Harry

Nice find @AustinFromUNT

I thought we got the better programs from the SBC. Heck WKU has dominated and MUTS has been one of the more well rounded programs. FIU and FAU have struggled but with new coaches like Lane Kiffen you may see them step up in future years. I like the current situation we have in CUSA. The problem is not CUSA it's us and our ability to recruit and perform on the field. We just need to be the best we can be in this conference and good things will happen!

Wow @Cooley does it again! Welcome Rashawn!

Or a grad transfer etc. They really need an insurance policy I just don't know if one is there.

You know exactly what I mean by that. Fine had pressure coming before the leather hit his fingertips last season and the defenders were draping on the WR's. I hope you are right but losing Rice etc makes me wary.

I just respectfully disagree with this. SMU has by far the largest endowment, coaching salaries and their president Gerald Turner has been at their highest level of conference board leadership be it C-USA or AAC. Heck he was the mastermind behind the C-USA! To insinuate that SMU had nothing to do with the UTEP selection is crazy. They had no desire to send their schools out to the hinterlands and the travel costs of getting to UTEP alone would override our facility shortcomings which were going to be addressed in the Master Plan. SMU has always tried to separate itself from UNT until recently and that is due to the fact that they see us an easy win and a way to bolster their horrid home attendance.

Even with this revamped offense we are going to see a steady stream of 8-10 in the box until we can prove otherwise. My hope is that even if the offensive line is not our strength, we are getting better at blocking for this offense. We just need a couple of key plays that can force the defense to loosen up and that will open things up for Wilson and company. I really think the swing pass could be a key play in that particular regard.

link to full story: https://www.texastribune.org/2017/03/03/utsa-president-ricardo-romo-resigns-after-sexual-harassment-investigat/

So now, after four years in Conference USA what are your thoughts of the conference?

Really like this kid. Has big potential.

Sad day. I will never forget the first time I stepped into that store as a student and how excited I was to be enrolled. Appreciated his support of UNT over the years.

Really hoping Tyler Wilson can make it back. He is a big time talent.

Chumley was a guy on my finalist list. Really excited for him to show what he can do now that he is finally healthy.

I thought it would be interesting to talk about guys who may really have huge seasons in 2017. I have several of these in mind but I am going to have to go with Hambone (La'Darius Hamilton). A true sophomore at 6-3, 265, good speed and a very impressive all C-USA freshman team year is already under his belt. I knew he would be special last year when he played his first game as a true freshman against SMU and registered 3 tackles, one for a loss and a deflection that led to an interception. He played in EVERY game last season and made contributions in most all of them. Now that he has a year in the system I can see him making a huge impact this season from the edge. Again, a guy that what rated a 2-star and his best other offer was Lafayette. I see him as proof the staff can identify talent. https://www.roadtogreatness.org/ladarius/

Interesting, he definitely has a similarity to DT in this particular video clip no doubt.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/college/memphis-tigers/2017/06/22/memphis-football-adds-commitment-texas-running-back-cameron-fleming/418638001/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter I post this mainly to illustrate how many programs come into DFW area for their key talent. Memphis has our former HC Darrell Dickey working Texas and he can recruit. This running back is from Cedar Hill where we have had some success. The Memphis HC Norvell is known as a top notch recruiter as well. My thought is why can't we sell a Cedar Hill player the chance to play close to home and where your friends and family can watch you play? Just a thought as we try to unravel this recruiting jig saw puzzle.

Good point! Like the Techsters for sure!

Wow - talk about a sweet schedule, SMU has SEVEN games at home and only FIVE on the road. TCU is also the only P5 on their schedule and that's a 30-minute drive. Contrast that with ULM who has 5 home games and 7 on the road, with 2 P5 games against Auburn and Florida State. SMU 2017 Football Schedule Link ULM 2017 Football Schedule Link UNT has Six at home and Six away in 2017 with one P5 (Iowa) and independent (ARMY).

Let me add one other item that I neglected to include in my original post. Rivalries in C-USA are starting to develop. The first couple of years we were just learning about what teams were in the conference and what cities they were located in. Now we are starting to realize who these teams are and developing some rivalries. Obviously UTSA is at the very top of that list but I can see the making of good rivalries with UTEP and Rice developing as well. Heck I have even circled UAB as a team that we "owe" for beating us like a stepchild on the road in their final season. And I know that Southern Miss is still pissed about us beating them at home last season. Not to mention the ongoing SMU series in non-conference as that game brings a lot of emotion to our fan base and dammit we have show good fan support in Dallas despite Mac laying an egg. I think after a great start in C-USA, our poor performance in the last years of Mac sort of hurt our development of these conference rivalries. I can see them rekindling with an improving program under Littrell.

With all the hand wringing over recruiting etc, I thought it would be good to post some general thoughts on where we are. We have a young, highly thought of head coach in Seth Littrell who turned a one-win team into a bowl team with basically the same roster We have a young, highly thought of AD in Wren Baker who has already made great strides in scheduling and how the AD is perceived inside and outside the University Our administration has ponied up more money in terms of salaries for athletics than ever before and puts us in the top 3rd of the conference Our social media game has stepped up immensely. Look at the graphics recruits are getting and the activity from our staff. Still a way to go but definitely a big step up. We return a lot of talent from last season, especially on defense. Jeff Wilson may be one of the best RB's in the country and Mason Fine will only get better with a year under his belt. I think on paper our secondary may be the best in C-USA. The Benford albatross is gone. North Texas will always be a football school, but Grant McCasland is the real deal. He may not win C-USA in his first year, but take a look at what he has done with this roster. I think basketball has a chance to make a YUGE improvement in year one of the McCasland regime. Sure, we would all like to see recruiting improve but we shouldn't forget the bigger picture at North Texas. A lot has been accomplished and I don't want our fans to lose sight of this. gmg