Mean Green's FBS doppelganger

[jdennis82]

As we all continually try to evaluate the state of our program (both on and off the field), I thought it might be interesting and helpful to see if we can find the best FBS program against which North Texas can best be compared.

My submission...

San Jose State University Spartans

Enrollment

North Texas: approx 36k

SJSU: approx 32K

 

Other FBS Schools w/in approx 50 miles

North Texas: TCU (Big 12), SMU (AAC)

SJSU: Stanford (Pac 12), Cal (Pac 12)

 

All-time record

North Texas: 493–478–35 (.507)

SJSU: 474–476–37 (.499)

 

2014 record

North Texas: 4-8

SJSU: 3-9

 

Football Stadium capacity

North Texas: 30,850 (Apogee Stadium)

SJSU: 30,456 (Spartan Stadium)

 

2014 attendance average

North Texas: 19,271

SDJU: 15,068

 

2014 Athletic Dept Revenue

North Texas: $31,617,094

SJSU: $29,666,940

 

Football Staff Salaries

North Texas: $1,148,300

SJSU: $1,073,992

 

Thoughts?  Others?

Edited July 27, 2015 by jdennis82

[untcampbell]

I think you nailed it.

Did they also have a legendary collegiate HOF coach make a swing through their athletic department for a few years, achieve Top 20 status a couple of years, beat a major SEC team back in the 70's with a late kickoff return and change their name to the University of San Jose a few decades back just to be called San Jose State in every major media mention since?

 

GMG

[NorthTexan95]

SJSU Former Names ... I see similarities.  

Minn's Evening Normal School (1857–1862)
California State Normal School (1862–87)
State Normal School (1887–1921)
State Teachers College at San Jose (1921–35)
California State Colleges (1935)
San Jose State College (1935–72)
California State University, San Jose (1972–74)

[oldguystudent]

I grew up in the proximity of San Jose St, and I'd say I had the same impression of them that people probably have of North Texas. They were the school the working class kids went to.  They were a great place to go to get your teaching credential.  They had a football team whose scores made the channel 36 (San Jose local) evening news, but other than seeing that number, I would have been hard pressed to even tell you what color their uniforms were.

They were long time members of the Big West conference.

The mentality is different out there though.  They are one of three remaining Cal State system schools with football (Fresno and San Diego being the other two). The remaining 20 campuses either dropped it or never had it.  They are a functional system that grants functional degrees at a (relative to UC) reasonable cost that gets their graduates reasonable employment opportunities.

Unless you work at a law firm or are in high finance and you reside in the bay area or Los Angeles AND you went to Cal, Stanford, UCLA, or USC, nobody puts much care into college football out there.  Nobody will give you shit if your San Jose St. Spartans got their asses handed to them again in the annual body bag game at Cal.  That has no bearing as to whether you, the employee are producing or not.  

It continues to baffle me that people in their 50s still feel it necessary to engage in water cooler playground bullying if they went to UT  and their coworkers went to Texas St.  My closest experience to that out west tended to be when I had ivy league coworkers.  They'd try to hold that over everybody, to which I'd publicly state, "And yet here we all are, with the same job, sitting in the same meeting room, eating the same shitty bagels.  Congratulations on your pedigree.  Can you get me another cup of coffee?"

[Side Show Joe]

I try to be an optimist, so I'll look on the bright side of these stats. At least our numbers are slightly better.

And I think it is important to study what they are doing in San Jose... and make sure we don't do it too.

[BillySee58]

I'd say that's a good comparison, but from a recruiting base standpoint I think they more closely resemble UTSA. Both UTSA and SJSU are from talent rich states (California and Texas) but are situated in the area that is not necessarily the hotbed of recruiting in the state (NoCal as opposed to the hotbed of SoCal and San Antonio as opposed to the hotbed of the DFW). We are situated in that hotbed so we have that going for us. Now as far as us taking advantage of that..

[GreenTexan13]

Thoughts?  Others?

University of New Mexico maybe or University of Nevada Reno?, it's hard to beat your comparison with SJSU. I looked at several other school football programs just to see if I could find one close enough. There's always one factor that skews the comparison's off. SJSU is pretty dead on in mirroring our program.

[10Eagle10]

You're not the first to make the UNT-SJSU comparison. untjim1995 has been telling us this for years

April 22, 2013:

http://www.gomeangreen.com/forums/topic/82928-ulms-berry-shocked-and-surprised-at-ad-resignation/#comment-721534

San Jose State is in the best non AQ league, though. Actually, I've always felt that SJSU is who UNT resembles the most when comparing FBS schools.

