NT80

It's not the $. The New Orleans Bowl is what it is. It was invented to allow the newly formed SBC football conference to have an "automatic" place for it's champion to attend a post season game. It was insulting first to fans to imply that a champion going to a built-for Bowl is the same as an existing Bowl initiated invite to host a conference's champ. One is bought, the other earned and invited. It's also insulting for the league to infer that it's own SBC champ couldn't compete with other conference teams for an at-large existing Bowl berth. As for the second part of your post, I have no idea what your trying to compare.

If you look at his so-called Big-win games against Texas Tech, Cincy, Baylor, et al, you'll find those were not very good teams at those times. They were nice wins over good programs but they were not Top 25 teams as some would imply. That's not even mentioning the losses to provisional 1-AA teams and programs less than 5 years old.

Akron is one.... ticket orders

Agree, you could just take committments to buy and pre-reserve seat locations now, then bill when the schedule is known later. There has to be better ways to get potential fans connected sooner with ticket committments but it never happens. So much potential; to think what could be. It burns me out.

From a look at Akron's current OOC schedule probably at Akron (if that is the team): ......................................................... University of Akron Future Football Schedules 2006 (12) Sept. 2 at Penn State Sept. 9 at North Carolina State Oct. 7 at Cincinnati TBA TBA 2007 (12) Sept. 15 Indiana Sept. 8 at Ohio State Sept. 29 at Army TBA TBA

Some interesting news/banter by Arkstfan and other posters on the SBC board earlier this month about possible NCAA name changes to Divisions 1-A(BCS) and 1-AA(PCS)..... » » » There is a lot of talk going on that the extra A in I-AA will be removed this spring by the NCAA. Will be two sub divsions in DI: BCS and PCS (Playoff Champioship Series). Also some additional enhancement and toughing of eligability criteria (scholarships) for the PCS level. I think schools like Georgia Southern, WKU, APP State might be waiting to see how this shakes out. » » They may drop the names I-A and I-AA and replace them with Division I PCS and BCS but the underlying differences will remain the same. » » If all that changes is the name I will be surprised and disappointed. >>Prepare to be suprised and disappointed because the NCAA Board of Directors has only asked the NCAA staff to investigate changing every reference to I-A football to BCS football and every I-AA reference to PCS football. The only other I-AA "reforms" that were considered was the I-A schedule change allowing I-A schools to play more I-AA and that was approved.

Rumor is Akron.

What? Sell football tickets in March?? What conference do you think we're in? Is this what you want?

I've been to all four of NT's recent Bowl games and I couldn't have been prouder of the team and school when we were there. Each game had it's own unique greatness. But we were there because we conquered the bottom 10% of 1-A, and it showed. While I wouldn't trade the experience, let no one think our "bowl" is the same as a traditional power Bowl or BCS Bowl. Our bowl revealed how far we need to go to compete above the 4th place CUSA team. It was glaring how big, fast, and overwhelming Colo. St., Memphis, and USM were. That was the sad reality of our Bowls, how far away we really are from real 1-A programs. Don't get misled by "Bowl" game participation. Demand we keep up with the CUSA teams of the world, not just the SBC teams!

How does being in a conference with Denver and 2 Florida schools make geographic sense now? We are still in the worst conference, one made for convenience instead of one of preference. This is not the "Glory Era" of UNT football, despite the fake bowl games.

BCS programs have a LOT of $$ at risk by turning off fans because of a coach's statement or actions. Unfortunately at UNT we haven't built our season ticket base or Mean Green Club numbers up enough to where the loss of fans or donors from negative statements about fans or the school itself is considered contract-worthy yet.

Not the way we're headed.

Hayden Fry was like our own Urban Meyer back then. But yes, it could happen again some year. I think we're currently safe as far as any BCS scooping.

"Ligon and Owens were also part of the team that designed the new eagle and typography for the main campus, NT Denton." ie Logo-gate. hisssssssssssss....

