STOP making Excuses!!

[EagleGreen]

Help me out here.  I keep hearing that our schedule is a real slammer, a toughy, a grave digger.  As such, I just got around to reviewing our schedule for 2015.  ????  Iowa State and Tennessee?  Are those the tough games?  I don't see one top 25 opponent and Iowa and Tennessee are about top 50 quality.  It seems to me, and I'm on a little tear lately about "hoping for mediocrity and accepting really poor outcomes", that our standards are REALLY poor.  Our expectations are REALLY poor.  

What I'm saying is that if this year's schedule is "a toughy" we need to can our AD and coach because it really doesn't matter if this and next year are a building year.  It really doesn't.  This is NOT a tough schedule.  If it IS a tough schedule for us, then ANY schedule would be tough for us and that is just sad man, it's just sad.   I heard a sports leader from the U talking the other day about how we kept GA down for a while a few years ago and that we could give Tennessee a run for their money.  Huh?  A run for their money?  We might hang for a while?  WTF???  Our coach and AD ought to be yelling from a megaphone somewhere, daily, on campus, that we are going to WIN Conference USA with this weak ass schedule and we are going to give IOWA and Tennessee a good, old fashion kick in the pants!  

How are we going to bring excitement to the games this year?  Complain about the tough schedule before hand (i.e., make excuses) and call the SMU game a home game....well that will surely put butts in the seats.  Damn.  I'm just disappointed that it has come to this.  ...at least the stadium is nice and the kids mostly try hard.  ....how about we steal a mascot or something???  What a drag.

[untjim1995]

Help me out here.  I keep hearing that our schedule is a real slammer, a toughy, a grave digger.  As such, I just got around to reviewing our schedule for 2015.  ????  Iowa State and Tennessee?  Are those the tough games?  I don't see one top 25 opponent and Iowa and Tennessee are about top 50 quality.  It seems to me, and I'm on a little tear lately about "hoping for mediocrity and accepting really poor outcomes", that our standards are REALLY poor.  Our expectations are REALLY poor.

What I'm saying is that if this year's schedule is "a toughy" we need to can our AD and coach because it really doesn't matter if this and next year are a building year.  It really doesn't.  This is NOT a tough schedule.  If it IS a tough schedule for us, then ANY schedule would be tough for us and that is just sad man, it's just sad.   I heard a sports leader from the U talking the other day about how we kept GA down for a while a few years ago and that we could give Tennessee a run for their money.  Huh?  A run for their money?  We might hang for a while?  WTF???  Our coach and AD ought to be yelling from a megaphone somewhere, daily, on campus, that we are going to WIN Conference USA with this weak ass schedule and we are going to give IOWA and Tennessee a good, old fashion kick in the pants!

How are we going to bring excitement to the games this year?  Complain about the tough schedule before hand (i.e., make excuses) and call the SMU game a home game....well that will surely put butts in the seats.  Damn.  I'm just disappointed that it has come to this.  ...at least the stadium is nice and the kids mostly try hard.  ....how about we steal a mascot or something???  What a drag.

Welcome to UNT fandom...its pretty much been this way for the 25 years I've followed the program. You got two things right, for sure--the stadium is nice and our kids play hard.

Where this program is right now, this schedule is damn near impossible to expect much more than 5 wins with the current roster we have. Sorry, but Iowa and Tennessee are bought games. Maybe if we had 2013's team again, they wouldn't be--but we don't...at all. Marshall, La Tech, WKU, Rice, and MUTS are much better than we are right now. UTSA, UTEP, and USM are the three teams on the schedule that we are probably competitive with. And SMU and Portland State are the two teams we are better than right now. That's it.

Its just sad man, sad...but the AD keeps getting extensions and the head coach has four more years on his contract. The change you want isn't going to happen--even if we went 0-12 this year. The OC will get fired, as well some other coaches on the staff, but the head coach is here for at least three more seasons--and the AD here is a lifer at this point. He has survived this long with the products we have thrown out there, led by his hires, and still gets extended, he basically will get to determine when he retires and what room/venue will get named after him at UNT after he's done.

[Cr1028]

@EagleGreen

I feel your pain. Our problem is that despite how weak or strong our schedule this year is, our schedule last year was significantly weaker. We won just 4 games and the coaching staff has given no indication of any changes they've made to improve upon our performance last year. I know Cosh replaced Skladany(who I thought was fantastic), but that isn't going to repair our anemic offense that will have the same bus driver and playcalls as last year.

