about utaustin---------------THIS IS A UNT WEBSITE

Isn't the link what's relevant, not the opinions of another message board. http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/20100630_Its_only_going_to_get_tougher_for_the_WAC_to_Play_Up.html

That's parallel.

Well, the Texas Rangers offer "family-friendly" seating, which is where my family and I will be sitting at Tuesday night's game. And what does "family-friendly" mean? It means alcohol-free.

Did we play all but two or less home games in Texas Stadium during the 1981 season. If no, then no matter who you talked to, we could not count Texas Stadium as our primary home stadium. Did we average 17,000 a year from 1978 through 1981? If no, then we since we could not call Texas Stadium our home stadium we could not have qualified for 1A status. I know we didn't come close to averaging 20000 both home and away from 1978 through 1981 so we could not have qualified that way. And we were not members of a conference where at least half of the membership met the 1A requirements. There is a chance that NT intended to file for a waiver to remain 1A and never did that. However, as Arkstfan knows better than I none of the requests for waivers were granted. Thus, filing the request of a waiver would have made no difference. Based on NCAA rules, there is nothing North Texas could have done to stay 1A in 1982. It was completely impossible. Please put the rumor to bed once and for all.

besides, i never liked being around drunks, even when i was one.

I couldn't care less if he made the Madden 11 Dolphins roster, as long as he makes the Real-life Dolphins' roster.

It's official! This anti-expansion thread has turned into an expansion thread. I would prefer to talk more about our own team and expectations for the upcoming season...

Good post. The Houston game was a Saturday night game, so not a lot of competition, but I agree-mildly eye-opening.

Upon reading and re-reading this thread I've come up with the following conclusions: 1.) You people are delusional. 2.) You guys really need to get out more. The Sun Belt is a joke. The faster people running the show (and the fans) at NT realize that, the better off they'll be. North Texas fans have bitched and moaned for years about the lack of respect North Texas gets on the national scene. Most respect is earned, some is perceived. Athletically, we've done little to earn respect...and, as long as North Texas is a member of the Sun Belt conference, their perceived respect level will continue to hover just above the number zero.

Sure the Pac-10 wanted Texas, but that's not why they invited CU first. They invited the Buffalos because they didn't want to be forced into taking Baylor (with all the buzz being the Texas legislature trying to force all four Texas schools to move as a group). The culture on the West Coast that is talked about is not that so much it's lackadasical towards football (tho they do place much more emphasis on all programs being good here, rather than just excelling on the gridiron), but more a general philosophy/politics/academia thing. Football is a part of it, but by no means all.

Just wait till we start winning this year,then they will regret not writing about us.

Always be careful starting a feud with someone who owns a printing press or a microphone. I'n saying they should do nothing, but rather to do something positive rather than negative.

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

can i use all my allowed negatives for the day on this post? one is just not enough.

Huge news. My Fantasy Football Team is in shambles. -1 For Emmitt's lack of originality and inability to post something not about UT.

Voted "No" because "Hell No!" wasn't an option. There are already too many drunk rednecks at college football games. Let them drink in the parking lot and hope to God they can't find their way in. The refreshing thing about UNT games is that it's family friendly.

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?"

It is obvious from your avatar that you are a Tech fan, so with that in mind, I find it difficult to believe that Tech has a larger following than A&M in most of the Texas media markets.

prove it. typical tech arrogance.

He quoted such great numbers to back it up though. I think that deserves a Texas Tech Football Fan doll.

Yes should be the number 1 answer because it gives people more of a reason to go into the stadium.

He knows it's not parallel. The issue with alcohol isn't the consumption; it's with the way people act when they are drunk from the consumption. Meat doesn't intoxicate, no matter how good it smells. It's good to know the Rangers gives slices of the ballpark to families. However, I've sat in enough "family" sections at various places to know that such designation doesn't free your experience from the drunk sports idiots.

