Slightly Different Take On The Schedule Question From Earlier This Week

Christopher Walker · November 20, 2015

Huh?
Nov. 10, 2007 vs. Navy Attendance: 26,012
Nov. 21, 2009 vs. Army Attendance: 23,647
I'll agree that we shouldn't tie up our schedule playing the same school every year for 8 - 10 years (other than our conference opponents). I would like to see us play a lot of different schools.

Well then, I stand corrected. I recall that 2009 game and never really felt it was that much, but hey, that's what was reported.

I just really, really reaaaaaally don't want to be tied down scheduling wise with Army - and that's coming from someone with a lot of Army ties including a father who taught at West Point.

GOMG2013 · November 20, 2015

The comments about the scheduling and recruiting in the podcast are SPOT ON. The schedule is a BIG deal with recruiting. Seems like many fans just don't get it.

CUSA is a step up in conference, but it still does not have that wow factor at all. Playing a middle of the road P5 team at home is not a deal breaker. You cannot sell a home and home with kansas, wake forest, Indiana etc to recruits. Players want to play in a big time setting.

Our fans would be ok with it if we got the big program to return the game at apogee, and that is a fair expectation, but then you have the money issue, that is another discussion. I don't think we have problems with scheduling as much as fans think. I think it's the money we need the most.

UNT90 · November 21, 2015

The comments about the scheduling and recruiting in the podcast are SPOT ON. The schedule is a BIG deal with recruiting. Seems like many fans just don't get it.
CUSA is a step up in conference, but it still does not have that wow factor at all. Playing a middle of the road P5 team at home is not a deal breaker. You cannot sell a home and home with kansas, wake forest, Indiana etc to recruits. Players want to play in a big time setting.
Our fans would be ok with it if we got the big program to return the game at apogee, and that is a fair expectation, but then you have the money issue, that is another discussion. I don't think we have problems with scheduling as much as fans think. I think it's the money we need the most.

As long as the mindset in the AD's office is that we ALWAYS want to play major P5s on the road, you will always have a scheduling issue. And you will never have a meaningful P5 home game.

And RV said that was his mindset in the podcast with Harry earlier this year. And he said it emphatically.

The schedule will always be terrible with that mindset in the AD's office.

Army of Dad · February 3, 2016

On November 20, 2015 at 9:37 AM, Christopher Walker said:

Well then, I stand corrected. I recall that 2009 game and never really felt it was that much, but hey, that's what was reported.

I just really, really reaaaaaally don't want to be tied down scheduling wise with Army - and that's coming from someone with a lot of Army ties including a father who taught at West Point.

I think Army counts as a P5 for some so, hey we have a long term home and home against a P5!

UNT90 · February 3, 2016

6 hours ago, Army of Dad said:

I think Army counts as a P5 for some so, hey we have a long term home and home against a P5!

Just no.

And isn't it funny that the author of this thread wanted to talk schedule without talking about the person responsible for said schedule? That's like talking football but limiting out QB play talk. Insanity.

We now are "locked in" through 2022 (assuming SMU doesn't opt out, which I think they will), so what is the point? UNT has allowed a terrible AD to formulate a terrible schedule for the next 6 years. Because UNT really doesn't care one way or the other. Just make budget.

Edited February 3, 2016 by UNT90

Silent Eagle · February 3, 2016

On November 19, 2015 at 4:24 PM, ADLER said:

4)Promote the games. This means finding ways to fill the seats with not just homeless, orphans, kindergartners, and detained immigrants, but actually marketing the promotions to people that may actually return and buy tickets.

I love the idea of vagrant night at Apogee.

Full disclosure- i helped pay for the banner. But, does anyone think RV had anything to do with the schedule?

GTWT · February 3, 2016

1) I like playing 1 game a year against top opponents. First, it brings in money. Second, It helps recruiting for kids to know they will occasionally play Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, et al. Third, I like to sometimes fantasize about UNT Being mentioned in the same breath as a top-10 school. Fourth, sometimes (albeit rarely) we win. I still like to remember beating Tennessee.

