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. . . ......at least they think they would have, had there actually been a Championship. My Mean Green got a 10-5 win over the Horned Frogs last night to finish 9-3-1 on the season in the Weatherford Girls Coach Pitch Softball Little League. Defense was the key throughout the season and this team took that to heart and got tougher and tougher to score on as the season progressed. This was one of the best group of kids I ever worked with in my 17 years of doing this. Now it's All Star time, in which they just found out they get to play their All Star tournament in the beautiful new Weatherford College Softball Complex the second week of June. I'm very proud of them. And as I taught them all to yell out together after each practice and after each game, GO MEAN GREEN! Rick

http://www.presnapre...-north-texas-2/ And this from CUSAbbs board: If you are not familiar with the Pre-Snap Read, check it out - http://www.presnapread.com/ 97. Marshall (C-USA) 98. Kent State (MAC) 99. Central Michigan (MAC) 100. Troy (Sun Belt) 101. Boston College (ACC) 102. North Texas (Sun Belt) (Future C-USA Member) 103. Duke (ACC) 104. Ball State (MAC) 105. Kansas (Big 12) 106. Colorado State (Mountain West) 107. Louisiana-Monroe (Sun Belt) 108. UTEP (C-USA) 109. Indiana (B1G) 110. Buffalo (MAC) 111. Rice (C-USA) 112. Tulane (C-USA) 113. Idaho (WAC) 114. Middle Tennessee State (Sun Belt) 115. UNLV (Mountain West) 116. Florida Atlantic (Sun Belt) 117. UAB (C-USA) 118. Akron (MAC) 119. Memphis (C-USA) 120. Massachusetts (MAC) 121. Texas State (WAC) 122. New Mexico (Mountain West) 123. South Alabama (Sun Belt) 124. Texas-San Antonio (WAC) (Future C-USA Member)

I thought before that the soccer format sounds best for making the system fair. But we all know that fair is not what the schools are shooting for.

University of Louisville; a school in Kentucky that plays in the Big East.

It's a terrible idea. Look at Engish Premier, it's always the same teams in the top 5, and the bottom is just a churn of relegation and promotion. It benefits only the elite.

Do y'all know how to post videos to Facebook?

Yesterday, i was at a McDonalds drive thru right near the missouri-arkansas border. Im about to drive up to the window when i see a mcdonalds employee who was throwing away trash tap on my window. I roll it down and he says "i see on the back of you car it says Univeristy of North Texas" i told him i was an alum who graduated in 2010. He says "cool, my sister went their too, nice school, Go Mean Green"...then he walked off...and i picked up my lunch. i thought it was pretty neat.

Obviously, as mentioned before, Farmer is making excuses and trying to placate ULL's fan base. It is odd, he mentioned NT directly and so often; it won't help him if ULL does get considered for CUSA. NT will have a vote.

Lots of schools live on jucos, although it is getting less common. With the new eligibility rules on the horizon, they will be even less a factor in both football and basketball. Even the premier teams cherry pick the jucos, but like high school recruiting; Belt schools are not getting the cream. Troy maybe an exception with their over signing and academic risk taking. Off topic, but some of the Troy fans are the most vocal against NT and FIU moving on. What they fail to fully realize is that Troy is likely never going anywhere and it is not their location, it is their academic reputation. It will be interesting to see how far Troy can go as rules tighten on transfers and over signing. Last years, performance might not be just a bad year for them.

For me, I am really happy to see this trend. As has been said...you live by the JUCO, you die by the JUCO and, in my opinion, it is NO WAY to build a program. I can see using a JUCO as a "spot need" player from time time time when there is a glaring need at some position that developed unexpectedly due to injury, grade, discipline or "want to" problems, but to try to build or sustain a program on JUCO guys...well, you are asking for failure. Short-time "fix" at best. One needs to always remember...JUCO guys are JUCO guys for a reason, and you only get so much time from them. I think you bite the bullet and build relationships with HS coaches and build with guys who can help you for up to four years. Just me.

I totally agree. Who fears an old coach who has won a national championship, finished ranked in the top 5 three times, and has lost a total of 21 games in his coaching career? That doesn't scare me one bit. Fortunately for us UTSA didn't go out and hire some hot shot up & coming high school coaching genius. Then I would be really afraid.

