Mike Jackson

Just another example on how greed will continue to slowly kill college football. This move has nothing to do with providing a better product for college football fans, better quality of life experience for students athletes or just regular students. I think it is absolutely disgusting and with each money grab move they are weakening their case for not paying the athletes. College football has 2 distinct market profiles and it seem like the powers that be don't understand that: 1. National Interest College Football relevant to the national championship race 2. Regional Interest College Football relevant to the fans in a particular region. These 2 profiles do not overlap enough to build a consistent mega conference that can offer both kinds of games every week. The SEC gets close but when Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, or Florida are not playing each other in a given week a national interest for a game inside the SEC is sometimes hard to find. And spare me Texas A&M cause you haven't proved to be nationally relevant without Johnny Manzel in the SEC. Arkansas, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Missouri, Mississippi State and Ole Miss can make things interesting on a national scale once every 5 years or more. Kentucky and Vanderbilt are almost alway non factors and don't generate interest (in football) outside their states. Big 10 do programs not named Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State. Sorry Nebraska the mid west loves you but the coast don't give a rip about your football program. Wisconsin is a nice program but does anyone not from that area really care when they are on TV and not in the national championship picture (which is rare) Nebraska is the best of the next tier of the Big 10 cause the fans are loyal and you see them in a lot of place far away from Nebraska occasionally. PAC 12 UCLA, USC, Stanford, Washington and Oregon those are the only consistent national interest school in that conference. No one is tuning in to watch Arizona vs Utah. Colorado is the Nebraska of the PAC 12. A transplanted school with good history but unfortunately for them the fans are as committed as Nebraska's. Are the rest of the schools worth mentioning why they rarely get national interest? Not really. ACC FSU, Clemson, Virginia Tech and Miami. I think Miami is a little bit of a stretch. But if coaching changes don't produce long term success and stability at Virginia Tech and Miami do fans outside the south east cost region care about Virginia Tech and Miami? The consistent pattern is that all the conference have at the most 6 contenders, 3 to 4 spoiler teams and the rest are irrelevant. And the mega conference that Big 12 could build even if they could ideally steal Missouri, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Nebraska (the historical regional rivals) you have the same template. Even that mega conference is still behind the SEC, PAC 12, and Big 10 in many ways. As we learn more about concussions and their long term effects the more parent will start to weight the benefits of scholarship vs long term physical problems the NCAA and schools don't want to pay for.

I think this is just the opposite of what they should be doing. I would like to set up a poll on and ask the the simple question: Has conference realignment and dissolving\interrupting of some of the most historical vibrant t caused you to watch more college football not involving you favorite team or less? For me it has been unquestionably less. Just because West Virginia is in the conference with state of Texas teams I follow the chances of me watch them play anybody but an elite team with realistic national title hopes is zero. It goes without saying I would be front and center if they played UNT. The same could be said for Cincy, or Memphis. The move worth making is kicking WVU out in favor of BYU. Then you could make a pitch for Utah, Colorado, and Colorado State. I think even Air Force would be a nice PR move that would soften the weak conference stigma in favor of patriotism. And maybe Air Force could make some competitive improvement with greater exposure. Ideally would like the conference at 9 if you aren't going to have a geographically reasonable 10th member. The only technical available option I would make an exception for is Notre Dame. Every conference in America would except maybe the SEC. You need quality over quantity.

