GrayEagle

By the way, all freshmen have now been assigned numbers and they are posted on the athletic site. The only freshman missing is Kendall Washington. Must he sit out a year even though I don't believe that he actually enrolled at Iowa, Washington State, or any place where he held an offer? I assume that all were here to choose their number (but yes I know how to spell assume).

The heat. I may wear my white shirt but it does have green on it and also a 'North Texas'. It could still be around 100 at 5 pm. Besides, I may be bringing family that don't yet have any spirit gear.

Amen to that. I'd pull the offer but that's just me. He should've said nothing. His size and speed are impressive but 1,300 yards against the likes of Joaquin, Union Grove, Winona et al shouldn't make you that cocky. He's not projected to be the offensive POY or best rusher this coming year in his 2A district. There certainly are some talented players in that classification but the level of competition is not compelling enough to take a lot of notice in statistics.

Thankfully, I trust Coach Mac and his staff. If this had been Todd Dodge he'd have really dampened my enthusiasm. We have put out offers to some great athletes but so far all our commits are pretty far under the radar. It's not that these kids won't be great athletes it's just that I was hoping for some names that we can all agree would mean that we were coming on strong. This may take longer than I thought and I don't have many seasons left.

I don't know whether the Big East holds the key to the WAC expansion or not but they may be a factor in the WAC survival (football-wise). None of the eight in the Big East that play FBS football are Catholic universities. Notre Dame, who plays all other sports in the Big East, could have saved the conference before TCU was invited but they chose to stay with their big, fat contract and screwed the conference and the NCAA. Now the Big East has announced intentions of expanding to twelve. Based on attendance and a reasonable product on the football field it seems to me that UCF and East Carolina should be two of the three but the other isn't as easy. If they take those two it's likely that the third would also come from CUSA. That would trickle down affecting the Sun Belt as the more likely replacements to CUSA since they are geographically closer. Also, don't forget that the Big XII and the MWC are looking for two each at some point in time and the Sun Belt might also need one or more replacements or additions. Where will these replacements come from? Other than possibly Temple, they will likely come from the WAC or BCS teams moving up. I only see three or four of the WAC teams that might be attractive to other conferences (look at attendance, accessibility, and market). I hate to say it but I see the WAC as a basketball-only conference in a few years.

Will the Alumni Pavilion be covered? Any clues about the menu? Is it located behind the secondary video board?

Why I think that we'll have a much better team/record this season: Coach Dan McCarney Retention of Coach Canales, who put a lot of life in the team for its last five games Coach Clint Bowen, improved WKU in one season; bowl seasons under Mangino We can't possibly have as many injuries this year Coach Kent Riddle, who built the special teams at Boise State that made the Broncos special Higher morale and enthusiasm because more will get to play Coach Mike Simmonds, another builder of South Florida Better conditioned and won't have to play until their tongues hang out A new stadium! Lance Dunbar, Zach Olen and Brelan Chancellor Although we've had a few key losses the emergence of Zach Orr, Will Wright, Brad Graham, and D'Leon McCord and the return of J.J. Johnson, Steven Ford, Dewaylon Cook, James Hamilton, and Will Atterberry. In spite of the loss of a likely Hall of Fame linebacker I think that you will really like the 2011 defense.

I agree that Texas' TV agreement could let them go indy for the moment but I don't know that would sustain them. What is the footprint of the Big XII? Large state schools. Houston and North Texas are big state schools in Top 10 markets. Neither are BCS worthy now but they could be soon if they were in a top conference. I think that alumni support for North Texas would double when they cease to become the red-headed stepchild. Houston has been there before and would haveno problem establishing additional fan base when in a higher level conference than Rice. Yes, I know that's only eleven and there are no more large state schools but there is a large private school near the area with a large following...Brigham Young. There would have to be some concessions made but other conferences have so we know that it can be done. Truth is, I don't believe that they would want to bolt with the (unshared) bucks that they will be making.

Change the ND to OU and you'd have Junior Miller.

LMAO until I realized that Tulane is in Louisiana. LSU does reasonably well also. They should. The state legislature is loaded with LSU alumni who give their alma mater whatever they want within reason For the others it's barely operating expenses, or less. It's even worse for La Tech to be talking about conference academics. Based on entering SAT scores they rank sixth of the seven that will remain in 2012. No one in that conference is ahead of FIU or North Texas academically.

I've seen five or so of these over time and we were ranked in the 80s in each. I'd guess that they consider all of our years in major college/division I/division 1-A/FBS. That's 50 years. We had a decent winning percentage, a few conference championships, a top 20 or two, a few significant wins, a few close losses to quality teams and qualified for many more bowls. What I don't understand is being tied with FAU, who has only been in the FBS for seven years compared to our fifty. They've appeared in two bowls but I don't think that they've ever won a conference championship. Maybe the one that compiled those statistics was a FAU alum.