‌

Edited July 17, 2015 by Cr1028

[Ben Gooding]

Help me out here.  I keep hearing that our schedule is a real slammer, a toughy, a grave digger.  As such, I just got around to reviewing our schedule for 2015.  ????  Iowa State and Tennessee?  Are those the tough games?  I don't see one top 25 opponent and Iowa and Tennessee are about top 50 quality.  It seems to me, and I'm on a little tear lately about "hoping for mediocrity and accepting really poor outcomes", that our standards are REALLY poor.  Our expectations are REALLY poor.  

What I'm saying is that if this year's schedule is "a toughy" we need to can our AD and coach because it really doesn't matter if this and next year are a building year.  It really doesn't.  This is NOT a tough schedule.  If it IS a tough schedule for us, then ANY schedule would be tough for us and that is just sad man, it's just sad.   I heard a sports leader from the U talking the other day about how we kept GA down for a while a few years ago and that we could give Tennessee a run for their money.  Huh?  A run for their money?  We might hang for a while?  WTF???  Our coach and AD ought to be yelling from a megaphone somewhere, daily, on campus, that we are going to WIN Conference USA with this weak ass schedule and we are going to give IOWA and Tennessee a good, old fashion kick in the pants!  

How are we going to bring excitement to the games this year?  Complain about the tough schedule before hand (i.e., make excuses) and call the SMU game a home game....well that will surely put butts in the seats.  Damn.  I'm just disappointed that it has come to this.  ...at least the stadium is nice and the kids mostly try hard.  ....how about we steal a mascot or something???  What a drag.

I feel you and I have the same stance as you do. My expectations do not waiver under any circumstances. At this point in this staffs tenure I expect a division championship and a bowl game. Anything else in year 5 is a bust. 

And to add, Tennessee and Iowa being on the schedule together is irrelevant to my expectations. Go 6-2 in conference vs our PEERS, our PEERS! 

GMG

Edited July 17, 2015 by Ben Gooding

[untjim1995]

I feel you and I have the same stance as you do. My expectations do not waiver under any circumstances. At this point in this staffs tenure I expect a division championship and a bowl game. Anything else in year 5 is a bust. 

GMG

I remember thinking like this, especially after moving up to Division 1 in 1995. Then I watched the first regime, Matt Simon's, go 11-22 before he got canned. The I watched Darrell Dickey go 42-64 before he got canned. Then I watched Todd Dodge's regime lead us to a 8-40 record in the enxt four years. And now I've seen Dan McCarney go 22-27 in four years, with at least three more seasons to go.

You'll get here, too. At which point, you'll either follow the 98% of alums and students who don't give a rip about UNT sports or you'll join the rest of us, who follow us because they are our team, even though you know a winning season around here comes around about as easy as getting a winning scratch-off lottery ticket.

Fan expectations aren't ever going to make any difference if the school's expectations are far below what the fans want. And in our case, the first big problem is that the culture has made it to where there aren't many fans to even begin with, much less care about and fund the program.

[MeanGreenHoops]

Well Tennessee is loaded and wouldn't surprise me if they were top 10 by the end of the year so I don't agree with that. Other than that, preach.

[HoustonEagle]

This topic cuts two ways.  I agree our schedule is not hard when looking at the bigger picture of college football. Still, when one looks at where we were last year and then at our opponents performance compounded by only four of our meaningful games at home.  The schedule is not going to be one our easier ones.

With all of that said the difference between a good team and bad team can be a fine line.  Especially in G5 quality football.  If we get better play out of our QB and wide receivers where are we?  If a lineman and linebacker step up this year where are we?  We were in pretty much the same position going from the 2012 to 2013 seasons.  Not much reason for optimism but the team proved us wrong.  So will we be better next year?  I have no Fing clue, but I am not going to write us off just yet.

[drex]

It is naive to regard trips to Iowa and Tennessee as winnable...both stadiums will be packed and they are way above us in the food chain of athletes. We will to to Knoxville and Iowa City, play hard and get a pat on the head for competing.  I do agree that we should always be expected to compete and win against our peers in conference.  The home games at Apogee are disappointing, as we were promised a beefed up home schedule when we got a new stadium

[Withers940]

It doesnt matter where Iowa and Tennessee are as far as rankings. They are top 15 Home field advatage stadiums with Tennessee being maybe Top 5 which gives them a 7 to 10 point advantage from the start. Other than UT and Iowa, I dont think the schedule is hard and every game is winnable as long as everyone follows the game plan and does their job on Saturdays. It all depends on if our QB can lead us down the field and not make any dumb turnovers. If that happens then, yeah, we can win Conference. That a Huge "IF" though just like any team in our conference.

