MGB: UNT's future nonconference opponents

Cerebus · February 10, 2015

From the other thread, this is more or less exactly what we need right now:

Boise St. became Boise St. when they beat a major program, and not before.

*BUZZZZ* Wrong. Boise became Boise when they started to recruit better. How did they start to recruit better? They won games against lower competition.

Right now we are getting some 3* recruits. Boise was at that level also at the start. Then they beat up some lower competition, and they started getting MOSTLY 3* recruits, kept doing it, got a 4* every once in a while. etc, etc. Then they beat OU.

And the main problem with your argument is that we play a P5 every year on the road that has been an automatic loss for this program forever. So are you saying as long as we get our whore money that losing is ok?

No I don't want to play them at all. Maybe once every few years. I think if we had better leadership in place we could develop better revenue streams and not have to play those paycheck games at all. Once our recruiting improves to where we could be competitive from a pure athlete stand point, then lets play the P5.

That's what Boise did, they beat up the small teams AND THEN recruited well AND THEN beat some of the big boys. Look at their wins at the start:

1998: CalState(nor), Portland St, Utah, Weber St, Utah St, NMSU (we beat this team)
1999: Southern Utah, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Utah St, Ark St, NMSU, Idaho (We beat this team also)
2000: New Mexico, Northern Iowa, Central Mich, Eastern Wash, North Texas, NSMU, Ark St, Utah St, Idaho, UTEP
2001: UTEP, Idaho, Tulsa, Fresno St, Nevada, Hawaii, SJSU, Central Mich
2002: Idaho, Wyo, Utah St, Hawaii, Tulsa, Fresno, SJSU, Utep, Rice, LaTech, Nevada (ranked 15th)
2003: Idaho St, Idaho, Wyo, LaTech, Tulsa, SMU, SJSU, BYU, UTEP, Nevada, Fresno, Hawaii (ranked 15th)
2004: Idaho, Oregon St, UTEP, BYU, SMU, Tulsa, Fresno, Hawaii, SJSU, LaTech, Nevada (ranked 12th)
2005: BGSU, Hawaii, Portland St, SJSU, Utah St,Nevada, NMSU, Fresno, Idaho, LaTech
2006: Sac St, Oregon St, Wyo, Hawaii, Utah, LaTech, NMSU, Idaho, Fresno, SJSU, Utah St, Nevada (They beat OU in the Fiest)

See that? 9 years, 88 wins, 7 FCS teams, 2 P5 teams (a terrible Oregon St program, and of course the great win against OU)

Thats how you build a program, bring in FCS teams, schedule other G5 teams, especially the one struggling. No reason a university this size shouldn't have a program that can bring in an Idaho or NMSU as a paycheck game every year.

untjim1995 · February 10, 2015

Eh, I'm not upset. If I saw a return game, I'd be furious.

But, when you're buying, you can only buy from the schools that are selling. And that's the indies, the move-ups, the Sun Belt, and 1-AAs. Close means cheaper, which means not having to sell a 2nd game and get in this 5 home game mess again.

I realize that, but other schools seem to be able to do it better than us. Play SBC teams instead of FCS schools, for pete's sake...we look so damn small time, its not even funny. I'd get it if we matched Mizzou up with Incarnate Word or Arizona with Nicholls State, but freaking SMU with Liberty and Army with Lamar? That ain't bringing $78 million dollars back to the UNT community very easily.

Its just too bad...

TheTastyGreek · February 10, 2015

I realize that, but other schools seem to be able to do it better than us. Play SBC teams instead of FCS schools, for pete's sake...we look so damn small time, its not even funny. I'd get it if we matched Mizzou up with Incarnate Word or Arizona with Nicholls State, but freaking SMU with Liberty and Army with Lamar? That ain't bringing $78 million dollars back to the UNT community very easily.

Its just too bad...

When we were in the Belt, would you have been cool with us selling road games to Memphis? Tulane? Tulsa?

