NM Green

Awesome post. It is hard to complain when I didn't even expect them to be playing in this game. Good luck ARLR. I look forward to the day when we bust onto the scene like San Diego State did this year. That time is coming and the Mean Green gave us a great thrill and a lot to look forward to. Heads up Mean Green team and fans! The Nation is growing. GMG

Way to go Mean Green. Thank you for the drama and all the best in life. Bleed Green forever. GMG

Roamed the FIU campus last week and it is nice. The stadium is small but right on campus. Seeing all of their bowl game gear around campus and in the bookstore leads me to believe this will be big game for the Panthers. They want the championship and we are destined to return to Green Glory. There seemed to be a lot more school spirit on FIU than there was at FAU. It is going to be fun game to go to. Whether you stay in South Beach or not I recommend a trip to the Clevelander - it's edgy, fun, and definitely has a Mean Green pre or post party vibe to it. I also suggest a late afternoon return on Sunday and hit Brunch at Nikki Beach in South Beach. Big delicious mojitos with your feet resting in the white sand - simply a treat! Surprise FIU! GO MEAN GREEN!!!!!

Thank you for the report. As a long time MG fan I am excited about the future but completely uncertain. That is not a bad thing because I was giddy over the Dodge hire only to be gutted for four straight years. I am not excited about Coach Mac because he doesn't come with the buzz a new coach might bring. That doesn't mean he is not THE guy, just that I am shockingly uninspired about Mean Green football right now. Maybe it's the off-season. Maybe it is the basketball gloom. Either way I think we need to hear a lot more from Coach to get the mass ignited. I am sure he is still working on the strategy, but it was weird how fired up Canales got me in a few short weeks. I hope Coach C keeps his optimistic fire, bold and brazen standards, and passion to fight from the co-pilot's seat. I am ready to get fired up! GMG

I skipped my share of Astronomy classes to grab a beer at the Tomatoe. Thank gosh it was Astronomy - I loved that class! I think it was Mr. Harrison's class that was at 399 on some days:) GMG

No need to twist my arm. A stay and play weekend in Fort Lauderdale with a trip to Calle Ocho for some Cuban food and some Mean Green football? It's like a return trip waiting to be planned. I was impressed with FAU and again I know that a lot of Mean Green fans cannot escape our league fast enough (I would like an MWC invite myself), but I like programs that work hard and are trying like heck to bust onto the national scene. I think after our 4 bowl appearances earlier this decade the wealth was spread around. Seeing Troy, FAU, FIU and Middle all win bowl games is good for the league. Seeing Arkie State get there was fantastic too. Throw in emerging facilities and we definitely have a lot more than some programs I am familiar with that have been around for a long time. Once we begin breaking into the top 25 in football and basketball our league is going to be good and get the respect it deserves. We have an image problem that can only be overcome by winning (see my Dallas Mavericks). UNLV is thinking about a new stadium complex and trying to figure out how to pay for it. Meanwhile new palaces are going up in Denton, Miami and at FAU. You must invest, recruit, pull the upset and replenish. Those three ingredients = Boise State, TCU...Troy has gotten close but no cigar. Someone is going to break through and I am placing my money on Green. Good luck in Hot Springs until we play you. GMG

So I am working on a project in Fort Lauderdale and decided to scoot up to see what FAU was like. It was a Friday so students were everywhere, but I also wanted to see where their new stadium was going to be. It is literally across the street from their business school on the loop drive of the campus. It is as close to on campus as SMU's is. Our mecca is much further along. I assume they don't open theirs this year otherwise they are going to have to crank. But I was impressed with how this school which people could barely give me directions to is on the rise. While looking for their bookstore I noticed a tailgate emerging outside their baseball stadium. By the time I left their tailgate with DJ in the parking lot, frat brothers sitting on top of a bus...was in full swing. I thought for a baseball game, pretty cool. School spirit looks way behind what RV and the fans have had a chance to build over the past decade. I don't see a ton of FAU gear like you see Mean Green gear in Denton. So we have them beat there, but I think I want to travel and see a game out here in their new digs in 2012. More importantly we must stay ahead of them in the arms race. I saw their big traveling truck with the big 2007 New Orleans Bowl Champions logo on it. I teared up:( Sorry I digressed. We must stay ahead of them or they will be a beautiful fit for CUSA expansion. For all the flack FIU and FAU have taken from the national media and fans in the past, both of those Miami/FLL area teams have been bowling and won bowl games in the past few years. The drought must end. Mean Green football must rise up beginning this fall. GMG P.S. - their bookstore bit. Talk about a lack of gear and accessories. Now the University of Miami was another story. Next stop FIU.

