MGB: Follow-up thoughts on UNT scheduling FCS opponents

[Brett Vito]

MGB: 

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2016/06/follow-up-thoughts-on-unts-nonconference-lineup.html/

[Eagleisland]

Personally I agree with that approach for the time being. Boise took off originally, not by playing top programs, but by playing cream-puffs and WINNING. Then they

started adding good programs to the schedule as the winning tradition grew and recruiting improved. Obviously, we need to rebuild this baby from scratch. Lets have a few winning seasons and then see where that leads.

[Ben Gooding]

3 minutes ago, Eagleisland said:

Personally I agree with that approach for the time being. Boise took off originally, not by playing top programs, but by playing cream-puffs and WINNING. Then they

started adding good programs to the schedule as the winning tradition grew and recruiting improved. Obviously, we need to rebuild this baby from scratch. Lets have a few winning seasons and then see where that leads.

1 dumpster fire of a program on our schedule every year is not going to turn our seasons into winning one's. However, I am not against the FCS, I am just against the quality of FCS they are bringing in. HBU? IWU? ugh 

[Gibbz]

45 minutes ago, Ben Gooding said:

HBU? IWU? ugh 

I'll take it over getting thwacked by Portland State.

[UNT90]

1 hour ago, Brett Vito said:

MGB: 

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2016/06/follow-up-thoughts-on-unts-nonconference-lineup.html/

Being the better turd doesn't mean you aren't a turd, Brett. That's what beating an FCS means for UNT.

Scheduling these teams led to the worst loss in modern cllege football history. That one loss cost this program more than winning the next 6 will benefit it. And it's very possible another loss is on the horizon the second game of this season. 

It's really stupid scheduling. We aren't a big 10 team and shouldn't try to schedule like one...

Throw on top of that the fact that RV has transformed this football program into the laughing stock of Texas college football programs, and scheduling like you are the worst team in CUSA only reinforces that perception. 

Edited June 17, 2016 by UNT90

[Side Show Joe]

I have to disagree with this article. RV's crappy scheduling philosophy of playing a body-bag game on the road has been in place for 15 years, and his addition of trying to buy FCS wins at home, has been in place for a few years now, and neither is working. The overall results just don't support this strategy. 1 winning season in the last decade proves it.

We field an FBS team. Our primary focus needs to be on building a program that consistently beats other FBS level teams. If our coaches can't do that, then our primary focus needs to be on holding people accountable and hiring the right people that will win at our level, not lowering our expectations in the scheduling just to fluff up our record. Even had we beaten Portland State last season, in our "buy-an FCS-win" attempt, our record would still have been 2-10.

It should be very simple. Schedule home and home series with other FBS level programs. This isn't rocket science.

[NM Green]

I can't believe RV was allowed to do this to us.  I am sorry but bringing in NMSU or SFA or Idaho of the Big Sky would be better than these 2 games.  Whether this was finalized before he was fired or after - I would have walked him to the door and taken away his keys before he could do any more damage.  

It's just stupid that we have to endure a horrible schedule year after year!  When living in Hawaii I used to see Purdue and USC coming into Aloha Stadium.  In Vegas I would watch Wisconsin and Washington come to play.  

Come on, we need to be doing things as good as San Antonio and UNLV NOW.

GMG

[VideoEagle]

I agree with part of it, 

Quote

Bringing in teams UNT can beat would rank a whole lot higher on my scheduling priority list.

I know using the OCC part of the schedule to build wins has grown the program at K-State, Boise and elsewhere. But those were not pairing a winnable game with a body bag game early in the season. It's a formula that has been proven successful, but we are not executing it correctly. 

And I think Vito is wrong on his history. I'm not certain about UTA itself, but in 1975 the Southland was a 1A football conference, I least that's what I remember. They all moved down as a group since not enough could pass the qualifications for 1A in 1982. At least that's what I found on Wikipedia. 

[Graddean]

Last season, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and South Carolina all played FCS schools.  Alabama has one scheduled for this fall.  

[Ben Gooding]

42 minutes ago, Graddean said:

Last season, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and South Carolina all played FCS schools.  Alabama has one scheduled for this fall.  

Yeah, they do. That's why I don't think it's that big of an issue. If we are perennial winners or losers, attendance will suffer regardless if a FCS opponent is playing insidea FBS stadium. 

[untjim1995]

44 minutes ago, Graddean said:

Last season, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and South Carolina all played FCS schools.  Alabama has one scheduled for this fall.  

Do any of those schools average about 40% of stadium capacity for their home games against the FCS teams, too?

Oh wait...they are P5 giants, not a pissant G5 that let their AD stay in place about 5 years too long, as evidenced by the stupid FCS teams we have on our future schedule...

[UNT90]

1 hour ago, Graddean said:

Last season, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and South Carolina all played FCS schools.  Alabama has one scheduled for this fall.  

And you think UNT is any one of these schools? Lol.

No wonder attendance is so crappy for this program historically. 

[Wag Tag]

10 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

And you think UNT is any one of these schools? Lol.

No wonder attendance is so crappy for this program historically. 