I agree with those who prefer Texas State over Louisiana Tech. I even wish that I could agree with those that believe that the girls of San Marcos are hotter than the girls of Ruston but alas, time has a way of making that qualification less important. While I totally disagree that the WAC is superior in academics to the SBC I can understand why LaTech should remain in their crumbling conference. 1) Money....after Hawaii, Fresno State and Nevada leave the WAC the Techsters should have the major portion of what's left due to wins and length of service. In addition, no entrance fee is required. 2) Prestige....wouldn't it be preferable to be the 800 lb. gorilla in a small jungle than to be just another gorilla in a slightly larger jungle? 3) ULM....While they probably wouldn't like any of us in the SBC (for various reasons) they really don't like ULM. They don't need competition in a relatively small market. There are also hints that the state may reduce one or more schools (likely making them into community colleges) in both North and South Louisiana; making Louisiana Tech the dominant team in the north. I believe if ULM returns to the FCS/1-AA; LaTech is not approved for admisssion in CUSA or equivalent; and LTU has received all that they can muster from conference distributions, then they would be receptive to joining the SBC.

Happy Birthday, Scott. Enjoy the coolness with your family. I hope that you have as many birthdays ahead of you as you've celebrated in the past.

An inside tip...#40

BTW, if you want more relevance to the University of North Texas on "The Longest Yard", the part of Caretaker was played by former North Texas cheerleader Jim Hampton in the original 1974 version.

We are in good standing with Title IX and baseball only allows something like 13 scholarships so it wouldn't tilt the balance very much. As to SMU, I believe that SMU gave up baseball primarily because they needed the room that the stadium occupied for other purposes. That, and to make them closer to Title IX compliance.

It may be inspiring but who pays for this technology and consulting? Apparently it's not enough to keep enough people employed to buy each other's services. If we had a nation of nothing but college graduates would the unemployment rate be 4.5%?

I understand why we have no friends. The best way to have a friend is to be one. Many on this board could care less about anyone else. We have a long history with Texas State and could use a friendly rival within the state. An instate rival would reduce travel costs and increase attendance. I know that if the situation were reversed I'd sure appreciate the help for North Texas. UTSA is another matter. They have no history in football and little history in the other sports. North Texas had been playing football for nearly forty years before we were able to move up to what is now the equivalent of the FBS (then called major college). I have no animosity towards them but they have not paid their dues so to speak. Maybe, if we are fortunate enough to upgrade to a higher conference then they will be allowed to take our place.

You will pick from a chart that has previously chosen seats blocked out. Since we will not have access to the stadium until early July, you will not be able to see from your actual seats. If it's as the other seat selections you will be checked off the list at the front of the AC, make a name tag, go to the anteroom where the press conferences are staged to view the available seats from the chart. When your actual time comes up you will be assigned one of the development staff who will take you to another room to officially record your selection. After your seats are known you can view from the area that you chose through virtual reality. It's a simple and easy process. You should be able to arrange a tour of the stadium in July and possibly change your location. If you can, I'd guess that there is a rather small window of opportunity because I can see that a wholesale changing of seats would create chaos.

The Lone Star Conference is a Division II conference so that wouldn't help their cause. They could try to get in the Southland, a FCS conference (Division I) but would be behind two other WAC wannabes in Lamar and Sam Houston State. In addition, their small enrollment would make it doubly tough to average the 15,000 required for admittance. Furthermore, it costs more than $10M per year to operate a FBS football team. I hope that Houston Baptist has the bucks behind them.

You win!

I would like to see all of the panels removed and all of the aluminum seats. The rest we could live with until the new track facility is built.

Injuries, changes in career goals, academics, girlfriends, family problems, and a myriad of other reasons can change the desire and focus of an athlete. Sometimes there are more talented athletes signed that would push them further down the chart. There are no doubt occasions where they are asked to give up their scholarship to make way for the signing of new talent. Whatever the reason there are always a few players that do not return in the fall. It happens in programs big and small. I would like for everyone to be able to finish their eligibility but it isn't always possible. All that we can do is thank them for their time and effort in trying to make this program a success. Godspeed to Troy, John and Austin. I wish you well for the remainder of your life.

Linebackers are not a good example. The only "linebacker" who is that light (202) is Blake Dunham and I think of him as a deep snapper and special teamer unless/until he gains enough weight to play that position. The next closest is Will Wright at 204 and he's a converted safety who I predict will be 10-15 pounds heavier by fall. To me, the average for all conference linebackers means little. The average for the best conference linebackers might be more telling. Zach Orr, one of our best, if not the best, linebacker weighs in at 240 so, as one poster said, there must be multiple sub-200 pounders somewhere. The premise is simply not factual. In addition, speed is another measurable factor that should also be included.

That'll be tough since the BBVA Compass Bowl is between the Big East and the SEC. If I remember correctly we (SBC) have been removed from the secondary list.