DRC Monday column: So, Wren. Can you make the schedule less gut-wrenching?

Brett Vito · September 19, 2016

DRC: Balancing UNT's financial needs, fans thirst for attractive home slate, players desire to play P5 powers won't be easy

http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20160918-brett-vito-so-wren-can-the-schedule-be-less-gut-wrenching.ece

MeanGreenTexan · September 19, 2016

Brett,
You're starting to sound like one of us.

Aldo · September 19, 2016

You know, I've never seen 90 and Vito post on here at the same time...

SilverEagle · September 19, 2016

This "looking at doing something different about our scheduling" discussion reminds me of that dialogue between the miners and the Mormon with two wives in "Paint Your Wagon". The miners are suggesting that the Mormon sell/auction one of his wives, and the most troublesome, Elizabeth (Jean Seaburg) volunteers for the auction.....

Mad Jack Duncan: What about it Mormons?

Sarah Woodling: [whispering] Jacob. We need every penny, Jacob. And I can't bear another day of those martyred looks. There. There it is again!

Elizabeth: This isn't a martyred look, Sarah. This look is puuuure - hatred.

Jacob Woodling: Quiet! Brigham Young has twenty seven wives and he hasn't had half the trouble with them that I've had with the two of you!

Elizabeth: Then simplify your life, Jacob. Sell me.

Jacob Woodling: But Elizabeth: you don't know what you'll get.

Elizabeth: I know what I've had.

Aldo · September 19, 2016

1 minute ago, SilverEagle said:

This "looking at doing something different about our scheduling" discussion reminds me of that dialogue between the miners and the Mormon with two wives in "Paint Your Wagon". The miners are suggesting that the Mormon sell/auction one of his wives, and the most troublesome, Elizabeth (Jean Seaburg) volunteers for the auction.....

Mad Jack Duncan: What about it Mormons?

Sarah Woodling: [whispering] Jacob. We need every penny, Jacob. And I can't bear another day of those martyred looks. There. There it is again!

Elizabeth: This isn't a martyred look, Sarah. This look is puuuure - hatred.

Jacob Woodling: Quiet! Brigham Young has twenty seven wives and he hasn't had half the trouble with them that I've had with the two of you!

Elizabeth: Then simplify your life, Jacob. Sell me.

Jacob Woodling: But Elizabeth: you don't know what you'll get.

Elizabeth: I know what I've had.

So are you suggesting we tunnel under some P5's stadium and steal their team?

Wag Tag · September 19, 2016

54 minutes ago, Brett Vito said:

DRC: Balancing UNT's financial needs, fans thirst for attractive home slate, players desire to play P5 powers won't be easy

http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20160918-brett-vito-so-wren-can-the-schedule-be-less-gut-wrenching.ece

Wonder how Iowa is feeling right now!

SilverEagle · September 19, 2016

4 minutes ago, Aldo said:

So are you suggesting we tunnel under some P5's stadium and steal their team?

If you're talking about stealing players, then this scene would be much more appropriate......

greenb.o.g. · September 19, 2016

Very well written Mr. Vito. Probably one of your best.

meangreenbob · September 19, 2016

Give me a break. By that silly logic Florida State and a bunch more P5's that get whipped by other P5's every weekend should schedule D1AA schools. Wait a minute, many do, right Iowa?

The answer is NOT to NOT schedule Top 25 P5's but to schedule them. The solution is to recruit strong, teach, train, condition, motivate and lead them to victory whether in their house or our house. That's how you gain National recognition and respect.

I'm proud of our players and coach's and their effort this past Saturday. Absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

Edited September 19, 2016 by meangreenbob

greenjoe · September 19, 2016

Two things.

First. And I'm going to say this every chance I get.

I DON'T WANT ANY NEUTRAL SITE GAMES. Bring good teams to Apogee. We're easy to get to and we have as nice a stadium as anybody in the nation.

Second. How much does it cost to send 75 or 80 football players, about 25 adults (coaches, trainers, media guys, and whatever) put them up in a hotel, bus them to and from the venue, feed them, and justify they're missing classes ??? How much in terms of dollars and cents ? By the time we send 100 people across the country, how much do we really net ? Do we charter airplanes or buy tickets, a lot of tickets, like some really big family ? Seems to me that playing at Apogee might be the best deal around. If we can get a good team to come to Denton.

And third (I know. I know). I DON'T WANT ANY NEUTRAL SITE GAMES. I'm going to say that as often and to as many people as possible.

GO MEAN GREEN

PlummMeanGreen · September 19, 2016

Top 26-50 ranked programs might be OK for now.

Army of Dad · September 19, 2016

25 minutes ago, greenjoe said:

Two things.

First. And I'm going to say this every chance I get.

I DON'T WANT ANY NEUTRAL SITE GAMES. Bring good teams to Apogee. We're easy to get to and we have as nice a stadium as anybody in the nation.

And third (I know. I know). I DON'T WANT ANY NEUTRAL SITE GAMES. I'm going to say that as often and to as many people as possible.

GO MEAN GREEN

What if there are 6 true home games, 5 true road games and a single neutral site game (say, at Jerry World)?

greenjoe · September 19, 2016

You've played right into my evil scheme.

NO NEUTRAL SITE GAMES.

NO NEUTRAL SITE GAMES

Thank you. Your cooperation is appreciated.