UNT90 · February 10, 2015

Eh, I'm not upset. If I saw a return game, I'd be furious.

But, when you're buying, you can only buy from the schools that are selling. And that's the indies, the move-ups, the Sun Belt, and 1-AAs. Close means cheaper, which means not having to sell a 2nd game and get in this 5 home game mess again.

The only addition I have a problem with is the 2019 home game against Abilene Christian. Play FCS's that have a history of sucking. ACU isn't that. I expect them to be a VERY competitive FCS by the time 2019 rolls around, having adjusted from the step up from D2.

What this does is FINALLY give us flexibility going forward.

I also wonder if the statement made to Harry during that first podcast last year was just made to appease fans. This is an obvious violation of the promise made to schedule better opponents when we got Apogee, but I stopped believing anything the AD said about 2 years ago.

Better win each and every game against these crappy FCSs, RV, or else you will see a real fan revolt.

Why am I not upset? Because this gives the next AD a ton of scheduling flexibility. The scheduling cupboard is not bare for the next guy.

Edited February 10, 2015 by UNT90

3XL · February 10, 2015

From the other thread, this is more or less exactly what we need right now:

*BUZZZZ* Wrong. Boise became Boise when they started to recruit better. How did they start to recruit better? They won games against lower competition.
Right now we are getting some 3* recruits. Boise was at that level also at the start. Then they beat up some lower competition, and they started getting MOSTLY 3* recruits, kept doing it, got a 4* every once in a while. etc, etc. Then they beat OU.

No I don't want to play them at all. Maybe once every few years. I think if we had better leadership in place we could develop better revenue streams and not have to play those paycheck games at all. Once our recruiting improves to where we could be competitive from a pure athlete stand point, then lets play the P5.
That's what Boise did, they beat up the small teams AND THEN recruited well AND THEN beat some of the big boys. Look at their wins at the start:
1998: CalState(nor), Portland St, Utah, Weber St, Utah St, NMSU (we beat this team)
1999: Southern Utah, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Utah St, Ark St, NMSU, Idaho (We beat this team also)
2000: New Mexico, Northern Iowa, Central Mich, Eastern Wash, North Texas, NSMU, Ark St, Utah St, Idaho, UTEP
2001: UTEP, Idaho, Tulsa, Fresno St, Nevada, Hawaii, SJSU, Central Mich
2002: Idaho, Wyo, Utah St, Hawaii, Tulsa, Fresno, SJSU, Utep, Rice, LaTech, Nevada (ranked 15th)
2003: Idaho St, Idaho, Wyo, LaTech, Tulsa, SMU, SJSU, BYU, UTEP, Nevada, Fresno, Hawaii (ranked 15th)
2004: Idaho, Oregon St, UTEP, BYU, SMU, Tulsa, Fresno, Hawaii, SJSU, LaTech, Nevada (ranked 12th)
2005: BGSU, Hawaii, Portland St, SJSU, Utah St,Nevada, NMSU, Fresno, Idaho, LaTech
2006: Sac St, Oregon St, Wyo, Hawaii, Utah, LaTech, NMSU, Idaho, Fresno, SJSU, Utah St, Nevada (They beat OU in the Fiest)

See that? 9 years, 88 wins, 7 FCS teams, 2 P5 teams (a terrible Oregon St program, and of course the great win against OU)

Thats how you build a program, bring in FCS teams, schedule other G5 teams, especially the one struggling. No reason a university this size shouldn't have a program that can bring in an Idaho or NMSU as a paycheck game every year.

this...I wish there was a +2 option on GMG!

buff64 · February 10, 2015

Just curious , what was UNT's combined won-lost record over the four years we went to the New Orleans Bowl ?

