Hookset

My tailgate crew used to be as many as 25 people. Last week we only had 8. This week only 3 want to tailgate. Very disappointing. We can’t be the only losing team in the history of NCAA football. Tailgating should be done because we are losing. Would be one of the best things that happens on Saturday. Just my opinion…

Conference champion runner up was great…

Isn’t that exactly how UNT got in? Bought new facilities, have a good G5 athletic budget, and are considered a great “potential” team. Never done anything in football in our conference. I truly hope this move wakes up our “sleeping giant” and we become a consistent winner of the conference. GMG!!!

I remember it was always believed Seth would be moving on from UNT after he had some success. He had success his first 3 years and K-State came calling. That year there was also a mass exodus of the assistant coaches (they surely believed that they should move on because the head coach was leaving and their future here would not be guaranteed with the next HC). Seth has never recovered from that change in assistant coaches. So how does UNT become a place coaches want to stay at and build a lasting program? Like Patterson at TCU or Gundy at Oklahoma State? Is it just because programs like that are P5’s?

The last 2 classes were #1 in CUSA. That is still not very talented compared to other conferences. They are also true freshmen or redshirts. At our level those kids need time to develop. Unlike a P5 program where many of those freshmen can actually play and be productive. Also many of the better recruits from 3-4 years ago are skill position players. Some have never gotten past the injury bug or have transferred. What’s the one position we haven’t recruited well for or been successful with in the transfer portal? It rhymes with quarterback. A great QB can make even average receivers look awesome.

Wow! UNT is #2 in FB Success! I wonder how that is determined?

This probably won’t get any real traction but would be a huge cost saving plan for the G-5 schools. This would make maintaining/ upgrading facilities easier for all sports at the smaller schools. Increase rivalries with your school and the schools in your area (who cares if UNT plays ODU???). These schools can still schedule non-conference schedules with bigger programs and some travel. https://t.co/W8d1tKd2vQ

Play calling hasn’t been the problem. QB can’t run the offense.

Exactly right! A very young team that will get better. An above average QB could have raised much of the offensive play. Or experienced/healthy receivers, RB’s (other than Torrey) and tight ends could have raised the offensive performance. The defensive scheme is improving the play from the past few years. Shame it took so long to get the defense going in the right direction. Fixing the QB performance would solve many of the problems. Hopefully our current redshirt QB has something special or things suddenly click with one of our current transfer QB’s.

Very good response. I agree losing Davis hurt our offensive line. I have always believed the year of the KST interview destroyed our trajectory as a team. So many coaches left to get their better jobs rather than stay and build something lasting here. That started the rebuild, not with players necessarily but with staff.

Selling out a stadium in Iowa even when teams are losing is easier there than here. They have no pro teams and few large cities with alternate activities to take away attendance. When the weather turns bad, they are accustomed to it and that is huge. Down here there are so many other options that people have to spend their money on. When our weather gets bad, people shelter in place for a couple days until it warms back up.

He graduated from NC. He has no reason to stay and was not going to unseat the current starting QB. With the ridiculous amount of years of eligibility he has remaining, I’m sure NC (who has seen him throw in practice) wants to use that scholarship on a different player that could contribute for them.

I agree with this point right here!

We don’t draft a transfer. That player gets to choose where he wants to play. The better quality transfers just don’t want to play here. Also some of our better players have opted to go play elsewhere. Just like many of our coaches… How does UNT change our “stepping stone” image? It just isn’t win more. We did that and players and coaches still left or tried to leave.

I doubt that happens that way very often. I have no facts to back that up though…

I’m sorry, I don’t get the connection.

Seems to me that the coaching staff and development of players started going downhill when Littrell and his agent made a very public interview with Kansas State. I think quality assistant coaches started passing up trying to come here to coach. Which kinda makes sense if the head coach leaves, you could be looking for a new job. Sometimes stability is a strong selling point for an applicant. I do think Littrell’s desire to use UNT as a stepping stone to a “better job” truly hurt his position here and is likely beyond repair. Any thoughts???

This 3 year losing streak sucks. I get everything is the head coaches responsibility. But is it really? In my field, I have been apart of candidate’s interviews and several times we had to hire someone that we all knew wasn’t strong at their job because we didn’t have anyone better. We needed to fill the position but just didn’t have better candidates. Is this what has happened with the assistant coaches??? Injuries happen to all teams. Next player is supposed to step up. Depth used to be an issue for us. Are the assistant coaches not developing the next players? Or are the players overrated? Our best receivers are two undersized walk-ons. Both QB’s struggle with accuracy/mechanics and defensive reads. I also believe Martin has these issues in practice also or he would be playing. Will we have the same issue with the next head coach keeping quality assistant coaches? The assistant coaches are the ones that develop the players.

Boise State gets the lions share. Another wave of alignment is likely to happen in 2-3 years. They will likely leave for the BIG12 or PAC12. Both conferences are going to try to be 16 teams like the SEC. MWC tv deal will be renegotiated and it will be less.

I went to both of UNT’s games there. Both game and tailgating experiences were amazing. I hope in my lifetime I see a similar tailgating/game experience. The hospital was completed for the second game. It was special to see the kids in the windows waving back at an entire stadium that was waving at them. We tailgated with a group. They told me that many tailgate groups raise money and donate to the children’s hospital at the end of the season. The group we were with stated they came in first the year before and donated over $10,000. The yellow punch was Hawkeye Gold. The green was Mean Green punch. The green was better. 😉

Yep. I believe Boise State also knows their tv contract is about to stagnate/decline. They are going to another conference for that reason. The new tv contract that will be negotiated then will be much less. The MWC will not be a better conference soon.

Michigan/Ohio State are conference games. SMU had won many more than 6 (TCU leads the series 43-39-7) games against TCU. Much more evenly matched programs.

I am not saying that at all. Many Power 5 programs schedule powderpuff games for their non conference schedule. Look at Alabama’s non conference this year. They are the best team in the nation for several years now. Why can’t we do this??? Guarantee a couple more wins every year. Become bowl eligible. Get 5 extra weeks of practice to develop players and sell to recruits they can travel to bowl sites and play. This attitude that we need to play the best teams in the best conference every year isn’t working.

I have always wanted us to be dominant in all sports and move up to a better conference. Reality is football drives realignment opportunities. So if we go to the MWC now because they currently have a better TV contract, we will again be setting us up for failure. When the better MWC schools make their jump to the PAC12 and or BIG12 the current TV contract will be voided. The new TV contract for the MWC won’t pay as much. We will be stuck in a weak conference and now have even greater travel expenses. UNT can’t cover our current scholarship expenses. It is sad to say, but money drives what happens. Just saying…

The better MWC schools are likely going to leave when they get an invite to the PAC12 or BIG12. The current TV contract will be voided. The next TV contract won’t pay as much. We will play lesser MWC schools with more travel expenses and a poor TV contract. That will be our reality.