You look at any conf opponent and most are playing FCS schools and then playing a body bag game. Ben makes a good point of playing an FCS that people know exist! Is SMU are big FBS opponent? Colo State, San Diego St, Fresno all recruit this area they might like to have a one on one in TEXAS! I wonder how many fans in Florida r bitching about the UNT game?

[UNT90]

27 minutes ago, Wag Tag said:

You look at any conf opponent and most are playing FCS schools and then playing a body bag game. Ben makes a good point of playing an FCS that people know exist! Is SMU are big FBS opponent? Colo State, San Diego St, Fresno all recruit this area they might like to have a one on one in TEXAS! I wonder how many fans in Florida r bitching about the UNT game?

EVERY conference opponent but one has a P5 scheduled at home. 

It never ceases to amaze me how this fan base will simply accept pure crap from athletic and university leadership. No wonder just about every alum walks the hell away from this mess of a program.

Edited June 18, 2016 by UNT90

[Aldo]

We don't need to go to extremes for home games. 

FCS? Sure whatever, but no one cares. Easy win/motivator, in theory. 

SEC school? Sure whatever, but it's not happening. 

How about a happy medium? 

SMU is ok, but I would prefer a low tier P5 over a low tier G5.

Iowa State? Colorado? Indiana? A 1 and 1 seems reasonable (I know we've done that w Indiana, so it can be done). Now that sounds more like an opportunity game. And it's many opportunities over several years, not the same team over and over again that only has marginal interest in one market (that's SMU if I lost you). 

We always remember the time we beat Baylor at home, even though our record is now 1-12. We always remember the time we almost beat Kansas State. No one gives a crap when we beat, uh, all those FCS teams. 

[VideoEagle]

11 hours ago, Aldo said:

No one gives a crap when we beat, uh, all those FCS teams. 

The players do. And those wins do help their confidence in other games, just as any coach. 

The fans at the Nichols State game sure acted like they enjoyed the game when we had a record win. 

[Wag Tag]

19 hours ago, UNT90 said:

And you think UNT is any one of these schools? Lol.

No wonder attendance is so crappy for this program historically. 

So a P5 schedule an FBS is ok but not UNT? The hater is back! Don't worry you will have the ghost of RV for a few years!

[UNT90]

34 minutes ago, Wag Tag said:

So a P5 schedule an FBS is ok but not UNT? The hater is back! Don't worry you will have the ghost of RV for a few years!

And that's why he's back. This is a bigger FU than Dickey's black jerseys, make no mistake.

Worst AD in UNT history, and that's saying something,

[southsideguy]

if we are going to play these teams we better be beating badly.

[UNT90]

11 minutes ago, southsideguy said:

if we are going to play these teams we better be beating badly.

That happened last year.

[EagleMBA]

1 hour ago, UNT90 said:

That happened last year.

Postgame highlights and commentary from the Portland State game:

[Aldo]

9 hours ago, VideoEagle said:

The players do. And those wins do help their confidence in other games, just as any coach. 

The fans at the Nichols State game sure acted like they enjoyed the game when we had a record win. 

Yeah, I know I did. 

But I absolutely LOVED storming the field after Indiana, and the players enjoyed hanging out with family and fans. 

Edited June 19, 2016 by Aldo

[casual fan]

On 6/17/2016 at 5:30 PM, Eagleisland said:

Personally I agree with that approach for the time being. Boise took off originally, not by playing top programs, but by playing cream-puffs and WINNING. Then they

started adding good programs to the schedule as the winning tradition grew and recruiting improved. Obviously, we need to rebuild this baby from scratch. Lets have a few winning seasons and then see where that leads.

YES......100 %

Boise didn't get there by playing top programs.  They got there by winning against an easy schedule.

If they had used the UNT model of playing body bag games and 7 road game per year, they would be UNT.

We need to follow their blueprint and learn from our past mistakes.

[DeepGreen]

Do you all realize that Boise State moved to FBS about the same time as UNT?  Too bad we didn't have the right formula for building a successful program back then like they did.

[casual fan]

15 minutes ago, DeepGreen said:

Do you all realize that Boise State moved to FBS about the same time as UNT?  Too bad we didn't have the right formula for building a successful program back then like they did.

                   Boise                                                                             

2002   12 -1 played no ranked teams                            8-5  UNT played Texas. Alabama, TCU, Arizona on the road with only 5 home games.

2003   13 -1 scheduled no ranked teams                      9-4    UNT played Oklahoma, Arkansas, Air Force on the road with 5 home games

2004   11 -1 scheduled no raked teams                         7-5  UNT played Texas, Baylor, Colorado on the road with 5 home games

2005     9-4 lost to 3 ranked teams                                 2- 9 UNT played LSU, Kansas St, La Tech on the road with 5 home games

2006   13 -0 scheduled no raked teams, beat #7 OU    3-9 UNT opened with a 56-7 loss at Texas season over.

Boise Formula 

Easy schedule + no ranked ranked teams = Winning season 

UNT Formula

Body bag out of conference games + only 5 home games = downward spiral 

Insanity is when you keep doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different outcome.