GO MEAN GREEN

Army of Dad · September 19, 2016

15 minutes ago, greenjoe said:

You've played right into my evil scheme.

NO NEUTRAL SITE GAMES.

NO NEUTRAL SITE GAMES

NO NEUTRAL SITE GAMES

Thank you. Your cooperation is appreciated.

GO MEAN GREEN

Why would a 6 home game plus Jerry World game schedule be undesirable?

golfingomez · September 19, 2016

I've never minded the big games... it's a good measure of where our program stands, and it's always good to have tough teams on the schedule... i'd much rather us worry about getting 6 home games and a solid team on the field than worry about getting beat by a team that should beat us...

gangrene · September 19, 2016

Honest question, because I can argue both sides of this.

If Ohio State agreed to play at Apogee, but 25,000 fans show up supporting the Buckeyes, is that better than playing them at Jerry World and drawing 50K?

Harry · September 19, 2016

Back to the original post. It would be nice if someday we could keep from having to play against teams like Florida. The unfortunate reality is that may be a long time away. Until the administration starts to allocate more funds into the program it will be a requirement that we have a payday game. My hope is that in time we will be able to build the program to a level where the big boys won't want to play us.

untjim1995 · September 19, 2016

The schedule is just a reality we have to accept going forward, unless the university pays to buyout contracts and pay for other opponents to get here. For a place that doesn't have that kind of funds, that easy million dollar check isn't going away. It's the buying out of FCS games that would change things here.

The effects of RV's laziness at scheduling to a brand new stadium near DFW are going to be felt for years to come if nothing changes.

TreeFiddy · September 20, 2016

I don't understand why people seem to think our only option to play a P5 is to play the body bag fame.

We may not be able to get CFB royalty to Apogee, but if we eliminated the body bag game you can't convince me that we could not maintain a H/H series with a P5 team.

The fact that more and more of our conference mates are not scheduling P6 home games has absolutely destroyed our TV contract. CUSA should require that each team schedules a home game against a P5 team every 3-4 years.

NT93 · September 20, 2016

I have no problem with playing one game per season against a major P5 school and I really don't have too much of a problem with this years schedule...except the conference part of it which is out of our control. We got screwed having to play the same teams as last year. No FU schools, no OD, no Charlotte. That's four winnable games and we get none of them for two straight seasons.

I'm not going to put in the time to do the research, but I'd say 90% or more of G5's play a top tier P5 every season.

All that being said, there's no reason we shouldn't be able to get a home and home with at least some mid-level P5's.

THOR · September 20, 2016

2 hours ago, gangrene said:

Honest question, because I can argue both sides of this.

If Ohio State agreed to play at Apogee, but 25,000 fans show up supporting the Buckeyes, is that better than playing them at Jerry World and drawing 50K?

Can't happen with season tickets and students, we would have more than 5,850...maybe not much more, but hopefully at least half as much. Get osu or any school to have to buy season tickets to get in the game, great...more money, but any school w I uld not have 25000 at our stadium

untcampbell · September 20, 2016

Has there been any analysis of game-missing injuries in games pitting mismatched teams vs games with evenly matched teams?

My gestalt is that "better" team players, on average, experience at least as many injuries as "lesser" team players, and that as many injuries occur in games with teams fairly evenly matched.

This is not to say that these games aren't tough, physically and mentally, on our boys. But I found interesting the comments from the father of one of our former players, that these games are motivators and affect their decision to attend NT.

That said, one "body bag" game a year is enough. From my perspective, the goal should be to find the worst teams we can get the most money from in playing them (can we get $1 million in playing Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Kansas State, Arizona, etc). Then play a G5 team with whom we can compete and could go either way in any given year (Colorado State, New Mexico, for example) and then play any team, from the highest division team that a win is reasonably assured (maybe that is Kansas, maybe that is Bethune Cookman).

As we build a program from scratch, we want to come out of non-conference healthy, with a win or two and a competitive mindset that readies us for conference play. And every game, one week better.

GMG

Edited September 20, 2016 by untcampbell
excessive words

MeanGreenTexan · September 20, 2016

12 hours ago, gangrene said:

Honest question, because I can argue both sides of this.

If Ohio State agreed to play at Apogee, but 25,000 fans show up supporting the Buckeyes, is that better than playing them at Jerry World and drawing 50K?

No way that would happen. Apogee holds 31k. So unless many, many season ticket holders sell their tickets (which some might, but most wont), the best they could hope for would be 50/50... and even then, I'm betting as soon as fringe UNT fans see OSU on the schedule, they'll buy tickets (at least for that game) right away, making even fewer tickets available for their fans to buy. I KNOW the students will show up...

Any way you get OSU to show up at Apogee, you make it happen. Even if it means you only play a 4-home-game schedule.

Army of Dad · September 20, 2016

30 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

No way that would happen. Apogee holds 31k. So unless many, many season ticket holders sell their tickets (which some might, but most wont), the best they could hope for would be 50/50... and even then, I'm betting as soon as fringe UNT fans see OSU on the schedule, they'll buy tickets (at least for that game) right away, making even fewer tickets available for their fans to buy. I KNOW the students will show up...

Any way you get OSU to show up at Apogee, you make it happen. Even if it means you only play a 4-home-game schedule.

What conference are you in with a OOC and a 4 home game schedule?