And it not just losing, it is not being competitive. If go to a conference game and we are in the game until the late in the 4th quarter I am NOT happy but I don't feel ripped off. I want to stay for the playing of our alma mater. But when your team looks like it was an amateur team playing a pro team you don't feel like it. It is impossible and unreasonable to expect to even every home game. We should have the expectation as fans and alumni of the team that a teenager nearing making a decision to go to college get the impression from the quality of the stadium, the fans and the play the field that UNT is a top notch university. A university on par with (or better than) any other public university in the state of Texas. Apogee is a great investment but we need a bigger heart investment by more of our alumni. Crushing Abilene Christian in Apogee is not much better than in Fouts Field. The only difference are nicer distractions from a game that should not be a contest. And I thought the whole purpose of building Apogee was to have fewer games against FCS schools and more against schools you would be proud for your children to attend if they did not choose UNT. (This is no shot at Abilene Christian because you choose that school for things that large public university can't give you.) You want to play more teams that are recognizable to your average college football fan. Nothing cheapens the value of your ticket than offering your ticket to a friend only to have explain who opponent is. (Even when that friend watches CFB almost every weekend). I started with 4 season tickets, reduced it to 3, then to 2 and now to none. It was painful cause I love my school and want support it beyond just donations. Sorry but amenities only go so far when the team isn't playing an opponent you want to see half the time and losing the other half the time. We need more fans whose passion is greater than what they spend on season tickets. That means demanding competitiveness! That isn't winning the division every year but that mean getting the first Saturday in November every year with shot at it.

That is fine point until you deal with the reality that ticket buyers who is not reasonably invested into success of the program aren't sitting in their seats for even 5 of the 6 homes game we get a year. So that 14,000 is inflated. Even if we averaged 18,000 to 20,000 paid for tickets a game and had less than 10,000 in actual attendance that would still be a huge problem. You don't change the perception of a program with a balance sheet. Don't agree? What if Seth get it really going and we get a Holiday Bowl bid (I know conference bowl agreements make this an impossibility now but bare with me) If we could guarantee that UNT fans would sellout our allotment "Holiday Bowl" tickets but only half or less of our fans would actually show up the Holiday Bowl organizers would incompetent if they weren't looking for a replacement for us. You don't impress recruits, students, or anyone with a good team in a half empty stadium no matter how many tickets you sold. So yes the Graham Harrell fan club is welcome but if you think they are show up at a game in November that is damp, windy with temperatures in the 40s you are dreaming. They will find other things to do cause it doesn't mean much to them. NOTE: I count ACTUAL attendance as being in the stadium from the midpoint of the first quarter to at least 2 minutes into the 4th quarter of a game that is in doubt. I have been attending games since Darrell Dickey days and in my experience our ACTUAL attendance figure I estimate is right at 10,000. And If is an average bad season it is lower than 10,000.

Okay it is kind of ridiculous that the marketing company hired to do this work has taught their callers the basics about the DFW area market.

I really like how people say things about national name recognition without any national polling data or market research to back it up. I think that people recognize Texas State nationally more than any name our university could legally and logically could be changed too. However San Marcus Community College beat us to it. You know what things hurt name recognition the most; losing, lower starting salaries for graduates, changing your name every 30 years and alumni that would not be caught dead with anything with NTSU, UNT, or NTU printed on it that isn't a degree. Pointless debate because I believe the people in charge know that changing the name won't improve anything in a substantial way.

treason: the crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government. Hillary did not do that. She did put classified information at risk. If she had intentionally sent that classified information to unauthorized people that could be prosecuted as treason. She did not do that. Therefore calling what she did (evidence would seem to indicate she did) treason is extreme. Not worthy to be president valid, criminal negligent probably, but treason absolutely not. I hate this new mindset in America: It like when someone you don't like punches someone once you think it is okay to charge them with attempted murder when the victim needed no medical attention. Conservative and anti-Hillary people want to turn this punch into attempted murder. That is what I call extreme. I did not post a single thing that could be translated as an excuse. My contention is was the improper use of the word treason. It is the same mindset that has people calling all Sanders supporters communist or all Trump supporters racist. It is stupid and it makes our country look like we are mostly judgmental idiots.

