ADLER

I much prefer Dickey's "We're just going down there to collect a paycheck" speeches to get the fans fired up.

I want anything that is possible done to raise the level of competition and the level of prestige for the Sun Belt. I want every other team in the Belt to be as good as it possibly can be, and I still want North Texas to dominate them.

It takes very little intestinal fortitude to be a bootlicker to any of the 'chosen' programs. And hopefully kissing Madonna will have the same effect for ARod's career that it had for Britney Spears.

Good for Troy, good for the Sun Belt, and ultimately, good for North Texas. I would hate to see our methods for ascention centered on other Belt teams not improving. We need every Belt team (including us) to keep improving to improve the image of the conference and insure that we have teams eligible for every bowl slot that may become available.

Hey KAjun, is that Danny's bus or are there now several of them at the MTSU tailgate grounds?

Once again the Mean Green nation raise their arms in the air. For some it's in prayer, for some it's a reaction to uncertainty, and for others, surrender. I like to think it is done to make this roller coaster we're riding as exciting as it can be. What makes sports great is the emotional attachment derived from dealing with those drops and ascents. If you are afraid of the ride then you can deal with it as many others already have. You can simply castrate yourself and become another fan of the Longhorns or Yankees.

Damn! Looks real to me! They are discussing her potential to return to the team on the Pillpopper Haven message board. "Something this serious probably requires a team vote"? Now we can begin to understand why they have a hallucination for a mascot.

Former Miss Basketball Arnika Brown arrested Arnika Brown, a former Miss Basketball and 2008 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, has been arrested in Hopkinsville for possessing counterfeit money, according to the Hopkinsville Police Department. According to WKDZ Radio News, Brown is charged with 11 counts of First-Degree Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument (all felonies) and five counts of Theft by Deception under $300 (all misdemeanors). Hopkinsville Police arrested Brown Saturday night following an investigation of counterfeit money being passed at several Hopkinsville businesses. According to the arrest report, Brown said she had been with another person at several locations, passing the fake bills to make the purchases. The report did not state when the incidents occurred. The arrest report also stated Brown admitted to having five fake $100 bills but had thrown them away. The report did not state which businesses were involved or what types of merchandise were purchased. On the arrest citation, it listed Brown's occupation as a Western Kentucky University student. Hopkinsville police expect to make another arrest in the case. Brown was lodged in the Christian County Jail on a $114,000 surety bond. Brown was named Miss Basketball in 2006 and was given a scholarship to the University of Kentucky. However, she left before school began that fall. She enrolled at St. Catherine's College but left before playing a game. She enrolled at Western Kentucky University last year and was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year after averaging 10 points and seven rebounds for the Lady Toppers.

Western Kentucky women’s basketball: Arnika Brown,. the Sun Belt Conference’s freshman of the year last season, is facing more than a dozen criminal charges after police say she used counterfeit money to shop at a store in her southern Kentucky hometown of Hopkinsville, Ky. Police say the 21-year-old Brown admitted using the counterfeit money to make several purchases. She was released Saturday on bond.

This is the current Strategic Plan as as presented in powerpoint on MeanGreenSports at Stadium Construction Schedule It is out there for all the world to see. I believe it state's which month they intend to break ground.

You can find the opinions of Mean Green fans regarding the A-11 Offense at this A-11 Offense thread There are also a few more treads on YouTube both displaying and discussing the offense.. I think the offense is a great idea. Why restrict yourself by undefined parameters?

It's bigtime. She wasn't first team all state for nothing. She has two years eligibility remaining, and she made the Big 12 academic honor roll. Seems like a good player that just needed a change of situations.

Texas Football Magazine Poll: Whose QB battle is the most pressing? * UT (McCoy vs. Chiles) * A&M (McGee vs. Johnson) * UH (Keenum vs. Joseph) * Baylor (four candidates) * SMU (five candidates) * UNT (three candidates) vote HERE (yes, click here) Sure the results of the poll are meaningless, but what it does show for Texas Football is which fans read their magazine and use their web site.

I saw this Royal-Memorial Stadium model on another site: 114,000 seats? That's a fairly large stadium. Overall, and excellent design with a lot of lower bowl seating.

Nah, I think they're all tight ends.

North Texas has the "It's Wide Open" billboard on the back of the stadium. SMU has Pony-Up and the vintage style billboards. This is what Central Florida has: Do you think it will catch anyone's attention? and (The caption said there's supposed to be a stadium in the second photo, but I couldn't locate it)

