MeanGreen61

Oops, it's off the WAC board. Interesting that North Texas is mentioned as a candidate for movement in just about every expansion thread that's posted these days. Wasn't always the case. Running out of candidates or gaining more respect? http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/wac/invision...=ST&f=18&t=1074

My GAWD, another poll

Posted by LouisianaFan on the Indians board. http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...1/50627005/1002 ULM quarterback arrested By Paul Letlow University of Louisiana at Monroe quarterback Steven Jyles was arrested early Saturday morning and apparently charged with aggravated resistance by flight, disobeying a red light and ignoring a stop sign, according to a spokesperson at the Ouachita Correctional Center. Jyles was booked into the OCC around 2 a.m. June 25 and was released on his own recognizance at 10:30 a.m. Jyles, a senior at ULM, has been the starting quarterback for the Indians the past three seasons. He is the Sun Belt Conference's career passing leader. Originally published June 27, 2005

Texas is "a whole other country".

Off the Muts board. Posted by SpaceRaider. Rankings are skewed due to number of recruits. Guess the best barometer is the talent level of each schools. WKU 3.0 UNO 3.0 ULL 3.0 FIU 3.0 Denver 3.0 USA 3.0 MTSU 2.8 NT 2.6 ASU 2.6 UALR 2.5 According to hoopscooponline, MT is tied with Utah State for the 21st best recruiting class in the country. The score is calculated by first assigning a score to each individual recruit and then taking the combined total for all recruits to arrive at an overall score. Scores are assigned as follows: 10 points for a player rated 1-5 nationally; 9 points for a player rated 6-10; 8 points for a player rated 11-40; 6 points for a player rated 41-70; 4 points for a player rated 71-100; 3 points for a player rated 101-300; 2 points for a player rated 301-1000; and 1 point for any other player. Though MT's class gets a combined score of 28, given that there are 10 recruits in MT's class, the "Talent Rating Average" for MT's recruits is only 2.8 -- which is low when compared to, say, the Talent Rating Average of Duke (8.0), UNC (7.8 ) , Kansas (7.3), and Oklahoma St. (6.4). Also Hethington is in this group and we know he won't be enrolled plus there may be a couple more that will sit out next year to qualify. FWIW, Hoopscoop's ranking of recruiting classes: TOP RECRUITING CLASSES TO-DATE FOR THE CLASS OF 2005 21. MIDDLE TENNESSEE (28 Points)..........10 Recruits..........2.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Sun Belt Conference..........(4) Emanuel Howard, 6'0, PG, Lincoln Trail (JC) IL; (3) Desmond Yates, 6'7, PF, Somerville (Fayette-Ware) TN; (3) Adam Vogelsberg, 6'5, 2G, Cloud County (JC) KS; (3) Uriah Hethington, 6'9, PF, Cairo (H.S.) GA; (3) Kevin Kanaskie, 6'2, PG, State College (H.S.) PA; (3) Calvin O'Neal, 6'5, WF, Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA; (3) Marques Dawson, 6'4, Lincoln Trail (JC) IL; (2) Theryn Hudson, 6'9, PF, Lavergne (H.S.) TN; (2) Donaris Hair, 6'9, PF, Picayune (H.S.) MS; (2) Darren Avery, 6'3, 2G, Corinth (H.S.) MS. 47. ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK (20 Points)..........8 Recruits..........2.5 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Sun Belt Conference..........