Treason? Really? Go to the extreme end to the spectrum with your analysis often? Look I am NOT a Hillary fan. And what she did and had government employed technical professionals assist her with was ridiculous. Those IT professionals who set up the servers should be the first to go jail if anyone goes to jail. All citizens regardless of occupation are responsible for not carrying out illegal directives given to them whether they work the government or your local McDonalds. Hillary being an entitled idiot in this case does not make her guilty of treason. It makes you guilty of putting classified information at risk by sheer ineptitude. She should be prosecuted and anyone who assisted her who wasn't the first whistle blower should be prosecuted also. It is a very sad state of affairs in the USA when we automatically want to go the extremes in our analysis of anything political that does not go our way. I am very tried of the narrative that Liberal Media or Fox News is doing X, Y, and Z. The fact of the matter is that the media doesn't have to do much if anything at all because people are way too politically lazy in this country. We have supported a state sponsored duopoly (some could actually say monopoly in my opinion and not be too far off) government. The whole party primary, state/national conventions and caucus system is designed to reduce our choices on meaningful ballots. Millions of Bernie Sanders supporters, Ted Cruz supporters, Kaisch supporters, Ben Carson supporters, Green Party supporters and Libertarian supporters are told to kick rocks because they won't be selectable options on your ballot come November. (Side note the Libertarian party is close to if not already to confirmed to be on ballots in all 50 states this go round hopefully. i am NOT Libertarian but a little 'd' democrat which means I support democracy.) Why are the vast majority of voters going to select one of 2 bad options come November? It isn't because of the FBI, the corrupt corporate media, stupid liberals or mean myopic conservatives it because "We the People" are too lazy and scared to vote outside the boxes force fed to us. It isn't the sexy, easy answer that puts the blame on the "elite others" who don't share our values which why I will probably get a lot of dislikes.

What are the chances we could be in the mix to get him?

Not regularly getting P5 opponents at Apogee is somewhat understandable but NOT getting premier G5 opponents in lieu of those P5 opponents is NOT. Colorao State, Fresno State, Boise State, San Diego State, Memphis, Cincinnati, Houston, and Tulsa - and even if you are really desperate distant outpost like UConn, Buffalo, and Hawaii would be better than what they have be offering recently

I love these uniforms. The swooping Eagle is nice but were are better known as the Mean Green. If we were to go away from the Eagle the interlocking NT is the way to go. This went back to all the way 2012? Wonder why this AD is no longer around.

I dearly hope you are wrong. The new AD should not be promoted from within a failing department. It is just that simple.

I am realist and even I think this team will get 3 wins at the very least.

We need very little continuity with the old regime. And especially at the AD position. Only the basic business relationships program has developed and the work of the NCAA compliance team needs to be held on to. Arguably these were the only parts of the Athletic Department that were performing at a satisfactory level consistently. Hank is a part of that business relationship team. I could see Hank as the AD after maybe a high priced "hired gun" spends about 6 years cleaning up the mess RV left. Time to change part of the culture that holds the department back. Kind of like bring in Pat Riley as head coach or GM for short period to right the ship then hand it off to someone with local ties groomed to continue the new positive direction. At that point Hank may not be interested or have enough energy for the demand of the job. If that is the case the God bless him but there are too many old Alumni that seen too much garbage over the years to let the good ole boy network make this hire. If you graduated before 1990 you deserve to see a couple CUSA championship while you can still walk to your seats.

This comment should have gotten way more love than it did.

Nothing else needs to be said in reference to scheduling FCS opponents. And people forget that Boise State has a captive market for football in their city. If Denton was 100 miles away from the nearest NFL team and relevant FBS program scheduling FCS team would make more sense. These game are money losers because unless they are the homecoming game fewer fans are coming. UNT has to win and put butts in seats at the FBS level. If were to guarantee 3 straight 2 loss or less seasons at FCS level if UNT were to drop down who would be interested? I suspect less than 50% of the people on this board would be interested in that. We should be scheduling well known G5 programs like a Boise State. San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State and Memphis would all be nice additions to our schedule over the next 5 years. Going slightly under .500 in competitive games against those teams mean much more than being undefeated against FCS. Highlights of games against known FBS opponents get highlights on sports shows, only losses of FBS teams (or even close calls) get your program infamy.

