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For nearly two years I have been filming and photographing the new stadium. I am glad to say that my work is finally done. I would like to thank KingDL1 for his help with the great Aerials that also went into the film. It really takes it to another level. Go Mean Green! Maher Films Apogee Stadium This post has been promoted to an article

The entire A&M situation is a cluster and makes them look like a bunch of idiots, imho. We built the stadium we needed and can fill now. We sell out 2-3 games a year, then we can start the how do we fit 40K in the stadium threads. For now, fill it up and the rest takes care of itself, including new conferences, indoor practice facilities, baseball program and any thing else we can dream up. Starts with sold out home football games.

Kram, not every season ticket holder visits this board or reads UNT's facebook page. And I don't think all questions have been answered. One message that came out says you can tailgate starting Saturday morning, another says it starts Friday night. The policy posted on the website says the lots won't open until 8 am, but the Facebook page says you can park overnight in your assigned lot. Also just heard today that you cannot drop off items at the hill less than 4 1/2 hours before the game. That may surprise some people who want to set up camp there. Still a lot of questions, and we have one chance to win some new fans for the first game. To just assume it will be a cluster and that it will all work out after 3 games or so seems, to me, like a jacked up way to do thing. Put out as much information as you can as early as you can to as many people as you can. That's what "BIG TIME" programs do.

Many UH fans, including myself, have come over to your board asking all sorts of questions regarding tickets, parking, tailgating, local amenities, etc. You've all been very helpful. But we've neglected to ask the most important question of all: Do you sell alcohol in the stadium?

Hopefully that isn't their sales pitch. "Do you know how much money we could make by selling alcohol to students?!"