UNT90 · February 10, 2015

From the other thread, this is more or less exactly what we need right now:

*BUZZZZ* Wrong. Boise became Boise when they started to recruit better. How did they start to recruit better? They won games against lower competition.
Right now we are getting some 3* recruits. Boise was at that level also at the start. Then they beat up some lower competition, and they started getting MOSTLY 3* recruits, kept doing it, got a 4* every once in a while. etc, etc. Then they beat OU.

No I don't want to play them at all. Maybe once every few years. I think if we had better leadership in place we could develop better revenue streams and not have to play those paycheck games at all. Once our recruiting improves to where we could be competitive from a pure athlete stand point, then lets play the P5.
That's what Boise did, they beat up the small teams AND THEN recruited well AND THEN beat some of the big boys. Look at their wins at the start:
1998: CalState(nor), Portland St, Utah, Weber St, Utah St, NMSU (we beat this team)
1999: Southern Utah, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Utah St, Ark St, NMSU, Idaho (We beat this team also)
2000: New Mexico, Northern Iowa, Central Mich, Eastern Wash, North Texas, NSMU, Ark St, Utah St, Idaho, UTEP
2001: UTEP, Idaho, Tulsa, Fresno St, Nevada, Hawaii, SJSU, Central Mich
2002: Idaho, Wyo, Utah St, Hawaii, Tulsa, Fresno, SJSU, Utep, Rice, LaTech, Nevada (ranked 15th)
2003: Idaho St, Idaho, Wyo, LaTech, Tulsa, SMU, SJSU, BYU, UTEP, Nevada, Fresno, Hawaii (ranked 15th)
2004: Idaho, Oregon St, UTEP, BYU, SMU, Tulsa, Fresno, Hawaii, SJSU, LaTech, Nevada (ranked 12th)
2005: BGSU, Hawaii, Portland St, SJSU, Utah St,Nevada, NMSU, Fresno, Idaho, LaTech
2006: Sac St, Oregon St, Wyo, Hawaii, Utah, LaTech, NMSU, Idaho, Fresno, SJSU, Utah St, Nevada (They beat OU in the Fiest)

See that? 9 years, 88 wins, 7 FCS teams, 2 P5 teams (a terrible Oregon St program, and of course the great win against OU)

Thats how you build a program, bring in FCS teams, schedule other G5 teams, especially the one struggling. No reason a university this size shouldn't have a program that can bring in an Idaho or NMSU as a paycheck game every year.

Y'all might want to check out my response in the other thread. This isn't what we need, because it includes the one game ass kicking we get every year without a shot to beat someone meaningful at home.

These wins don't excite the fan base and don't prepare a team for conference play (see that 77-7 barn burner in a 4-8 season). It's a recipe for the same ole same ole, and there is little doubt that that is what we will get.

Still waiting for your answer to that question, Cerebus...

Edited February 10, 2015 by UNT90

Cerebus · February 10, 2015

Just curious , what was UNT's combined won-lost record over the four years we went to the New Orleans Bowl ?

29-21, taking out the first year makes it a more respectable 24-14.

TheTastyGreek · February 10, 2015

29-21, taking out the first year makes it a more respectable 24-14.

What about conference record?

untjim1995 · February 10, 2015

From the other thread, this is more or less exactly what we need right now:

*BUZZZZ* Wrong. Boise became Boise when they started to recruit better. How did they start to recruit better? They won games against lower competition.
Right now we are getting some 3* recruits. Boise was at that level also at the start. Then they beat up some lower competition, and they started getting MOSTLY 3* recruits, kept doing it, got a 4* every once in a while. etc, etc. Then they beat OU.

