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Who do you think you're champ-in', brah? And you thought that was a shot? Just wait to you have kids and I start making fun of them.

Then I'm gonna be really hungover at work on Friday...

I think this game will feel awfully similar to Ball State of a couple years ago.

But, lets focus on what they do have in common. FIU was picked to finish anywhere from 6th to 8th place in the conference last year, just like UNT this year. One of FIU's biggest questions was at QB, just like UNT this year. FIU had a real college coach. UNT now has a real college coach. Granted there are differences, but there are also similiarities. The good thing is, we will get a pretty good barameter of where is team is in the SBC the first week opf the season.

I'd just offer up that we need to remember that within the "non fan" category are all potential future fans. I'm thinking beyond the uniform opinions. I'd like to see UNT respected by current "non fans" and for UNT to put an appetizing product out their for non-fans. I think we are doing that, or at least on the way. Again, I'm talking bigger picture than uniform colors. To that extent, I care what non fans think about things that are UNT. I want our fan base to grow.

Agree. Although, FIU hasn't changed coaches since their bowl game like Ball State had. I still say the Belt is the Belt. We hung with Troy to the end with a really beat up team. I don't see any reason we don't hang with FIU. The Belt is what it is. No sense in pretending otherwise. FIU, and everyone else, is beatable week in and week out.

If they hadn't changed the color after Dickey, none of this would be an issue. For years, it was the dark green. Now, it's all of these different shades. Even the Nike hat I bought at the stadium a couple of weeks ago is a different shade than the new (McCarney) and old (Dodge) and older (Dickey) uniform colors. It's like Nike figured, "What the hell...it's green. They don't even know what color Green they want to be. This will do for this hat." We want to be big and grow up - and facility-wise we have. It's time to go ahead and do so with colors and logos. If we are to shed completely the mid-major image, we won't redesign every time there's a coaching change. Can anyone imagine a coach or athletic director being hired by Michigan, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, USC, Ohio State, etc. and changing the logos and colors? No. And, the reason is, those programs are bigger than any athletic director or coach. Establish a logo - a real logo - and one color and be done with it forever. Please. If we're going to sit at the grown up table, we have to act like grown ups.

Absolutely 100% correct, sir. You have captured the brass ring. And to go one step further no one cares what non fans think about anything that is UNT.

People complained "NT isn't Big Time." They have hired a proven FBS head coach. They have built a 78 million dollar stadium. They are having closed practices. Welcome to the BIG TIME!! You have nothing to complain about now, what are you going to do???? Just sit back and enjoy the show that Mac and the Mean Green are going to put on for you. I promise you'll be impressed!

True Ask anybody that is not a UNT fan which they prefer.

Are you guys all color blind? Damn.

I voted to let Coach Mac run his show. And I appreciate seeing the correct usage of "I couldn't care less." Have you done your part ? GO MEAN GREEN

Hey, we've been sounding the warning for decades. Now the roosters have come home to roost. The rich, middle class, and poor have to start ALL paying their fair share... and since the rich already pay an obscene tax rate and the poor... well we all know the poor won't be forced to contribute... that means the middle class will have to cough up. And that means the entitlement programs will have to stop. Not reduce growth, not minor cuts... STOP. COMPLETELY. No more Department of Education, no more food stamps, no more Section 8 housing, no more Medicare. And, we have to stop the Social Security ponzi scheme. Let Americans manage their own 401K. In fact, REQUIRE Americans to maintain a 401K for the rest of their lives. Instead of Social Security deductions, you would have to contribute to your 401K. The party is over.

Nice classic helmet. They will sure look good come game day when the team is all geared up. I like this classic look. I think it says that UNT is ready to play some classic rough and tumble football and is ready to let its play on the field be all the "glitz and glitter" needed. Doesn't let me down at all...I like. Can't wait to see the entire uniform in person. I'll bet it looks much better than these photos... Thanks for posting the photo...GO MEAN GREEN!

