Side Show Joe

The Belt will look like fools if we invited LA Tech and they refused again. We don't need them. Ruston is a terrible market, LA Tech has bad support for a bowl team, and I can't see them affording the costs of playing competitive FBS football in the years to come, with a $15 million budget. We don't need more teams.

If no C-USA/MWC invitation is extended to us, the Sun Belt will be better off by not expanding. The conference is rapidly improving. We don't need any FCS programs, or LA Tech. I feel bad for NMSU, but at this time I don't think it's in the Sun Belt's interest to expand the footprint of the conference further west. The Sun Belt is already better then the new WAC, and moving ahead of the MAC. After the AQs finish raiding, if the Belt is not raided by the C-USA or the MWC, both conferences will be weaker, and the Sun Belt will be in position to become a top non AQ conference. And, under this situiation, if the AQ status goes away, then the Belt will be on a fairly even level with C-USA and the MWC. Just my opinion.

With the football season over, what can UNT do to improve our visability during the off season? Watching high school playoff games televized at Apogee was nice. Maybe we should have nice North Texas banners hanging along the sidelines and end zones next year. What can we do to attracted more attention from the DWF media, and improve the perception of our program during the off season? We need to become the "Big" Mean Green in the eyes of our fans and community.

I think we would be better off.

I dont' know if the new M-USA will expand or not, but they have had plenty of time to deside what they need to do. They have known for some time 4 or these five schools were out. I also don't believe they will turn their back on Florida or DFW. As for Texas State and UTSA, we don't need them. We would lose credibility by alligning with these FCS move-ups. The Sun Belt is an improving conference, even more so when compared to the struggles of the WAC. If the Sun Belt does not lose any members, then I see no reason to expand. If UNT and/or other Belt teams goes to C-USA, then the Sun Belt would probably have to expand, and maybe UTSA could be concidered.

Are we going to have a good crowd, or have students started heading home for Thanksgiving? We've got about 15 in our group going tomorrow. Did Mac send out another letter?

Is there a watch party in Denton? Maybe at Rudy's or Pourhouse?

I got to the game and wanted a hamburger, so I went to the Sonic. When I got there, I was informed that the Sonic sells hotdogs, not burgers. WTF?! Then I walked over to the Rudy's to get a chopped beef sandwich, but they didn't take debit cards. So I walked down to the ATM, and it was out of service. This would all be very funny if it wasn't true. I don't feel the concessions are maximizing their profits.

I thought the athletic department said there would be no tailgating after the games start. I don't like seeing anybody tailgating on the hill when our team is fighting for a win. I wish RV would do something about this.

More then I thought would show up, but less then I thought I saw. Looked more like 19,000 to me.

If these teams leave C-USA and the MWC, North Texas will be right in the middle of this merger, and neither division of this new conference will have a team in DFW. This should be great for us. It is a bad time to be losing games. Hopefully Mac can figure something out by next weekend, and RV finds a way to fill the stands next Saturday. We can't post another FAU attendance this season. I'm sure people are keeping an eye on us.

Troy is bad this season. The fact that ULM destroyed them doesn't concern me half as much as our struggling offense, and the empty seats we will see.

I think the point is that this season is lost. At best we may finish 4-8. Many fans would like to see all the QBs see meaningful game minutes against our opponents starters, so we might have a better idea if any of them are gamers. Some guys find a way to make things happen when it's game time. Until Mac lets the fans see what each of them can do under real game conditions, people will continue to questions some of his decisions. I think McNulty will be a good QB. Of the 3, I think he has the most talent. I think he has solid arm, and good athleticism, but he is not ready to be the starter. Osborn needs a chance to show what he can do. This offense is stalled. Something has to change.

I don't know what to say. I want to be angry about losing these games, but we just don't have enough talent at enough positions. Before the season started I was optimistic we might win 5 games. Now it's looking like we will be lucky to see 4 wins. Even worse, It's going to hurt watching this team play in an empty apogee for the last 3 home games. I really hope McCarney, Canales, and RV can figure out some way to salvage this season, and get butts in seats. Maybe some realignment news will cheer me up next week.

I bought the Mean Green Premium and it's all choppy. Plus the Mean Green Insider audio is playing over the game. What kind of bush league crap is this?

After thinking about it for a while, I don't think Boise will turn down the invite. They hate the MWC's T.V. deal. The Big East keeps it's AQ status for at least a few more years. If more teams should leave the Big East, they will still be able to snatch the top non-AQ teams to fill in the empty spots. When it is all said and done, the Big East will be made up of the best programs from the MWC/C-USA conference, and the Big East leftovers that couldn't escape. Will it still be an AQ conference? I don't know. I do believe that this new C-USA/MWC conference will want a team in DFW, and that's good for North Texas.

Would Houston and SMU even want to join, if the others didn't? Are more teams about to leave the Big East?

I really hope this does not happen. It would be a very bad situation for North Texas. FIU would get in to keep C-USA in Florida, and WKU would get in to appease Marshall. How sad would it be to have to watch a start up Sun Belt team, that doesn't even have ten years of history, and a fresh off the boat FCS program, we have never lost to, get the open spots. And, neither of them can draw flys. If two Belt teams are poached from the east, the Sun Belt will be on shaky ground. I can't think of how this could end well for North Texas. Personally, I don't think ECU or UCF will get invited to the Big East. Although they have been solid programs, neither would really provide the Big East with the kind of on the field success that is needed to maintain their BCS status. TCU would have delivered that.

I never thought Texas would let TCU into the Big 12. Now the talk about SMU to the Big East or SEC makes some sense. If these rumors are true that both conferences are interested in SMU, and want to come out of realignment with a team in the metroplex, that could be good news for us. Who am I kidding, with our luck, we will prpbably still be in the Sun Belt when all this is over.

I don't know why Osborn didn't get the start. Maybe McNulty did better in practice. I do know McNulty didn't have it on the field tonight, and I could see that by half way through the 2nd quarter. At that point the game was not out of reach. When this team is playing FAU in front of a half empty Apogee Stadium next Saturday, the coaches will only have themselves to blame. After laying this egg tonight, the casual fans who came out to see the new stadium are not going to be there next week. I'm not saying we would have won tonight, but we probably would not have been embarrassed had Osborn got into the game before halftime. McNulty might be a good QB for us at some point, but he is not a ready right now.

Rick, I would really like to know why the flag isn't on the sidelines. If you can't post it on the board, would you please PM me. Thanks, Joe

Speaking of the Battle Flag, I have yet to see it on the field at Apogee. Has anyone seen it on the field during a game?

I don't think most people perceive TCU as a team the metroplex is frothing at the mouth to go see. They are coming off a Rose Bowl win, and are only attracting 33,000 to their games. I think TCU reached a peek last season, at least for a year or two. They lost several players from last season, and lost to a good Baylor team already. Boise will probably take them down as well. Next season, in the Big East, it won't get any easier. I don't think the Big 12 will add TCU. Small private schools are not the norm in the Big 12. McCarney is going to be a winner at North Texas. Not just in Sun Belt games either. I truly believe North Texas will become a program that can compete with most teams on any Saturday. Just because on the field TCU has dominated the metroplex for the past decade, doesn't mean they will this decade.

After selecting our coach and researching a growth plan for our athletics, Neinas knows what we got here at North Texas. With all that has occurred in realignment, nothing would surprise me at this point.

A friend and I will be going up for the game. It will be my first trip to Tulsa. This is a road trip I could make every other year, if the AD's at our schools are willing to turn this into a continuing series.