I hate to be posting on conference realignment two days before the first game of the season. But I started responding to a post Flyer made about not wanting to be in the MWC, and got carried away. What I did is ranked the different schools in the three conferences of which we could realistically be a member in the next few years (MWC, C-USA, Belt). I ranked them in the order in which I would want North Texas to share a conference with them. I ranked them in order from 1 to 30, then averaged the ranking by conference. Teams in the Belt, MWC, and C-USA ranked by desirability to share a conference: 1. Boise St. MWC - Face it, they have become a perennial BCS team. It would be great to be in a league with them. We also have past history with them, from the 1-AA playoffs in '94 to a couple years together in the Big West. The travel would be terrible, but we'd get them in Apogee every other year. I don't see how that wouldn't sell out every time. 2. Houston, C-USA - A team that has made a big splash on the national scene, shares a lot in common with UNT, would make great regional rivalry. 3. SMU, C-USA - This wouldn't apply to any other team but UNT--we would love to be able to face them on an annual basis. Would instantly be our greatest rivalry. 4. Air Force, MWC - I love all that goes with playing one of the service academies. Respected nationally. 5. Tulsa, C-USA - They have made a name for themselves in recent years, would be a good regional rivalry. 6. Rice, C-USA - Former SWC school, and that still means something. Their academic credentials add something to any conference. 7. San Diego State, MWC - Not many UNT fans would put them this high, but we share some things in common with them. Began as "normal schools" around the same time, have been playing football a comparable amount of time, were both football powerhouses in the late '60's. But they have also competed historically at a high level, and are pretty well nationally known. Of course, have recently had a tremendous basketball team. 8. Colorado State, MWC - Have made a splash on the national scene from time to time, pretty well known nationally, have a little grudge going back to the first N.O. Bowl. 9. Fresno State, MWC - Have made a splash nationally, though not so much the past couple of years. It seems Boise State stole most of their thunder. Still a respected conference affiliate. 10. Memphis, C-USA - Great basketball school. Haven't been a great football school lately, but they still have a decent name. Beating Memphis sounds better in the papers than beating Arkansas State, even though Arkansas State has had better teams recently. 11. UTEP, C-USA - It doesn't excite me nearly as much as the other Texas C-USA teams, but it would be nice to whup up on them annually. 12. UNLV, MWC - This is more of a basketball choice than a football choice, but what a basketball choice it is! 13. Nevada, MWC - Been a regular bowl team in recent years, beat Boston College in their bowl last year. Good basketball school. 14. Marshall, C-USA - Not sure why I have 'em this high, but I think Marshall would be pretty cool to play. Would provide a scenic road trip. 15. Louisiana-Lafayette, Belt - I put them the highest in the Belt, even though many are picking them to be the worst football team in the Belt this year. But we have had a good history together in the Belt, we have stuck together when the WAC came courting. Plus, "Ragin' Cajuns" is one of the coolest team names in all of sports. 16. Hawaii, MWC - A travel nightmare. But well known, pretty good football team, would be interesting to share a conference with them. 17. Southern Miss, C-USA - A good team, ought to be good competition between us. 18. Central Florida, C-USA - There tends to be that "directional school" stigma, but UCF has made a decent name for itself the past 10-15 years or so. 19. East Carolina, C-USA - See Central Florida 20. Arkansas State, Belt - See Louisiana-Lafayette 21. Middle Tennessee State, Belt - Okay, we're getting into a little bit of a Belt run here. We have built up some history with the Belt teams, and the rivalries feel closer to real rivalries than what we had in the Big West, although still lacking the punch of UNT-SMU or UNT-Houston. MTSU has been one of the better rivalries, and is generally good across the board in athletics. 22. Troy, Belt - Their academics have been a question mark (you might say a black mark), but they have brought more football legitimacy to the Belt than any other team. 23. New Mexico, MWC - They were a pretty decent team, pre-Locksley. Had some really good basketball teams in the '90's. I'm not sure if they'll ever get back to that, but being in a conference with New Mexico makes reasonable geographical sense. 24. University of Wyoming, MWC - Not much to say--this is where I put them. 25. Tulane, C-USA - Might make a decent geographical rival. 26. UAB, C-USA 27. Western Kentucky, Belt - I'm sure many would put them a whole lot higher. Great basketball team, good across the spectrum athletics. But they've still got that "just up from 1-AA" stigma hanging over them in football. 28. UL-M, Belt - My personal feelings are to put them higher. They have always done the most with the least, and we have a whole lot of history with them. But their academics and athletic budget put a black eye on any conference they are in. 29. & 30. (Either or) FAU, FIU, Belt - Both have done pretty well, but being in a conference with them makes zero geographical sense. You could certainly say the same about Marshall, ECU, and UCF, but at least they have a little name recognition. Average rankings by conference MWC 11.7 C-USA 13 Belt 24 It's a mighty narrow margin, but to my surprise, the MWC came out the winner. I'm not opposed to "building the Belt" if that ends up being our lot for the foreseeable future, but obviously I'm not nearly as excited by our affiliation with the Belt teams as I would be by either of the other two. As you can tell, I didn't do any significant research for this, and I'm sure my rankings would vary slightly if I did them tomorrow. But what say you?

Also, why do people keep acting like a move to C-USA is a best-case for UNT? Without SMU and UH, what good is that conference to us? Suppose ECU and/or UCF also get picked off? Then it's no more stable and only slightly more competitive than the WAC. I may be suffering from chicken little syndrome, this morning, but A&M's move at this time may end up hurting us a lot more than it helps.

Scientists finally discover the true cause of “global warming”. It’s the sun, stupid. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100102296/sun-causes-climate-change-shock/

Thank you Mean Green Sports.com for making my argument crystal clear on why Scott Hall should be in the NT Hall of Fame!

crack open a beer...everything else will fall into place

We tried that under Hayden Fry.It did not work.The other sports will suffer.

Harry, great job for organizing these events. I believe efforts like this often get overlooked, but kudos on making these arrangements. And you left out one thing in 3.5)Kick FIU's A$$! Hope you guys have a fun, safe trip; and again, great job on getting this set up.

Mark me down as I'd rather stay in the Belt then have SMU move up and us take their place. The only way I'll be happy with conference realignment is if we are in a better conference than SMU. Period.

I heard this at the cookout as well where they had $2 beer. They could make a ridiculous amount of money off of students alone if they sold beer for cheap.