(4) Rashad Jones-Jennings, 6'8, PF, Chattanooga State (JC) TN; (3) Chris Thornton, 6'6, PF, Yuba (JC) CA; (3) Seyi Oseni, 6'9, C, Blair (New Haven Christian) VA; (2) DeAndre Riggins, 6'5, WF, Alexandria (Peabody) LA; (2) Terrance Akins, 6'1, PG, Holmes (JC) AR; (2) Lorenzo Razz, 6'5, WF, Palm Beach (JC) FL; (2) Charles Moore, 6'6, WF, Altheimer (H.S.) AR; (2) Byron Ray, 6'7, PF, Northwest Mississippi (JC) MS. 92. WESTERN KENTUCKY (15 Points)..........5 Recruits..........3.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Sun Belt Conference..........(3) Daniel Emerson, 6'8, PF, Norcross (H.S.) GA; (3) Sylvania Watkins, 6'8, PF, Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL; (3) Orlando Mendez, 6'0, PG, Goldsboro (Charis Prep) NC; (3) Joemal Campbell, 6'1, PG, Northwest (JC) MS; (3) Butch Jointer, 6'4, 2G, St. Catharine (JC) KY. 92. NEW ORLEANS (15 Points)..........5 Recruits..........3.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Sun Belt Conference..........(4) Wayne Williams, 6'4, 2G, South Georgia Tech (JC) GA; (3) Sami Badawi, 6'10, C, Wilmington (Cape Fear Academy) NC; (3) Jeremie Davis, 6'5, 2G, Spoon River (JC) IL; (3) Ernest Daney, 6'3, 2G, Neosho (JC) KS; (2) Dusty Driggs, 6'2, PG, Sharpeville (Tri-Central) IN. 92. LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE (15 Points)..........5 Recruits..........3.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Sun Belt Conference..........(3) Booker Woodfox, 6'1, PG, Lewisville (H.S.) TX; (3) Ed Turner, 6'8, PF Olney Central (JC) IL; (3) Valentino Hart, 6'8, PF, Cowley (JC) KS; (3) Maurice Barksdale, 5'10, PG, Blinn (JC) TX; (3) J.P Fields, 6'8, PF, Gulf Coast (JC) FL. 110. ARKANSAS STATE (13 Points)..........5 Recruits..........2.6 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Sun Belt Conference..........(3) Kewain Gant, 6'7, PF, Moberly (JC) MO; (3) Jim Jones, 6'2, 2G, Brunswick (JC) NC; (3) Korrel Henderson, 6'4, 2G, Brunswick (JC) NC; (2) Ashton Farmer, 6'6, WF, Charleston (H.S.) MO; (2) Brandon Ballard, 6'4, 2G, Monette (Buffalo Island Central) AR. 110. NORTH TEXAS (13 Points)..........5 Recruits..........2.6 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Sun Belt Conference..........(3) Justin Howerton, 6'10, C, Howe (H.S.) TX; (3) Harold Stewart, 6'8, PF, Crowley (H.S.) TX; (3) Lionel Brown, 5'11, PG, Eastern Oklahoma (JC) OK; (2) Harold Edwards, 6'6, WF, Mobile (LeFlore) AL; (2) Rich Young, 6'5, WF, Eastern Oklahoma (JC) OK. 177. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (9 Points)..........3 Recruits..........3.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Sun Belt Conference..........(3) Elvis Lora, 5'11, PG, Laurinburg (Institute) NC; (3) Facundo Giorgi, 6'8, PF, Southeastern (JC) IA; (3) Johwen Villegas, 6'3, 2G, Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA. 224. DENVER (6 Points)..........2 Recruits..........3.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Sun Belt Conference..........(3) Alex Cox, 6'2, 2G, Indian Hills (JC) IA; (3) DeShawn Walker, 6'6, WF, Indian Hills (JC) IA. 275. SOUTH ALABAMA (3 Points)..........1 Recruit..........3.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Sun Belt Conference..........(3) Leandro Buboltz, 6'7, PF, South Plains (JC) TX.

