Side.Show.Joe

Despite the weather, I had a great time today. It always feels good to be back at Apogee. I agree the intensity level was high today. I really like that.

No. Like them or not, UT has always been a flagship in their conferences. And everyone in college football knows who UT is. Sure ODU has cash, but only a few million more than UNT. ODU is just a below average newbie in C-USA, pretending to be a power player. If we could get enough members to vote them out we should.

Their $46 million budget gives them even less reason to whine about C-USA. LA Tech, and Southern Miss manage to win with food stamp budgets.

ODU rubs me the wrong way. They have been FBS for about half a minute, done nothing, and are trying to dictate conference realignment. It won't hurt C-USA to lose those two. 12 teams would be a better number for a better C-USA anyway.

I'd be happy with that too.

Enoch Jackson.... 6' 298 pounds and a strong motor. I saw his tape. That dude looks like a legit SEC player, and I think Novil will take up a lot of attention in the new D-Line scheme. That should create even more opportunities for Enoch to shine.

I love that Aune threw up an Eagle Claw! I wish the Claw was the go to move after every big play on the field, court, and course.

Since UNT alum Senator Jane Nelson is chairing the committee, maybe fans on this board should reach out to her and ask that she advocate for UNT's inclusion in the conversation. I know we have the Big12 universities stating their cases for how they stand to lose financially and competitively with the separation occurring. UNT and the other public universities that have been outside of the Big12 have been at disadvantages for years. If our alums call her and Senator Springer, maybe they can advocate for North Texas in all of this. I saw the Texas monthly article calling for an all Texas conference. That might be something they could discuss at the hearing. Just a thought.

So I guess this means our SMU series is finished.... 2026 @ Wyoming UNLV @ Texas State Houston Baptist There are no openings left to continue the SMU series. Does Wren have us in the same conference by 2026?

Why would I want to hand you the game plan? That would be like scripting our first 20 offensive plays and giving you a copy. Better SMU has to guess where the next shot is coming from.

I have ideas, but would never post them out in the open on this board. If Wren wants to hear them, but I'd be glad to sit down and talk. Every program has strengths and weaknesses. SMU is no different. The UNT football program could certainly catch up and pass them within a few years.

If our success is tied to SMU than we have the wrong strategy. I believe our leadership is strong enough to grow us out of SMU's shadow. All adversity creates opportunity. We just have to find the best ways to exploit situations.

I think Aresco made a big miscalculation. The fact that the Big12 actually filed a cease and desist letter to ESPN tells me they have enough evidence to pursue further action against ESPN and any parties involved in this. I think the Big12 has a case against ESPN for "Conflict of Interest" and "Breech of Contract". ESPN holds contracts with both the Big12 and AAC. They can't legally position one contract partner against another. Also, I wonder if FOX could get the Federal Trade Commission involved. ESPN is probably not very happy with Aresco for allowing their movements to leak, and I doubt the AAC has enough money to settle out of court with the Big12. This could be really bad for the AAC, and their programs. I doubt any of the Big12 programs that will be able to vote, are going to want to extend invitations to any AAC member institutions. Why would they want to share all that extra ESPN money over the next few years, and why would they want to share some of those UT & OU exit fees? Why would they want to share any of their potential settlement money with the same programs they took it from? Also remember the exit fees for the AAC are around $22 million. That is a lot of cash that they may not get a chance to make up after 2025, when ESPN blackballs the Big12 from their platforms. Any possible Big12 invitations would probably go to BYU and a few MWC programs. The million dollar question is... how can Smatresk and Wren position UNT to take advantage of this mess?

Wren has been an outstanding AD. If he goes, I will miss him. But, I will be happy for him and his family. Mosley is a wonderful person and he would be a great AD.

Too quiet for my liking. We need to land some high caliber players soon. Too many other programs in our region and conference are loading up on the type of talent we need.

Rice is making progress towards building a $100,000,000 athletic endowment. I know Wren has done many great things since taking over at UNT, but is this something on his radar? I'm sure he is aware of Rice's ambitions, but I'm wondering if we are currently working towards something similar at UNT, or if it is something we need to get in place too. $100 million is probably not a realistic goal, but a multi-million dollar athletic endowment would certainly benefit our athletic department both financially and in perception. Thoughts? https://riceowls.com/documents/2019/4/7//Rice_Athletics_2019_2023_Strategic_Plan_WEB.pdf?id=8790

"Can you imagine illegally recruiting a player from another program for a full year. Finally get that kid to jump on the portal. Only to watch your rival (who wore you out during the regular season) come in late and take that player away from you." https://twitter.com/RodneyDeLong/status/1408528965061550080

This is Texas. The answer is football. But, it is easier to build a solid basketball program, and McCasland's teams are certainly getting the job done on the court.

It was the greatest run in the history of our basketball program. Thanks for the memories. I'm excited about where Wren and McCasland will take our program from here.

Watching the Richmond/Toledo game tonight was real joy for me. Not that I cared who won, but because the North Texas court logos were clearly viewable in almost every shot. That equals two plus hours of free advertising on ESPN2. And, we still have 3 more opening round games left over the next few days. We are also enjoying our logo being displayed at the games in Frisco. I have no idea how Wren achieved this, or what he had to spend to have North Texas partner with the NIT, but it was a real stroke of genius. It is all the better because UNT is in the Madness this season, which creates a secondary story line the announcers are mentioning. On social media, people are commenting on our unique court, and North Texas is a relevant topic. I'd imagine that tonight on SportsCenter, UNT's logos will be seen in much of the college basketball reporting. In my opinion, Wren has put on a marketing clinic for other athletic directors to envy. Thank you Wren. You instincts for college basketball are second to none.

In my opinion, this is a great use of the transfer portal. Thank you, Seth. This is the kind of move many of us on this board have been asking for. We still have slots available in this class. I hope we see more additions of this caliber in the near future. These are the types of moves that will get the fan base excited and eager to buy season tickets. Again, Thank you Littrell!

It is past time to honor both of these UNT greats. I have some ideas that could acknowledge both men in a fitting way. Maybe I will email Wren tomorrow.

I kind of like it. But if we are serving Hayden Fries, they need to be on the Mitchell Menu.

I'm not surprised Scott landed on his feet. And, I wouldn't be shocked if he does well at ULL.

From what I was told North Texas has been working on him for a while. Before Bennett came on board. Summarizing what I was told.... He liked Baylor a lot too, but North Texas seemed to have more to offer him. The "more to offer" could mean the opportunity to earn playing time as a true freshman. But, I am just guessing.