A new thing in coaching contracts? A great idea; plus 30 public appearances ! Note the salary he made at UAB also. ................................................................................. Loyalty mandated in contract for new Missouri basketball coach ALAN SCHER ZAGIER Associated Press COLUMBIA, Mo. - New Missouri basketball coach Mike Anderson will earn a minimum of $850,000 annually over the next five years - as long as he "agrees to be a loyal employee" and doesn't bad-mouth the school. Those clauses are just some of the conduct requirements spelled out in the 22-page employment contract, which was signed Monday and released to The Associated Press on Tuesday through the state's public records laws. Anderson, who comes to Missouri after four years as Alabama-Birmingham coach, will also be expected to: _"maintain a mature and rational attitude, keep emotions in control and downplay defeats"; _"establish and maintain a frequent and systematic program of personal communication with the university's administration, faculty, staff and student body"; _"keep public statements complimentary to the athletic program and the university"; _make a minimum of 30 public appearances annually at booster lunches, alumni dinners and similar community events. No such behavioral requirements, nor a stipulated minimum number of public appearances, are found in the contracts of either Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel or Anderson's predecessor, Quin Snyder, who resigned in mid-February with six regular season games remaining. Anderson's base salary is less than the $1.015 million a year Snyder earned before he left during his seventh season at Missouri. But the new coach's contract is loaded with more incentives than Snyder had, including an extra $10,000 for reaching at least 20 wins against Division I opponents and $25,000 for drawing at least 10,000 paying fans on average to Mizzou Arena. Anderson will be allowed up to $20,000 each year in discretionary expenses. He receives a free membership to the Country Club of Missouri and the use of two courtesy cars donated by local dealers - one fewer than Snyder had. Should he reach all outlined goals, Anderson's yearly salary with incentives would climb to $1.465 million - a sizable increase from his base annual salary of $600,000 at UAB. University officials were not available Tuesday to discuss the contract. Among the criticisms of Snyder, who came to Missouri after serving as Mike Krzyzewski's top assistant at Duke, was his inaccessibility. Critics complained that Snyder, a native of Washington state, didn't blend in well in the Midwest, unlike his successor Norm Stewart, a Missouri native. An external investigation of the circumstance surrounding Snyder's resignation attributed some of the tension between Alden and Snyder - by the time Snyder quit the two weren't even on speaking terms - to Snyder's resistance to public appearances "in which Alden thought he should participate." Anderson, 46, is a former assistant to Nolan Richardson at Arkansas and played for Richardson at Tulsa. He had an 89-41 record at UAB with three NCAA Tournament appearances. The team was 24-7 this season and lost to Kentucky 69-64 in the first round of the tournament. Anderson was introduced as Missouri's new head coach on Sunday - just hours after Missouri curators met behind closed doors to consider firing Alden over his role in the Snyder resignation. Snyder has said Alden sent Tiger broadcaster Gary Link, also an Alden assistant, to deliver an ultimatum: Quit now or be fired at season's end. Alden denied that account, and two university investigations stopped short of assigning blame. The incentives in Anderson's contract include an extra $25,000 should the Tigers win either the Big 12 Conference regular season title or its year-end tournament; $25,000 if Anderson's players meet established academic goals; $100,000 if average paid attendance at Mizzou Arena exceeds 13,000; an extra $25,000 if the team reaches the Sweet 16; $100,000 for reaching the Final Four; and an additional $250,000 if Anderson's team wins the national championship. Missouri also will pay $300,000 to buy out his contract at UAB. And should Anderson be fired without cause, he would receive liquidated damages worth $500,000 for each year remaining in his contract. If Anderson were to leave Missouri early, he would owe the school $250,000 for each year remaining on his contract.

Ex-Indiana assistant completes USF staff By GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer Published March 23, 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TAMPA - USF coach Jim Leavitt has completed his staff, hiring former Michigan State and Indiana assistant Troy Douglas to coach the safeties. Douglas, 40, interviewed with Leavitt on Friday and resigned Tuesday as running backs coach at North Texas, a job he accepted last month after he wasn't retained from Terry Hoeppner's 2005 staff at Indiana. He spent the past two seasons with the Hoosiers, serving as defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator. Douglas replaces Rick Kravitz, who left last month after 10 years to coach safeties and special teams at North Carolina State. Like new defensive line coach Bernard Clark, Douglas is a Florida native (born in Jacksonville) who has recruited the state for several colleges.

So it does happen some places?

UNT had more OOC WINS as a 1-AA (Rice, K-State, Texas*, New Mexico, TCU, La Tech, Texas Tech, SMUt, etc.) then we have since returning to 1-A. It's the Coaching, not the Division, that was the difference.