The NT-Arkansas game that older Hog fans remember would be the 1968 game. Hogs squeaked out a 17-15 win but it could have easily been a loss. NT fumbled/muffed the ball inside the Hog 10 on 2nd down late in the game Hogs finished the season ranked in the top 10, had a 10-1 record that year, beating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

Charleston WV Gazette article http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Sports/2005062531 Extreme Makeover C-USA's new look becomes official Friday By Doug Smock Staff writer In many ways, Thursday and Friday will be two ordinary, perhaps hot, summer days. “I’ll probably go out and hit golf balls,” joked Marshall athletic director Bob Marcum. But Friday, July 1 on the Gregorian calendar, won’t be an ordinary day for the Thundering Herd and a slew of other athletic programs. That’s the day the earthquake of conference realignment officially takes place. In the 10-year-old Conference USA, this has been one whale of a temblor. Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida head off to the Big East, along with basketball schools DePaul, and Marquette. Texas Christian heads to the Mountain West Conference, while Army declares its independence. Two other basketball schools, Charlotte and Saint Louis, trot off to the semi-Atlantic more-than-10. That leaves six holdovers to be joined by six new teams: Marshall, Central Florida, Southern Methodist, Rice, Tulsa and Texas-El Paso. Don’t expect Dick Clark to stand atop Marshall’s Old Main and preside over a block party down Fourth Avenue, but there will be some public rejoicing. Rice and crosstown rival Houston are throwing a joint celebration. SMU’s Web site is running a down-to-the-millisecond countdown. Marshall is dovetailing its celebration with a July 4 party, previously planned by a Huntington radio station. C-USA officials will unveil a revamped Web site at the appointed hour. A low-key excitement is bubbling at the league office in Irving, Texas. “It’s like having a birthday. I don’t know if I feel any older,” said commissioner Britton Banowsky. “But I feel the excitement and enthusiasm in the league, and I think it’s wonderful.” The league may take a hit in prestige with the loss of Louisville and some solid basketball programs, but there is a delight in having a 12-team, all-sports league. From its 1995 launch, C-USA has been a convolution of football, no-football and football-only institutions. Each institution has its reasons to be excited. UTEP, Tulsa, SMU and Rice are happy to escape the brutal travel demands of the Western Athletic Conference. SMU and Rice are pleased to rejoin Houston, a fellow alum of the old Southwest Conference. UCF, a large school that wasn’t founded until 1963, finally escapes its purgatory in the Atlantic Sun. It was a football-only member of the Mid-American Conference for three seasons. Marshall? It eyeballed a move to C-USA almost from its start in Division I-A, and might have joined in football a few years ago had it found a home for its other sports. With 12 schools in football, the league may now hold an exempt conference championship game. For now, that will be played at the home stadium of the team with the best league record. In the 20 months since five of the six newcomers were admitted to C-USA, the league has worked at a frenzied clip toward Friday. Early in the process, the league had to find another team when TCU bolted. It did so in April 2004 by pushing its western reach to UTEP. That summer, C-USA offices were moved from Chicago to Texas. Banowsky had to pull off a delicate contract renegotiation with ESPN Inc. He has succeeded in getting 13 ESPN or ESPN2 games scheduled so far, plus the league’s five bowl games. C-USA also brought in the fledgling College Sports Television to the fold. Currently, a game involving a league home team is booked on the first eight Saturdays, with games after Oct. 22 to be named. Reportedly, the contracts, which run through 2011, are worth $11.3 million per year to the league — meaning more revenue to the schools than before and certainly more than MAC television contracts brought in. CSTV is working to maximize its exposure. In fact, network officials met last week with cable operators in the Charleston-Huntington area, with some success. Following agreements struck nationally, CSTV is on Adelphia’s Digital Plus tier, channel 174, and on Charter’s digital sports tier, channel 317. Elsewhere in the region, the network expects to join the lineup on Armstrong and Time-Warner systems this summer. But CSTV, whose existence has spurred ESPN and Fox Sports to launch their college-niche networks, is looking for more. “We’re working with [cable systems] now to get on a more broadly based programming package,” said CSTV co-founder Chris Bevilacqua. “They recognize Conference USA and Marshall were going to televise a good part of their games and, basically, that’s what their customers want.” With TV negotiations finished, the post-2005 bowl situation tops the current C-USA agenda. Currently, the league sends its champ to the Liberty Bowl, with other teams going to the GMAC (Mobile, Ala.), New Orleans, Hawaii and Fort Worth bowls. Contracts with the GMAC and Hawaii bowls go beyond this December. The league is “very close” to re-upping with New Orleans, but its Fort Worth spot likely will go with TCU to the Mountain West. Then again, the Big 12 could vacate the other spot, seeing as how it hasn’t been able to fill it in the bowl’s two seasons.

It's a slow period, so enjoy

OK, it's" North Texas is GSU in 10 years" http://www.southern-connection.com/phpBB2/...d9d43d49ed218c4

