The Fake Lonnie Finch

I thought we were having nine conference games once the new teams join next year. If not, and we stay at eight, all the better! If it's four then I would say, for sure, get a guaranteed home game to open every season against an FCS/TBC/New Mexico State/Idaho.

Don't sweat it. There will be a new one tomorrow. And, the day after. And, the day after. What you won't get is questions about why the defense allowed UTSA to convert 14 of 20 third downs. I suppose if McCarney had been thinking straight, he would have put Derek in at middle linebacker on third down.

Come on, Harry...you have to take into account that he never realized that Brock Berglund was a better quarterback than Derek Thompson. Can we really trust him far into the future?

This is exactly it. Also, it doesn't matter AQ or non-AQ. Schools never lined up to go play at Boise State or TCU just because they were winning. They are not going to line up to play us either. The schools I've mentioned are gettable. They are scheduling home and homes with mid-majors. If we'd played Kentucky instead of Georgia this year, and played with the intensity we had at Georgia, we'd have beaten them. Also, you don't have any idea whether playing Wake Forest instead of Miami or some other big name school would hurt us in the C-USA Championship Game stakes. The schools I've listed ebb and flow. Kansas went to the Orange Bowl a few seasons ago. The schedules I've posted are 5-12 years into the future. Any of those teams could be up during that time span. Do you think that years ago when we scheduled Ball State that anyone had an inkling that they'd be 10-2? Highly unlikely. What I'm saying is the extra money we are now making in the new conference makes it less urgent to go get a guaranteed ass beating at places we've already been to several times in the past. Boring. With the Monopolistic 5, schedule a winnable game against the likes of a Kansas or Kentucky or Wake Forest. We may catch them in a good stretch the way we caught Ball State this season. But, whatever the case, we need to keep making schedules like the one we had this season. Hard to believe people are still on RV about scheduling. We've only had an attractive place to play for three seasons now, and schedules are made years in advance. There is no magic scheduling fairy dust he can just sprinkle over the heads of other athletic directors, okay? And, look, I've been critical about Rick at certain points in time, too. But, right now, in 2013, it's pretty damn hard to say he hasn't gotten us pretty much everything we ever bitched about. The guy has answered the bell. I mean, the only critical thing I can say about him now is that he ain't Jesus, healing the sick, causing the lame to walk, and the blind to see. So, as Jesus, he's a failure. But, as an athletic director, he's hard to beat. He ain't gonna be able call 10,000 angels to force UT or OU to come to the DFW area one more time after they've already played each other here and hauled their cookies to TCU and Baylor as well. Sorry.

Texas already plays once a year in Dallas against OU; they aren't coming back up here just for us. Plus, they are now in Fort Worth every other year because TCU is in the Big 12. Those in addition to coming halfway up every other year to Waco to play Baylor. Bottom line is, they aren't coming to Denton, so we need to get someone who will.

Also, from a visiting fan perspective, haven't most of us already been on the OU, Texas, and LSU campuses many times? What is the point to continue it once we are getting more bowl money from C-USA? Why not home and home other schools and be able to broaden both the teams' and fans' travel horizons? Would love a home and home with Pitt. playing at Heinz. Imagine visiting The Palouse during an away game with Wazzu. Or, walking around a historic, academic campus like Duke or Purdue? Getting in a visit to the Mall of America at Minnesota? It's winnable games without the same old, boring jaunts up and down the road to OU or Texas, or over the border to LSU. That's what I'm driving at. Winnable games for the team, cool tourist experiences for the fans and players' families.

Okay, but I look more at the Texas Tech and Kansas State model. After they began to have a run of success, they still were not bringing any eduling"big names" or even Top 25 into their stadiums. I don't think Tech ever did. Kansas State did a home and home with USC in the early 2000s, but beyond that.... I disagree with Mike Leach on many things, but not scheduling. Same with Bill Snyder. When you are a school that doesn't have the historical cache, you have to do what you can to keep momentum of bowl seasons going. You do that by scheduling winnable OOC games. Besides, as Boise State's success has shown, just because you might win a game or two versus Goliath, doesn't mean other Goliaths will come. In fact, it usually scares the lot of them away. TCU as well. So, play the percentages to your favor in scheduling. The MAC has been excellent competition for us, a good measuring stick of where we are. Once we start brigning in bowl money year after year, it should become less urgent to plays the OUs, UTs, and LSUs, so we can default down to Kansas, Wake Forest, Purdue, and the like. And, because those schools are up and down, who knows...maybe we catch them in one of their up streaks. The point is to build on winning seasons. Alabama, OU, Michigan, Ohio State, USC, Miami...they aren't scheduling home and homes with the likes of Boise State and TCU, so they wouldn't be likely to do it for us either.