 

March 16, 2015:

http://www.gomeangreen.com/forums/topic/103341-college-ad-business-model/#comment-903248

I have said it before and I'll say it again, but to me, the only school in America that can relate to our situation is San Jose State.

For the record, I agree. There seems to be no better comparison for our doppleganger than the Spartans.

[greenit]

Damn, I love the idea of closing all the cafeterias except for the one inside the stadium.  That is thinking outside the box.

[untjim1995]

You're not the first to make the UNT-SJSU comparison. untjim1995 has been telling us this for years

April 22, 2013:

 

 

March 16, 2015:

 

 

 

 

For the record, I agree. There seems to be no better comparison for our doppleganger than the Spartans.

 

 

Truly, they seem like the only school out there that has the same issues to deal with, both market-wise and record-wise, albeit SJSU never dropped down to i-aa.  We both are afterthoughts, from the media, the state's citizenry, and even our own students, faculty, and alumni.

[jdennis82]

You're not the first to make the UNT-SJSU comparison. untjim1995 has been telling us this for years

Truly, they seem like the only school out there that has the same issues to deal with, both market-wise and record-wise, albeit SJSU never dropped down to i-aa.  We both are afterthoughts, from the media, the state's citizenry, and even our own students, faculty, and alumni.

10E10, thanks for pointing out my late entry to this comparison party.  I guess I've never happened to catch untjim's comparisons.

Looks like their Spartan Foundation is at a similar point as the Mean Green Club (http://www.sjsuspartans.com/ot/sjsu-spartan-foundation.html)

Their stated Goals:

1. Raise $2mil in annual support
2. Increase membership to 2,000 active members
3. Recruit 1,000 new members

[BillySee58]

University of New Mexico maybe or University of Nevada Reno?, it's hard to beat your comparison with SJSU. I looked at several other school football programs just to see if I could find one close enough. There's always one factor that skews the comparison's off. SJSU is pretty dead on in mirroring our program.

The comparison would most likely have to come from another one of the big 3 high school football states (Florida or California). I would say either USF, UCF, San Diego State, or maybe Fresno State, to a lesser degree. All are public schools situated in great recruiting bases but with states with a very high amount of competition for those high school players. They won't get the top players, but there are plenty of players in that area that are G5 prospects where if you can outrecruit other G5 programs for then you can field a very competitive team. Those schools have at various times in recent years.

[JesseMartin]

Damn, I love the idea of closing all the cafeterias except for the one inside the stadium.  That is thinking outside the box.

BRILLIANT!

Side note: SJSU has had one more name than UNT.  They win?

Edited July 28, 2015 by JesseMartin

[Cerebus]

Their stated Goals:

1. Raise $2mil in annual support
2. Increase membership to 2,000 active members
3. Recruit 1,000 new members

Stating your goals?  What a concept.  

[Fry Guy]

Some of you may resent any comparison made to lowly Southwest Tex... er... Texas State, but the below numbers may suggest that we now have an in-state FBS doppelganger as well.

 

Texas State University Bobcats

 

 

Enrollment

North Texas: Approx. 36K

Texas State: Approx. 37K

 

Other FBS Schools w/in approx 50 miles

North Texas: TCU (Big 12), SMU (AAC)

Texas State: Texas (Big 12), UTSA (C-USA)

 

All-time record

North Texas: 493–478–35 (.507)

Texas State: 503-421-26 (.543)

 

2014 record

North Texas: 4-8

Texas State: 7-5

 

Football Stadium capacity

North Texas: 30,850 (Apogee Stadium)

Texas State: 30,000 (Bobcat Stadium)

 

2014 attendance average

North Texas: 19,271

Texas State: 20,598

 

2014 Athletic Dept Revenue

North Texas: $31,617,094

Texas State: $32,190,191

 

Football Staff Salaries

North Texas: $1,148,300

Texas State: $807,988

 

 

Edited July 29, 2015 by Fry Guy

[untcampbell]

Interesting comps, FG. Media-dominant pro teams within 30 miles: NT (Cowboys), TS (Longhorns)

 

GMG

[Fry Guy]

I realize that Texas State has only been playing at the Division I-FBS level since 2012, but since then, both programs actually have the exact same number of wins (seventeen). And yes, Coach McCarney and his staff currently earn higher salaries, but it's not unreasonable to suggest that changes if Dennis Franchione continues to guide his team to an improved record each year. I don't know if this comparison has ever been made before, but I was really quite surprised by the results.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Fry Guy