Anyone know our #s who are doing voluntary summer workouts ? http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A.../506260311/1006 MTSU players control summer workouts By ADAM SPARKS sparks@dnj.com Walk into Floyd Stadium on a Monday or Wednesday night, and it may seem as if something a bit shady is happening with MTSU's football team. Practice in the summer? The NCAA doesn't allow it — at least not under the supervision of coaches. But look on the turf, and you'll see as many as 50 Blue Raider players running routes, barking out instructions and keeping a complete order to their workout. But look once more, and you'll notice there are no coaches. "That's right — no coaches, just us guys," said MTSU sophomore tight end Stephen Chicola. "We're out here building team unity and getting a lot of work done." The Blue Raiders have spent much of their summer conducting unofficial, voluntary and player-led intersquad workouts. All skills players on the offensive side have lined up opposite linebackers and defensive backs twice a week for 7-on-7 non-contact scrimmages. It's fall work done in the summer, but that's not the unusual thing. The strict organization and attention to detail is what sets the workouts apart from many others like them. "How long do we go? Until the quarterbacks are satisfied and until (Justin) Rainey and some of the other defensive leaders are satisfied," said MTSU receiver Taron Henry. "But this is all players running the whole thing. So if we're not satisfied, we'll keep going until it's right." Junior starting quarterback Clint Marks understandably guides most of the offense, while there are several defensive leaders emerging in addition to the usual suspects. Senior linebacker Dennis Burke continues to be an on-field mentor for many Blue Raider newcomers, but there seems to be little need for rigid discipline on a squad stocked with veterans eager for a Sun Belt title run. "It's all players out here, but that doesn't mean that a lot of his aren't acting like coaches," Burke said. "Sure, it's more relaxed, and nobody is jumping down your throat when you mess up out here. But that's what this is about. We're trying to get all the mental mistakes out of the way, so there won't be errors when we get going for real. By the time fall camp rolls around, we'll be as crisp as possible for the start of practice." This is far from the first on-field offseason workouts the Blue Raiders have been through. Last summer, MTSU went head-to-head with Vanderbilt's best once a week. However, the MTSU-Vandy Oct. 1 meeting this season makes a summer sneak peak at each team's scheme illogical. Nevertheless, the absence of a true opponent hasn't dampened competition. "I was actually afraid that this would be a little more of a joke because we did this at Vandy last year, and it was pretty laid back, and some people couldn't even make it," Henry said. "But guys take this seriously, and you can see that we get into it on both sides. We have fun out here." Indeed, many Blue Raiders say the mere hint of a fall kickoff both brings on excitement and unity. "We take care of the physical part in other ways (during the summer), too. But this is more mental," said sophomore cornerback Bradley Robinson. "This is about getting to know each other better and learning about each other's game. It's not just that we share the same playbook. It takes time to get better and that's why we're spending so much time out here doing this. "It's just players learning on our own, and then the coaches can come in later on and see how bad we want to win by how hard we worked in the summer." ——— MTSU FOOTBALL DATES OF NOTE Aug. 7 Team reports Aug. 12 First full-contact practice Aug. 20 Fan Day Aug. 29 First day of class Sept. 3 Season opener at Alabama Tickets for Alabama road game, as well as season and single-game tickets for MTSU's five home games can be purchased by calling 898-2103. Originally published June 26, 2005

Off the MUTS board http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d...452/1002/SPORTS Louisville Courier-Journal June 26, 2005 Jerry Brewer For Western, it's a question of I-A or not I-A BOWLING GREEN, Ky. Wood Selig dreads this one question. Like most irritants, it returns over and over to test the Western Kentucky University athletic director's patience, sanity and even professionalism. Consider it the big rat he can't catch. "Is WKU Division I?" Even knowledgeable sports fans have asked him this. "Are we Division I?" Selig asked last Thursday while revisiting those painful memories. "Our women's basketball team has been to three Final Fours. Our men have been to one. Our men have been in 19 NCAA Tournaments. "It's all because we play I-AA football that people define, or misdefine, our program. The nomenclature makes it difficult to ascertain who's Division I, who's Division II, who's Division III." Selig spoke of this frustration during a 45-minute conversation about the Western football program's future. There's no new news here, really, but Selig provided plenty of insight into the issues facing Western as it contemplates whether to leap from Division I-AA to I-A in football. It's a huge decision. A successful jump could "redefine the scope and magnitude of WKU athletics," Selig said. A move to the MAC? The Mid-American Conference approached Western in February and asked for a profile of the school's athletics and academics. Western supplied the information, and ever since there has been great speculation about a conference switch and jump to I-A in football. Selig said he has had "minimal" contact with the MAC since then. It's a let's-keep-in-touch relationship right now. You get the feeling something could work out in the future, but no move is imminent. That's good because Western has plenty of thinking to do. For starters, it boasts a strong basketball tradition. The MAC is a better men's basketball league than the Sun Belt Conference, but it normally gets only one NCAA Tournament bid. And women's basketball is not a MAC priority. Also, Selig must continue to crunch I-A-versus-I-AA numbers. Hilltoppers football coach David Elson has one of the top 10 programs in I-AA, but Western doesn't make anything off it. Postseason runs actually cost the school significant money. A move up would allow Western to make more money in football, but expenses would rise dramatically, too. And the Hilltoppers averaged only 8,769 fans per home game last season, extremely low for a Division I-A team. Western doesn't want to make an illogical leap. It doesn't want to sell out to make money and play a bunch of guarantee games against the nation's elite. As much as Selig admitted that the status of being in the highest college football division matters, he doesn't want to be there to go 1-10 every year. Make-or-break decision Do it right, and the entire athletic department benefits. Do it wrong, and the department gets chained to a 3,000-pound burden. Don't do it at all, and you either stay the same or fall behind, depending on how you view it. So Western has two options: do it right or don't do it at all. "It's a difficult sell in many regards," Selig said. One plus: Western figured out several years ago how to fund a $35 million renovation of Smith Stadium by using a percentage of its tuition increase. That project could begin early next year and be finished in time for the 2008 football season. It's one of several progressive moves Selig has made in six years at Western. Ultimately, however, this stay-or-jump decision might decide his legacy. "I think it goes beyond one decision," he said, "but that one is certainly the lightning rod." Jerry Brewer can be reached at (502) 582-4373 or jebrewer@courier-journal.com.