star-telegram.com: High Schools Three area players learn the harsh side of recruiting 2/5/2008 8:39:00 AM By TRAE THOMPSON Everything worked out for Stephenville quarterback Kody Spano and Richland linebacker Victor Jones. They have college football scholarships for this fall. But Aledo offensive lineman Ethan McMillan doesn't. "Disappointed really doesn't explain it," he said. "I feel like I worked my butt off for football for six years, and the one time I needed it to work for me, it didn't." Wednesday is National Signing Day, when recruits and colleges alike celebrate the future. But Spano, Jones and McMillan experienced a not-so-joyful side of recruiting, where college programs pull scholarship offers, often late in the process. Oklahoma State didn't keep offers to Spano and Jones, and Houston snubbed McMillan, months after they had committed. "I've been brought up as a coach's son myself, and, more than anything, loyalty means something to me," said Kyle Spano, Kody's father and a Stephenville assistant coach. "In the college realm, they've lost somewhat of the focus of what it's still about. "It's still about kids." The story of those three players isn't isolated. SMU, Ohio State, Florida and Pittsburgh have pulled offers this year, according to published reports. NCAA rules don't prohibit the practice, which usually occurs when schools change coaches, commit too many scholarships or have concerns about a player's character or academics. "What the fan doesn't know the answer to is 'Why [is each offer pulled]?'" said Randy Rodgers, a former recruiting coordinator at Texas and Illinois. "... The college coach can't talk about recruits until after signing day, and then only the ones that sign with his school. You never get his side of the story on why they may have pulled a scholarship." Oklahoma State offered Jones a scholarship and he committed in June. But, before the Rebels' second game, Cowboys coaches told Richland coach Gene Wier they wanted to re-evaluate Jones. They later told Wier it would be best if Jones didn't come to Stillwater. Wier still has a letter from Oklahoma State coaches that states the only reason the scholarship offer would be voided was if Jones didn't qualify academically. Last semester, Jones made all A's. "Recruiting is a harsh thing," said Jones, who committed to SMU. "There's no bad feelings. They did what they had to do. I still get to play ball, so I'm happy. "I get to be part of a wow factor. I knew it was just business, but I wasn't expecting the business to be like that." Kody Spano, now enrolled at Nebraska, saw his situation take a turn at the very end. Two days before Spano's December graduation from Stephenville -- and 10 months to the day since Spano had committed to Oklahoma State -- Cowboys coach Mike Gundy told him that an early scholarship was no longer available but that he could come in June. Two weeks earlier, Kyle Spano said, then-assistant coach Larry Fedora, now the Southern Miss coach, told him that Oklahoma State quarterback Bobby Reid might be leaving and that spring workouts would give Kody a chance to begin learning the Cowboys' offense. "Kody did everything right," Kyle said. "He did everything told to him by professional people, and [Oklahoma State] led him astray. He's in a much better place now, but there are kids out there it doesn't work out for." Like McMillan. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ * I only pasted the whole article because it has already been removed from the star-telegram on-linw archives. Luckily I had it memorized.

I would appreciate it if none of you guys 'call out' any of the family members of the players. Their direct allegiance is of course to their family member, but many of these people go to great lengths to support not only 'their' player, but the entire team. In the case of Danny, the young man has been extremely loyal to North Texas amid being stuck in some really crappy situations. Despite being injured he was thrown into the starting position because Byerly didn't want to go to class. He played behind some really thin offensive lines, had Ramone Flannigan as an Offensive Coordinator, was always the scapegoat of that OC, and subsequently many of the fans. By his junior year there was a new coach that opted for a younger player with similar abilities halfway through the season; it's the logical decision for a building program but still extremely painful for the displaced player (especially after setting records with a 600 yard passing game). I hope the player to remains loyal to the program and stays involved after graduation but I consider it a stretch to expect the same from his family. This being said, there are certainly parents that continue to be some of the most vocal supporters years after their son has graduated. (Shout out to Chuck Beck!)

I posted on the recruiting forum about a possible use for the scholarship that has become available.

I don't have any information on his current status, but I did see this article on Tajh Redwine. Sherman-Denison Herald Democrat

Actually, I like the practice. The service academies use accurate heights and weights on rosters. I think it gives their opponents a sense of overconfidence. What advantage is really gained by fudging the figures. All these players are going to be measured at the NFL combines anyway if they have professional aspirations after college. Adrian Awasom was listed at Stafford High School at 6-4, listed on the North Texas football roster at 6-5, and was listed on the North Texas basketball roster at 6-7. The NFL combine measured Adrian at 6-3.

No story there. That kid sure screwed up his life by being a dumbass on his Facebook page.

Bring him in as a walk-on if nothing else, doesn't he get free tuition anyway because of his father's university employment. It brings up interesting posibilities on field goal attempts; hmm, a placekicker that's also an experienced runner, passer and punter. Teams could be caught off guard by the fake, and could be very tentative about rushing for the block attempt.

Both wrong. Those "old" pictures with all the green glass are from the Sparks agency, a design that was hopefully discarded years ago. The next set of "new" pictures were concept prints done by F&S Partners prior to summer 2007. Neither is the final design. The final design was done this past spring by HKS Architecture, but I hope it will be realtively similar to the F&S Partners concept.

Well, this research has already been commissioned by UTSA who did a a comparison of 10 large regional public colleges of the Sun Belt, WAC, and CUSA. UTSA Athletics Feasibility Study - Fiscal Issues Page FY 2005 budget Conference USA ($18,378,423) adjusted for inflation, $22,500,000 by FY 2014-2015 Using that formula for North Texas in 2015, $16,875,000 should be expected to be derived directly from student service fees, $5,625,000 should be expected to be derived from donations, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, parking, concessions, game guarantees and other outside sources. Making a commitment to match the average CUSA budgets from those selected regional state colleges will take a substantial contribution from the students and the alumni and a monumental effort from the athletic department. Truthfully, I believe that it's too ambitious of a plan to match what the other colleges are budgeting by 2015, but I don't see any reason that North Texas cannot be at that level by the 2018-2019 school year. First: Create a dedicated Student Athletics Fee based on the total amount that the Athletic Department anually receives from the university. Add $1 per credit hour during the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 school years to cover the institutions cost of financing a stadium bond. Raise the athletics fee $2 per credit hour during the 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 school years until it matches the $20 per credit hour commitments that students at competing institutions have been paying since 2008. A decade from now North Texas students will still pay less in athletics fees than South Alabama students pay today. South Alabama 2008 Fees, and be very comparable to what many of our competitors are already paying Athletic Fees It's a long term plan for athletic excellence, and nobody get's an unwieldy athletics fee imposed upon them. My advice for current students that don't want to pay a $20 per credit hour athletics fee? Try to graduate before 2018.