Derek Thompson is our starter now. Even in a very limited amount of playing time, Thompson has proven that he is more than capable of getting the job done. He's a big kid with a big arm, who knows the playbook like the back of his hand. We are in good shape with him taking snaps. Backing him up, we have Brent Osborn, a junior college transfer. Going strictly by talent, I think he's just a step behind Thompson, but again, Thompson knows the playbook like the back of his hand. Talent-wise, I still feel very comfortable with him as the backup. Learning the playbook will take time, but when he does, we will have 2 very competent division 1 quarterbacks. We do have a true freshman coming in who may be the most talented of the bunch, but I expect him to redshirt, and I hope he does because that means we will have stayed healthy and had no problems at the position. There are 3 more quarterbacks listed on the roster in John Dodson, Andrew McNulty, and Derrick Teegarden. I know for a fact that Teegarden is no longer a QB. He's been playing receiver since the day he stepped on campus. As for the other two, I won't go into detail because I don't expect them to see the field. Overall, I think we look good at this position. Starter: Derek Thompson 2: Brent Osborn 3: Cooper Jones Overall Confidence Rating: 7/10 Starter Confidence Rating: 7.25/10 Backup Confidence Rating: 6.75/10 This post has been promoted to an article

If you look at the roster......there are several walk-on WRs (two from Florida). Had heard about Etheridge....Andre Holloway I had never known about. The kids whose name are in black....SOME of those are walk-ons. (not all....Bruner, Tanner Smith, Cam Feldt and a few others have been around or are not walk-ons). The roster: http://www.meangreensports.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=1800&SPID=562&SPSID=9053

I will be surprised if NT doesn't surprise FIU and the Belt in the first game. May not win, but will serve notice that this is not the ole NT. People seem to forget that Canales is the OC and I expect a much more varied offense that just DD style run based offense. Canales will definitely provide a steady dose of Dunbar, but remember his offense is not encumbered by a poor throwing injured QB. Dunbar will get his 25 carries a game but I look for a much more aggressive offense than many predict. People believe McCarney prefers a run dominated offense but his reputation is that he gives the offensive coordinator a lot of freedom in the planning and running of the offense. I think the offense will be a lot closer to Dodge than Dickey.

I emailed the Helmet Project guy with the info on the new helmet. (He and I had exchanged emails earlier in the summer and he'd added the 2011 helmet based on what was in the Mean Joe commercial.). The site has been updated to better match what the new helmets really look like. http://www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/

Well . . . I see what you're saying, but in all fairness, FIU 2010 isn't really parallel to UNT 2011. Mario Cristobal had been building up FIU for several years. And the poor record in 2009 was a step down from 5 wins in '08--you might say they picked up in '10 where they left off at the end of '08. I'm not really disputing your points that it is anyone's league or that a significant 1-year turnaround is possible; I'm just not sure if the two teams' situations are parallel.

The problems that are destroying the economic power of our nation were started long ago. The country is facing two economic bubbles that are related. We have a housing bubble that will take another decade to work itself out. Baby Boomers are retiring and attempting to downsize out of their large older homes, into more energy efficient smaller houses, only to find out they do not have the equity in them they planned on. Many younger American families can't afford to buy homes period. Last I checked somewhere between 11 and 14% of American homes were vacant. Even if the 30 and 20 somethings in the U.S. had the buying power to purchase more homes, there just are not enough of them to fill the gap that will be created as Baby Boomers die off. This housing market will remain weak for many years to come. The American economy can not grow under these conditions. The second bubble is the retirement investment system. Financial institutions have leveraged their assets to irresponsible levels. the government knew TARP and the stimulus (Obama's wasteful spending plan) would not result in an increase in loans. Global assets are inflated by a factor of 10. Wall Street is trying to hold money. They need a down grade in our economy, so the dollar will weaken more, because Boomers are starting to retire, and draw on the interest in their 401K's. A weaker dollar will allow them to pay less to investers. Currently the dollar has lost about 20% of its value over the last decade. Without a major change, many investment funds won't be able to honor their obligations in 5-10 years, as more and more Boomers retire. In America, there simply are not enough younger Americans investing in the markets, to substantiate the value of the Baby Boomer's assets. Remember, our economic system is built on the concept of supply and demand. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think so.