A Fouts beer sign triggers a two page discussion on the Smooo board How does UNT get away with this ? http://www.ponyfans.com/msgboard/index1.asp

Hmmmmm. Beleive Early's a Senior also.

DCTF Mean Green two deep depth chart , offense & defense, has only TWO SENIORS. Offense - Patrick Cobbs. Defense-JaMel Branch. If correct, we gotta be one of the overall youngest teams in 1A this season.

Sun Belt unit rankings posted by Space Raider on the MUTS board. http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/displa...ers&msg=32351.3

PLEEZE.......anyone.....ANYONE......A-N-Y-O-N-E but him

http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2005/Ra...2005_76_100.htm 93. North Texas North Texas Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart | Further Analysis There are plenty of reasons to think this will finally be the year the Mean Green slips off the pedestal from the loss of steady QB Scott Hall to the overall inexperience on defense to the average offensive line, but somehow, someway, you just know Darrell Dickey's boys will find a way to get the job done again. Of course, it helps to have the nation's last two rushing champions in the backfield as Patrick Cobbs returns for a fifth season joining Jamario Thomas to form one of the most productive returning backfields in college football history. As long as massive QB Joey Byerly can be effective, there's no reason to think the offense can't be better, at least in Sun Belt play. Relative strength: Running back Relative Weakness: Secondary Star of the team: RB Patrick Cobbs, Sr. Key game: Sept. 10 at MTSU

The Cajun/Horn game will be on FoxSports as a part of their BIG XII package.

"The only team in history" pretty heady stuff.

Double Trouble!

Probably not, but here's a best case senario thread from the CUSA board where Mustangs mention playing North Texas in the NO Bowl. http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/confusa/invi...ST&f=22&t=26353

Err. ULM is returning quite a few starters & they have beaten the Cajuns 2 or 3 straight. They've also got a pretty good QB in Jyles.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll.../506220320/1006 Cajuns to challenge Texas on television Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com The last time fans saw the Texas Longhorns play football on television, they were following dual threat quarterback Vince Young to a stirring 38-37 victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl to complete an 11-1 campaign. The next time they're on the air, coach Mack Brown's squad will be hosting Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns at 6 p.m. on Sept. 3 in the 2005 season opener for both programs. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net, the latest detail to be ironed out in the UL schedule as coach Rickey Bustle enters his fourth year at the Cajun helm. "I don't know where Texas will be ranked to start the season, the top two or three, but they'll be up there," Bustle said. "So, there's no question that having that game on TV gives you the opportunity to be in a lot of homes. "It affects our recruiting, and I think it's great for the (Sun Belt) conference and great for the university. Where we are with our team, we'll find out very quickly." UL follows the Texas game with a road date at Eastern Michigan, but then has three games at home in Cajun Field. "I think it's a very fair schedule," Bustle said. "After Texas, we have a chance to get back home a little bit. It's good competition. And, obviously, we play all the conference schools and that's great for all of us." In addition to the kickoff time and TV details on the Texas game, UL announced on Tuesday that the Oct. 22 road game at Sun Belt Conference opponent Middle Tennessee will have a 2 p.m. kickoff. That Middle Tennessee contests kicks off a stretch run in which no Cajun game begins later than 6 p.m. (at North Texas, Nov. 5). The Oct. 29 homecoming game with Troy features the traditional 4 p.m. kickoff, while the Nov. 12 home date with Florida International begins at 4 p.m. and the season finale at UL Monroe starts at 3 p.m. on Nov. 19. CAJUN CLIPPINGS - UL's Athletic Department will receive an allotment of tickets for the opener at Texas, which will be offered to football season ticket holders only. Season ticket holders interested in attending the game should contact the athletic department directly to be placed on a waiting list. Call Karen at 337-482-5393 or e-mail Assistant Athletics Director Kay Dischler at kdischler@louisiana.edu. Tickets are $50 each and will guarantee a seat in the UL section of UT's Memorial Stadium ... The Cajuns report for preseason drills on Sunday, Aug. 7, with the season's first practice set for 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 8.

As usual, most of the Sun Belt is in this group 104. Muts 107. ULM 112. ULL 117. ASU 118. FIU 119. FAU Smoo is at #114. Conferences with teams in the bottom 19: MAC - 7 (Included Temple) Sun Belt - 6 WAC - 3 CUSA - 2 Independent - 1 http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2005/Ra...005_101_119.htm