At Wisconsin in 2019

[North Texas Shep]

I would rather us never have a damn paycheck/body bag game, but I get why we do it. It would be nice if they were every other year only and against teams we have a chance to beat. Wisconsin never has down years. They are a powerhouse and we are not. Hate to just look forward to a glaring loss. Nevertheless, I will root my Mean Green on till the end.

[SilverEagle]

We could have the best AD money could buy and he/she ain't getting a big time team here consistently until we sell out Apogee consistently.  And that #1 AD ain't filling Apogee until the culture changes in Denton and at UNT.  That is my point.  It is easy to criticize the man until you have to walk in his shoes.  I hope Ben Gooding understands this since I didn't drop any obscenities  

I've said "culture change" is the root problem for years.....and people are finally listening.

For years everyone thought that winning would cure our attendance problem. But four straight bowl trips and a record setting conference winning streak didn't impress the students/alumni and community enough to fill up Fouts (in it's current 30.5 capacity). So we go out and hire a name coach who has been associated with many winning programs, (who doesn't alienate or distance himself from fans, and will actually give them a pep talk) and he finally has a 9-4 season and a bowl win. Not one sell-out last year......even when we have a sure win game.  

Lifer, If as you said earlier, most of these Texas Tech level programs will not come to Fouts, then isn't it the AD's job to find out why? And if it's pretty clear to everyone who has observed this program for more than a year or two that our culture is the main culprit, then isn't it the AD's job to engage the University, Alumni, and community to change that?  Or enlist the help of motivated UNT and Denton and area community people/organizations to get an "action plan" going to change that?

 It's the job of the AD to grow the program. And if it won't grow naturally, then it's his/her job to find out why, and then find out if the "why" can change. And if it can change, then what has to happen to change the "why".

Boise St. is held up as an example of how a program can go from unknown to being a national player. It was noted that they played a lot of "winnable" games and built up their record before seizing the opportunity to win against big time programs. I would suggest/guess that the culture-community- engagement piece was done before they started racking up wins against cupcakes so that it was already part of their culture to show up to games. Just like it is for the TT's and UT's of the world.

One final thought. IF someone accepts that culture change is the root issue. It cannot be turned around by glitzy/cutesy promotions one or two times in any ONE season.  According to one expert on change, Weight Watchers, it takes a motivated individual 27 days to change a bad habit. In their case bad eating patterns. And they provide lots of consistent support, year in and year out, for those "motivated individuals" in their quest for change.

So , I wonder how that translates, numbers wise, to institutional/community change.....assuming the institution/community wants to change.

IMHO, It's the AD's job to find out the answer to that last comment.

Edited August 14, 2015 by SilverEagle

[greenit]

So, we are saying RV should go on a diet to solve scheduling issues?

Seems reasonable.

 

Edited August 14, 2015 by greenit

[SilverEagle]

So, we are saying RV should go on a diet to solve scheduling issues?

Seems reasonable.

 

No one says "going on a diet" anymore, they say "lifestyle change". 

[MeanGreenDadx2]

After all the usual whining and ranting about scheduling and demanding that RV be fired, is it fixed?  Where is the action to change it?  Certainly everyone is entitled to express their opinion and their frustration with scheduling.  But repeated arguments on this board is not causing change nor will it ever.  Talk is cheap and so is whining on this board.  Man up and DO something or shut up.

[10Eagle10]

First off, I'm tired of only have 5 home games in one year. I had really hoped that Kram's faith in RV was justified and that he was going to surprise us all with a *gasp* 7 game home schedule in 2019 AND no body bag games. As is usually the case with our AD, that was way too much to hope for.

In the last 8 years we have played two away games at P5 schools in the same season - 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2015. Now I realize that some of those away games were part of a home and home (Indiana, Kansas State), but in three of those four seasons, we wound up with only 5 home games and in the last two instances the only OOC home contest was an FCS (1-AA): Texas Southern and Portland State. If you're going to short change the paying customers with only 5 home games, then it's only right to reward us with a rare 7 game home schedule at least once a decade. If you can play two money games in one season, then doesn't it follow that you can have one year without any?

