DRC Monday column: UNT clamored for years for a Texas rival. It's got one now

Brett Vito · October 31, 2016

DRC: UNT fans may not like it because of UTSA's short history, but the rivalry is real after Roadrunners run Mean Green again

http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20161030-brett-vito-theres-no-denying-it-anymore-utsa-is-the-rival-unts-waited-for.ece

MeanGreenTexan · October 31, 2016

“We don’t like those guys and wanted to beat them,” Buyers said. “We have played them in games with meaning in the past.”
Said Buyers after every conference game...

Edited October 31, 2016 by MeanGreenTexan

MeanGreen_MBA · October 31, 2016

I welcome UTSA as a rivalry. It is an easy drive for fans. San Antonio is a great place to go. Both state schools competing for the same recruits. Who cares if they have only been around a short time. Let's embrace this and make it ours? In-state rivals....it is a natural. No reason to not make it happen....

Hunter Green · October 31, 2016

It's curious that many of us are reluctant to embrace smu and utsa as our rivals. Why? Because we're too good for them? Guess again. Rivalries are what they are and start naturally, not just because someone wants or doesn't want them. I enjoy/hate both schools equally. Well, maybe I hate smu a little more. But utsa is definitely a festering boil on our Mean Green butts.

Edited October 31, 2016 by Hunter Green

MeanGreenTexan · October 31, 2016

24 minutes ago, MeanGreen_MBA said:

I welcome UTSA as a rivalry. It is an easy drive for fans. San Antonio is a great place to go. Both state schools competing for the same recruits. Who cares if they have only been around a short time. Let's embrace this and make it ours? In-state rivals....it is a natural. No reason to not make it happen....

Establishing a gridiron 'rivalry' based on a fun trip for fans to make is a fantastic idea. We're competing for recruits with Houston as well. It's just as easy (if not easier) to get to... granted, the town is not as fun as San Antonio. We've played them somewhat recently, why not just declare Houston a 'rival'?

The UT-system schools can have each other. We need to find someone else. Rice would be better. LATech would be better (it's a shorter drive btw... and you can stop/stay in Shreveport/Bossier for fun).

3 minutes ago, Hunter Green said:

It's curious that many of us are reluctant to embrace smu and utsa as our rivals. Why? Because we're too good for them? Guess again. Rivalries are what they are and start naturally, not just because someone wants or doesn't want them. I enjoy/hate both schools equally. Well, maybe I hate smu a little more. But utsa is definitely a festering boil on our Mean Green butts.

SMU is in our backyard. The Class Warfare is what makes UNT/SMU a rival. Not to mention the two teams have been playing each other since 1922. It's a 'rivalry', albeit a mostly-one-sided one.

This whole UNT-UTSA 'rivalry' just seems forced to me.

Ben Gooding · October 31, 2016

20 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Establishing a gridiron 'rivalry' based on a fun trip for fans to make is a fantastic idea. We're competing for recruits with Houston as well. It's just as easy (if not easier) to get to... granted, the town is not as fun as San Antonio. We've played them somewhat recently, why not just declare Houston a 'rival'?

The UT-system schools can have each other. We need to find someone else. Rice would be better. LATech would be better (it's a shorter drive btw... and you can stop/stay in Shreveport/Bossier for fun).

SMU is in our backyard. The Class Warfare is what makes UNT/SMU a rival. Not to mention the two teams have been playing each other since 1922. It's a 'rivalry', albeit a mostly-one-sided one.

This whole UNT-UTSA 'rivalry' just seems forced to me.

b/c it is forced. That's what it feels that way. Our regional in-state rival is smug. There is no other way to put it. They are right down the road. Polar opposite universities of each other. There is mutual hate there regardless of what they say. They are referred to as smug by many for a reason.

MeanGreen_MBA · October 31, 2016

9 minutes ago, Ben Gooding said:

b/c it is forced. That's what it feels that way. Our regional in-state rival is smug. There is no other way to put it. They are right down the road. Polar opposite universities of each other. There is mutual hate there regardless of what they say. They are referred to as smug by many for a reason.

I like playing SMU, great opportunity for both schools. No reason not to include them as a rivalry game. However, UTSA has a little skin in the game. We are in the same conference....the games can/should mean something in the standings. I am not trying to force anything.....it just makes sense....there is no reason we cannot work both games and get the most out of it..... Play SMU early in the year to kick things off..... Play UTSA every T-Giving week..... Just my $0.02

drex · October 31, 2016

Rivalries require a bit of 'give and take'...so far, UTSA has only taken. If they keep the series this lop sided will it really be a rivalry?