2) I don't like playing FCS schools. I wouldn't drive across town to watch UNT play Abilene Christian.

3) I love playing the service academys. The games are winnable. They are amenable to signing home-and-homes. And even when we lose to a service academy I feel perversely patriotic.

4) I hate playing Sunbelt teams. I don't even like playing former Sunbelt teams.

GreenTexan13 · February 3, 2016

I'm going to go with #3. It won't happen because we get our money from the P5 bodybag games.

I'd ideally like to get some opponents in Apogee that are close and a little more recognizable than what we usually have come in. Heck even a team like Texas State is more recognizable over a lot of the teams we bring into Apogee....

Aldo · February 3, 2016

4 hours ago, Silent Eagle said:

does anyone think RV had anything to do with the schedule?

Northern Arizona does our scheduling.

Stix · February 3, 2016

On 11/19/2015 at 1:24 AM, ADLER said:

4)Promote the games. This means finding ways to fill the seats with not just homeless, orphans, kindergartners, and detained immigrants, but actually marketing the promotions to people that may actually return and buy tickets.

5) Make the gameday the best that it possibly can be...

Hire someone who has been successful working in marketing for a minor league baseball team.

untjim1995 · February 3, 2016

Its a moot point, because the AD knows that the P5 bodybag is the easiest way to fund the non-revenue programs...and we will take advantage of it until they dry up and go away. When you are running your department to breakeven or make a profit at our level of G5 play, the P5 bloodbath will always be necessary.

What amazes me, though, is how the SMU series could easily be used to avoid the FCS bought game. Those games in Dallas are neutral site games, at worst. That leaves you 5 games to make up a better schedule at home. We play Army at home with 4 other CUSA games every year we play in Dallas, plus an FCS game. Its too late now, but the strategy I would have implemented was to use the SMU game as an opportunity to sign a deal with someone like BYU or Boise State to come play here in a home-and-home series. It would have looked like this:

2017--@SMU, @bodybag, Army, @ Boise State + 4 CUSA home games

2018--SMU, @bodybag, @Army , Boise State + 4 CUSA home games

2019--@SMU, @bodybag, Army, @ BYU + 4 CUSA home games

2020--SMU, @bodybag, @Army, BYU + 4 CUSA home games

At worst you have 5.5 home games in the odd years, 6 home games in the even, of which none are FCS games that nobody wants to attend and give nothing to your program, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LOSE... Instead, you'd give the fans, particularly the season ticket holders a very nice set of games to bring people to and might just get the attention of some locals who would like to see Boise State or BYU play us, not Incarnate Word, Bethune-Cookman, Lamar, or Abilene Christian. There are many of us who will never step foot in Apogee when the AD gives us a home game against a lower-level team like Nicholls State or Texas Southern--and that isn't even counting the nightmare that the Portland State game provided. We may never get over that loss, as fans or with recruits, when being compared to other G5s in our region.

Texas Stranger · February 4, 2016

And now with coupling the SEC sell-a-loss with the FCS buy-a-win we get only half as much money, since roughly half the payout from the SEC games are used to pay for the FCS game. So the net is only about 500,000. Surely there are at least 17 Reasons why that money can't made up somewhere.

man-up UNT · February 4, 2016

We need to be playing Texas State, and they should be in CUSA eventually... Would be a great rivalry from 2 big schools ( State has like 25,000 students) close to each other. Tell the Athletic director to pull his head out and schedule them!

UNT90 · February 4, 2016

7 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

Its a moot point, because the AD knows that the P5 bodybag is the easiest way to fund the non-revenue programs...and we will take advantage of it until they dry up and go away. When you are running your department to breakeven or make a profit at our level of G5 play, the P5 bloodbath will always be necessary.