2019 was the perfect opportunity to start a new home and home with the home end portion either landing in 2019 or 2020. If the home game were in 2019 then bam! 7 game home schedule. If RV had decided to play away in 2019, then he could have bought another FCS opponent in 2020 and voila! there's our 7 home game miracle.

For those who are afraid we'll lose to a P5 at home, isn't Coach Mac always touting his home record in Apogee? and isn't he 1-0 against P5's here? I'd much rather see a home win over a Kansas, Iowa State, Syracuse, Colorado, Washington State, Purdue, or Virginia than a road loss to an SEC team. If it's about the money, then maybe one of our big money donors can write a check to the AD specifically to underwrite a bodybag game one year. It shouldn't be that much - just the difference between whatever we would've gotten paid minus what we made from the gate receipts/concessions for an additional home game - probably way less than half a million as we are getting paid $900,00 to go to Iowa this year and were paid $875,000 by Texas last year. Didn't LSU only pay us $500k in 2012?

 

P.S. does anyone know how much Wisconsin is paying us? I see LaTech just got $1.1 million for going to Texas in 2019 and another $1.1 million for Clemson in 2020. Surely the great negotiator, RV, got us at least that much, right?

[NT91]

NO

[GreenTexan13]

After all the usual whining and ranting about scheduling and demanding that RV be fired, is it fixed?  Where is the action to change it?  Certainly everyone is entitled to express their opinion and their frustration with scheduling.  But repeated arguments on this board is not causing change nor will it ever.  Talk is cheap and so is whining on this board.  Man up and DO something or shut up.

What do you expect us to do? grab pitch forks and torches, and run RV out when we storm UNT? Some of us on here have reached out to the president or made it known of our frustrations. The fact of the matter is, RV is going to have to just leave on his own. He has no pressure to change, and the people he has to please are satisfied with his work. 

One of us honestly should apply for a coaching position, the next time one comes up in athletics. With all the failed hires RV has made, there wouldn't be much of a difference if we had a resume, 

[Army of Dad]

After all the usual whining and ranting about scheduling and demanding that RV be fired, is it fixed?  Where is the action to change it?  Certainly everyone is entitled to express their opinion and their frustration with scheduling.  But repeated arguments on this board is not causing change nor will it ever.  Talk is cheap and so is whining on this board.  Man up and DO something or shut up.

Wait, aren't you just bitching and whining on this board? Don't practice what you preach, huh?

[UNTFan23]

Madison is a nice city to visit.  I visited the area this summer and wished I had more of a chance to visit the city of Madison itself.  While the odds of us winning the game is small, I am looking forward to making the trip.

[MeanGreenDadx2]

Wait, aren't you just bitching and whining on this board? Don't practice what you preach, huh?

I can see all the complaining here about scheduling hasn't changed it.  So I don't complain about it.  I'm practicing what I preach.  UNT90 said "Do something about it. Talk is cheap", I'm repeating what he said. So be sure to complain to him as well.

You want change.  Who has the power to make a change?  I believe the BOR has the power.  Prepare a presentation for them.  Present facts and figures that state your case, compare to other universities especially our conference mates.  Don't offer opinions, just the facts.  The BOR hire and fire personnel at the Athletic Director level and write his goals.  Be sure to give a copy to the President before the Regents get their copy (follow the chain of command).  

I have given you a plan to change the situation.  You really want change, to quote UNT90 "Do something about it. Talk is cheap"

 

[Army of Dad]

I can see all the complaining here about scheduling hasn't changed it.  So I don't complain about it.  I'm practicing what I preach.  UNT90 said "Do something about it. Talk is cheap", I'm repeating what he said. So be sure to complain to him as well.