The quality wouldn't have been the same if it were built bigger. I was originally in the "we should have built it 40k+" camp, but not after seeing how the money was spent on Apogee. Upping the capacity to 50k can be done in an off-season. If that was all that stood between us and an invite to an AQ conference, then there's nothing to worry about.

Why are we reading that SMU is the only program around here that has contacted them for consideration? North Texas should have been the first to make a case for inclusion. Rick

This whole situation scares the absolute crap out of me....but, man I'm glad we've got leadership (at the highest levels: Pres. Rawlins specifically) in place that has serious skins on the wall when it comes to conference realignment. Over the last few years, we've made some pretty good connections (Chuck Neinas & Bill Lively to name just 2). We are counting on them now, and that definitely gives me confidence that we'll land in a good spot.

Even if those 4 schools leave, the remaining members of C-USA are far better than the current members of the Sun Belt. They are universities that people know. I just had a conversation with a co-worker who has never heard of any of our conference opponents except for Troy (which makes me question his knowledge of the sport). I agree that C-USA is not our best option, but it is the best of the realistic scenarios. We really have no reason to have anybody look this way. New stadium and other facilities? Nice, but we need to bring more to the table. That's not to say we throw up our hands and surrender ourselves to fate... I would hope that our athletics department is working the phones and making it known that we are willing to move to the big 12. But let's be realistic, it is not going to happen.

--It won't happen... but the best move for the Big-XII is picking up North Texas.... Granted we are not competing at their level NOW but we are a huge school and would be only second to UT in size (after A&M leaves) and are in one of the largest markets in America... Given a little time, 4 years maybe, we would be competitive.. Recruiting, crowd and interest would skyrocket in Metroplex with us in their conference. SMU gets very little love in Dallas area and even when they were in the SWC their community support wasn't that great (better when they were cheating and doing extremely well). TCU is doing fine now but is very small compared to us and interest will drop if they stop achieving well. A lot of people just don't identify well with private schools especially as expensive and different that they are from most common people. --I agree, if both SMU and Houston leave CUSA, it is not a much better option that where we are. Being in the same conference as Rice, Tulsa, Tulane, and UTEP is not that much of an attraction. Some the names mentioned here are not that smart to add... too far away and a big liability for all of the non-football sports financially. Considering that athletes are also students (few make a long career of sports) a far flung conference is not good for non-football athletes. I predict that TCU will regret their decision eventually to be a Big East team... just wait until they have have a bad season or two... and the crowd and public support drops quite a bit..... --Oddly if Miami is punished severely, that could help the Belt... Two of our own are in Florida and might get a little more attention there and some better recruits as well.

SMU to the Big 12 would be the worst-case scenario for UNT. That puts two BCS schools in the Metroplex when we're already surrounded by several others just a few hours away. That would seemingly forever-relegate UNT to second-tier status, athletically.

Also just reported on ESPN. 1 year too early. Dodge canned 1 year too late.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/sports/ncaafootball/texas-am-closer-to-withdrawing-from-big-12.html

My wife said no tickets in the mail today. I'll deal with her when I get home.

The Hook and Ladder play he, Johnny Quinn, and I executed at the GMG.com Bowl in June is Hall of Fame worthy in an of itself. This isn't debatable.

Harry, I would suggest this change: 4. POST GAME VICTORY PARTY (TBA)

Removal of the wing zone should never be done under any circumstances! It's such an iconic thing already. Look around other boards when they talk about our new stadium they always talk about it. They will remember us for it. Remembering us for anything has always been a problem.

Hi, I know its way late but I was wondering if anybody was coming from Houston for that game? I haven't been back to UNT in a couple years and would LOVE to see the new stadium. Post here please if yall know of any one I can ride with.

....or you could just bring in like 10 flasks full of beer....that's a much more inefficient way to accomplish the object though...

Ever heard of a flask? That is, unless you have to drink beer you're S.O.L.

I heard a rumor that Athletics is trying to get the board to approve selling beer on the regular concourse level.

