ADLER

The Sun Belt would be wise to start a long term plan to add Texas State and Missouri State (formerly Southwest Missouri). Both are large schools with excellent potential that fit well into the Belt geography. That would give the Belt eleven teams. Get UNO to add football (or add a different school) and the Belt sits at 12 and can split into East and West divisions. Travel for fans will be so much easier, and scheduling regional non-conference games also would become easier. The Sun Belt needs to just keep continue adding big state schools. By 2014, UNT and TSU will have the third and fourth largest enrollments in Texas, ULL is already second largest in Louisiana as are Arkansas State, Missouri State, and Middle Tennessee in their respective states. The enrollment at the two Florida schools is booming and they are both already in the 30K range. Bigger schools eventually bring better television contracts. Thirty years ago Florida State was very small-time and ECU, UCF, and USF were relatively unknown schools. Times are changing; just look what the past six years has done for North Texas and imagine how quickly things are going to improve one the new stadium gets built.

I think this is an outstanding hire for the ponies. My little cousin who was a member of Johnson's first Navy signing class and graduated in May has had nothing but good things to say about Coach Johnson.

Well, all I can say for him is that Guy now has a lot of idiotic statements to go along with his history of idiotic decisions. Oh, and other than his on-field futility and having his ass about to be canned, isn't Utah State about to pe placed on NCAA probation for not making minimum attendance requirements? Wow, that eliminates them from post-season eligibilty for several years (like that really matters for USU) but it also eventually forces their program back into the 1AA ranks. The SKY is now starting to look pretty darn BIG in Logan. This rant couldn't have been more entertaining unless his OC had felt the need to repeat his infamous "Division from Within" speech or an announcement that former USU AD Rance Pugmire had rolled another vehicle. These jackasses have created their own hell; let them stew in it. Hey Guy! Wait, I can't stop! Dislike the Sun Belt? The Sun Belt rescued USU when the WAC was trying it's hardest to kill it. Wright Waters should never have stooped to help those turds.

There's a potential bargain on ebay if somebody is able to make it to Austin on a Wednesday night. $10 shipping, but .99 minimum bid with no reserve. North Texas tickets on ebay *note - if you were to win the auction, I think it would be unwise to tell the idiot selling them that you are a North Texas fan, or to have the tickets sent to a Denton address.

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I may be wrong, but I thought they've only had one winning season in that span.

Please put down the hemlock. This was a total rebuilding year in every aspect. The team will be much better in coming years.

Man, I didn't even look that far down. They are sandwiched between schools like Longwood and Sacred Heart that I never even knew played sports. Something called USC Upstate is dead last in the country; I am suprised SMU hasn't tried to schedule them. .

A few ratings of note (regional and SBC top 200 teams): 22 Texas = 85.99 29 Texas A&M = 85.31 57 Western Kentucky = 81.71 68 Texas-Arlington = 80.45 73 Oklahoma State = 80.04 88 Houston = 78.71 95 Texas Tech = 78.10 96 North Texas = 78.06 104 New Orleans = 77.48 117 South Alabama = 76.48 124 Sam Houston State = 75.99 143 TCU = 74.41 157 Ark.-Little Rock = 73.62 184 Indiana State = 71.29 188 Troy = 71.24 192 Tulsa = 71.01 This week's Sagarin Ratings The ratings system certainly doesn't view UTA as a cupcake, and playing at home you'd expect them to probably be favored in the game against North Texas. Western Kentucky, as expected, has the strongest rating for SBC teams at this point in the season. Perhaps there is a glitch in the Sagarin Rating system, but I couldn't find SMU listed.

Thanks for the history lesson GoUTA, but I can also realize how so many people have trouble understanding what's written on your website. hint: it would be easier if it were written in English.

I concur. UTA didn't have as talented a team as North Texas (at least during the rest of the season), but they put together an excellent gameplan that caught an ill-prepared North Texas off guard. UTA pounded the ball inside drawing many penalties against the Green. By the end of the game UTA held an advantage of something like 30 free throws to 7 and was able to claim victory after the disputed last second shot. Hats off to UTA, they planned well, played well, and they won. I think their coach did an outstanding job (even though I miss the antics of Mr. UTA himself, Bob “Snake” LeGrand)

Harris hits clinching free throws as OSU stops LSU rally LSU (2-1) 24 53 77 OSU (2-1) 42 41 83 Final LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) -- Terrel Harris scored a career-high 24 points, including the clinching free throws with 16 seconds to play, and Oklahoma State lost almost all of a 21-point lead before beating LSU 83-77 on Monday in the opening round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational. Freshman James Anderson had 25 points for the Cowboys (2-1), who held a 55-34 lead with 15:13 to play, but saw the Tigers get within 80-77 with 1:43 to go. Harris, a junior guard who scored a total of six points in the first two games of the season, made two free throws with 16 seconds left and added another with 8.3 seconds to go. The victory advanced Oklahoma State to Tuesday's semifinals against Marquette (No. 13 ESPN/USA Today, No. 11 AP), which beat Chaminade 74-63. Marcus Thornton had 20 points for LSU (2-1), which fell behind 42-24 at halftime by turning the ball over 18 times. The Tigers, who finished with 26 turnovers, had committed 14 in each of their first two games. After Anderson's two free throws gave Oklahoma State the 55-34 lead, the Tigers hit three 3-pointers in an 11-0 run that got them within 55-45 with 12:13 left. Chris Johnson, a 6-foot-11, 205-pound junior center, scored seven points in a 10-2 run that brought LSU within 80-77. His 3-pointer capped the run with 1:43 left. Both teams missed 3-point attempts before Anderson missed a 3 that was rebounded by Harris. Although he lost the ball in a scramble on the sideline, the officials gave the Cowboys a timeout with 18 seconds to go. Harris made the two free throws 2 seconds later for the 82-77 lead. Harris, whose previous career high was 22 points against Kansas State last season, finished 9-for-10 from the line and Anderson was 7-for-9 as Oklahoma State went 20-for-24. Center Ibrahima Thomas, Oklahoma State's other freshman starter, had 15 points. Johnson had a career-high 19 points for the Tigers and Garrett Temple added 17. Johnson's previous best was 13 points against Alabama last season.