We have a chance if they ever unite with ria

I would still rather play in the WAC. They have teams that casual football fans know somthing about. They send teams to bigger and better bowl games. Most importantly (to me) I would rather watch a game against the teams from the WAC than any of the Sunbelt teams. Troy is the only team from our conference that I get up to see come to town. Conference USA would be our best option by a mile, but the WAC is still better from a football watching perspective than the Sunbelt. I do agree with one of their posters in that having Arkansas State, and ULM / ULALA, and Middle Tennesee come to town each week is killing our program. I know the travel schedule (blah blah), the immenant cherry picking by stronger leagues (yadda yadda), etc, etc is a problem with the WAC. I get it. But man, I would really love to have a team come to town that someone at my office other than fellow NT alum have ever heard of.

I have a feeling that expansion takes off much more next year than it did this current year. When the Pac-10 went to 12 this year (and was willing to go to 16) I feel as if we will see a glut of 12-team conferences. Somehow, with the Big 10/12, SEC and Pac-12 at 12 teams, and a little less potent ACC also at 12, it may become necessary for an AQ team to be in a 12-team conference. First, I believe that the Big XII will add two more next year. As long as Texas/Texas A&M/Texas Tech and Oklahoma/Oklahoma State remain together, that conference will no doubt remain an AQ conference. Someone jokingly said that they could add SFA and still retain AQ status and that's only a little far-fetched. While I'd expect the two additions to come from the MWC, I'd expect that it could be from any conference IF they thought that the team would be a player in a couple of years. By player I mean very competitive and potentially draw 50,000 average per game. The Big East could face extinction as a football conference if they fail to act. The best case scenario for their four teams would be Notre Dame, East Carolina, UCF and Memphis. All are capable of 40,000 averages and of course Notre Dame sells out every game at 80,000. If they can somehow sell the Irish, who are already a member for their other sports, on full membership they will absolutely keep their AQ status. Those actions would give all six AQ conferences 12 teams each and possibly freeze further expansion by the big boys. If that happens, I believe that CUSA returns to 12 and the Mountain West also moves to 12. If the two Big XII fill-ins do come from the MWC that would mean five new schools added along with the three from CUSA that must come from the WAC or Sun Belt because no one in the MAC stands out from the rest except maybe Central Michigan. Some very likely candidates are Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, North Texas, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Troy, and Temple but none are shoo-ins except Fresno. If the above happened that would leave 10 teams (excluding Army and Navy) who must band together but they could be scattered from California to Florida and either the WAC or the Sun Belt would have to go. Even if only part of this scenario happened, North Texas must win and have our best attendance average. If we fail at either we will put the program at great risk.

I don't consider attendance at an amateur college athletic event on the same par as a professional sports event. I fully understand alcohol will be available at pro sporting events. I rarely attend them, and their service of alcohol is part of the reason. Drunk rednecks cussing out loud at an umpire is no more charming to me and my kids than the drunk idiots at a college football game. The merely presence of families doesn't make something by default family friendly. Further, a child enjoying an activity doesn't by default make that activity family friendly. I'm sure my boy child would enjoy taking a match and burning a building down. That doesn't make the act of arson family friendly. I disagree with Six Flags' alcohol policy and have not taken my family there since they began serving. The State Fair is attended by families, but I don't consider it family friendly anyway. I've never been the Schlitterbahn; but, if they advertise to families with young kids and serve alcohol, then I won't be going there with my family. Remember, I wrote that it was "refreshing" that UNT was family friendly. I didn't write that all events, organizations, or companies that claim to be family friendly are family friendly. The reason UNT games are refreshing in that regard is that they do seem to me to walk the walk on family friendliness, while most other who make the claim do not - in my opinion. I fully understand the rest simply lie about it, not caring what my kids may see or hear once I pay the full price of admission and enter. Before I had a family, I could care less and would likely have been the one drinking at a game. Things have changed 180 degrees for me since I've had kids and begun to take them to various public events. It has opened my eyes to many things and situations that I used to ignore. Let the drunks drink in the parking lot - and stay there.