Edited July 17, 2015 by Withers940

[MeanGreenTexan]

 Bold prediction for those of you expecting to be more competitive VS our conference mates than @Iowa or @Tennessee.

We will lose by more at Apogee to WKU than we will lose at Kinnick to Iowa... because WKU is the superior team of the two.

Maybe folks should try looking at our opponents a little more closely, then set expectations accordingly.  

Maybe what you're seeing as "excuses" from some people are actually just reasons why folks are setting their expectations where they are.

[HoustonEagle]

 Bold prediction for those of you expecting to be more competitive VS our conference mates than @Iowa or @Tennessee.

We will lose by more at Apogee to WKU than we will lose at Kinnick to Iowa... because WKU is the superior team of the two.

Maybe folks should try looking at our opponents a little more closely, then set expectations accordingly.

Maybe what you're seeing as "excuses" from some people are actually just reasons why folks are setting their expectations where they are.

hmmm...... I will take the other side of that.  Should we make this a gentleman's bet?

[Side Show Joe]

OP

I think most reasonable people would agree that playing 7 of our 12 games are on the road, and 12 straight weeks of football is tough on any team. I don't think you can blame RV or coach Mac for 12 straight weeks of football. I believe that was a decision made by C-USA. I also question how informed a talking head from the "U" understand our 2015 team. The team that took the field against Georgia  won't be playing at Tennessee this season. Not to say we can't compete with them, but the situation just isn't comparable.

[MeanGreenTexan]

hmmm...... I will take the other side of that.  Should we make this a gentleman's bet?

heck.  why not.   I've already got irons in the fire, why not throw another in?

PM me with details.

[Green P1]

I get the argument that "We're not facing any top 25 teams" but... When we're not legitametly a top 100 team, I think you need to drop the bar of what a legitimate challenge is.  

 

Year at whatever it is of Dan McCarney football and you can't legitimatly claim we should be a preseason top 100 team.   

 

THINGS ARE LOOKING GOOD!

[greenit]

There is no reason we shouldn't expect to go 2-2 in OOC games. Who cares if 3 of them are on the road and 2 are against P5. We should split them and that should be the goal (split or better) each year. The rest is just our conference schedule, which half are at home. There is no reason to cry woe is me over the schedule. We have every chance to take care of business and win at least 6 games and be bowl eligible. 

If we don't, it is because we are a bad team, not because of the schedule. Last year we had about as easy of a schedule as you could ask for and we won 4 games. We were a  bad team and specifically had very poor QB play.  If we are not going to be any better than we were last year, it won't matter. 

[foutsrouts]

Iowa is not a team we should be scared of. If we are, we are really screwed. 

[Aldo]

Iowa is not a team we should be scared of. If we are, we are really screwed. 

much like Indiana last year 

[GreenTexan13]

Every year is a new year. When UNT started in 2013, they had just come off a 4-8 season in 2012. A lot of our fans on here are seasoned fans and have gone through a couple decades of constant losing. And they have a legitimate reason to see us fall short again. I do hope our coaching staff tells our guys before we go out to play Tennessee, that we can win. (Puts the fight into the dog) 

I'm excited for 2015, especially with the new talent added on the roster!!!

Go Mean Green!

[Ben Gooding]

I think that a lot of the naysayers are going to be pleasantly surprised with the results this year. I do not agree with a lot of things Coach Mac does, but his track record at Iowa State does say he can turn a loser into a winner. The only thing about that is that it took time there as it is taking time here. His first 5 seasons at IA St were atrocious, but the AD stuck with him and he churned out respectable and competitive teams 5 of his last 7 years at IA St. So, to me, that tells me that he can alter a program into a better direction, but he can't take that "next step." Here at North Texas we just need him to win and change the persona of the program. We need him to make this an attractive job so we can get a guy to take us to that next step. There are about 5-7 coaches in mind that could do that when Mac hands the keys over. 

[GMG24]

Name em, ready go.

[Ben Gooding]

Name em, ready go.

ok...To name a few I would go hard after if for an unforseen reason Mac gets canned unexpectedly next week here is my list (no specific order per this list)...

Meacham - "Co" OC at TCU

Mike Norvel- OC at Arizona State

Rhett Lashlee- OC at Auburn 

Brent Venables- DC at Clemson

Bo Pelini- HC at Youngstown St

Jason Candle- OC at Toledo

Josh Heupel- OC at Utah State

 

Granted some on this list would take a paycut, but I think if we dangle a million dollar carrot over their heads to be first time head coaches most on this list would take the bait. 

