MeanGreen61

Don't forget, they were filming scenes for the movie about the tragic loss of the marshall football team in the plane crash.

Florida Atlantic and former North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty will become the next coach at SMU, according to sources close to the situation. http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/5525248

Post by Space Raider on the Sun Belt board Fans likely losers in MWC package UNION-TRIBUNE April 21, 2006 It isn't often that I plan to write something hoping to be proved wrong – usually it just happens anyway – but there's a first time for everything. And I don't have a good feeling about where we're headed with this new Mountain West Conference television package. At best, it's going to cost fans more money to watch the games they want to see. At worst, a lot of fans aren't going to be able to see many games. Right now, I think we're more likely to see the worst-case scenario. When the seven-year, $82 million deal with CSTV was announced in August 2004, everyone said to give it time. “We've got two years,” MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson said. “We're comfortable people will have the opportunity to watch all the Mountain West they want.” Two years is now down to four months, and most fans in two of the MWC's largest markets – San Diego and Las Vegas – are no closer to having access to CSTV or the new so-called “super regional” network with the super-unwieldy name, The mtn. – MountainWest Sports Network. That's because CSTV has not been able to come to terms with the largest cable provider in each city, Cox Cable. In Las Vegas, Steve Schorr, a company vice president, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that “no progress has been made in talks” to carry CSTV or The mtn. Schorr added that CSTV's offer is “so outlandish I won't even consider it. It's so beyond the acceptable level. They're talking about a multimillion-dollar, single-year contract.” Craig Nichols, vice president and general manager of Cox's Channel 4 San Diego, wasn't quite as outspoken when we spoke the other night, although he did make references to “enormous fees” and “unrealistic expectations.” But, when I relayed Schorr's comments to Nichols, his response was telling. “I've never known Steve to be a liar,” Nichols said. Cable companies customarily pay cable networks a fixed amount of money for each subscriber, and the cable company covers its costs through monthly subscriber fees and local advertising. But the latter is based on ratings, and Cox knows that while Mountain West games involving San Diego State generate moderate interest locally, those without the Aztecs are ignored. Now, we all know how negotiations work, how something said today is easily forgotten tomorrow when a deal is reached. But there's no question that at this time – again, just four months from the Aug. 31 football opener between San Diego State and UTEP – the company and the network have a significant difference of opinion as to the worth of CSTV and The mtn. Cox clearly doesn't believe it's possible to make back the money CSTV is demanding. And, while Cox wants to support SDSU – remember whose name is on the school's arena – it's not in business to lose money..... .....CSTV has a national agreement with Cox, one that was reached near the end of 2004. The local affiliate chose not to carry CSTV immediately because “there was no locally compelling product,” Nichols said. That money instead went toward producing more SDSU games on Channel 4. But the plan always was to pick it up before this fall when the deal with the MWC took effect. “We planned to carry it when there was relevant content,” Nichols said. “But now it's wrapped in this second channel that has high fees. It's got to be a good deal for everybody. “We're willing to focus resources to support San Diego State. But I don't know what we can do at this point.” CSTV is available on Time Warner Cable here, but only to digital subscribers who pay an additional monthly fee for the “sports tier.” There are no deals in place for The mtn., but even if a company agrees to carry the new channel, it almost certainly would be placed on the same “tier.” CSTV also has deals with DirecTV and Dish Network, and those satellite operators likely are the only hopes for out-of-town SDSU fans hoping to see The mtn. Somehow I can't see a cable company in any non-MWC area carrying the regional network. And without national exposure, what happens to recruiting? If everything else is equal, do you think a high school athlete is going to sign with the school that plays on ESPN or on some network he's never heard of or seen? I know there are positives to this deal: Each school will receive about $1.3 million a year for seven years, about double what ESPN was said to be offering; games will be played at times more convenient for fans; and there will be Internet, video-on-demand and wireless access. And maybe this is the future of non-BCS conferences (Conference USA also signed on with CSTV) that don't have the same leverage with ESPN as, say, the Big 12 and Big East. Again, I'd like nothing better than to be proved wrong. But remember this: When the CSTV-MWC deal was signed, all the parties were projecting CSTV would have about 40 million subscribers by 2006. Last time I checked my calendar it was 2006, and CSTV's subscriber total is . . . about 15 million.