Imagine the mess they will have when they get a new HC at Troy. (eventually) All the grey-shirts, broken promises when they don't get the schoalrship. I don't understand their over signings year in and out.

Isn't Denton and it's 100,000+ still bigger than half the SBC and CUSA cities?

You could consider Osborn a FCS transfer instead of a JUCO recruit. After burning his redshirt year at Georgia Southern Osborn made the decision to transfer to a JUCO instead of going the walk on route at several different schools where he would have been ineligible to play till this past fall. I believe the route that Osborn took was the best decision because of the game experience that he got in his one year in JUCO. Basically Osborn is FCS transfer with one years experience as a starter.

This is an exciting change for me. I previously supported Lafayatte's ascension to the one true University of Louisiana and the demise of ULM. Now I hope they both mire together forever in the branding swamp that the Louisiana legislature made for them. Now I'll get a kick out of every time ESPN lists them as UL Laf. 'You'll laugh.'

I'm gonna carry a sign around to every game we play against them, in every sport. It'll say... "Hey President Farmer, make sure your local paer gets a good picture for the front page." Or maybe.. "Luckily this loss will be on page 8 of the Dalla papers, huh?"

I really don't understand why an AD would go out of his way to single us out. You're supposed to represent your university with class if you're the AD, this is borderline disrespectful. I hope we destroy ULL in everything this year.

Who the hell is UL?

Aren't the bands the ones that get us excited before the games and the reasons so many schols have such rich football tradition?

Oh no you didn't!!!

One interesting thing about Farmer's rant is he keeps comparing newspaper coverage between NT and ULL. How ULL is front page news in the Lafayette rag, but NT is only infrequently covered in the back page of the DMN. Number one, newspaper coverage is dying everywhere but besides that isn't NT covered fairly extensively in the DRC. Denton and Lafayette are close to the same size, so why is coverage in the Advertiser more important than in the DRC. Add to that NT is covered as much as any team maybe with the exception of SMU in the DMN and it appears his comments are not only slanted but intentionally misleading.

We know not everyone stays for the band. You know there are people who stay to watch the band. Post is kinda pointless, IMO, and makes you look like an ass. I know you're not.

Them's fightin' words.

You guys that respond to that nut only encourage him. Dressed only in his tighty-whities in his little dark room, he is getting his "jollies"when you respond to him. One can easily see that he LIVES for your responses to his diatribes. Ignore him i.e., NO responses, and he will go away.

The population of the DFW metroplex is waaay larger than 1,240,499. The 2009 estimate was 6,153,237 or about 50% larger than the entire state of Louisiana. The DFW metroplex consists of nine counties with populations as follows: Dallas 2,412,827; Tarrant 1,750,091; Collin 762,010; Denton 636,557; Johnson 153,630; Ellis 148,186; Parker 111,176; Kaufman 100,527; and Rockwall 77,633. I would expect the official 2010 census to be a little larger since the area is still growing. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette should be a little embarrassed at the sour grapes ranting of their uninformed AD. Louisiana has had their share of failings but they seem to have corrected their problems for now. They are a great conference mate with maybe the finest tailgating in the country. They have a lot of pluses and although they are not in a large population area if they keep winning and getting the crowds that they are capable of they will advance...either themselves or the Sun Belt.