No I don't want to play them at all. Maybe once every few years. I think if we had better leadership in place we could develop better revenue streams and not have to play those paycheck games at all. Once our recruiting improves to where we could be competitive from a pure athlete stand point, then lets play the P5.
That's what Boise did, they beat up the small teams AND THEN recruited well AND THEN beat some of the big boys. Look at their wins at the start:
1998: CalState(nor), Portland St, Utah, Weber St, Utah St, NMSU (we beat this team)
1999: Southern Utah, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Utah St, Ark St, NMSU, Idaho (We beat this team also)
2000: New Mexico, Northern Iowa, Central Mich, Eastern Wash, North Texas, NSMU, Ark St, Utah St, Idaho, UTEP
2001: UTEP, Idaho, Tulsa, Fresno St, Nevada, Hawaii, SJSU, Central Mich
2002: Idaho, Wyo, Utah St, Hawaii, Tulsa, Fresno, SJSU, Utep, Rice, LaTech, Nevada (ranked 15th)
2003: Idaho St, Idaho, Wyo, LaTech, Tulsa, SMU, SJSU, BYU, UTEP, Nevada, Fresno, Hawaii (ranked 15th)
2004: Idaho, Oregon St, UTEP, BYU, SMU, Tulsa, Fresno, Hawaii, SJSU, LaTech, Nevada (ranked 12th)
2005: BGSU, Hawaii, Portland St, SJSU, Utah St,Nevada, NMSU, Fresno, Idaho, LaTech
2006: Sac St, Oregon St, Wyo, Hawaii, Utah, LaTech, NMSU, Idaho, Fresno, SJSU, Utah St, Nevada (They beat OU in the Fiest)

See that? 9 years, 88 wins, 7 FCS teams, 2 P5 teams (a terrible Oregon St program, and of course the great win against OU)

Thats how you build a program, bring in FCS teams, schedule other G5 teams, especially the one struggling. No reason a university this size shouldn't have a program that can bring in an Idaho or NMSU as a paycheck game every year.

See, to me, Boise had two huge advantages over us when we moved up. First was location--Boise itself isn't a huge metroplis, but there are enough people around there to support fully the BSU program. I mean, really, what else are the locals gonna support team-wise? They had a built in community to go after. Secondly, the Boise State move up never followed a catastrophic move-down, one that was done in the middle of the hotbed of college football at the time, the SWC. Boise State's alumni and local citizens thought it was just fine to play Idaho State or Portland State--hell, that's who they were playing (basically) for decades before as a i-aa team. After 12 freaking years of being at i-aa, even as the SWC imploded, leaving all of its members to go to other conferences that we could have been joining them in or already playing in, nobody really cared if we played Arkansas State or Louisiana-Monroe or Louisiana-Lafayette. Even when we started beating those team regularly in our SBC halcyon days, about 10k-12k actually showed up to watch us play them. I mean we were winning bigtime and going to bowl games and having national rushing champions...and getting an actual butts in seats crowd of over 15k was a biiiiggg deal.

To me, I agree with the sentiment of my dearly departed great pal, Richard Durrett, who said that when the local media talked about UNT football and what it would take to get us to move up in the eyes of the local media and fandom, it wasn't beating the dregs of FBS football or FCS teams only. It was beating a big named school AND beating those dregs. He used to say that UNT cannot get the DFW fans attention if their only wins are over SBC (and now CUSA) teams. It has to be both--that's why that Texas game at the beginning of the year stood out as such an unbelievable opportunity that we wasted--we didn't even compete with a team that went 6-7 and basically got beat by almost every single good team they played.

We have shown that scheduling like we have hasn't moved the needle here much at all, attendance-wise. You can say that we haven't been winning, either, but we rarely play anyone here that people want to watch us play. I'm not wasting a second of my own time watching any FBS team play a FCS team, P5 or G5--not on TV, not in person. And more and more, that's waht many fans are saying, since it costs so much to go to a game and it takes so much time now. And its a big reason why the P5s are making their OOC schedules that much stricter, which is good. I just wish the G5s would follow suit and only play each other or P5s in OOC play. Its blatantly unfair--if we hate playing at texas, OU, LSU, Bama, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Iowa every year because of the bought ass-whipping it brings, what good does it do for a program that needs fans BADLY to buy a game against Abilene Christian or Lamar, where you'll be lucky to get 15k actual butts-in-seats for those games, and that's probably only if its the season opener to prop it up?

wardly · February 10, 2015

From 2001/2004 we were 25&3 in conference, 4&18 non conference.The 4 non conference wins were against Nicholls St.,Cincinnati ,Baylor, and Utah State.

untjim1995 · February 10, 2015

When we were in the Belt, would you have been cool with us selling road games to Memphis? Tulane? Tulsa?