Buford's right. Try to get there early and get 'stage' seating. Sitting out in the auditorium at that old theatre kinda sucks.

Look, let's face facts. Anytime that you are defending someone who is going in for a layup on a breakaway, if you make contact in any way whatsoever while slamming the ball back into the shooter's noggin, you are going to get called for a foul. Was it clean? Maybe, but that poor Indiana State player is going to have to walk around for a week with nosliW imprinted on his forehead.

Yeah, and at game's end OSU still couldn't match Navy's point total.

Well, I hope the Pit Crew is prepared to welcome them properly with the special kind of warmth they deserve.

Michigan Stadium Expansion A group of scientists tested sound levels in Michigan Stadium during halftime of Saturday's game against Minnesota. They said the student section is about as loud as a chain saw. (RODRIGO GAYA/Daily) A louder Big House Prof's test says skyboxes will increase noise level at games By Elaine Lafay, For the Daily on 11/1/07 The addition of luxury boxes to Michigan Stadium will make it louder, according to tests by a University professor. During halftime at Saturday's football game against Minnesota, Mojtaba Navvab, an associate architecture professor, and other researchers measured sound in Michigan Stadium at the 50-yard line to predict what impact the planned renovations will have in making the stadium louder. Sound often evaporates into the air at The Big House, which has a reputation for being a relatively quiet stadium despite touting the nation's largest crowds. Because there aren't many things for the crowd noise to reflect off of, the oval-shaped bowl loses sound. The skyboxes would amplify the sounds of the crowd by further enclosing the stadium, causing sound to bounce back onto the field instead of escaping. In a press conference in September, Penn State wideout Deon Butler said the noise and intimidation factor at The Big House were low for a stadium of its size. "It's not a super-overwhelming place," he said. "Yes, it's large, and they're supposed to have more people than us, but it's not overwhelming in the sense that it's not as tense as Beaver Stadium. Their fans aren't near as rowdy as our fans." When Navvab and his team took measurements during Saturday's halftime, they found that the sound - almost exclusively from the student section - was 100 decibels, or the equivalent of a chainsaw. With the skyboxes, which will stand about 10 feet higher than the scoreboards and further enclose the stadium, the sound level of the stadium would reach 110 or 111 decibels, about the noise level of a loud rock concert, Navvab said. In order to measure how much of an impact the skyboxes would have on sound in the stadium, Navvab used a sensor that measures sound from all angles at the same time. The sensor consists of 120 small microphones that absorb every decibel within hundreds of feet. The device can pinpoint exactly how much sound individual people and instruments make in a crowd of thousands. Navvab and his team then took what each individual microphone measured, compiled it and used a computer program to translate the measurements into architectural graphics that allow the researchers to see exactly where the sound is located and where it is loudest. During the game, Navvab and his team measured crowd noise levels from various points along the sidelines. There were other factors that Navvab had to take into account when measuring, such as the duration of the yells from the crowd. Navvab used the sensor to measure how long it took the crowd to reach "full loudness," the point at which the noise intensity level remains steady. Crowd participation was almost entirely located in the student section. If all 109,840 individuals had yelled at the same intensity, Navvab said the measurement would have increased to 102 or 103 decibels - a significant sound increase. The loud noise from the crowd can drown out the sound of the opposing quarterback giving instructions to his players on the field - giving the home team a significant advantage.

That's called winning the Time of Possession battle. Otherwise known as the most useless statistic kept in football games.

I sure hope it is. They'd be pretty stupid for moving it to a weeknight if it weren't.

Oh, and I forgot to mention...his production and player relationships just might make Coach Dodge's job a little easier.

I am not calling for anyone's termination, but there is someone that may be available at the end of this season if there were a vacancy. He is respected by his peers and very popular with the players.

Congratulations Mr 3000 post guy. You've won a free oven mitt! - Navin R. Johnson

"We gotta play 'em one day at a time. I'm just happy to be here. Hope I can help the ballclub. I just want to give it my best shot, and the good Lord willing, things will work out. This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while. -- Nuke Laloosh

I figured the same, FIU, WKU, and one of the 2 Louisiana schools were probable wins. Anything past 4 wins was a bonus.

I plan on attending the show tonight. If anyone that cannot attend has any questions that they would like to ask Coach Dodge, please send then to me via PM and I will submit them to George Dunham to be read on the air. Please send your PM by 4:50 today. I have done this the last couple of weks and it has worked very well. Please include your full name and your home town with your question.