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No excuses. Benford was a bad hire. It was a mistake that needs to be corrected sooner than later. I don't think it is in good taste to go to a coach's show and make him look worse than he already does. I won't be going to another game this season - it is not worth my time.

You did it again. Please stop. I have no defense against your awesomeness.

Please stop. You guys are more awesome than awesome and we can't handle that level of awesomeness. I went to the game in Jonesboro last year and the people here who have disparaged that fine city and campus have vastly over rated it.

Emmitt vs. FFR in Guns and Hoses. I have suite seats and want to see it. Don't say it can't be done because it can. Who is going to puss out?

I have heard it is important in basketball to be a good shooting team.

“It is a disease that told me I couldn’t walk or run or do anything,” Woods said. “Now I’m killing people on the field. All the glory goes to God.” Ah kids.

I did a little looking as well. You know how we were saying Mac was more conservative the DD? Turns out Mac's offenses are jugarnaughts compared to the Buick and very comparable to TD's in yards gained - unfortunately also similar to TD in red zone efficiency. Mac and DD both won the turnover battle every year. Dodge lost the turnover battle every year.

Tony Benford just made the conference worse.

You have got to be freaking kidding me. This is just awful.

He is lying. I promise you they have had contact with CUSA.

The FAU beat writer is getting someone to talk. He says they are "in waiting" for the next (inevitable) raid on CUSA.

I think that would signal the exodus of a few more CUSA teams to the Big East or the MWC. Isn't NMSU/UTEP like UNT/SMU? I would really like to see UTEP and Tulsa stay. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow it's welcome Ark St and UL.

I am a fan of Mac and I think we are right on schedule but jeez louise this crap cannot happen. Just bush league. I predicted a 5 win season and we absolutely gave 2 games away. The Troy and WKU loses are all on Mac.

I don't think it will happen because of the college athletics industrial complex. These people chose this profession as a career path and they won't support s system that would cut their employment opportunities in half. Look at some "Tier 2" head coaches. Dennis Franchione, Bowden, McCarney, Schellenberger, Solich, etc. etc. Athletic Directors are retreads too. Ditto to college president's. These jobs don't last forever and they would be limiting their opportunities for future employment if they did this. Saban believes his own hype - he was a bust for the Miami Dolphins when the talent level isn't so glaringly different.

Should be this years comming out party.

Yes, the look great. I have heard several times just how bad our uni's look. I have to agree - they might be the worst in all of FBS football. Direct message to Mac - I hear you on the tradition thing and all but good god our helmets are bad. They are soooooooooooo baaaaaaaaaad.

I guess I'm just trying to say we're stuck. BTW Houston, SMU, and UCF are gone and ECU and Tulsa have one foot out the door.The Big XII and The New Big East whatever the heck they will call it will not happen for us now or the near future. I am not saying we should just accept our plight and not strive to do better. I'm just saying we are stuck like almost every other school in the MAC, SBC, MWC, and CUSA. Let's face it - the CUSA left behinds HATE their new conference. Some like ECU and Tulsa have delivered only to be left behind. Others like Rice and Tulane were once pround members of more presitigous conferences but have been relagated to a conference with members they NEVER thought they would be associated with. Every SBC school wanted in CUSA but CUSA 3.0 is spread from El Paso to Virginia. Does average Joe UNT fan give a flip about UAB or Charlotte? No! You may know about ECU or Southern Miss like you knew about Nevada, Utah State, and Boise in the Big West. You knew but it just doesn't register with about anyone else. There are some good programs in each conference and dogs with fleas in each. Since everybody hates their situation, just hate it regionally. I don't think you make CUSA appreciably better by cherry picking the freaking Sun Belt and MAC. Is being in a conference with UAB better than being in a conference with Texas State? There is just not that big of difference. I have never understood why if school X is 4 States away that is somehow more prestigious than school Y in your own State when the academic/athletic profile is about the same.