You want change.  Who has the power to make a change?  I believe the BOR has the power.  Prepare a presentation for them.  Present facts and figures that state your case, compare to other universities especially our conference mates.  Don't offer opinions, just the facts.  The BOR hire and fire personnel at the Athletic Director level and write his goals.  Be sure to give a copy to the President before the Regents get their copy (follow the chain of command).  

I have given you a plan to change the situation.  You really want change, to quote UNT90 "Do something about it. Talk is cheap"

 

We will have to agree to disagree pretty much every post of yours that I can remember can be summed up as complaining about complaining. Perhaps your other posts weren't as memorable to me so if I've over simplified all of your posts then my apologies. 

[MeanGreenDadx2]

I guess complaining about complaining is not politically correct on this board.  I offered a potential solution to a problem.  Solutions are not desirable so I will step aside and let the complaining continue.

[Harry]

I guess complaining about complaining is not politically correct on this board.  I offered a potential solution to a problem.  Solutions are not desirable so I will step aside and let the complaining continue.

Hey I hope you will not make yourself scarce because I enjoy hearing your perspective as others do as well.

One of the reasons I like this time of the year, is because every college team in the country is undefeated and there is hope and optimism.  I think there has been a lot of it shown here lately which is nice.  I also like solutions and problem solvers as opposed to the same complaints over and over.  But wins and losses play a part in this unfortunately.  It happens at UT, A&M, Abilene Christian and every school out there.  People have limited time and funds in this busy world.  They want to spend their free time and resources on things that are fun, that bring back happiness and instill hope for the future,

Let's put this into context - our football program has had one winning season in a decade.  Frankly, I sometimes am surprised at the amount of support we do have, if you look solely at our results.  So yes, there is some frustration in our ranks right now, and rightfully so.

That said, in the same decade we have seen unbelievable progress in many other areas, namely athletic facilities (Apogee/Eagle Point/Kuhene Basketball Practice Facility etc.), Conference realigment (C-USA was a BIG step-up), Coaching salaries, and for UNT in general (Student union $140 million, new law school, new medical school, student enrollment and the list goes on)..

Add to that, despite losing more than we win, we have seen student attendance rise and have seen our overall attendance numbers increase and remain more stable than in years past.

This GMG community is very capable of being VERY positive, if you doubt that, take a look at our archive from the 2013-14 season.  There were moments were I would label this community as being giddy...and that despite not even winning the C-USA West which we easily could have done.

As I have stated before, I would much rather here someone bitching about something than being quiet because that means apathy and that has been our biggest enemy since I began following this program and certainly well before that as well. 

So - yes there is some complaining around here and perhaps more than I would like at times.  If you put that into the context of where this program has been over the last 5-10 years it makes a little more sense. gmg 

[FirefightnRick]

La Tech is getting $1.1 million to go play at UT to lead off the 2019 season

Per AGC of the M&G board.

 Eastern Michigan just signed a $1.2 million deal to play Kentucky in a 2 for 1.  So EMU will recieve around $400k more than we got last year at Texas, AND host an SEC team in a return game.  

http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/mid-amer/eastern-michigan-eagles.php

 

 

 

 

Rick

Edited August 14, 2015 by FirefightnRick

[James329]

Per AGC of the M&G board.

 Eastern Michigan just signed a $1.2 million deal to play Kentucky in a 2 for 1.  So EMU will recieve around $400k more than we got last year at Texas, AND host an SEC team in a return game.  

http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/mid-amer/eastern-michigan-eagles.php

 

 

 

 

Rick

THIS is the crap I'm talking about. There have been numerous deals like this made all over the country by G5 schools. Schools with much less to offer than us. Why aren't we doing this? Why are we constantly getting bent over in our scheduling. It's ridiculous. I'm tired of the excuses. 

[FirefightnRick]

I'm assuming it was when BYU went Independant in 2011 that caused a major shift in their schedule when several attentive programs took advantage and arranged to bring one of the nation's most well recognized and respected programs to their school. 