Very good question, I am not certain but using "half scholarship" does not enable you edit your roster.

A market correction is long in coming for cable tv in general. The rise in cost has never been supported by demand. No one was demanding the LHN yet ESPN and cable providers saw fit to jam it down the throat of every basic level sports package customer. The Big 12 letting the LHN be created was their death nail as full fledge P5 conference long term without any major changes. I would have happily paid for a Big 12 network for the old line up of schools. Hopefully realignment will come full circle and become more regional. Conferences larger than 12 just hold less interest to me because the journey to get a champion is convoluted. Watching the 30 for 30 about Colorado's former coach just reminded me of the good ole days. You can't throw an Orange on the field of your opponent in the regular season finale because you have to play a Championship game to determine your bowl berth. I think I recall people throwing string of beads one the times the Dickey coached Mean Green clinched a New Orleans bowl berth.

There should be absolutely no promotion from within for this job. I like Hank and I hope he sticks around in some capacity but this idea is insane. Seth went out and got a new starting QB that wasn't on our campus last year. Do you know why? It makes sense that a 1-12 team probably did not have a really good QB on the bench. Suffice to say that athletic department probably did not have good leaders right under RV's level ready to take the helm. Otherwise we would have better service from the ticket office, a better schedule, better media communication and better selection of food for the common folks at the games. I would estimate that at least 60% of the higher level staff need to be gone. If you don't out and out fire them, they should be phased out and encouraged to get new jobs. I hope they achieve a 50% turnoff rate from the day it was announced that RV was stepping down. Ideally by 2020 about 60%-70% of the people above foot solider level should be gone. What do you guys think of that?

I wouldn't go that far but definitely all the Southern Miss people at the 1st and 2nd Lieutenant level should be gone. I don't have much sympathy either because at those levels you have to be forward thinking and realize the ship is sinking before the last of the life boat get untethered from the Titanic. I have made that mistake myself and paid for it dearly. The next concern is making sure that all remaining CUSA West Division alumni in the department have tangible evidence of high quality results here at UNT. And just for the outside looking in and dealing with the ticket office I would estimate that evidence is relatively rare on average.

Although quite entertaining the second half of this thread was pointless. I am going graciously call RV a mediocre AD. The conference move was mediocre when you look at schools CUSA were losing. Apogee is nice but it gets built ad long as a basically qualified, competent person is hired instead of RV. The only thing close to praise I could offer is kuddos for the SMU rivalry renewal. Hustler maybe, corrupt, I don't care unless his corrupt cronies are still employed. Let us all take a break from defending or criticizing RV. Cause best case scenario we are arguing over mediocre. Could you really get amped up for a week 17 game in the NFL between 3-12 Browns and 4-11 Titans? Their season are over in that scenario and RV is gone. How do we help clean up this mess?

I agree which why it would have to be something bigger than money to attract him here. 1. Maybe just to stick to UT and build a program that could siphon a Dfw Recruit or 2 away. 2. Build a legacy and mentor a great upcoming coach he has a close relationship with. But that opportunity (absolutely small as it was) is gone. I was thinking of a Mack mentoring Applewhite set up. As it stands now all our hope is in Seth. I don't believe they are going to run out and get a big name. And if that is case I would strongly prefer a UNT Alum or at the very least evaluated by our distinguished lettermen before the hire. Most important is experience in an improving athletic department in a metro area with strong professional sports franchises. We are competing with those other organizations for our fair piece of media attention and we rarely get it. I read Brett Vitto's complaints about the convenience of access and that is totally unacceptable when we are starve for attention.

omg I am floored. It sucks now cause I did not budget for season tickets. I wrote fire RV on the last renewal notice I received and mailed it in. If I known it was magic I would have wrote Conference Champion on it. Lol

All fine and good but are discounting the fact he had to be his own Athletic Director while being head coach also. I think anyone in this board in a situation like that at a place we don't absolutely love would leave too.

November homecoming against a team that will probably beat us?