When Mac started at ISU he held open practices. That policy changed when "injury reports" started showing up on Cyclone message boards. Comments like "so and so was taking snaps with the first team while so and so wore a boot on the sidelines" started popping up on the internet. The policy isn't so much about giving away schemes or plays but giving away injury information. I think it's a good policy...

Are basketball coaches not available to the media during the summer? Or maybe the media just takes an extended summer off. (Not you Mr. Vito! I saw you sweating last week; during that Pick a Seat/ hot dog day in that hot weather). Generally speaking, year after year, we hear nothing about recruiting. •Finalized schedules (when finalized) •Recruits signed •Available scholarship •Real time changes to the rosters or •Remaining targets (position) Overall, just a late hot summer update when the temps rise above 105 and its time to come inside. Maybe Mr. Vito can request an update from head coach Johnny “I know where Dallas is now” Jones or ace recruiter, Shawn “I’m doing it without money” Forrest. As for the last scholarship, I guess we could always promise a walk-on, already at the university/team, a 1 yr, definitely non-renewable, ship. We can always use an extra body to abuse in practice. (JJ doesn’t seem to be in Shaka Smart shape anymore) When I ask other alums why they attend football games, yet refuse to come back for basketball, many cite the following concerns about their university: •They want to know if the team will have new uniforms. What shade of Green? Will they be Nike or Under Armour? •Will we bring that eagle thing in from the cold of Mean Green Stadium; to let the hoops guys and gals rub their hands on its head? They frequently ask me what is our favorite Pit tradition. •Many want to know how much weight Kendrick has gained. •It’s important to know who has looked the best in the summer pick- up games in the Rec. •A few inquired about the realistic chances of a jumbotron (year) to the Pit •Another factor was permanent tailgating space for Mean Green games, since Fouts is all but dead. •One noted that we need to build the program by attracting kids from Ryan and Guyer? Got to keep the locals home. •A friend from Ft Worth stated that why should he come when the Denton community want come support a team looking for its 5th (20+) season •A former music major wants to be assured that the jazz band will be there to perform at each game? •My departed mother-in-law attended class with Pat Boone. She always wanted to hear Pat sing the National Anthem before an FIU game. (Noah Jones would have pleased her) •Another friend finally retired last year after 35 years on the job. He was looking forward to traveling with the family to Kentucky to see UNT and WKU. He’s pissed at me now since I told him the Hilltoppers were coming to Denton instead. •Many complain that Mean Green Stadium has 147 concessions stands and the Pit has 1 ½. OK, Ok, I convinced some that UNT Football needed more concession stands. •A female friend, and her family, like women’s basketball but gets irritated when ushers continue to check her tickets at women's games? •My best friend had planned on coming after he saw a picture of Shanice Stephens back side. Had to tell him RV sent her packing. •A couple of NT co-workers of mine thought it would be neat to finally win bragging rights with guys who attended SMU & UH. They had read a hot rumor on GMG (football) that the Big East was expanding which would open up a spot for UNT in CUSA. Had to tell em that that thread was from 2010. & 2009 & 2008 ……….. •My sons are recent UNT grads and are extremely proud of their university. They want to be assured that are not the only ones at the Alumni Pavilion prior to basketball games •A frat brother of mine, from back in the day, is still upset with the university from an incident during the Pick a Seat/Hot Dog Cookout. He felt mislead when he went to claim his season ticket because he was a member of 2 clubs while at UNT. •I was able to convince a family to visit Denton, whose son is a hotshot ball player. Unfortunately they can’t make it because we don’t have a Junior Day for potential recruits Anyway, just some random thoughts regarding men’s basketball on another hot ass day. But just curious about a couple more things: Have we pursued Naming Rights to the Super Pit? I know the building belongs to the university (instead of the athletic department) but is there some reason that building/stadiums/arena’s as more noted for naming rights to new venues? Everyone in the metroplex is familiar with the name “Super Pit+ Do you guys think that Denia residents will attend basketball games after the 1st year in Mean Green Stadium? A lot of discussions have taken place about the need to have shuttles bring students from Kerr, Maple and Clark Hall across I-35 to the Mean Green Stadium. Are we having the same discussion about shuttles to bring students from Victory Hall to the super pit?

