NM Green

See the point. I just have been around NT too long and remember "the game" in Austin, the Wins in Lubbock, the win over OSU, and didn't Troy play LSU tough or was that SJSU or someone else? In my opinion the league is tied with CUSA now, behind upper WAC, near MAC and notches below MWC. The LEAGUE just needs to keep taking steps forward. peace GMG

Another shot at the The Belt - amazing! Who needs CUSA, MWC enemies when we cheapen our league ourselves. I promise you that Troy does not think it will be years before they can compete with "The Big Boys," and oh yeah didn't out less than stellar squad beat CUSA last year? In fact, several of our inferior programs stepped up and "competed" against CUSA. Rice is waiting for our league to mature so that we can hope to compete one day. Sorry for the Rant but get tired of the defeatist poor is us attitude I sometimes see on this board. We are a couple of years away from competing for the title, but I somehow think Dodge does not let that feeling enter his team's mind. Heck, if the team doesn't think it can compete it has already lost the edge heading into battle - not Dodge's style from my early observations. Dickey's brainwashing mentality was potent. I think the blue raiders come into Fouts at the end of October and get a mean arse payback! GO MEAN GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Division II was smart getting their brand out there a week before the ambush for us junkies. I also like their core value commercials, slogan and oh yeah the Lions have had more than their share to be in the lead right now. Their QB is tough. GMG

More normal than anything else, and oh yeah a Texan! I just read the Southlake article from D magazine and am so darn excited about our future I am headed to CSTV right now too! GMG Go TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CLUBS & MEMBERS PRIMED FOR SUCCESS When Johnny Jones became head basketball coach at the University of North Texas in 2001, he wanted to create a tournament-level men’s team. “There were a lot of naysayers who said it couldn’t be done here,” says Jones, a member of Oakmont Country Club near Dallas. “But I think if you believe, and you trust wholeheartedly in what you’re doing, good things will happen.” Plenty of good things happened during Jones’ first five seasons — including becoming one of the top five most-winning coaches in the school’s history. Then last spring, he upped the ante as he led the team to the NCAA Tournament. “I knew at the beginning of the season that we had the right combination of individuals to take it that far,” he says. “If we stayed healthy, the chemistry was right, and we played well at the right time, I knew we could make it.” Driven by Jones’ fast-paced style, North Texas’ “Mean Green” has retooled its image. Where once the school worked to recruit players, now it’s flooded with interest from hopeful hoopsters. “Once you’ve played at [tournament] level, you want to go back. Now that our players have been there, they know what it takes.” — Paula Felps Photography by Associated Press/Alex Brandon. Photo found at http://www.privateclubs.com/CL_Clubs_Members/cm3_Primed.html

I was sifting through the Private Clubs magazine for October and came across a nice piece on Johnny Jones and his elevation of the Mean Green program. He was included in there because he is a member of one of the Clubcorp Clubs - Oakmont. Page 73 www.privateclubs.com Nice pub! I am getting excited about BOTH upcoming seasons! GMG

It really is simple and I say the more the merrier! Just be sure to get them right! I was interviewing a Longhorn the other day, noticing he spent time in Austin and graduated from Bevo U. I mentioned that I went to North Texas and he stated, 'Sreaming Eagles!" The courtesy interview was short:) JK (solid guy). beat OU! GMG

He learned a thing or two from Jones when in Hawaii. I actually like cutting edge looks and what will happen now will be a slew of cash flow as people flock to buy the new gear - oh wait that is going to happen in Denton too! GMG

I say 40,000 but a tight 33,000 - 35,000 without the major expense of an upper deck would still allow us to bring in a Texas Tech. That will probably be the largest type program we can get in our new house with less than 40,000 seats. Next, I went to Dodger Stadium over the weekend and had an absolutely awesome experience! For a dive of a field they spin it smartly. The stadium was built in 1962 and they market the nostalgia theme everywhere - "Fabulous Dodger Stadium, established 1962." When they put the players up on the scoreboard they write their name in the 50's style script. It looked like the script you would see in a diner or on a diner menu. Everything is built on the history and legacy of the Dodger organization. Why doesn't Fouts do something like this? I know it is a stretch and we are shooting for new, flash and contemporary, but while stuck in Fouts why don't we market the history of that great stadium? I have only been watching since "86, but think about all of the memorable games, championships, players...It was just a feel that Dodger Stadium conveyed that I kept feeling if done right could be replicated as part of the gameday educational experience:"through the corridors," "breakthrough years," "Impact players," "Dramatic moments" - the rainstorm game against Nevada, the Championship game against NMSU, the Baylor thrashing, the Redwine catch or whoever it was against Oregon State, the 14 - 7 win over SMU, last year's victory over SMU, the interception return for a touchdown on the last play of the game against SHSU, the Utah State offensive explosion, our first trip to Overtime! You name it, before the game and at key moments you flash that memory up on the screen and rekindle the memories while educating the new fans. Sorry for the rant but while living in a historical field we may as well capitalize on all of the memorable moments. It would make the countdown to our new digs something special. GMG