So much going on and so many path's this could take. Here is my best guess. The SMU's and Houston's of the world want together in a "separation" conference different from the MWC, MAC, CUSA, and SBC. That conference will span from coast to coast. It's just silly to have 2 conferences each with team(s) in both Texas and Florida. Just split CUSA and the SBC already. When this is all sorted out my very early prediction is that we will be in a conference with the leftovers in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. UNT UTSA Texas State Rice Tulane La Tech ULL + 2 or 3 others. Could be UTEP, Tulsa if they haven't found a better home but I think they find themselves a way out. Bottom line we need to worry about ourselves and not the company we keep.

Although this season has been a disappointment, it certainly is not a suprise. Too many weak area's, not enough depth. This football death sprial we've been in is going to be tough to get out of. I think McCarney will be given 4 full years as long as players stick around, we continue improving to the 85 scholly limit, receive no APR penalties, and he doesn't have a truly disasterous season. I'm still in shock over our 5 wins last year. After the program has been stabilized, then all bets are off. You have to win. If he can't win in year 4 then he needs to go. I have only seen McCarney's team lose one game the team had no business in losing and that was Troy. Coaches going forward will not have the luxury Mac will enjoy with as close to a 4 year guaranteed contract as any coach will ever get. Harry is right about the recruiting aspect. I have no doubt Mac will stabilize the program, I just have concerns over whether he can recruit the difference makers. Yes, we were THAT bad off as a football program. If you think we have the Jimmy's and Joe's you are wrong. Forget the Tulsa's and La Tech's of the world - Sun Belt conference foe's have been walzing into our own backyard and winning recruiting battles for years. Even worse - Sun Belt foe's were waltzing into our own backyard recruiting guys we wouldn't even talk to. Please don't read this to be some sort of excuse. It was a collective failure on many fronts for far too long. Even if Mac is not the answer I have absolutely no question in my mind that the next guy will have substantially more to work with. I couldn't say that with Simon, Dickey, or Dodge.

I do agree with you about the blip part but the ego stuff is real IMHO I do think Mac would insert me into the starting lineup if he thought it would help him win a game. He'd be wrong, but he'd do it. That being said - It has always AMAZED me the bunker mentality that exists inside the athletic department. Not everyone but quite a few. Those folks are so sensitive to criticism. Coaches, administrators, and athletes all read this board and get bent out of shape about it. They do think Vito is the Devil.

Roger Franklin looked like he has lost some lbs.

I think he gets 5 years no matter what because of the mess he inherited. The mess he inherited cannot be overstated. It was complete incompetency at the college level - just look at Southern Miss this year and what Johnson is doing to that proud program. What Mac has done right: 1) Improve depth by utilizing the redshirt system 2) Has his teams play non-pussified football 3) Institute a real strength and conditioning program What Mac has got to figure out: 1) how to improve the defensive line - wheather it be juco or whatever, and 2) Upgrade the QB position. Mac is Darell Dickey but with more energy, better public relations, better offensive schemes, better facilities, and a better conference to recruit to. Mac could learn one thing from DD - go get some juco defensive lineman.

Back on topic now. Was this one derailed by Cougar Queen or what? Anyway, of course practice is the best way to evaluate outside of a real game. You would think a "gamer" would step it up in practice but sometimes that just isn't the case. I think the staff plays DT because they think he is the best option at QB. What Harry said is legitimate and the reason you give him a chance is because play at that position has been poor and you want to try anything reasonable to improve the position. It could be Osborn performs so poorly in practice that there is no way in Hades the staff plays him on purpose. He did play some last year late in games when we were clearly out of it. He played well but maybe it was because the opposition put in their developing players - I just don't know. Maybe he just plays better in games - I just don't know that either. Based on what I saw - I think it's worth a shot.

C'mon dude, it was funny.

It's not bologna. Many players play much better in practice than they do in games. Some players play better in games than they do in practice. People actually study and do research on these performance issues - it's called sports psychology or performance psychology.