So what's it gonna take

untjim1995 · March 10, 2015

Next year is Benford's 4th year--of a 5 year contract. He either makes RV extend him or they cut bait. No way he goes into the last year of his contract as the head coach--it will kill any chance of recruiting anyone to come here with no idea of who would be coaching here in the next season. So, its 2016 that determines Benford's fate. What is your line in the sand for him to come back? More importantly, what is the line in the sand for RV and the BOR to extend him? I truly believed that a .500 season this year, following last season's .500 record would be enough for RV to float the idea of extending him after this season, but I don't see any chance of that happening now.

My line in the sand is that he gets us either the NCAA Tournament or NIT--that was the type of program he inherited, one that was on the cusp of earning postseason tournament berths. Not the CBI or CIT, either, tournaments that can be bought into by a desperate AD.

For RV and the BOR, I think we have to do two things next year for him to get an extension of a couple of more years.

1.) Finish above .500 by more than 5 games after CUSA Tournament play

2.) Finish in the top half of the CUSA standings

What do you guys think?

UNT90 · March 10, 2015

Make the NIT or NCAA or GTFO.

Army of Dad · March 10, 2015

Top 4 regular season conference finish. Multiple games above .500 in OOC (waiting for schedule to say exactly how many). Deep run in the conference tournament (semis or better). 20+ wins.

Need 3 out of the four and I don't think you should extend him more than season at a time (2 at the most depending on how far over those benchmarks he goes)

oldguystudent · March 10, 2015

Make the NIT or NCAA or GTFO.

Does the NIT even have at-large berths anymore? Most of the schools in there are regular season conference winners that slipped in their conference tourneys.

MeanGreenTexan · March 10, 2015

Does the NIT even have at-large berths anymore? Most of the schools in there are regular season conference winners that slipped in their conference tourneys.

Yeah, those are the auto-qualifiers. They fill the rest of the spots with at-larges. Most of them are the ones who barely missed the NCAAs.

ODU is probably looking at a nice seed in the NIT unless they get to the C-USA final.

Ben Gooding · March 10, 2015

Make the NIT or NCAA or GTFO.

Matt from A700 · March 11, 2015

Considering UNT has only three NCAA Tournament berths in their history, I don't think Benford will need a ticket to the Big Dance to save his job next year. (Although it would be nice, what else am I paying tuition for?) However, I think he needs to hover more around the 20-win range in the regular season then a deep conference tourney run. I don't think another 16-16 or 15-17 campaign will cut it. At least it won't for me.

Edited March 11, 2015 by Matt from A700

untjim1995 · March 11, 2015

I think the OOC will stay dumbed down, most likely, so getting above .500 by 4-5 games will be the ultimate goal for RV and Benford. If we are 18-14 next year, going into the CUSA Tournament, then split a couple of games to finish at 19-15, sadly, I can see Benford getting an extension of a couple of years. I think RV reeaaaaaalllyyy wants Benford to make it, just to avoid another revenue sports hire getting fired.

The womens' team has 9 straight losing seasons. The men's team has fallen off sharply in the last three years. And the football team has one winning season in the last ten, which got the coach a 5-year extension.

And the guy who has been in charge the whole time over the athletic department still gets extensions to stay here in his role--because he stays within budget and never publically complains about anything regarding funding.

Ben Gooding · March 11, 2015

Jim...we get it. He stays within budget. You're getting almost as redundant as 90 and his scheduling tirade.

UNT90 · March 11, 2015

Jim...we get it. He stays within budget. You're getting almost as redundant as 90 and his scheduling tirade.

Do you talk to your friends like this?

FirefightnRick · March 11, 2015

Jim...we get it. He stays within budget. You're getting almost as redundant as 90 and his scheduling tirade.

You do realize don't you, that 90 pointing out our scheduling disaster is the ONLY pushback you'll ever see about it, right? The scheduling hurts our program, and will continue to do so, and will continue if something doesn't change. No one else point this out and reminds that it isnt going to end. Not the beat reporter asking questions and pointing out the mistakes and highlighting the excuses being made. The BOR isn't going to do it. The bigger donors certainly aren't or they won't get their trip invitationsl. And here, we're more worried about what fraternities at OU are doing than about North Texas football.

I'd suggest if him reminding the deficiencies about our scheduling bothers so much just ignore.

For me it cant be reminded enough because a lot of good people spent a lot of good money on Apogee based on promises and misinformation about future opponents. And those same donors are now turning away from us in droves never to return.

Rick

untjim1995 · March 11, 2015

Jim...we get it. He stays within budget. You're getting almost as redundant as 90 and his scheduling tirade.

I say it because it is to stop people from thinking RV is gonna ever get fired becuase of wins and losses...

UNT90 · March 11, 2015

For me it cant be reminded enough because a lot of good people spent a lot of good money on Apogee based on promises and misinformation about future opponents. And those same donors are now turning away from us in droves never to return.
Rick

This is one of the many reasons. As is people being afraid to talk about the elephant in the room, as you mentioned above.

Because of the constant harping, Harry asked RV on 2 separate podcasts about a potential 5 home game season in 2012 and we got to hear his response (or non-response, as it was). RV was also asked directly at a coaches show or some other event where there was a Q&A and we again got to hear his non-response.

Vito also questioned RV about it after the schedule came out, leading to the now semi-infamous Tusa lie

That is what constantly pointing out a deficiency does. It gets people with much more power than Jim and I to ask questions, sometimes to ask direct questions to those responsible for said deficiencies.