I like that one poster's idea of taking the XM approach - give it free and get them hooked. The only thing the Exes need to do is make sure all of their ducks are in a row and that they have plenty of bang for the 1 freebie year. There are so many alum waiting to be tapped that with the right leadership this organization could become the force it has the potential to be. GMG

uh,and how exactly do you buy tradition? It's good old fashion hardwork, and I am not of the opinion that we can't build it in our current state. If Troy and MTSU, who by the way also want tradition, continue bowling and improving then we have an even better shot than the ponies down the street. They are trying to revive tradition and into today's generations tradition is a bit overrated anyway. You need to build it like Cuban built the Mavs - something different, better, special, energized by youth and marketed by genius'. That is how North Texas surpasses the Frogs, Ponies, Bears of the world. Look at where we reside! The DFW base is about FRESH. North Texas must remain fresh and offer a variety of experiences to capture new fans at every opportunity. Get that mass student body involved and allow them to unleash their brilliant ideas, technological talents and whala the Mean Green machine is off and running! In an attempt to always be thinking about our neXtwork we need to be looking at what happens after this machine takes off...another conference in the future is going to come calling and at that point we will need to evaluate the Belt at that point. My prediction: begin evaluating programs against the likes of UNLV, AFA, BYU, UNM, CSU... GMG

If NMSU could make a BCS bowl then UNT can! Why such doubt? I lived in WAC country and those programs are not leaps and bounds ahead of the Troy. Boise, Fresno and Hawaii are solid, UNT, Troy and MTSU could make some noise - it just takes an undefeated season to get the country and polls rallying behind you, regardless of your league. GMG

This is how it will go: East Carolina @ SMU reported attendance 22, 540 actual 11,113 North Texas @ SMU reported attenandance 11,115, actual 32,000 with people hanging outside the fence. GMG

I want to win them all. always been a rebel okay okay okay! BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB as in Bourbon St! GMG

What I do know is that if I see a pass for a touchdown I will bout fall out of the stadium jumping for joy! GMG

Would be a dream game but the team would most likely arrive on Thursday to acclimate to the change, play a night game on Saturday in a hostile Aloha Stadium crowd. They have a strong Heismann candidate and they hit their stride later in the season as they push to their annual Hawaii Bowl appearance! Needless to say it would be a test but Dodgeball is going to approach tests much differently than our previous regime did. It would be a fun 4.5 hour affair! GMG

If we get to 7-5, this team will be bowling. The increase press, a resurgent, retooled and exciting new product - a slew of new fans = "Bring the Mean Green to my bowl game." Just my .02 cents. GMG

That would be pretty cool to play in two bowls in one season! I don't know if it should be called a bowl game - make it an event like the Red River Shootout! GMG

Some friends of mine live off Greenville and have offered up their house for a Mean Green house party before the game. Always a fan favorite on St. Patricks day party weekend. We are talking kegs and basically and all afternoon tailgate. If not other firm plans come up and we want to organize this fore real feel free to IM me and I know I can make it happen. GMG

oh my gosh! I had not heard. Prayers and thoughts with them and their families. thanks for the heads up.

Out of all of the years I have been following the Mean Green, WAC and MWC, I amazed we don't get more battles with teams like UTEP and UNM. Both of those schools would bring fans and make great destinations for us to go to with some fans. Everyone I bump into from Texas tells me that we got a good coach and they say it with a hint of uncertainty. This was in the past 2 months and one was a Texas fan and the other was Texas Tech grad who lived through all of our upsets. You are right they do not seem thrilled to jaunt into the unknown with us. Texas fan wasn't even thrilled about having TCU come to town this year - Big Longhorn donor. GMG

Thanks for letting the out of towners see the new and improved campus. The shots are awesome - the fountain if first class. mahalo, GMG

The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl does the same thing. It makes no bones about it that this is Hawaii's Bowl, plus no other bowl other than the Las Vegas Bowl has any interest in inviting a bowl eligible Hawaii. GMG

1-10 attendance, attendance, attendance, attendance... If we get attendance through grass roots push, creative marketing, out of the box promotions...everything else will take care of itself. A % of people will show up to see a weak product IF the event is enticing enough. So we are on our way - Dodge will win and Jones will win again. All of the other factors will begin to wake up and take care of themselves. GMG

ESPN's next wave should be to televise the bigtime colleges spring games from morning to night. I found myself craving more football after stumbling across the OU game. GMG