The guy has to say what he's said because, well, he's got to somehow defend the job he's doing of moving Louisiana along in the world...or, not. The thing is, the upside to UNT if we become a regular winner is higher than Louisiana because there are more people and media outlets in the area to take notice and participate. Louisiana, because of its location, is limited. That's not a knock on the program. You just have to face reality: (1) The traditional powers are going to get state and natoinal press, win, lose or draw (Alabama, Michigan, Texas, Oklahoma, Southern Cal, etc.) (2) Those in conferences with the traditional powers are going to get noticed when they occassionally beat the them (Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Purdue, Illinois, Arizona, Ole Miss, etc.). They are probably always going to be a rung lower from a marketing standpoint; but, being in the same conference as traditional powers gives them a shot. Baylor beating OU and Texas meant the Heisman for Robert Griffin even though both had, for their programs, off years. Being in the aura of OU and Texas gives the Baylors of the world at least a chance to get into headlines every now and then. (3) The overacheivers are going to get notice because they do big things despite bigger obstacles. South Florida, for winning and getting into a BCS conference within five years of their first Division I game. Boise State, with a school in the middle of nowhere, beating OU in the Fiesta Bowl less than a decade after being in the Big West. That kind of thing. (4) Everyone else. Lousiana is in this category. We are currently in this categroy. These schools have been in conferences with the traditional powers. They haven't overachieved. The schools likely didn't put the emphasis on athletics in needed in order to keep up, then woke up in the 21st Century as afterthoughts in the money-chasing game. What separates us from Louisiana and like situated schools is DFW. Our proximity to it and numerous alumni in it give us a strong opportunity to gain recognition and media notice and dollars quicker. Louisiana would truly have to do it the way of Boise State...just decide to dedicate everything to it, and start winning big, big games against traditional powers. Is it fair? No. But, in 1952, 1962, 1972...no one could see what this could become. It took OU and Georgia in the early to mid 80s to recognize that programs could be branded and make a bunch of money from their own brands. In the 90s, the big bowls and conferences with traditional powers banded together to grow and spread the wealth...among themselves. We now have a situation so ridiculous that San Diego State might be in the same conference with Connecticut. Crazy. So, I see why the Louisiana AD says what he says. To him, I say, there is no rest day. Keep plowing ahead. Louisiana will get no breaks. UNT got virtually no breaks either. Our geography helped us to a degree in the minds of the decision makers. You will have to win crazy big and ridiculously often, like Boise State, to overcome the same odds we were fighting. Good luck.

I'm guessing that his article is more about explaining to fans and Alums of LaLa why he was not successful in getting LaLa into CUSA, than sour grapes. I've said this many times before......I would much rather have LaLa in CUSA than UTSA.

More people read page 8 of the DMN and FWST than the front page of The Lafayette Cajun Times. That's all that matters. End of story.

Did you read that on Google?

I wish them well, but thank goodness we are out of the Sun Belt and away from Karl Benson. I feel for ULL, ASU, MTSU, etc...

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/05/post-spring-football-series-part-2-running-backs.html/

Jimmerson was the most impressive in the spring game IMO. He might not be the starter this year, but with a year or two to work continue to work on his size and speed combined with his already good feet, vision, and cuts I think he'll be a great back here. I am not as worried about RB as I am the secondary, but it's still a concern. Witfield/Jimmerson might be a year away from contributing and I don't know if Byrd is the answer. The passing game will have to improve for us to improve offensively next season. I have no doubt though, if Power gets 30+ receptions and Chancellor/Bynes/Delgado at the least improve marginally we'll have a great passing attack. Having 4 players on the field who can make a catch on any down will be huge for creating holes.

I am looking forward to watching Zac Whitfield. This young man is fast. 4.49 forty and ran the 100 yard dash in high school at 10.49.

Good point as well...if you "hit" on a JUCO you are a hero for sure, if you miss, well it's probably worse in some respects than missing on a HS recruit. I doubt that the JUCO route will ever be abandoned. The temptation for a quick fix for a downtrodden program is just too great for some folks to pass on. I'm "good" with the Mean Green having a few JUCO's every year, just don't think it's the way to go as an overall program "builder"....in spite of the success Snyder has had at K-State.

My guess, getting games with anybody that have not already been scheduled are going to be difficult. Most teams are not going to want any part of Mitchell and Company.

I would take the 20 best Jucos in the country over the 1201th to 1220th best HS talent any day.... ...but of course I'd take the 1-20 HS talent over the 1-20 JUCO talent even faster. bottom line if nobody goes the JUCO route that leaves good talent to be picked up... but right now there are enough teams like Troy out there building with Jucos. Because of that I feel it is the right now the correct thing to only occasionally take JUCOs: when their upside is really big and the probability of them panning out really good. But some of those are out there

You know there is a big difference between hope and results. All NT fans hope for improvements in recruiting and in the field. I have no doubt that McCarney and staff just have a better understanding of what it takes to be successful than most of NT's prior staffs and certainly the last two HC's. The current football staff should be the best overall that NT has had, just based on experience. While, the strenght and conditioning function appears to be much improved, most FB schools have had similar efforts for a much longer period; but I think it is progress for NT's program. I have no idea of the player relationship with either Dodge or McCarney and I am not sure that is a big factor anyway. The usual setup is the HC is always popular with most players, as he leaves the dirty work with the players to the assistants. At this point, McCarney hasn't had the opportunity to prove that he is any better evaluating and/or developing players than the norm. It is going to take a year or two to make that determination.