I'm not sure that I follow, so I apologize ahead of time if I miss the point you are making with the question. I do that alot...

If you are asking me if I would've been cool with selling one-and-done games at those places you menitoned at Memphis, Tulane, and Tulsa, the answer is wholeheartedly no, because those schools weren't P5 schools. Even if we were in the lowly SBC, I don't think those would've been acceptable to do one-and-done with. Who we played in OOC competition at Fouts as a SBC team was usually as good or better than what Apogee has brought us.

None of the teams you listed should be anything but even series between us and them.

Again, I apologize if I missed the meaning of the question...

GangGreen · February 10, 2015

Just asking from the point of ignorance here. How much do we get paid for the body bag (opportunity) games? How much do we have to pay out to have these FCS games?

TheTastyGreek · February 10, 2015

Just asking from the point of ignorance here. How much do we get paid for the body bag (opportunity) games? How much do we have to pay out to have these FCS games?

Buying a game costs somewhere between $200-400k, depending on opponent.

Selling a game grosses anywhere from $600k to nearly a million, depending on opponent.

If we cash a check from Iowa and pay Incarnate Word, that balances our schedule back to 6 home games, and nets our athletic program somewhere in the neighborhood of half a million dollars.

Harry · February 10, 2015

Just asking from the point of ignorance here. How much do we get paid for the body bag (opportunity) games? How much do we have to pay out to have these FCS games?

Anywhere from $600K to 1 Mil is my understanding...

TheTastyGreek · February 10, 2015

I'm not sure that I follow, so I apologize ahead of time if I miss the point you are making with the question. I do that alot...

If you are asking me if I would've been cool with selling one-and-done games at those places you menitoned at Memphis, Tulane, and Tulsa, the answer is wholeheartedly no, because those schools weren't P5 schools. Even if we were in the lowly SBC, I don't think those would've been acceptable to do one-and-done with. Who we played in OOC competition at Fouts as a SBC team was usually as good or better than what Apogee has brought us.

None of the teams you listed should be anything but even series between us and them.

Again, I apologize if I missed the meaning of the question...

Not trying to be hostile or confusing, just wanted to keep the question simple and direct. Wanted to make sure we weren't going to start arguing past each other about different things.

We couldn't replace the FCS teams with Sun Belt teams, because the Sun Belt type schools would require a return game, but the FCS games are outright purchases. Every bought game is there to balance the sold games (Iowa, Tennessee, Florida, etc.). All the FCS schools are coming in so we can generate revenue at a level that ticket sales can't do for us outright. Buy one and sell one, and pocket the difference.

We couldn't swap in a Sun Belt team (or an AAC team, or a Mountain West team) unless we were replacing SMU or Army on the schedule. Until we get to a point where there's enough revenue coming in to avoid selling games completely, this is the path to a 6 game home slate in combination with a revenue game sold to a P5.

Anyway... If the point is that we ought to get to a point where we aren't selling games, and that those FCS opponents can be eliminated and replaced with home-and-homes with other non-P5 schools? I agree, but we can't really make that work because of money, right now and probably for a while to come. I don't know that there are any CUSA or lower schools that are completely free of paycheck games. Even some AAC and MWC schools are reliant on that revenue, if I remember right.

I wasn't sure, though, whether the point might have been that we ought to be buying games from Sun Belt schools, and I didn't want to start responding as though that was what you were saying. And, it wasn't, so I appreciate the answer.