This. There is not a team in this conference that we cannot beat.

We are going to bring our talents to South Beach and come back with a W.

Objectively speaking, I think you have to pick FIU to win. They're bringing back a lot of the talent that helped them win the Belt and their bowl game, and with the recruiting they've had the past few years, they ought to be able to plug their holes pretty well (no Quonerisms, please). We do have a number of unknowns/variables which could go our way, but they could potentially go against us as well. That's objectively speaking. But the homer in me sure thinks we can win it.

Pretty good. A few notable changes in the weight class to talk about. The big winner this off-season was Richard Abbe. Known as "Big Country" Abbe lost about half of the population. Abbe went from 357 to a limber 319. He's still big, but in much, much better proportion. Tevinn Cantly also comes into the fall camp much lighter, dropping from 336 to 311. Abbe and Cantly both look a million times better this fall than 12 months ago. http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1800&ATCLID=205239124

The data was thrown together from various sources by the New York Times, and presented in an extremely misleading graphic. Basically, the chart is bullshit.

Let's use the white helmets from 2010 without the center strips for road games

We all know that Bush gets a "poor" rating for fiscal responsibility but this chart, wherever it came from, distorts the hell out of things. Where is the revenue produced by the tax cuts in the chart for instance? Here's another point...who voted for this spending? How much of this was proposed/caused by Bush's party and how much by Obama's? The Democrats controlled Congress during Bush's administration and check to see how much of the spending came directly from bills rammed down our throats by Pelosi/Reed. The chart covers eight years of Bush vs. two years of Obama actual without future spending already voted in by Congress. Remember when Nancy Pelosi said you'll have to pass this bill to see what's in it? Has that been included? How about adding those items in then produce a chart and let's see what it looks like?

Well, teams weren't punting against us a lot.

I guess you don't read this board much.

did the selwyn gym get rid of the carpet floor? i hope anyone that played denton city-league elementary bball during the 80's appreciates that. heaven help your team if your coach didnt reserve half of one of the smelly calhoun gym's that week. i think my knee caps still have some small scars from the burns.

I wish they would have shown us all the different combos...you know, like EVERY school does when they get new uniforms.

So I assume your point is that there won't be any AAA-rated governments in a few years?

I believe for the past few years, it's been the Kinder, Gentler Green.

Calm down folks...the sky is not falling and we will all see the light of day come Monday morning. There is a theory that the markets had already priced this downgrade in as it has been known to be coming for many weeks if not months. Corporate earnings continue to be pretty strong and the US still has one of the very highest ratings in the world. Yes, we may see some volatility Monday morning, but it may not be as bad as some here seem to think. The challenge will come if everyone (see Saudi Arabia & China) holding US debt panics and opens up Monday in a selling mood. If that happens, yes, hide the women and children, but there is a lot of behind the scenes work going on and lots was done even before the downgrade. Anyway, most people sell at the wrong time and buy at the wrong time. Take that into consideration before you make any move. By the time the general public buys or sells it is often "after the fact" and at the absolute wrong time as all the "smart money" moved some time ago...one way of the other. But, the good news is that everyone gets to make their own call as it is their money. Unlike the crap DC is doing with "other people's money" these days.

Get a rope

I was thinking the same thing! Similar to the text in the endzones of the stadium.

