DRC: Baker examining UNT scheduling philosophy

[DT 90]

26 minutes ago, ChristopherRyanWilkes said:

Should look at what A&M has done. Not that we are simarily situated, but wasn't it last season they only had like 3 or 4 away games? 7 home games and a neutral site game at NRG in Houston (basically a home game) or something like that. 

Two neutral site games last year.  Arizona State at NRG in Houston (essentially a home game) and their annual affair with Jerry's Hogs at Jerry World. I cannot wait for them to get out of that contract.   

[Wag Tag]

4 hours ago, Brett Vito said:

DRC: New UNT AD open to looking at different avenues to improve football schedule, including moving future games

http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20160915-football-nonconference-slate-on-table-as-baker-aims-to-build-unt-program.ece

I would like to see the FCS game scheduled before the SMU game. The question on making up the $ for the body bag games, think about another 10,000 in added attendance over the year and what that does to the bottom line. I would also have major promotions for the ARMY game and tag a goal of SELL OUT. GMG

[GTWT]

I love playing SMU & Army home-and-home.  They're recognizable & winnable.

I like playing top-25 teams.  It's a pay check, our recruits love knowing they'll get to play in Gainesville, Norman, or Austin, and if we ever get good enough to win - it will get national attention.

I hate playing FCS teams.  It puts us on their level.  If we win it's meaningless.  If we lose it's God-awful embarrassing.

[Cr1028]

4 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

We aren't going to get rid of the bodybag game, just because of the money and exposure they provide. I'm sure he is looking at buying out the FCS spares that RV saddled us with and fix that.

Seriously, there are exactly two FCS teams that would be worth scheduling here--SFA and SHSU. They are decent, bring fans, and our fans wouldn't mind playing them. Instead, we have seen Texas Southern, Nicholls State, Portland State, Bethune-Cookman, Lamar, ACU, Incarnate Word, Houston Baptist, and Rhode Island make our schedules. You will never get people out to watch this group beyond the diehards.

But the bodybag game helps to pay for these buyouts of the spares...hopefully, Wren can do something about this. He might not be able to and we will just have to ride it out, but it is very refreshing to see an actual motivated AD in place, versus a lazy one who took the first call and first offer from every single P5 school and then turned around and shot a dart at the US map and found the nearest FCS spare next to it and called them up to play here.

 

I'd rather schedule Texas State than SFA or Sam. No more FCS, please. 

I'm sure we'll be able to get home and home with Baylor again soon. They will be very winnable games again very soon.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Cr1028

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

43 minutes ago, DT 90 said:

Two neutral site games last year.  Arizona State at NRG in Houston (essentially a home game) and their annual affair with Jerry's Hogs at Jerry World. I cannot wait for them to get out of that contract.   

Yeah but if you keep all your home games, there's a big following in DFW. Haven't been to that game, but I'd assume Aggies outnumber Hogs. You want A&M out of that contract? 

[untjim1995]

11 minutes ago, Cr1028 said:

I'd rather schedule Texas State than SFA or Sam. No more FCS, please. 

I'm sure we'll be able to get home and home with Baylor again soon. They will be very winnable games again very soon.

I agree, but then that delivers the 5 game home schedule here with the bodybag game on the road every season. I don't have a problem with this at all, ESPECIALLY if we keep playing SMU every year

[GreenTexan13]

3 hours ago, DT 90 said:

From a parent of a former player perspective, those "body bag" are a big plus in recruiting.  Ask my former player his thoughts on playing at LSU, Alabama, Clemson and Georgia. Mine was pissed  because his class didn't get to play tu in Austin (they thought they could have beat the crap out of them).   Even where he coaches now, UL-M, his kids got really fired up about playing OU last weekend.  The same to be said about Auburn later on during the season  Its an opportunity for them to shine on the big stage against the best of the best.  He relishes the game at Alabama where he went toe to toe with the Outland trophy winner on every defensive snap. He beams with pride about his teams performance in the Georgia game. That game alone made a huge impact on the outcome of the season. Nothing was to big for them to handle.

I am all for 6 games at home and a very BIG no to neutral sites (slap in the face of your city, and why spend the money on nice stadiums if you don't use them).  I still say one game against a P5 conference a year (home and home at minimum) for sure.   

Carry on. 

If you're talking about the 2013 class/team, I wish that this actually happened. I would very well like to see North Texas defeat Texas in my lifetime. 

 

I can agree with everything you said! I think the big bodybag P5 games are dreaded because the fragile state UNT football is usually in. This Saturday against Florida could be either gut wrenching or a eye opener. And both those go for a most likely loss or a lightning strike chance of a win. I just hate seeing the score rolled up on us..... If we stay competitive and keep the score out of a blow out. Than I think we will start to see a lot of people look forward to the body bag games, when UNT actually stands the chance of a upset. 