UNT90 · February 10, 2015

Not trying to be hostile or confusing, just wanted to keep the question simple and direct. Wanted to make sure we weren't going to start arguing past each other about different things.

We couldn't replace the FCS teams with Sun Belt teams, because the Sun Belt type schools would require a return game, but the FCS games are outright purchases. Every bought game is there to balance the sold games (Iowa, Tennessee, Florida, etc.). All the FCS schools are coming in so we can generate revenue at a level that ticket sales can't do for us outright. Buy one and sell one, and pocket the difference.

We couldn't swap in a Sun Belt team (or an AAC team, or a Mountain West team) unless we were replacing SMU or Army on the schedule. Until we get to a point where there's enough revenue coming in to avoid selling games completely, this is the path to a 6 game home slate in combination with a revenue game sold to a P5.

Anyway... If the point is that we ought to get to a point where we aren't selling games, and that those FCS opponents can be eliminated and replaced with home-and-homes with other non-P5 schools? I agree, but we can't really make that work because of money, right now and probably for a while to come. I don't know that there are any CUSA or lower schools that are completely free of paycheck games. Even some AAC and MWC schools are reliant on that revenue, if I remember right.

I wasn't sure, though, whether the point might have been that we ought to be buying games from Sun Belt schools, and I didn't want to start responding as though that was what you were saying. And, it wasn't, so I appreciate the answer.

If this is truly the plan for the future (I have serious doubts it was planned that way), it's just plain lazy.

untjim1995 · February 11, 2015

Not trying to be hostile or confusing, just wanted to keep the question simple and direct. Wanted to make sure we weren't going to start arguing past each other about different things.

We couldn't replace the FCS teams with Sun Belt teams, because the Sun Belt type schools would require a return game, but the FCS games are outright purchases. Every bought game is there to balance the sold games (Iowa, Tennessee, Florida, etc.). All the FCS schools are coming in so we can generate revenue at a level that ticket sales can't do for us outright. Buy one and sell one, and pocket the difference.

We couldn't swap in a Sun Belt team (or an AAC team, or a Mountain West team) unless we were replacing SMU or Army on the schedule. Until we get to a point where there's enough revenue coming in to avoid selling games completely, this is the path to a 6 game home slate in combination with a revenue game sold to a P5.

Anyway... If the point is that we ought to get to a point where we aren't selling games, and that those FCS opponents can be eliminated and replaced with home-and-homes with other non-P5 schools? I agree, but we can't really make that work because of money, right now and probably for a while to come. I don't know that there are any CUSA or lower schools that are completely free of paycheck games. Even some AAC and MWC schools are reliant on that revenue, if I remember right.

I wasn't sure, though, whether the point might have been that we ought to be buying games from Sun Belt schools, and I didn't want to start responding as though that was what you were saying. And, it wasn't, so I appreciate the answer.

Thanks TTG--I agree with what you are saying. I just was hoping against hope that we weren't going to see anymore FCS teams here, but the bodybag game basically requires it. You know, on this season's schedule, the thing that just kills me is playing two bodybag games and the only home game being an FCS team. That is what happened back in 2012, too, with games at LSU, and at KSU, but playing Texas Southern as your only home game in OOC.

I just think we get spoon-fed crap here as fans. "Come out and watch us play a team you've never heard of in football and basketball... or else you're not a true fan". "We cannot get anyone big time to come to Denton until we build a new stadium because Fouts is so decrepit...then we build a great venue and play worse teams in OOC play than we did at Fouts". We get told that "if we could get 25k at every game that the bodybag games would go away"...then see them scheduled out for years to come, and with the exception of Iowa, only at the powerhouses of the South, where we will never have the talent to keep up with those P5 behemoths.

