wardly

i went to that NEW ORLEANS bowl, and while i was happy we were there, i also was embarressed by our 5&6 record. MTSU was 9&2,co-champions,but lost to us in regular season at Fouts.

as we speak, both CUSA and MWC appear to losing 3 schools each to the Big East. that would drop CUSA to 9 members, and MWC to 7. until both conferences get a final head count, i don't see how they can merge or schedule games. besides, looks like the AQ conferences will soon be a thing of the past as BCS may just deal with championship game when contract expires in 2013 and let conferences aline with bowls like the did before there ever was a BCS.

few your prayers are answered. my grandson is playing basketball saturday afternoon,so we are going to Sam Houston/UNT basketball game saturday night. as a result, i have 2 club seat tickets plus #8 parking pass available at no charge. i live in Frisco off El Dorado and N.Dallas tollway.call me tomorrow so we can arrange to meet. i am retired, taking a few days off from golf both Friday and Saturday, so am flexible regarding meeting.enjoy, ward white

IF, and its a big IF,AFC,Boise,and SDSU leave MWC for Big East, then the MWC becomes a glorified WAC. if we complain about no intrastate rivals now and the travel distance to Sun Belt members, then the MWC is not for us. the closest member is in Albuqurque, which is a lot futher from Denton than Monroe. given my " druthers ", i would rather be a replacement for SMU SHOULD they and Houston leave CUSA for Big EAST.baring that, i would just as soon stay in the Belt with the addition of La.Tech,TX.St.,UTSA, and NMSU from the WAC creating 7 school Western and Eastern divisions. even UTEP doesn't want in the MWC.

rick, i appreciate your point of view, and continued support of N.T. athletics. if i remember the "way back machine", SMU had an AD whose name escapes me[Russ Potts?] that said something to the effect that an empty seat never bought a bag of popcorn. this is a chance to get people who might never go to a game in our new stadium at a game in which we are favored with the hope that they will buy tickets and come back next season. in addition,this game is up against a number of conference championship games, such as SEC,CUSA,that will be televised. i'm afraid the stadium would be more than half empty without this promotion. we always discuss ways to build our core fan base, and i applaud our efforts to do so. its not a perfect world, and life is not always fair. we all try to do the best we can, and thats what R.V. is attempting to do.

Rice also averaged 17,000.

yes,except for UTSA,who averaged about twice that.

FYI,i glanced at CUSA attendance, which shows ECU at 50,000 per game, which are sellouts. UCF averaged 37,000,Houston 31,000, and Southern Miss. 30,000. rest of conference ranged from 27,000[uTEP&Marshall], to 17,000[uAB]. i overlooked Rice, but Tulsa,Tulane,and SMU averaged between 22,000 and 20,000 in attendance, about the same as LA.Tech.we, on the other hand, mirrored UAB, both in games won[them 3, UNT 4 with one home game to play], and attendance. all this proves is i am retired and have a lot of time on my hands.

UTEP is very happy in CUSA because of alumni base in large Texas metropolitian cities and has expressed no interest in joining MWC. in fact, i would think that they would be supportive of our admission into CUSA should SMU move to Big East, which like Santa Clause, will believe when i see it.

i was at NT 61'thru 66', and remember when this came up. it was killed by the University of Texas, and never got off the ground.

if i am CUSA, i want a foot in DFW and San Antonia. i also find it hard to believe that Waters scoffed at a start up program at UTSA while supporting one at USA. i personally believe NT will be fine, either as a CUSA replacement for SMU should the ponies actually move to Big East, or in a merger with the WAC[ excluding SJSU,Utah State, and Idaho] while creating a Western Division of the Belt.while my preference certainly is CUSA, i could live with THE BIG BELT.

La. Tech's team is probably even better that its record. They lost at So. Miss by 2,Houston at home by 1 blowing 3 touchdown 2nd half lead, and in OT at Miss. ST. Their only big loss was by 18 at home against Hawaii the following week.They also beat Old Miss.on the road, which is simular to our win against Indiana.Their problem is being a fairly small school in Ruston,whose population is about 25,000. You would think they would draw some fans from Shreveport, but apparently not.I would like to think we would fill our new stadium with their record, and hope to find out in next few years.La. Tech has had good teams in the past, but i think attendance has always been a problem. I wish them well in their bowl game, which will probably be against Boise.

just asking, but if BCS drops all bowl games when present contract expires [i think in 2013], eliminates AQ conferences, and just matches #1&#2 in a nonbowl setting, such as Jerryworld, why would anyone west of the Mississipi move to Big East? if this does indeed happen, and apparently there are serious discussons within the BCS to do so, then the currunet BCS bowls would just revert back to their pre BCS conference ties. personally, all i want before i die is NT in a regional conference/western division, and don't care if its a mixture of WAC,CUSA, and Belt schools. just an old man's opinion.

assuming the creation of a Western Division of Big East falls apart, and SMU/Houston stay put, as well as AFA/BOISE,there are some interesting post on Sunbelt Conference Talk regarding the Belt being proactive in absorbing most of the WAC. the suggestion is to bring in NMSU,UTSA,TEXAS ST.,and LA. TECH for all sports and UTA for all except football to balance UALR. add NT,ULL, and ULM for a Western Division and you would have 14 football schools, 16 basketball, 2 divisions, and a football championship game..SJSU, Utah ST., and Idaho would have to fend for themselves.

for what is worth, La. Tech won the WAC with an 8&4 record and is going to the Poinsettia Bowl.the WAC this year included Nevada,Hawaii, and Fresno St. who will be joining MWC next year. congrats to the Bulldogs. hope to see them in the same conference as UNT.

that would be hard to do since they played at FAU. my son went to the game and estimated about 10,000 fans in their new stadium.

regardless of who is at fault, i don't ever remember hearing of a 32 point run in college.

note: Texas Southern still shows us on their schedule.

Texas State has replaced us on Houston's schedule. also, the Bobcats host Texas Tech in San Marcus, and are at New Mexico and Navy. also, i no longer see Texas Southern on our schedule.

La Tech would be a natural, but they won't play in same division as Monroe. add Texas St.,NMSU,La. Tech, UTSA to NT,A-State,& ULL as Western Division in 14 team conference. Monore,Troy,USA,FAU,FIU,WK, and MTSU would conprise Eastern Division.works for SEC.

i don't know if BYU's loss is our gain. all the Big East reports i read say that SDSU will take their "football only " slot along with BSU, AFA,and Navy with SMU,Houston,and UCF for all sports.this will take CUSA down to 9 members, and MWC to 7. if MWC adds SJSU and Utah State to get to 9, they will be at the number the ECS chancellor says that both conferences want for a total of 18. just a longer process than most thought, and a lot of moving parts. the ECU says CUSA/MWC football merger will be completed by january, but he also says they have applied for "football only" membership to Big East. what a mess.

i meant Go Daddy Bowl for A-State, no Papa John. my bad.