SMU's new AD arrives with win-now attitude Orsini expects struggling programs to rebound quickly 11:53 PM CST on Friday, March 24, 2006 By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News UNIVERSITY PARK – The new athletic director at SMU is raising the stakes. Steve Orsini, who was introduced as SMU's 12th athletic director Friday afternoon, expects his programs to start winning now. "He has a sense of urgency with things," SMU president Gerald Turner said. Orsini, who signed a five-year contract, will replace the retiring Jim Copeland on June 1. Financial terms were not disclosed. Orsini, 49, leaves Central Florida, where he was athletic director since 2002. At UCF, he increased the athletic budget by 70 percent, helping turn a struggling program with a small fan base into a vibrant one. And Orsini has plans to fix an SMU athletic department rife with mediocre teams, financial deficit, a dwindling fan base and aging facilities. "I learned from the best," said Orsini, who worked for the Cowboys from 1984 to 1993. "I feel lucky to have worked with Tex Schramm and with Jerry Jones. It was the best of both worlds in winning and losing in both regimes." Steve Orsini comes to SMU after spending four years at Central Florida. Orsini is known as a great communicator. His enthusiasm – coupled with a background in accounting – helps him as a fund-raiser. After three face-to-face meetings and several phone conversations, Turner realized Orsini was his man. On Wednesday, Turner called UCF president John Hitt to receive permission to officially interview Orsini. "I admire the speed with which it happened," Hitt said. "He's a heck of a guy, and SMU is getting a great AD." Hitt made a last attempt to keep Orsini but was rebuffed. "I think SMU was attractive for him," Hitt said. "He knows something about Dallas having lived there 10 years, and financially we couldn't match what SMU was paying." Orsini, whose salary was reportedly about $175,000 when he was hired at UCF, had been in negotiations to receive a raise and a contract extension. Copeland, who took over at SMU in 1995, has a base salary of $368,050. One of Orsini's biggest challenges in his new job will be marketing SMU to Dallas. His background as a ticket manger with the Cowboys helps him know the city. "You have to create a marketing niche," Orsini said. "We want to be the team for every sports fan in Dallas who loves college athletics." Marketing SMU's two major sports – football and men's basketball – will be challenging. Football hasn't had a winning season since 1997, and men's basketball hasn't reached the NCAA Tournament in 13 years. Last year, men's soccer reached the College Cup, and the golf, swimming and tennis programs are successful. Orsini said he expects all his teams to be ranked in the top 25 in the country. "I'm very excited about that," said men's basketball coach Jimmy Tubbs. "That speaks volumes in my mind about the passion he has for the job." Turner believes Orsini is the right choice because of his marketing background, and the fact he's had new facilities built at UCF and helped raise money for others when he was at Georgia Tech from 1999 to 2002. Turner said SMU's immediate goals are to increase football season ticket sales to 10,000, boost Mustangs Club – the athletic department's fund-raising arm – donations to $2 million a year and build a basketball practice facility.

The paperwork to stay in 1-A was left on a desk until too late to submit it, or so I'm told by a person who saw it happen.

No, just expecting better than glorified high school ball. But be happy and satisfied if that's all what you want, you've got it.

SMU introduces new AD 01:27 PM CST on Friday, March 24, 2006 By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News UNIVERSITY PARK – SMU introduced Steve Orsini as the school's new athletic director Friday. He replaces Jim Copeland, who will retire May 31. Length of contract and financial terms for Orsini were not made available. Orsini, 49, who was unavailable for comment, leaves Central Florida, where he was athletic director since June 2002. On Thursday afternoon, Orsini was introduced to several members of the SMU athletic department, including women's basketball coach Rhonda Rompola. Prior to that meeting, Orsini met with football coach Phil Bennett. Orsini spoke with Bennett again following Thursday's spring football practice. "He has the right combination of skills to continue moving SMU's athletics program forward," SMU president Gerald Turner said. "In addition to his experience building an athletics program similar in size to ours, he brings a love of Dallas and business expertise that will help us build resources and fan support." In February, Orsini was in the process of negotiating a new contract at UCF, but talks stalled. That same month, Copeland announced that he was retiring. SMU used the Plano-based search firm of Eastman and Beaudine to help Turner in the hiring process. SMU had a pool of 34 candidates to choose from and paired it down to 17 before five interviewed with Turner. SMU senior associate athletic directors Carlton Cooper and Scott Secules expressed interest in the position and were told to send resumes and letters of recommendation to Eastman and Beaudine. Cooper and Secules were not interviewed. The 15-member search committee met only twice and didn't interview any candidates. The search committee met Orsini on Thursday and agreed to hire him on the recommendation of Turner. "I'm excited about the guy," said Gerald Ford, a prominent SMU booster and a member of the search committee. "He's a successful guy, and that's what I like about him." In his brief tenure at UCF, Orsini increased the athletic budget by 70 percent. He also helped the school move from the Atlantic Sun Conference to Conference USA. Six UCF teams advanced to NCAA postseason play in 2004-05. Orsini oversaw major facility additions and renovations at UCF, with the biggest a new on-campus football stadium. Orsini's Dallas ties come from working for the Cowboys from 1984 to 1993. He was hired by Tex Schramm as the ticket manager and eventually was promoted to director of administration. "I've known [Orsini] for a while, and I really think he's a terrific administrator," C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said. "What he did at UCF is set a vision, and I'm sure he will do the same for SMU. It's a great fit, and he's a proven leader. SMU is lucky to have him."

We're not feeling very Mean these days in much....well, maybe women's soccer.

Yes Troy has done well, considering how short a time Troy has been 1-A. They have a better stadium, a recent win over Top 25 Missouri and almost LSU, competative with large programs, and a Bowl game themselves.

So what's his connection to UNT? Or is it just a connection to Rick Perry?