But my favorite part of your post is the home and home games. Bring in the P5s to Apogee. If we have to play Alabama or Arkansas, I can understand that we aren't getting them here in Apogee if they are playing at Jerry world and the SEC power conference. But there should be no excuse as to why we whore ourselves out to Iowa twice and don't get them to come to Denton...... 

 

[DT 90]

5 minutes ago, GreenTexan13 said:

If you're talking about the 2013 class/team, I wish that this actually happened. I would very well like to see North Texas defeat Texas in my lifetime. 

 

I can agree with everything you said! I think the big bodybag P5 games are dreaded because the fragile state UNT football is usually in. This Saturday against Florida could be either gut wrenching or a eye opener. And both those go for a most likely loss or a lightning strike chance of a win. I just hate seeing the score rolled up on us..... If we stay competitive and keep the score out of a blow out. Than I think we will start to see a lot of people look forward to the body bag games, when UNT actually stands the chance of a upset. 

But my favorite part of your post is the home and home games. Bring in the P5s to Apogee. If we have to play Alabama or Arkansas, I can understand that we aren't getting them here in Apogee if they are playing at Jerry world and the SEC power conference. But there should be no excuse as to why we whore ourselves out to Iowa twice and don't get them to come to Denton...... 

 

 Screw Jerry World.  A&M had no problem playing SMU at Ford. Indiana had no problem coming to Apogee.  K-state had no problem coming to old stadium.  Make them come to you, even the SEC teams.  That is why they call them "Sell Outs". 

[MeanGreenTexan]

4 minutes ago, DT 90 said:

 Screw Jerry World.  A&M had no problem playing SMU at Ford. Indiana had no problem coming to Apogee.  K-state had no problem coming to old stadium.  Make them come to you, even the SEC teams.  That is why they call them "Sell Outs". 

Agree.  
With Big12-2 teams playing the format they play, they're already getting trips to DFW every other year with games in Ft.Worth.  
Need to target SEC/PAC12/BIG10+4/ACC teams that want to recruit DFW.  
Or target IASt/KU/KSU and have them come to Apogee during one of the years TCU visits them so they have at least 3 straight years of recruiting in DFW.

[Stix]

37 minutes ago, DT 90 said:

Screw Jerry World.

 

28 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Agree

Y'all are forgetting the big agreement between the Cowboys and UNT.  Not that I want it, but I'd say that increases the likelihood of there being a neutral site game at JerryWorld in the future.  Hopefully that would only be in place of an away bodybag game, and would be at limited (or no) cost to NT to use that stadium.

[Cr1028]

2 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

I agree, but then that delivers the 5 game home schedule here with the bodybag game on the road every season. I don't have a problem with this at all, ESPECIALLY if we keep playing SMU every year

valid point

[Christopher Walker]

The Ideal:

• Eliminate FCS games.
• Restructure current P5 deals for home-and-homes or 2-for-1s, get out of those that don't bite.
• maintain six home games per year, but add reasonable local neutral site like Cotton Bowl or Jerry World as practically an additional seventh home game each year.
  • Do ^this^ with low-level P5s or competitive G5s

[Cerebus]

2 minutes ago, Christopher Walker said:

• Eliminate FCS games.
• Restructure current P5 deals for home-and-homes or 2-for-1s, get out of those that don't bite.
• maintain six home games per year, but add reasonable local neutral site like Cotton Bowl or Jerry World as practically an additional seventh home game each year.
  • Do ^this^ with low-level P5s or competitive G5s

• Those should be easy wins.  I know they don't draw fans, TO THAT GAME, but winning 8-10 games for a couple seasons will draw in fans.
• P5 teams make a million dollars+ in revenue for every home game they play.  Why exactly would they give up a home game for no reason?  Also, there is no way to changes those payout games to 2-1s with completely boning...
• ...a six game schedule.  It's just math.  Like @UNT90 pointed out, if you have 2-1 deals and then can't afford to bring in two paid teams then you sooner or later you end up with a 5 game schedule.  

The Boise St model was to:

• Schedule FCS teams.  Schedule the worst FBS teams you can find.  Sure SHSU might bring in more fans, but they might beat us.  If the Little Sisters of the Poor actually field a team, schedule them immediately.
• Schedule bottom tier G5 teams.  SMU and Army are teams SL should be able to beat with OK recruiting.
• ^ WIN THOSE GAMES ^
• Use the winning records/bowl games to improve recruiting.
• Once you have better recruits, schedule better teams.

 

Boise St. beat OU because they followed the above model for about a decade before they got to that BCS bowl.  

Recruits want to come to a program that can win games, schedule to win games, then improve recruiting.  