I guess my point is that I hope you all enjoy the heck out of the Saturdays when the FCS teams come to town. I haven't watched one of them play in Denton since 1997 in the home opener against Illinois State at Fouts. And I won't, either. Its just not worth my time. I'm sure it was awesome watching us plaster Nicholls State by 70+ and that when we beat Portland State this year, it will be awesome for all those in attendance. If that makes me a bad fan, I guess I am.

UNT90 · February 11, 2015

Thanks TTG--I agree with what you are saying. I just was hoping against hope that we weren't going to see anymore FCS teams here, but the bodybag game basically requires it. You know, on this season's schedule, the thing that just kills me is playing two bodybag games and the only home game being an FCS team. That is what happened back in 2012, too, with games at LSU, and at KSU, but playing Texas Southern as your only home game in OOC.

I just think we get spoon-fed crap here as fans. "Come out and watch us play a team you've never heard of in football and basketball... or else you're not a true fan". "We cannot get anyone big time to come to Denton until we build a new stadium because Fouts is so decrepit...then we build a great venue and play worse teams in OOC play than we did at Fouts". We get told that "if we could get 25k at every game that the bodybag games would go away"...then see them scheduled out for years to come, and with the exception of Iowa, only at the powerhouses of the South, where we will never have the talent to keep up with those P5 behemoths.

I guess my point is that I hope you all enjoy the heck out of the Saturdays when the FCS teams come to town. I haven't watched one of them play in Denton since 1997 in the home opener against Illinois State at Fouts. And I won't, either. Its just not worth my time. I'm sure it was awesome watching us plaster Nicholls State by 70+ and that when we beat Portland State this year, it will be awesome for all those in attendance. If that makes me a bad fan, I guess I am.

And this from a hardcore fan.

Imagine what slightly interested alums think when they see a home game against Portland St.

They probably wonder if we dropped back down to 1AA (because they don't know what FBS is).

Edited February 11, 2015 by UNT90

Ben Gooding · February 11, 2015

I don't care about any of this. Put 6 home games on the schedule every single year and just win.

GOMG2013 · February 11, 2015

I don't care about any of this. Put 6 home games on the schedule every single year and just win.

This. Poor unt90 and the few who think opponents will bring in fans. It wont. Only winning. Seen it a few times in Houston.

better opponents will increase the chances of a sellout though. It will bring temporary hype, IF YOU WIN the game. Once the team falls off, and have a 7-5 season, back to normal. Or some fair weather fans will only start going to the games against the big schools.

Either you are die hard or not. Die hards show up to see UNT, no matter what. No other way to say it.

If you stopped going to games cause of opponent, you were not close to being die hard. You are into hype and fads, and probably watch reality TV now.

Mean Green Matt · February 11, 2015

It's really not too bad actually. IMHO.

greenminer · February 11, 2015

Some people want to see name opponents, some people want to see wins. You're just not going to please everyone.

One more way to see it, FWIW: the body bag games have gotten us nowhere for decades. This might not be a schedule some of us care about, but it is a step in the right direction as far as allowing this program to build itself. Stay loyal, see through it and understand that there will be bigger and better things on the other side.

bstnsportsfan3 · February 11, 2015

Just win baby

Green Lantern · February 11, 2015

For those that don't like SMU and Army as the long term home and home series opponents, UNT fans have themselves to blame. I happen to think both are OK, but would be fine with much shorter series with each.

Our fans obsess over SMU and always have. Now we've got a loooooonnngg series with em. Ask and you shall receive, I ssuppose. Sadly, after the last two times we've played them, you see who ends up coming out ahead in this deal...SMU. We bring paying fans by the droves and atmosphere to Dallas, in return we get 250 non interested player parents and friends. This is the AD's attempt to give fans a series they asked for & they did. I've just never personally gotten the fascination with SMU.

We also would constantly see posts in recent years suggesting playing service academies regularly. I think they're fine opponents and have enjoyed our games at home and away against them. Now we're locked in for a number of years. Again, ask and you shall receive.