Not football............but.......Mean Green tennis won 4-2 over the MUTS in the opening round of the conference tournament. CONGRATS !

Yes, it does exist . http://www.nmnathletics.com/pdf4/35701.pdf...CRIBER_CONTENT=

At least Jackson is a season ticket holder and member of the Mean Green Club

WOW - 1 winning season, a tri-championship & suddenly ASU is the radiant glow of the Sun Belt! It's just gotta be so, because StateFanatic says so !

North Texas has a 1-6 record vs San Diego State. The lone NT win was in 1974. NT & Sand Diego State did not play in 1977 when NT was ranked #16 in the coaches poll and San Diego State was #16 in the AP & #19 in the Coaches.

Get reserved parking with season tickets & $$$ donation.

Houston Chronicle article. April 19, 2006, 1:04AM Houston Bowl may shut down Lack of money, poor attendance could doom game By JOSEPH DUARTE Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Strapped by financial problems and waning attendance, the Houston Bowl could cease operations as early as next week, a college football official said Tuesday. The 6-year-old bowl is currently without a sponsor, and the Big 12 and Mountain West conferences have yet to receive the full payout of $1.2 million each for participating in last year's game. The 28 bowls are scheduled to be reviewed by the NCAA bowl sub-committee as part of the renewal process next week. The Houston Bowl is currently in talks with its current partners. But if a majority of the bowl's problems are not resolved by then, the Houston Bowl is unlikely to be renewed, and this year's game would not be held, the college football official said on the condition of anonymity. "The clock is ticking," the official said. "Nobody wants to see the Houston Bowl go through what happened with the Bluebonnet Bowl, (which ended in 1987). You would hate to see Houston out of the (bowl) mix." FULL ARTICLE http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3803358.html

Firing squad at dawn or dusk ?

Yep. It's happened in 3 of the past 4 seasons. '05 - ASU & ULL were 6-5 in regular season '04 - UNT & Troy played in bowls '02 - NMSU & NT were both 7-5 in regular season.

UNT 45 ASU 0, UNT 13 ASU 10, UNT 58 ASU 14 (& the grenade ,UNT 31 ASU 7 before ASU finally wins one by 7 vs the weakest UNT team in several years.

Paging Wright Waters, paging Wright Waters Birmingham may get new bowl game Friday, April 14, 2006 RAY MELICK News staff writer After a 15-year absence, Birmingham could be back in the postseason football bowl business as soon as December. Charlotte-based ESPN Regional TV has put in a proposal with the NCAA's Post-Season Football Licensing Subcommittee for a bowl game to be played at Legion Field on Saturday, Dec. 23, matching a team from Conference USA with a team from either the Big East Conference or the Mid-America Athletic Conference. http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/in...3110.xml&coll=2

Four years in a "roll" Yep, we were on a roll and did go 4 years in a ROW and have NEVER had the highest ranked recruit class in the conference. Hmmmm. One winning season and one bowl trip in the five years of Sun Belt football and suddenly Arkansas State is the Godzilla of the conference........WOW !

Bubas Cup final standings 2003-04 1. Middle Tennessee t2. North Texas t2.WKU 4. ULL 5. South Alabama 6. NMSU 7. UALR 8.Arkansas State 9.Florida International 10.Denver 11. New Orleans 2004-05 1. Middle Tennessee 2. WKU 3. ULL 4. South Alabama 5. North Texas 6. NMSU 7. FIU 8. Arkansas State 9. Denver 10.UALR 11. New Orleans

http://ope.ed.gov/athletics/Search.asp

Posted by Space Raider. Article mentions Vandy dumping the MUTS for $$$ and a TV game. "We're leaving a school in the lurch seven months before the season starts," admits Reese, who is now in negotiations with Middle Tennessee to have the Commodores visit Murfreesboro twice in the next few seasons as compensation. "I'd hate for someone to do that to us." http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writ...ling/index.html