[Christopher Walker]

I'm certainly not trying to make out what I said as being realistic, just an ideal.

[Cerebus]

Just now, Christopher Walker said:

I'm certainly not trying to make out what I said as being realistic, just an ideal.

Well in that case just have us replace Arkansas in the SEC West.  

[wardly]

I think it is great that Wren is getting his coach involved in scheduling. Neutral site equals Jerry World. Question: would you rather play Arkansas State in Denton, or a home game with the University of Arkansas at Jerry World? Just asking.....

[ttunt1970]

untjim1995 if you schedule ACU, Lamar or SFA as the first game would be fine(no pun intended) because SFA sold when we played them at Fouts their alumni association

in DFW sold more than 3,000 tickets and ACU if worked right with the Churches of Christ would also sell that my(we used to played them and they also sold in excess

of 2.000 tickets. The SFA game's attendance was in our top 5 (18,300), by comparison Houston and SMU didn't come close to those sales. I'm all for home and home with

N Mex, N Mex St., Ark. St., ULL and maybe Tulane.

[outoftown]

First step to get those 500k-1M we need to have complete schedule flexibility: not having to pay extra sallaries to fired coaches (and ADs) anymore. That is easily 500k right there, and in 2-5 years we could be out from under all of that. On a side note: I remember when some people thought it was a pity we didn't up Macs salary to a cool million ( I disagreed because I thought there was no market where he could have gotten more).

The second step is to keep playing P5 opposition, and maybe play one of the very big boys every other season, because as someone correctly mentioned: it is important to recruits and for exposure. But then in the other season go and take money from somebody whom you are much more likely to beat: For example: play Texas Tech instead of Texas, play Baylor (they may come back down to earth soon ) instead of Texas, play Iowa State instead of Iowa.

Third step: Keep plying FCS teams you can beat, but as some others already said: Why get a team from across half the continent like Portland State or Bethune Cookman, and play a local FCS.They'll bring fans, they can cut down on travel cost, and UNTs fans will care more.

And finally: try to get any leverage you can when dealing with equals. RV actually got some decent even series going (army and SMU are not bad for UNT). That is not to say we could not improve. If you spend some extra money, Could UNT get a 3 for 2 (in our favor) from a Texas State who is desperate to play Texas teams? Could we get an even series with a lowly P5 (Kansas?). There are opportunities out there, but the AD needs to keep his eyes really open, needs to make the right calls, and then really press when he has an advantage. Essentially the Wren said very little in this interview. But actions will speak louder than words anyway. RV had many of the same goals, but didn't always adhere to them.

Edited September 16, 2016 by outoftown

[TripleGrad]

I'm with Cerebus.  Just win, baby.

Dump the FCS teams.  Schedule -bad- P5 teams with well-known names.  Most casual fans won't know they are bad teams.  Ignore the Big 12, they don't need the DFW area coverage.  Use Jerryworld as an "away" game.

Bad teams with good names in 2015:  Georgia Tech (ACC), Vanderbilt (SEC), Purdue (Big10), Oregon State (Pac-12)

 

[Aquila_Viridis]

Maybe we should recruit players who care more about winning than about their personal experience. We should never play games against competition that is not at a comparable level. It is intensely damaging to reputation.

[EagleD]

RV sucked at scheduling. But he did get us out of the 3 body bag games a year that Helwig used to fund the athletic program. 

I'd still like to see the 3 metroplex schools play each other. 

[MeanGreenTexan]

12 hours ago, wardly said:

I think it is great that Wren is getting his coach involved in scheduling. Neutral site equals Jerry World. Question: would you rather play Arkansas State in Denton, or a home game with the University of Arkansas at Jerry World? Just asking.....

Who's idea do you think it was to schedule the FCS games?  RV?

It was McCarney's stipulation that if we play a paycheck game against a P5 that we must also play a FCS game.

[meanJewGreen]

I wouldn't mind playing north dakota state or eastern washington either. North Dakota State will bring fans. 

[untjim1995]

17 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Who's idea do you think it was to schedule the FCS games?  RV?

It was McCarney's stipulation that if we play a paycheck game against a P5 that we must also play a FCS game.

RV ran the dept and made the schedule, not the head coach. If DMac convinced RV of this strategy, it really just confirms that neither understood what we need to do here to get people to support the program.

[MeanGreenTexan]

9 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

RV ran the dept and made the schedule, not the head coach. If DMac convinced RV of this strategy, it really just confirms that neither understood what we need to do here to get people to support the program.

Again, I'm not speaking to RV's aptitude for making a schedule or running an Athletic Dept.   The post I was replying to was making a point that the coach was being consulted regarding scheduling the entire time.

What happens if WB decides to not only keep the FCS games on the schedule, but add more?   We gonna fly banners and try to run him off?