Does it matter? Maybe, maybe not. But unless you have a buttload of money to give to the university, it's the only hope that you have of having a voice.

So stay at it, Jim. Maybe someday someone with enough clout will address the BOR and ask them why there is a perception that they don't care about athletics and what they have done to fix that years old problem.

But maybe not.

Edited March 11, 2015 by UNT90

Ben Gooding · March 11, 2015

I understand the issue of bad football scheduling at UNT. I understand that the BOR prioritizes budget above all else...we all get that...but what are we going to do about it...we need solutions to the problem, not a daily reiteration of the problem.

untjim1995 · March 11, 2015

This is one of the many reasons. As is people being afraid to talk about the elephant in the room, as you mentioned above.
Because of the constant harping, Harry asked RV on 2 separate podcasts about a potential 5 home game season in 2012 and we got to hear his response (or non-response, as it was). RV was also asked directly at a coaches show or some other event where there was a Q&A and we again got to hear his non-response.
Vito also questioned RV about it after the schedule came out, leading to the now semi-infamous Tusa lie
That is what constantly pointing out a deficiency does. It gets people with much more power than Jim and I to ask questions, sometimes to ask direct questions to those responsible for said deficiencies.
Does it matter? Maybe, maybe not. But unless you have a buttload of money to give to the university, it's the only hope that you have of having a voice.
So stay at it, Jim. Maybe someday someone with enough clout will address the BOR and ask them why there is a perception that they don't care about athletics and what they have done to fix that years old problem.
But maybe not.

I won't hold my breath on that last part.

I've followed UNT because they are mine, not for any other reason. I spent 25 seasons follwoing UNT football and basketball (1990-2014) always believeing that one day, we would step up and assume a great spot as a large, growing college athletics power in the middle of a fertile recruiting area. I truly believed it. After the HoD Bowl win and a great 2013 season, I may have been more convinced than ever of this being the point that pushed us forward, finally. Then recruiting happened...again. As if we that winning season and having McCarney's passion didn't even resonate one iota with the Texas HS kids. It led to a revival of the Dickey Monster coming out of the guy who I felt couldn't ever get down. Instead, the full beatdown of who we are and who we are thought to be by the public made me realize that hte only way to change this is to make winning your only goal in the revenue sports. And then I realized how that hasn't ever happened and that the strong majority of the UNT family aren't in agreement of that goal.

So you either accept it or you leave. Few accept it around here, most abandon the ship or don't even attempt to get on it. But those are your choices. And its why we perpetually get between 5k and 15k at football games and 1-2k to mens hoops games. Within a county that has several hundred thousand people and a Metroplex with millions, of which hundreds of thousands of UNT students and alumni live in, that's what we get--unless we give them something more special to be a part of. Mostly, its been playing a big name team in Denton--see Baylor in 2003 at Fouts, or Texas Tech in 2011 at the Super Pit, but its also been playing in a bowl game in New Orleans or Dallas. But its almost as if those examples don't even resonate at all with the leaders here. If they don't care about anymore than they do, why should 99% of those who went to or graduated from North Texas at some point in their life? Its the answer to this last question that makes it quite clear that you just have two real choices--accept how it goes or just walk away. There is absolutely no pressure to win here in Denton from the media, most alumni, or the administration. For now, I just choose to accept it for what it is, but also to explain to others why I've been forced to be in this place in my UNT fandom...

UNT90 · March 11, 2015

I understand the issue of bad football scheduling at UNT. I understand that the BOR prioritizes budget above all else...we all get that...but what are we going to do about it...we need solutions to the problem, not a daily reiteration of the problem.

Jeez dude.

I tried. You just don't get it.

Ben Gooding · March 11, 2015

Jeez dude.
I tried. You just don't get it.

I get the daily reminder of failures in order to keep it fresh in people's minds. I'm done bitching though. I want to know how we come up with solutions. How do we force people out? How do we influence hires? How do we boost donors and attendance so our team isn't getting pimped and swindled every fall? Seriously, what else can we do except for getting on here and complaining... Or even a better question...is there anything we can do to promote change at it's core...anything, at all?

forevereagle · March 11, 2015

I'm done bitching though.

Matt from A700 · March 12, 2015

Assuming North Texas loses tonight to Rice, Benford doesn't deserve a 4th year.

TIgreen01 · March 12, 2015

This game, right here, is what it takes.

Please? Can we move on from this era? Fundamentals have just continued to be a major problem for 3 years.

All About UNT · March 12, 2015

But NEXT year we turn the corner. "We're so close"

untjim1995 · March 12, 2015

Fairly soon, just as we did with Todd Dodge and Vic Trilli, the AD will come and say that the line in the sand has been made clear to Tony Benford for this upcoming season and

that we need to start winning.

That will be code for: we cannot or will not buy him out before next year

TIgreen01 · March 12, 2015

Fairly soon, just as we did with Todd Dodge and Vic Trilli, the AD will come and say that the line in the sand has been made clear to Tony Benford for this upcoming season and
that we need to start winning.
That will be code for: we cannot or will not buy him out before next year

So if Benford returns, do all of his assistants? Or do they start to file out? Whoever is in charge of the defense needs to get a push...

untjim1995 · March 12, 2015

So if Benford returns, do all of his assistants? Or do they start to file out? Whoever is in charge of the defense needs to get a push...

Dodge's assistants left as soon as they could after this third season. IIRC, OL Coach Spencer Leftwich left just before fall camp was about to start to go to Tulsa becuase he knew what was likely to be in store. Rob Evans will either bail or he will look at this being his chance to become an interim coach that might get looked at as a potential head coach.