Drawing parallels between McCarney and Dodge, even in jest, is insulting. Can you honestly say the last four years wasn't the most embarrassing you've ever witnessed?

OK, a few things... First, tax cuts are not a cost. Unless you start from the belief that all money earned belongs to the government and it "costs" the government to allow you to keep any of it. And the tax revenues of 2007 were about the same as they were in 2000. Second, the chart values "policy changes" of Obama at just $1.44 over the next 9 years. Nothwithstanding the ridiculous notion that the Obama deficits are only $160 billion a year, this number if based on 2009 budget numbers... 2009 is already a bloated deficit, so it's not a true apples-to-oranges comparison. Here is a more accurate, more simple, and easier to decipher chart:

I shouldn't be long until "The Dan McCarney Fiasco" becomes a Vito staple.

This is what happens when you don't do enough. Democrats, Pres. Obama, and the lilly livered Republican Party should be sooooo proud. For those that thought any agreement to raise the debt ceiling would hold the AAA rating, think again. You can play politics all day long in Washington and lie to the American people, maybe even getting them to believe you, but eventually someone is going to read your financial legislation and hold you accountable, which is what Standard and Poors did. Now, lets hope the voters decide to start doing that. When are less than 10 years away from the mess that is occurring in Europe. This country needs to stop watch Jersey Shore and wake the hell up.

Helmet is awesome just like the uni's and they are even more awesome becuase they are OUR UNIFORM AND HELMET....i dont care what they have on it (UNT, NORTH TEXAS, NT, NTSU, NORTH TEXAS STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE) and i dont care what shade of green it is (KELLY,EMERALD) its OUR uniform and its OUR team so its automatically AWESOME. Plus when we start kicking some ass in it in our beautiful new 78 MILLION $ palace it wont matter..... HELL YA! GO MEAN GREEN! U......N......T EAGLES FIGHT,FIGHT,FIGHT!!!!!

Once we start winning, our fans will stop complaining about the uniforms.

I was with you until you went there. We're North Texas. Everyone knows we are a University. Therefore there's no need for the "U". Rick

All I know is that white shoes are fine for FIU, but not after.

--- The decade of growth you refered to hasd to do with the development of the internet, the increased use of computers in homes, schools and business, and even the massive increase of cell-phone use... all of which boomed the tech industry and telecommunication area. It increased so much that most areas codes had to split into several additional ones...mine split three ways. The internet did exist in a primitive form during that Reagan era but was a "government only" communications network. It went public in 1994 due to the work of a Senator that I am sure you know about because of an odd comment he made that has been altered by the radio idiots. He stated created [by legislation] not invented. Reagan had nothing to do with the boom... in fact until last year (under Bush) the largest one day drop in the stock madket (even percent-wise) occured duing his term. I am sure you know that since you have a good degree from North Texas but if you just missed it, Look it up. It is true. .

---No Democrat has been anywhere CLOSE to the Bush spending. He totalled the debt of all 42 previous Presidents combined which includes all Democrats, Republican, Whigs etc. ---The debt and Obama.. I have no idea... but it is not going to be pretty.... Bush left America an awful mess to straighten up. His philosophy was "tax less" (especially the extremely wealthy, not so much the middle class which most of us are members) then "spend more" and "run up the debt". Face reality... he was no conservative... his budget over-runs were something we had never seen before by anyone of either party.. and we will get to pay.

---Letterman's comments were classless. But the big reason that GOP people became such a big target is the claims by the GOP that they are the Christian, moral and family oriented group while the opposition is not. That really ticks people off....especially since the actions of that group shows continiously getting caught in some immoral scandel. Granted, Palin's situation is a bit different... but if you are going to claim something... you better back it up with your actions.... they as group aren't. They brought all this on themselves. Despite all that, Letterman should have known better, very bad taste. ---They also claim to be conservative.. but the last President doubled the national debt... which means he equaled the budget overruns equal to the ENTIRE 42 previous Presidents COMBINED.. ---They just aren't what they claim to be. People are catching on.