 

Since 2012 thru 2020 the Cougars have played/will have played at such major powerhouses as:

New Mexico St

Houston

Middle Tennessee

East Carolina

Toledo

UMass

Northern Illinois

 

 

Rick

 

Edited August 14, 2015 by FirefightnRick

[3XL]

looking forward to 2018 in Madison ...hopefully NT will have some new collegiate looking unis by then...

sans sabor tooth tiger stripe pants & goofy HS jerseys....who signs off on this crap? Captain sweater vest & mustache? 

We seriously need take away the keys and have an intervention....we couldn't design or punch ourself out of a wet paper bag.

letters are better & expand the brand

[GreenTexan13]

THIS is the crap I'm talking about. There have been numerous deals like this made all over the country by G5 schools. Schools with much less to offer than us. Why aren't we doing this? Why are we constantly getting bent over in our scheduling. It's ridiculous. I'm tired of the excuses. 

I put in bold the key term from your post. That is all we get from the AD when we want to know why we are not getting what the fans want, "excuses". There are some posters on GMG.com that state it would be impossible to schedule a quality opponent due to a our SMU/Army series and pay check games. There is some truth to that, but an AD who gets paid 300k a year should ,

A) Have not put us into this predicament

B) Fix the situation and give the fans more satisfaction.

C) Stop feeding us excuses

Every time I hear an excuse come out of his mouth, I roll my eyes. A good AD, wont stick a 5 home game season, 2 paycheck game season, FCS home games, and no effort to bring a home & home. There is a lot of disagreement on this situation, but I'm not budging with my opinion on this matter. 

[UNTFan23]

THIS is the crap I'm talking about. There have been numerous deals like this made all over the country by G5 schools. Schools with much less to offer than us. Why aren't we doing this? Why are we constantly getting bent over in our scheduling. It's ridiculous. I'm tired of the excuses. 

2-for-1 deals set you up for the possibility of 5 home game seasons though.  Pick you poison carefully!

[Ben Gooding]

2-for-1 deals set you up for the possibility of 5 home game seasons though.  Pick you poison carefully!

WE ALREADY HAVE A 5 HOME GAME SEASON!!!! AND WE HAD ONE IN 2012!! WHAT POISON ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!!

[Got5onIt]

 they say "lifestyle change". 

That covers a broad range of things nowadays. We talking food or Caitlin Jenner?

 

 

 

[FirefightnRick]

2-for-1 deals set you up for the possibility of 5 home game seasons though.  Pick you poison carefully!

Right, anything is possible.  But I'd take a two for one with an SEC team that results in a 5 game home stand than a 1 for 1 with Smu/Army that results a 5 game home stand any day.

 

Rick

[UNTexas]

What AD has ever brought better teams to Denton?  What AD has filled up out stadiums consistently?  I bring this up because it just might be more difficult than many of us realize to get teams to Denton. 

UNT brought way better teams to town in the past. Even at cappy Fouts we have hosted Oregon State, Navy, Kansas State, Texas Tech, ect. Because of that garbage stadium we played games at Texas Stadium to get teams to come here. Playing Texas A&M, Kansas, or Tech at a stadium in Irving is much better for the program than Portland State, Liberty, Lamar, Abilene Christian, or McNeese State at Apogee.

I think RV has done us proud in a ton of ways but scheduling quality opponents at home has been a complete failure under his watch. We were told Apogee would see better opponents. Army and SMU are awesome teams for us but the rest are an embarrassment for an FBS school looking to change it's lot in life. I expect more. Most of this board, students, and fans expect more. 

Edited August 15, 2015 by UNTexas

[Cerebus]

Did anyone notice that WKU also singed a deal to play @ Wisconsin?    We'll play there in 2019 for $1.2 million, but WKU is going to be paid $1.35 million.  They also got UW to agree to a home and home in MBB.