If I list these schools, it is because they already have future schedules road games at mid-majors, so we know they have the tendency to home and home mid-majors. Low-lying Monopoly Conference 5 available for home and home 2018-2021: Duke Wake Forest Pitt Syracuse Indiana Minnesota Purdue Kansas TCU Utah Washington State Kentucky Vanderbilt Low-lying Monopoly Conference 5 available for home and home 2022-2025 Duke Wake Forest Pitt Syracuse Indiana Minnesota Purdue Iowa State Kansas TCU Colorado Utah Washington State Kentucky Vanderbilt

MACs available for home and home 2018-2021: Akron Buffalo Kent State Ohio Ball State Eastern Michigan Western Michigan MACs available for home and home 2022-2025: Akron Bowling Green Buffalo Kent State Ohio Miami (OH) Massachusetts Ball State Central Michigan Eastern Michigan Northern Illinois Toledo Western Michigan

So, here's what I'd angle for, given that we're booked pretty much through the 2017 season...and, let me say that I like the SMU and Army series, as well as Iowa, Florida, and Tennesee...refreshing change from the old rotation of OU, Texas, LSU. Thank you, Rick V. 2018 - 2021 we have only the end of the Army series and the ongoing SMU series. For the other games those four years I'd trying to get Texas State and New Mexico State as both are available: http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/sun-belt/new-mexico-state-aggies.php, http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/sun-belt/texas-state-bobcats.php We play UTEP in El Paso during even number years, so give me this for 2018-2021 (games where we currently have open dates, I have put in italics): 2018 09/01 - SMU 09/08 - at Army 09/15 - TEXAS STATE / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC 2019 08/31 - at New Mexico State / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC 09/07 - at SMU 09/14 - ARMY 2020 09/05 - SMU 09/12 - NEW MEXICO STATE / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC 10/10 - at Army 2021 09/04 - at Texas State / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC 09/11 - at SMU 10/09 - ARMY 2022-2025, we only have the end of the SMU series so far. Here is what I propose in those seasons: 2022 09/03 - TEXAS STATE / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC 09/10 - SMU 09/17 - at Low-lying Monopoly Conference School / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC 2023 09/02 - HOME vs Low-lying Monopoly Conference School / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC 09/09 - at SMU 09/16 - at New Mexico State / or at MAC / or HOME vs. FCS/TBC 2024 08/31 - NEW MEXICO STATE / or HOME vs MAC / or HOW vs FCS/TBC 09/07 - SMU 09/14 - at Low-lying Monopoly Conference School / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC 2025 09/06 - at SMU 09/13 - HOME vs Low-lying Monopoly Conference / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC 09/20 - at Texas State / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC Now for the 2022-2025 schedule, I am not saying schedule two games versus FCS or Traditional Black College. What I'm saying is that if one of the other OOC dates is already filled with Texas State, New Mexico State, MAC, or Low-lying Monopoly 5 AND we can't get Texas State, New Mexico State, MAC, or Low-lying Monopoly 5 in the other OOC date, THEN defualt into FCS/TBC. So, it's FCS/TBC ONLY IF Texas State, New Mexico State, MAC, or Low-lying Monopoly 5 cannot be had.