Fisher has busted San Diego State onto the scene and they are most likely headed for a #2 seed. That is going to position them well for a few rounds. GMG

I went to the San Diego State vs UNLV game yesterday in the Thomas and Mack and it was probably one of the most fun inspiring games I have ever been to. The Rebels played their hearts out and the fact they made a comeback to take a 1 point lead with a couple of minutes left was something else. I had never heard the T&M so loud and the experience of was a blast. San Diego state also brought a large contingent of fans to the game, a short 5 hour drive for them. The experience watching the Lobos in the Pit a few years back. Some observations: SDSU is for real. They have a legitimate shot at making a deep run and possibly winning the title this year. They are huge and agile. They couldn't miss in the beginning and they just mow you down with their size and strength. SDSU reminds me of UNT. Their fans have gotten crazy this year, selling out their usually empty arena the entire season. They traveled in force to Sin City, into the teeth of the enemy and chanted the whole game long. When UNT goes on a serious run in football or basketball and enters unchartered territory like SDSU is doing this year, the Mean Green train is going to be speeding down the track at rapid pace. OUR fans will support a winner and sellout the Superpit and our field when our team makes some serious national waves. I never would have thought SDSU could get a following like they have, but they were a dormant large university hungry and craving for something to cheer for. The Aztecs have arrived in basketball and with the new MWC I easily see SDSU and UNLV becoming monster hoops rivals. Throw Nevada entering the picture and their tragic obnoxious fans and all of a sudden UNLV has some really great rivalries to fill the BYU and Utah voids. This leads me to our future conference affiliation. I really hope we get serious consideration for an invite to the MWC. I know our hoops are struggling right now, but lining up against some mean competition in the Pit, the coast, in Sin City, the mountains and the biggest little city in the world would be cool. Trips to Vegas, ABQ, Reno, San Diego and Fort Collins for basketball would be sweet and challenging. Trips to CO Springs, Fresno and Boise in football would be challenging. It is just a really solid league that I hope we get a chance to grow our programs in down the line. Now lets get these hoops back on track and make another run to the dance. We need to continue to show our worthiness, and a fresh dance appearance would continue to help us build our case. GMG

This excites me:)

Let TSU and UTSA build the WAC and if it is attractive down the line we may join. But we do not have to join for once and I would much rather be associated with name programs like the Ragin Cajuns, Troy, FAU and Middle Tennesse than Lamar Texas State and UTSA. No comparison right now. Name coaches mean nothing - they must win. We have a name coach who has done nothing yet. I will take North Texas continued individual growth, Belt brethren and push for the Big 12. If the WAC becomes as attractive as the MWC one day we will pursue it, but not now. The Roadrunners and Bobcats have more to gain from an affiliation with the Mean Green than we do with them at this time. Take care of the Green. Take care of the White. We will be just fine thank you very much. Win the Belt and lets go dancing again! GMG

Don't you kind of want to schedule UTSA in anything just to put the beat down on their big ugly roadrunner heads! GMG

I think UTSA is a nice story, but comparing them to us is ludicrous. We have a rich and glorious history that stretches back 100 years. People outside of our program respect us more than I think we do ourselves many times. The reality is one of these so called bigger conferences is going to realize that until they add UNT to their mix, they will not have a strong foothold in the DFW market. SMU does not deliver Dallas and hasn't for 25 years. TCU does not deliver DFW becuase they have a small fanbase. The group that truly realizes that when you get UNT you get Dallas/Fort Worth will be in for a pleasant surprise. We are moving up the chain very quickly and we simply need to win and go bowling again. We were reborn infants back in 2001 when we started bowling. When we begin making our football presence back on the national stage we will climb up the ranks as quickly as a South Florida has done out East. San Antonio is a nice market and would fit well in the SBC but UNT's competition is not the Roadrunners and Bobcats. We are Texas Tech in a much better location. We are the next CU Boulder. I wish football fans everywhere the best on the development of their programs because it is fun. But we are not in Troy Alabama, Ames Iowa or Waco Texas. North Texas in DFW, Florida International in Miami, and Florida Atlantic in Fort Lauderdale are in much better locations with brand new palaces to play in, with huge alumni bases, and located in places where kids want to go to grow. The key is to get them to connect with the University and make our presence felt on the national stage now as rebellious teenagers. GMG

True about the product, but I am wondering when BP is going to make that necessary move. Maybe they never will, but roaming around the south in December I made sure every gas station I rolled into was that tragic oil giant. You slap a new logo, new color and tagline on it and maybe I don't know who you are anymore. How many people have no idea who is in the Belt? I know hardcore college fans who have no idea who makes up our league. We go to 12 or 14, throw a championship game together in Birmingham, fly a new flag and all of a sudden who do we look like - that really good CUSA league. Hardcore football fans would simply equate us to the other CUSA, and frankly I think Troy, Middle, FIU, FAU and hopefully North Texas have as good a chance of making noise as Central Florida, SMU and East Carolina do. GMG

Look UNLV never thought it would be in the same league with Reno, but there is no biatching here in Las Vegas. La Tech needs to knut up and accept that it's best case scenario is actually and upgrade. They gain regional rivalries, a bowl game in Southern LA. They get to pound heads with Southern foes like Troy and Middle. Just make it happen: The Great Gulf Gulf West UNT La Tech NMSU UTSA Texas State Arkansas State Louisiana Gulf East Western KY Troy Middle FIU FAU South Alabama Louisiana Monroe