I personally think Bo Pelini would fit the bill here. He could coach freelessly without the daunting expectations of Nebraska overshadowing his every step. Dude is a house hold name so our recruiting would dramatically jump. I also think he likes the ideology of being a big fish in a small pond. 

I also think Rhett Lashlee is going to be a superstar HC one day wherever he ends up. Dude has been picking Gus Malzahns brain since he was 14. 

But any of these guys could come into a program that has at least a foundation in place and take us to where we want to be...A CUSA powerhouse. The new Boise State if you will. 

 

 

[meanrob]

No way to Pelini, Heupel, or especially Venables. Rest? Maybe. 

 

[GMG24]

 

Rhett (L) lol from auburn, I'll take him. But doubt he comes here. 

 

I would have taken the Baylor guy who just went to Tulsa. I want an innovator offensively. As he said above, 0 chance on enables or josh (wouldn't want him if I remember his garbage play calling from Norman) and Bo doesn't intrigue me, just another old head. 

 

Also so for everyone's knowledge Co-whatever doesn't mean jack. It allows them to pay said coach a higher dollar amount. If it doesn't say OC or DC then they ain't calling the shots, even then most HC's tell them exactly what to do in certain situations.

Edited July 18, 2015 by GMG24

[UNT90]

I remember thinking like this, especially after moving up to Division 1 in 1995. Then I watched the first regime, Matt Simon's, go 11-22 before he got canned. The I watched Darrell Dickey go 42-64 before he got canned. Then I watched Todd Dodge's regime lead us to a 8-40 record in the enxt four years. And now I've seen Dan McCarney go 22-27 in four years, with at least three more seasons to go.

You'll get here, too. At which point, you'll either follow the 98% of alums and students who don't give a rip about UNT sports or you'll join the rest of us, who follow us because they are our team, even though you know a winning season around here comes around about as easy as getting a winning scratch-off lottery ticket.

Fan expectations aren't ever going to make any difference if the school's expectations are far below what the fans want. And in our case, the first big problem is that the culture has made it to where there aren't many fans to even begin with, much less care about and fund the program.

excellent post. I would just add that the culture you are talking about in that last sentence is the culture of the UNT administration, not the culture of fans and alumni. It should be evident, but...

I think that a lot of the naysayers are going to be pleasantly surprised with the results this year. I do not agree with a lot of things Coach Mac does, but his track record at Iowa State does say he can turn a loser into a winner. The only thing about that is that it took time there as it is taking time here. His first 5 seasons at IA St were atrocious, but the AD stuck with him and he churned out respectable and competitive teams 5 of his last 7 years at IA St. So, to me, that tells me that he can alter a program into a better direction, but he can't take that "next step." Here at North Texas we just need him to win and change the persona of the program. We need him to make this an attractive job so we can get a guy to take us to that next step. There are about 5-7 coaches in mind that could do that when Mac hands the keys over. 

everything turns on Smith being the real deal and actually getting the chance to get on the field. If that doesn't happen, we will be lucky to get to 3 wins.

I don't think you can blame RV or coach Mac for 12 straight weeks of football. I believe that was a decision made by C-USA. 

throw out the CUSA schedule and RV has 5 weeks to schedule 4 football games.

 

This is completely and absolutely HIS FAULT. Look where Tennessee and Portland Community College falls on the schedule.

 

Portland is particularly infuriating, because WE are paying THEM to come to Apogee, yet we can't schedule them on opening weekend? Seriously? 

Edited July 19, 2015 by UNT90

[GOMG2013]

I think that a lot of the naysayers are going to be pleasantly surprised with the results this year. I do not agree with a lot of things Coach Mac does, but his track record at Iowa State does say he can turn a loser into a winner. The only thing about that is that it took time there as it is taking time here. His first 5 seasons at IA St were atrocious, but the AD stuck with him and he churned out respectable and competitive teams 5 of his last 7 years at IA St. So, to me, that tells me that he can alter a program into a better direction...

I had to do a little research because 5 winning seasons outta his last 7 at Iowa state is pretty good.  They made a big mistake firing mac.  Gene chizik came after him and stunk it up even more.

3 of those 5 winning seasons had 2 pro caliber QBS running the show.  The 3rd qb, Brett Meyer started as a true freshman but they went bowling his first two years.

when looking at his OCs, he had 3 different ones during that time he was winning.  All 3 seem to be unproven and new to being a Co ordinator.

so now at north texas, he doesn't seem to be able to have as much success...or maybe he just needs to be able to hire his own OC.