MTSU has some issues on gridiron By MONTE HALE JR. hale@dnj.com Here's to the White Team, which defeated the Blue Team 14-7 to culminate the first spring practice last week under first-year coach Rick Stockstill. Imagine that steak and shrimp was a little more delectable than the hamburgers the losing team was served. The game itself was excellent and certainly entertaining for those who watched. If you delve a little deeper, though, one can see this team has some issues going into the fall. Considering the Blue Raiders are going to continue to employ a wide-open offensive attack, the situation at wide receiver is disturbing. In fact, it's never been more dire since the program moved to the Division I-A level in 1999. Taron Henry, who was most impressive in the spring game, is the veteran of this group, but has just 22 career receptions. The former Riverdale standout should be a quality receiver, but how much help will he get? MTSU has very little speed at the position, which hardly bodes well going into the 2006 season. The offensive line wasn't near as bad as many feared, and in fact, appears to have made as much or more progress than any group. Still, depth is a major issue and this group has yet to prove it can line it up and pound the football down an opponent's throat. At tailback, the Blue Raiders are in excellent hands with Eugene Gross, who was the star of the spring game and most consistent player during spring drills. If DeMarco McNair can take care of his academics, MTSU will be fine in the backfield. Defensively, the big question going into the fall is up front. The Blue Raiders are in good shape on the edges with Sean Mosely, Erik Walden and Tavares Jones, but replacing Jeff Littlejohn and Quinton Staton is quite an onus. Sophomores Jonathan Presley and Trevor Jenkins certainly have huge holes to fill. At linebacker, the Blue Raiders suffered a devastating blow when Jonathan Bonner had to give up his final season due to a previous neck injury. The Blue Raiders have some talent at the position, but depth is a huge problem. The secondary, which made great strides a year ago, should be as good if not better. The Blue Raiders are experienced in the defensive backfield and have some depth. In seasons past MTSU has gone in with great expectations, but unfortunately for the Blue Raiders, they have suffered through four straight losing campaigns. Expectations going into this season are mixed among Blue Raider fans. Coming out of spring practice, MTSU is no different than most football teams in that there are positives to build on and obvious negatives to address. How Stockstill, his staff and players address those concerns will determine how much success — or lack thereof — they enjoy in 2006.

Personally I wish NMSU had stayed in the Sun Belt.

Off the MAC board MAC may have more Bowl Games in 2006 For the past five years, the MAC has had two bowl options, the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, and the Motor City Bowl in Detroit. For 2006, that may change for the better. Three new applications will be presented for bowl certification approval later this month http://www.vandelaysports.com/football/mac..._bowl_2006.html

Off the CUSA board. Note 3 new bowls seeking certification (last paragraph). One in Birmingham. CUSA & MAC gettin' spots ? Conferences still waiting for full payout from Houston Bowl Posted 4/13/2006 By Vicki Michaelis and Thomas O'Toole, USA TODAY The payouts from last season's Houston Bowl have not yet been made in full, marking an unusually long wait for the conferences involved. "It's the first time that has happened to the Big 12 in its 10-year history," said Bob Burda, assistant commissioner of communications for the league, which sent Iowa State to the bowl. Including the 2005 season, Big 12 teams have 68 bowl appearances. Houston Bowl executive director Shawn Bouley said Wednesday that he could not comment on the status of payouts, citing reasons of confidentiality. Burda said the Big 12 has "received some money, but not all. It's in the range of 50%." He added that the league has been in discussions with Houston Bowl officials and hopes to get it resolved amicably. Iowa State lost to TCU, a member of the Mountain West conference, in the Dec. 31 game at Reliant Stadium. Each team is due a $1.2 million payout, which is split among the teams in the respective conferences. "We are currently working with the Houston Bowl regarding the payment due to the Mountain West Conference due to TCU's participation," Mountain West assistant commissioner of communications Javan Hedlund said. He would not elaborate on how much the league still is due. Asked about the future of the bowl, Bouley said, "At this point, we're planning on having a 2006 bowl." If the Houston Bowl does not come back next year, that would leave 27 Division I-A bowl games. Three hopefuls are going before the NCAA postseason licensing committee next week looking for certification for 2006: Albuquerque (Mountain West vs. Western Athletic); Birmingham, Ala. (Conference USA vs. Big East or Mid-American); and Toronto (Big East vs. Mid-American).

Wishing the best for Richard!

PLEEZZEE put your shoes back on !