Eagle1855

Did you guys ever come up with a nickname?

I didn't want it to happen this way. I was truly worried about the team after the UT game and further-still after the SMU game (yes, I know we crushed SMU, but they did a great job of beating themselves, too). I felt a twinge of panic during the La Tech game. I felt a little better after the Nicholls State scrimmage. But then Indiana exposed what this team is -- or what it isn't. And UAB wrapped it up and put a bow on it. Simply, we're not good. And we're probably not going to be any good this year. And that's okay. Every other sports team I follow sucks, too. And I'll still be supportive. I'll still attend away games at Rice & UTSA and make my annual pilgrimage to Denton for Homecoming. But I'm not doing any of it to see a win.

I doubt I'll panic about anything at this point; I've already slid into a catatonic state of complete indifference.

I don't know what anyone has seen thus far that would inspire any optimism related to this team and the rest of the season's games. Our only hope is finding a team that's as not-good as us, who is glad to assist by beating themselves (like SMU).

Wow. You win.

1-5 is likely. 3-3 is possible. Still not enthusiastic about being in a rebuilding year when it's our coach's fourth year on the job. Usually that's the big payoff.

This is what worries me the most about this sh*t-show of a season.

I don't know what it was, but that's what we called it. It just looked like a trash-heap of an old motel and it's better as a park than it was as a building. Just as Sack N Save will be better as an access road than the face of the University.

Hard to take much more shine off the legacy than those last couple years and inglorious exit at Texas. But point taken all the same. I can't imagine any other Texas school hiring him. And I don't imagine he'd want to start over elsewhere, learning an entirely new territory, making new coaching contacts, etc, this late in life. His legacy is really within the state of Texas. It might be the perfect fit for him if he wishes to continue coaching. Which is too bad, because I happen to like the guy, and happen to think very little of SMU.

Since the moment SMU fired Jones, I've thought this made too much sense to not happen. It's low risk, high reward for SMU. And if nothing else for Brown, he gets to coach again and make a couple mill per doing so, in the territory with which he is already familiar.

Regardless, I think knowing that the option exists gives the University an advantage going into negotiations.

I won't don't argue with any of this. In fact, I fully acknowledge Eminent Domain is at times a questionable practice, as it often dispropotionately affects/targets the poor (this happened at UT-Austin recently as well, causing the closure of several beloved, iconic spots). So if we want to argue about Eminent Domain itself, I'm glad to do so. I recognize it's a tough line to toe. But since Eminent Domain exists, and if it is indeed to be used for the betterment (in this case, expansion/access) of a public entity, why wouldn't this be a good use of it? Sack N Save isn't really the point. There are several other businesses which will be affected as well and hope all of them make out like bandits in this with whatever deal they strike with UNT. Someone's always going to be on the receiving end of projects meant for the greater good of a community. And so we try to minimize collateral damage. Which sounds heartless, but that's just reality.

Well if that's the case, better at their place than ours, I say. Plus this allows us to plan an awesome post-game party in the Rice Village.

If there was sufficient demand for a grocery store within walking distance to campus, there would already be a new one. That's how capitalism works. Markets adjust to meet demand. However, there isn't, and I see no reason to make a bunch of effort to save a store that for most people related to the University exists entirely as a nostalgic memento. Take a bus. Take a shuttle. Get a ride. Beautify the campus. They took down that God-awful Sig Ep Motel and made it a park. Sig Ep ended up with a beautiful house on Greek row, which adds to the overall appearance of the campus. It all works out for the better. It was fun while it lasted, Sack n Save.

Not announced yet. Same for Rice -- which is driving my likes-to-make-plans havin' self crazy.

Which would send us into a fatalistic tailspin. ('cause, Eagles)

I think going to back-to-back with bowls games matters immensely. It's easier to sell the program as one that is trending upward, rather than one that had a fluke winning season. That said, we're a young team. And one down year in a run of several good ones probably doesn't matter that much. I appreciate the strategy of keeping the redshirts for the future. However, as bad as we've been, we're still very much alive and well in C-USA -- this season. Mac has said we're "not as talented" and I have a hard to figuring out what that means or how that's to be remedied if you've got guys that are immensely talented sitting on the bench. Like I said, I get it. I can probably make a case either way. But this team's got absolutely nothing going on right now. The Indiana game was over in less than five minutes. This UAB road game is going to tell us a lot. If it looks like La Tech, you can go ahead and call this a rebuilding season.

Looks like SMU...

This will never cease to amuse me.

Oh yeah. Still a staple for post-pub pabulum (sorry, I go hard in the paint for alliteration). To the topic at hand, as of now, our plan is to watch the Indiana game at The Deck. Seems as good a spot of any, especially since cooler weather is expected. Bring on the Dajon.

Cursory search, came across the The Deck on Fountainview. Appears they'll be showing our game -- which is great, considering this is a really big weekend in college football. Anyone been? Going?

It doesn't mean you own it, but the reality is, there are still more UNT alums than any other school in the Metromess and more UH alums than any other school in Houston -- by a long shot. Neither school is anywhere close to owning their respective market for several reasons, primarily that 1) neither committed the kind of money it took at the right time to become a serious player (and was therefore left behind in the important conference shifts) and because of that 2) their fans saw no reason to commit the kind of money and time it takes to be a serious player and household brand. The "market" is there (the potential is great). But there's honestly no compelling reason for anyone to buy into either program the way people do at A&M, UT, Texas Tech, et al. (as there's no interesting conference affiliation or winning tradition of note at either school), and because of that, hundreds of thousands of UH and UNT alums sit at home every weekend each fall because they just dont care. And the rest of us sit here and talk about wanting these things... because we see the potential, what could have been and what could still be... but deep down inside, we know that ship has probably sailed because the administration wasn't willing to go all-in when it mattered most.

I mean, we talked a lot of trash about C-USA while in the SBC, comparing OOC wins, etc... until we got the call -- then we couldn't get away from the SBC fast enough. I assume we'd do the same if the AAC ever came calling. Hating on something because we were left out of it is weak. Far as I know, we still control our own destiny and had as much a chance as anyone to be undefeated to this point in the season -- which would have done more for our program than any other conference affiliation this side of the P5.

Easily the biggest game in the history of the program. How we perform in this game will affect our ability to recruit for the next decade -- and possibly the next two eons. If we cannot play well against a P5 team like Indiana, what hope is there for ever getting a baseball team in Denton? Or better yet, how can we expect to resolve our accounting issues if we can't even move the chains on third down? Dajon needs to play well, if for no other reason than the fact that our eventual Tier One status depends on. I will literally die if we lose.

At least with an STD, there's a reasonable amount of enjoyment before you're given your sentence. What part of his tenure has been fun?