I agree here. What I'd like is one with alumni that might be living in the DFW area - Sam Houston State or Stephen F. Austin...or, Texas State. Yeah, I know Texas State is FBS now. As pointed out in many threads throughout the years, Texas State and New Mexico State are the two schools we've played the most throughout our history. I'd stick Texas State and New Mexico State back into the mix every other year. I lobbied for and like playing MAC schools. I detest playing OU and Texas. I don't mind playing SEC schools as long as we are spreading it around. The thing is, scheduling is tricky, and done years in advance. So, anything we write here is pure fantasy. So, in that vein, here would be my fantasy OOC scheduling: (1) Open with Sam Houston/SFA/or Traditional Black College (Grambling, Texas Southern, Alabama A&M, Alcorn State, etc.) (2) Home and home, MAC opponent (3) Home and home, alternating Texas State/New Mexico State (NMSU in the years we do not play UTEP in El Paso...obviously) or (3) Low-lying 5 Monopoly Conference School (Kentucky, Indiana, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa State, Virginia, Duke, Colorado, Purdue)

Agree, Lifer. But, you can see behind the thin veil that some people here still don't think that Thompson legitimately won the starting job. Crazy. Crazier still that a coach with as many years under his belt as McCarney, and in need of a winning season, would risk perhaps his last head coaching gig on a whim called favoritism. If people here still don't think Thompson is a good quarterback, how in the world do they think the two elder statesmen backups who could never beat him out are going to be any better? Our best chances going forward are most likely going to be Dajon and any other quarterback signed this year and next not named McNulty or Berglund.

No, next to the bookstore as you made you way up the hill. The little breakfast place is BBDII - The Duece. Great place.

McNulty has one start under his belt - 2011 at Tulsa. Dajon and Brock were rated higher coming out of high school than McNulty, but... What I'd really like to see is for McCarney to sign a bona fide JUCO QB to really push everyone and truly separate the men from the boys at QB for 2014 and 2015. McNulty has had three years here and hasn't won the job. Berglund hasn't won the job at three different schools. So, what do those two really have in the bag? They ain't spring chickens anymore. Dajon is, obviously, the one with the longest look at it. I don't see where there's a clear favorite now, and that's why I'd be in favor of throwing a JUCO into the mix. I enjoyed the winning season and would like to see another one in 2014.

My final year of law school at TU, Oklahoma came to Skelly. Before that season, they hadn't played in Tulsa since 1987. And, before that since 1942...the year my dad was born to Dust Bowl sharecroppers in Shamrock, Oklahoma. Oklahoma and Tulsa have only played one another 26 times, seven of those during the Stoops era, with two in Tulsa. From 1943-1978, they never played one another. Tulsa biggest regional rivals have been Arkansas and Oklahoma State, each of whom they have played 72 times - even though they never shared a conference affiliation! Tulsa played Arkansas eevery year from 1933-1955, skipped a year, then every year from 1957-1990. Since 1990, though, they have only played four times. And, get this: Arkansas has not played in Tulsa since 1952! For 30+ years in a row, Tulsa played at Arkansas! Tulsa played Oklahoma State every year from 1926-1965, then again from 1981-1996. The games were usually home-and-home, but occassionally, Oklahoma State would get home games two years in a row. What happened between Barry Switzer and Bob Stoops was that OU essentially dropped off the map in recruiting the Tulsa area. OSU owned Tulsa, for the most part, and it was cherry picked by Arkansas, Tennessee and others. Next year will be OU's eighth time to play Tulsa with Bob Stoops as head coach, and third time in Tulsa. Stoops does that for a reason. Of the few decent recruits that come out of Oklahoma, many are from Tulsa. With the money T. Boone Pickens has given to Oklahoma State, and the success that head coaches Les Miles and Mike Gundy have produced for it, he cannot afford to take the Tulsa area athlete for granted.

Does it matter? He's six or seven years into his 10-year contract. I think next year is likely the make or break for both sides. He loses Gilbert Grape at QB, so we'll see if he can just plug another guy in. It's not as though they were knocking it out of the park in recruiting anyway. I mean, let's be honest - they were stealing recruits from us during the bowl run! So, what good has Jones really done for them in the long run? And, by the way, we'll kind of be in the same boat next season. We lose a bunch of skill players who were recruited by Todd Dodge & Co. who this coaching staff turned into good players. We'll see whether their recruiting can keep us from going from bowl season to losing season again real quick. Losing six of the front seven and all those skill players makes for a lot of holes to fill with less experience players.