I love the Mountain West and love Rebel basketball and Lobo Hoops, but if SJSU and USU are in there the conference the conference really takes a strength hit in my eyes. It will be the WAC we essentially avoided all of these years. I am not sure we don't set our sights on the new Big 12. Call me crazy but CUSA is not going to open for us unless the BE move agains. BE has TCU so they don't need us. MWC will want Texas down the line and they are not going to get UTEP away from the other Texas schools. They have officially settled into the Rice, H-Town and SMU fold and are happy. They may want us later but I think we should position ourselves for the Big 12 at this point. Win the Belt, continue going dancing and we will be just fine. We are investing too much to associate with the likes of the northern Aggies and Spartans for crying out loud. As for the Sun Belt why not a name change with the addition of the Southern Aggies and La Tech? This is not a bad league with FAU, FIU, Troy, Middle, Us, NMSU, Arkie State, the Ragin Cajuns and La Tech. How about the Great Gulf Conference or the Mountain South Conference, something that repositions us as a new league which we will be after the Bulldogs and Aggies come on board. GMG

I always appreciate "the Source" for all that is college football realignment, stats...thank you for your knowledge and hope you have an amazing day and coming year. Go Red Wolves GMG

Well the newMWC has the #9 & #10 teams in the country in Boise State and Nevada, so they do have quality over CUSA. GMG all the way to the MWC!

That will help them become the next Boise. Run the table against level competition and you to can be knocking on the BCS door. GMG

Yeah I think it is kind of funny how all of these Big 12 fans don't know what the he**ll to do with TCU. You have a national major college power inside the DFW limits and a new #1 football team in the entire state of Texas, yet you hear so little about them and Texas fan and talk radio hosts don't know how to speak about them. They have earned every single stripe the hard way and they just represented the state of Texas beautifully in the granddaddy of them all! Do you all of a sudden start speaking about TCU as a power on par with Alabama, Auburn, Texas, LSU and Oregon? They are aren't they? I can't hear you Horn. I can't hear you Aggie. Red Raider are you in the house? GMG

This was a great win for them and I hope their program gains attendance and energy momentum. It would be nice to have an eastern conference power emerge. We get our house in order Troy and Middle got the middle South going and Miami comes around - we could get some conference energy building. Time for La Tech and NM State to apply for membership. GMG

I think it would be cool for the Green Brigade to go retro and play a rendition of the former song next year. I can't imagine what it sounds like. GMG

Frogs are awesome! Love what they have done in Fort Worth. Loved what happened the to the 10 today. Let's become the next Texas Power! GMG

I was driving through Nashville today on the way to NC and listening to the local sports show. I love the way other members of the Belt don't trash the Belt like our local media and some of our fanbase does. They were dissecting the moment that MTSU turned its season around and WKU when they got a turnover as WKU was about to blow the game wide open. That led to 3 straight wins and to a bowl against a strong Miami Ohio team. They talked about the drama at FIU with Cristobal almost turning down the Detroit game because they were so pissed that Troy got the nod for New Orleans. What I realized is that our league is not the league we dominated last decade. Our brothers have grown up and now the league has 3 team bowling in the coming weeks. Call it weak, call it trash whatever everyone wants to call it, but this league will not be a cakewalk to get back on top of. We showed signs of life this year, but our fellow conference mates are fighting like heck to go bowling as bad as we will be. Also, every ding we make on our brand that is the Sun Belt damages the brand. Let SMU and the rest of the college world take their shots. I hope our brothers go out and kick their arse in those 3 games. All we can do is build our program and win. We are attractive, equipped and ready for the next steps. I love the bold talk I am hearing on here. Go Bold Mean Green! No reason our program cannot be on par with Texas Tech very very soon. GMG

Its about ideas. Capturing a ton of ideas from the mass - student body, alums, community, consultants. These need to be funneled through a few channels: Athletic department - who is the collector there Talons - who is the collector here Green Brigade - who is the collector here Alumni - alumni association - who is the collector here Once all the ideas are gathered a few strategic efforts need to be implemented for the dawning of our new age. For example, at the basketball games I love in the alma mater when they yell "who" towards the end. Very cool. Go laser focus with a few good ideas and then we need education: How about a yell practice at the stadium the night before the games? I have loved hanging in Denton after the bball games this month. I plan on heading up the nights before in the fall and grabbing a room at the Mean Green hotel. I love the Best Western out by Golden Triangle - very nice - how about a negotiated Alumni rate and we have a Mean Green breakfast before heading out for the tailgate. I have been visting Lucky Lous for a Mean Green victory tap every game this month and that patio is awesome - how about a Mean Green post game party there or some restaurant where the diehards and new friends of the MG can gather after the game. To me it is about community and in order to create the feel of the Mean Green community everybody needs to feel they have a place to go, gather, share, and celebrate. Communities emerge but in our case with our new age on the horizon and 8 months to plan, we have an opportunity to organize these communal efforts with some stategic organization. Point People Idea Generation Meetings between Point People/groups Education Execution Where do I sign up:) GMG