What amazes me, though, is how the SMU series could easily be used to avoid the FCS bought game. Those games in Dallas are neutral site games, at worst. That leaves you 5 games to make up a better schedule at home. We play Army at home with 4 other CUSA games every year we play in Dallas, plus an FCS game. Its too late now, but the strategy I would have implemented was to use the SMU game as an opportunity to sign a deal with someone like BYU or Boise State to come play here in a home-and-home series. It would have looked like this:

2017--@SMU, @bodybag, Army, @ Boise State + 4 CUSA home games

2018--SMU, @bodybag, @Army , Boise State + 4 CUSA home games

2019--@SMU, @bodybag, Army, @ BYU + 4 CUSA home games

2020--SMU, @bodybag, @Army, BYU + 4 CUSA home games

At worst you have 5.5 home games in the odd years, 6 home games in the even, of which none are FCS games that nobody wants to attend and give nothing to your program, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LOSE... Instead, you'd give the fans, particularly the season ticket holders a very nice set of games to bring people to and might just get the attention of some locals who would like to see Boise State or BYU play us, not Incarnate Word, Bethune-Cookman, Lamar, or Abilene Christian. There are many of us who will never step foot in Apogee when the AD gives us a home game against a lower-level team like Nicholls State or Texas Southern--and that isn't even counting the nightmare that the Portland State game provided. We may never get over that loss, as fans or with recruits, when being compared to other G5s in our region.

A lot of give up from you here. They aren't "5.5 home game seasons." They are FIVE HOME GAME SEASONS. A game at SMU isn't a "neutral site game," it's an away game.

UNT can do much much much better if they ever decide to actually try.

untjim1995 · February 4, 2016

12 hours ago, UNT90 said:

A lot of give up from you here. They aren't "5.5 home game seasons." They are FIVE HOME GAME SEASONS. A game at SMU isn't a "neutral site game," it's an away game.

UNT can do much much much better if they ever decide to actually try.

Well, when exactly is UNT going to do much better and decide to try? I'll politely wait for this to happen...

It really doesn't matter. The damage is already done, both previously and in future OOC scheduling. We aren't buying our any of those deals, so Incarnate Word, Lamar, ACU, and Bethune-Cookman will be games that Apogee will host. I was just advocating a way that the schedule could have been improved with SMU, Army, and P5 bodybag giant all still being played annually. That's how I would take advantage of playing at SMU to get a better team in here for the fans and the program. But it doesn't matter because its not going to happen until the 2020s, if even then. Probably by then, the P5s will have pulled away and our OOC games will be other G5s and FCS games like these going forward.

Until then, enjoy your club seats for FCS and CUSA home games, while seeing RV on the sidelines and the UNT 17 and BOR having a great time in the suites. Because these are the teams you are getting to see and this is the AD that will still be in control.

KRAM1 · February 4, 2016

On November 19, 2015 at 1:00 PM, Christopher Walker said:

Because they've never, ever had much of a draw. Plus, the length of time we're binding ourselves to them makes scheduling incredibly limiting.

Seriously? Did you attend our home games in the past against service academies? Darn good crowds for the most part and the local military folks always turn out. The last game we hosted against Navy had a great Navy following, as did the Army folks turn out for that game. I would like nothing better than to have a home game against Navy, Army or Air Force every single year from now on out. Great pagentry, often very competitive and well attended.

Christopher Walker · February 5, 2016

21 hours ago, KRAM1 said:

Seriously? Did you attend our home games in the past against service academies? Darn good crowds for the most part and the local military folks always turn out. The last game we hosted against Navy had a great Navy following, as did the Army folks turn out for that game. I would like nothing better than to have a home game against Navy, Army or Air Force every single year from now on out. Great pagentry, often very competitive and well attended.

Sure did. All of them since 2009. Don't think they're worth it.

Quoner · February 5, 2016

7 minutes ago, Christopher Walker said:

Sure did. All of them since 2009. Don't think they're worth it.

To be fair, I think 2007 against Navy was really something special that the others haven't matched, but it may have just been the novelty at the time coupled with the basketball-esque final score.

Aldo · February 5, 2016

15 minutes ago, Quoner said:

To be fair, I think 2007 against Navy was really something special that the others haven't matched, but it may have just been the novelty at the time coupled with the basketball-esque final score.

Never been a game like it.