Shouldn't never been interviewed much less hired. Worst decision ever by this school and probably NCAA history.

All of this is pure speculation on everyone's part but I agree- I just don't see what value SMU brings to the Big 12. Just because SMU has been vocal about wanting to join doesn't mean they have any greater shot at doing so. Just for the record, I want a new Ferrari 458 Italia. I just announced it on the internet. But I doubt it gives me much leg up on a guy that is quietly saving for one. If SMU and UH were to end up in other BCS conferences (stretch as it may be), C-USA is far less appealing to UNT. That being said, I don't think SMU brings anything to the Big 12 table and this is little more than wishful posturing by their people.

This is pure speculation on my part, but I just don't see the Big 12 inviting SMU or UH if the Ags leave. I think they will invite BYU (and maybe Pitt) and stay at 10 or 11 (probably 10) until 2015, when the TV contracts are up.

Great video. I will be forwarding the link. I can't help but think how great that music would be if it accompanied some smashmouth football footage in the new stadium. Maybe a part 2?

FIU doesn't scare me because we finally have a special teams coach - a real special teams coach whose job is dedicated to special teams. Also... ...tight end ...fullback ...snaps from under center ...handing the ball off to your top threat Anyone else here recall that we had Jamario Thomas wasting away in 2007 while the Giovanni Vizza Experiment was in full swing...as in, how many passes can Vizza throw to Fitzgerald in one season, win-loss record be damned? Yeah. I have a feeling these coaches understand how to use the talent they inherited on the roster. They won't force these guys into a system just for the sake of running a system.

But the repercussions can last a lifetime.

We got our notice last week and we're going to add that fifth season ticket this year to our usual four. We'll be behind the basket by the players' bench again. Opposing team three-point shooters beware - the loud family will be there again! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!

According to his twitter page he is enrolled & playing ball @ UNT

Averaged 13 points & 7 rebounds a game last year Had 26 & 10 vs UNT & had a season high 31 vs MVSU

He may have had surgery, but I am still convinced that at least it's partly that his future is so bright.

For me, FIU was the most depressing game of the season last year. We didn't look like we belonged on the same field as them and it was the game where you could just feel everyone weigh down and give up from the first TD on the 5th play on. I have no idea what the real gap between the two teams really was that day, but it was one of worst game experiences I can remember. I have no prediction - and as much as I love our tradition of falling in love with names and abstract ideas mashed around football cliches every preseason - won't pretend to know how to evaluate this team yet, but a close game against a team we've competed with once in 4 years would be nice. 2007 19-38 2008 10-42 (Home) 2009 28-35 2010 10-34 (Home) 2011 PROFIT

Everything that happened in 1988

Deeply-rooted racism cut with a splash of ignorance to make it seem less threatening.

Game 5 will be special.

Using all 20 -1s from all of my secret accounts

If his mom's a student, this whole thing just got a whole lot more interesting.

I want to talk about banks, not Wilson. Actually, I don't, so here's a string of unrelated questions I would rather discuss than EE's misinterpretation of the WSJ (and I would honestly enjoy your responses to all of these): Why did you put hard in quotes? What's your favorite craft beer you've triedthis year? Have you ever tried Crossfit or P90X? Which Super Bowl roster has your favorite long-snapper? Which is a more enjoyable road trip stop -- Buccees on the way to Houston or the kolache place in West on the way to Austin? Which basketball game has been your favorite so far this season? Will Dez Bryant stay healthy next season? Will there be a lockout? How can OSU take the next step defensively? Will the O take a step back without Dana?

Post as true as time -- ever since Great Granddaddy Kram first posted it in 1865.

Weird that Palin just took this off her website: http://twitpic.com/3o7pgo I mean, it's just meant in "goo"d fun, right? The valid counterpoint: Sarah Palin didn't shoot Congresswoman Giffords. She was shot "point blank", not from Sarah's "Moose Huntin' Chopper" I'm just saying, maybe we can eliminate the crosshairs gun rhetroic across the table maybe?