GMG !

There is nothing wrong with recruiting a few highly talented JUCO players. But, I agree too many creates, it own challenges. It really ties the hands of your offensive coordinator. Although, Mike Canales' offense is not the most complex in the world, it is multi-dimensional and challenging. It still takes time for an athlete to become well verse in all aspects. During a typical season, a coordinator has to adjust his offensive due to personnel changes or the propensities of your opponents. This very difficult with athletes who have been in your system a short time. An athletes needs time to learn a system; time that JUCOs simply do not have. Because many players have been in coach Canales' system for a couple of years,the UNT offensive will be exciting with multiple players contributing in a multiple of ways.

History should tell you, that only having three QB's ready is dangerous. If either Thompson or Osborn is injured, then a redshirt for McNulty would be difficult if that is the plan. More than one injured QB which as happened frequently at NT would be very bad. Going into a game with Dodson or Jones in the two deep would be very risky.

Some make it work, others don't. I would think candidates would have to be vetted even more selectively than HS kids to make it work. It just seems we have missed alot more than we have hit with JUCO's. Troy is just in a world of their own. It looks to me like they use the JUCO route as their farm system - to get kids eligible. It will be interesting to see how Troy responds this year. Talk about gaming the system. They signed 13 JUCO's in their last class and have 21 on the roster. Only 11 of their 40 (yes 40) 2009 signees are on the roster for 2012. They are showing 118 kids on the roster for 2012.

I think, pending some unforeseen injury to Thompson, that the Mean green are well set at QB going into the 2012 season. Thompson can be the leader UNT needs on the field and has shown marked improvement, in my opinion, in his decision making and execution. Of all the positions in question for the season, I think this one is the least of UNT's worries. Depth behind Thompson looks solid with Osborn and McNulty and Dodson. And, as jimbob just pointed out above, Thompson's most creative game came with Dunbar sidelined. Coul;d that bode well for Chico's offensive planning and play calling for 2012? I think it's a real possibility, and I think Thompson can execute that plan quite well. I am more than happy with the QB position going into 2012. Now, defensive backs...that's another story altogether.

Plumm...that was a great read. Probably one of the "fairest" assessments of the state of the UNT program I have seen or read in a long time. I pretty much think that, at this point, the read was "spot on". Really do appreciate your posting the link.

No one questions Larry Coker's credentials as a coach. I applaud their ability to schedule some top teams to the Alamodome. But, it will take them years to get up to speed with a startup program. They should start with weak teams to build confidence. I just hope that their fans stick with them after a season of 40 point losses.

As much fun as a triple-octa final 64 team, 6 round playoff would be, it will never happen.

It might work with a few teams but I don't see that as practical with 126.

http://ballislife.com/cute-video-of-the-day-little-girl-hates-when-players-fg-travel/

What in this political process leads you to believe that anyone is going to say no to Sharptin/Jackson/Martin family?

UTSA is a team now, and Larry Coker has long recruited Texas for Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Miami. We will see some dogfights in recruiting against the Runnin' Roadrunners. So many people hate UTSA already. Larry Coker was a gem of a hire. If you don't believe me, calmly bend over and light your own fart - it's harder to do than it looks. Recruiting against Coker will be as difficult as lighting your own fart. I'm telling you now so you don't keep underestimating them. Oh, I remember all the laughter and guffawing at UTSA. Yeah, I do. And, yet, they didn't have to waste years and years and years in the Big West and Sun Belt. They will all of the sudden be in the same mid-major conference with us. Hear me now, believe me later - UTSA will surpass in victoriousness Rice, Lousiana Tech, Tulane, UTEP, and the like. They will push us with Larry Coker. They. Will. Push us.

Same thing happened to me in a Turkish prison.