TU has always had a small band. It's the smallest school in FBS, anyway, and the band gig is volutary. I mean, you're talking about a school where the football team alone comprises about 3% of the undergraduate enrollment. A 300 person marchng band would be 10% of TU's undergraduate enrollment. I mean, one of every ten students would have to be in the marching band to get a band the size of a state school outfit. TU just doesn't have a big enough undergrad enrollment to field a decent band. Never has.

I'm all for this. After this season, we lose to graduation: DE - Aaron Bellazin DT - Richard Abbe DT - Ryan Boutwell DE - Brandon McCoy FS - Marcus Trice OLB - Will Wright MLB - Zach Orr RT - LaChris Anyiam TE - Drew Miller WR - Darnell Smith WR - Brelan Chancellor H-Back/TE - Daniel Prior QB - Derek Thompson RB - Brandin Byrd Will be happy to have the third game of the season be a chance for the new starters to gel a little more before beginning the C-USA schedule. Six of the front seven on defense will be new. And, the offense loses the trio of fellows who have assaulted the UNT record books in Chancellor, Thompson,and Bryd. So, yes...give me Nichols State. And, if we can afford it, do what Kansas State and Texas Tech often did - schedule two FCS schools, if possible for next season only!

I'd like to point out, for discussion purposes alone, that it was tought to tell whether or not Tulsa was "fooled" when that idiot Canales called for a run on first down that resulted in Byrd's 91 yard touchdown run. Come on, Mike...show some creativity for a change! Everyone knows we run on first down! How could you dare keep running on first down?

By the way, I love McCarney because he's not reinventing the wheel. He accepts the wheel and uses it. Also... ...lots of complaining about an offense that is setting records both as a team and with individual players. I guess it means our fan base is already as spoiled as the OU and Texas fan bases who continually bitch about how they win. I suppose it's a refreshing change.

And, so we're back to the time-tested formula? Stop me if you've read this before somewhere : Run the ball on offense + stop the run on defense + error-free special teams = [Tom Hicks Voice]Great Football Success[/Tom Hicks Voice]

The Complete D-I/FBS-level List 1. 4,224: Lance Dunbar 2. 4,050: Patrick Cobbs 3. 3,496: Jamario Thomas 4. 3,120: Ja'Quay Wilburn 5. 2,417: Kevin Galbreath 6. 2,256: Bernard Jackson 7. 2,150: Brandin Bryd 8. 2,095: Ken Bahnsen

And, can I add that all of this is occurring under the highly criticized playcalling of Mike Canales?

In addition to breaking into the 1,000 yards rushers club at North Texas, Brandin Byrd is only 33 yards away from joining another elite class - Mean Green players with 2,500 or more career All-Purpose Yards (D-I/FBS-level). The List 1. 5,375: Lance Dunbar 2. 5,322: Brelan Chancellor 3. 5,222: Patrick Cobbs 4. 3,835: Johnny Quinn 5. 3,670: Jamario Thomas 6. 3,322: Abner Haynes 7. 3,299: Ja'Quay Wilburn 8. 3,022: Broderick McGrew 9. 2,977: John Love 10. 2,929: Bernard Jackson 11. 2,882: Leo Taylor 12. 2,697: Ja'Mel Branch 13. 2,571: Ron Shanklin 14. 2,502: Casey Fitzgerald 15. 2,467: Brandin Bryd

He's a home run hitter, for sure! We've talked about Zach Orr and Brelan Chancellor's odd of getting into an NFL camp this spring. I'd say Brandin Bryd has an excellent shot as well. You really have to give Coach Mac's strength and conditioning guys a ton of credit for the records being set. Record-setting is, obviously, on the field performance. But, we all know that what happens in the fall is the result of hard work put in during the offseasons. It's not just the endurance these guys have had throughout their careers, but also the return from injuries as well. This strength and conditioning crew has done a fantastic job for Mac and his players. The excellent seasons and careers being produced by Orr, Thompson, Chancellor, and Byrd...it's due to the strength and conditioning folks as well as the position coaches and Mac himself. Excellent work, fellas! Thanks for the hard work!