SilverEagle · October 31, 2016

12 minutes ago, Ben Gooding said:

b/c it is forced. That's what it feels that way. Our regional in-state rival is smug. There is no other way to put it. They are right down the road. Polar opposite universities of each other. There is mutual hate there regardless of what they say. They are referred to as smug by many for a reason.

“We don’t like those guys and wanted to beat them,” Buyers said.

We may have found ourselves in the same conference with UTSA, and we were therefore forced to play them every year, But this statement by Buyers is not forced. The players don't like them, we as fans don't like them, so what's that popular statement about "if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck"?

I would have preferred that Texas State had been admitted to CUSA instead of SA and then developed a rivalry with them, but that didn't happen. I still hold out hopes that LaTech will develop into a rivalry, and maybe it will (I much prefer the trip down there), but right now the two essential parts of a rivalry are in place with us and SA......they hate us and we hate them.

But as I stated in another thread, this fan will only participate in this rivalry in Denton. I will never set foot in the Alamo dome again.

MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF · October 31, 2016

No.

Tyler Maryak · October 31, 2016

1 hour ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Establishing a gridiron 'rivalry' based on a fun trip for fans to make is a fantastic idea. We're competing for recruits with Houston as well. It's just as easy (if not easier) to get to... granted, the town is not as fun as San Antonio. We've played them somewhat recently, why not just declare Houston a 'rival'?

The UT-system schools can have each other. We need to find someone else. Rice would be better. LATech would be better (it's a shorter drive btw... and you can stop/stay in Shreveport/Bossier for fun).

SMU is in our backyard. The Class Warfare is what makes UNT/SMU a rival. Not to mention the two teams have been playing each other since 1922. It's a 'rivalry', albeit a mostly-one-sided one.

This whole UNT-UTSA 'rivalry' just seems forced to me.

1 hour ago, Ben Gooding said:

b/c it is forced. That's what it feels that way. Our regional in-state rival is smug. There is no other way to put it. They are right down the road. Polar opposite universities of each other. There is mutual hate there regardless of what they say. They are referred to as smug by many for a reason.

This may be something of a generational thing (as in generations of students/fans, not the traditional sense). I was in the stands on the student side both times UTSA has been to Apogee and their team is garbage people. I consider the rivalry with UTSA just as potent as that with SMU and I'm sure many people from my class or later consider UTSA a much more significant rival. Simply because that is the team that we have had more memorable interactions with. They don't have any love lost for us and we have a glowing, red-hot DISDAIN for them. Unless something memorable happens with SMU (or UTSA keeps beating us - please no), then UTSA will probably become the more meaningful rivalry to UNT students.

Cr1028 · October 31, 2016

If we were OU, SMU would be our UT and UTSA would end up being our OSU. I don't like it but it is turning out that way. I guess it isn't all bad though, Roadrunner land is only an hour from my house.

Edited October 31, 2016 by Cr1028

NorthTexan95 · October 31, 2016

3 hours ago, Hunter Green said:

It's curious that many of us are reluctant to embrace smu and utsa as our rivals. Why? Because we're too good for them? Guess again. Rivalries are what they are and start naturally, not just because someone wants or doesn't want them. I enjoy/hate both schools equally. Well, maybe I hate smu a little more. But utsa is definitely a festering boil on our Mean Green butts.

You state the exact reasons many of us don't see UTSA as a rival. Since we both joined CUSA Vito and others have been banging the drum for UTSA to be our rival before we had even played and it got old really fast. Secondly, there's not much passion that comes with UTSA. We don't really think about them except when we play or maybe on signing day. I don't anyone who would say SMU isn't a rival and because of that we talk about them on this board all year long. Heck, even SMU talks about us on their board.

I think Rice is a much better rival for us to have but after 2013 both teams have fallen on hard times.

All About UNT · October 31, 2016

MeanMag · November 1, 2016

I would have preferred Texas State. For many, many reasons.

Side Show Joe · November 1, 2016

11 hours ago, Brett Vito said:

DRC: UNT fans may not like it because of UTSA's short history, but the rivalry is real after Roadrunners run Mean Green again

http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20161030-brett-vito-theres-no-denying-it-anymore-utsa-is-the-rival-unts-waited-for.ece

Here is an interesting fact that was left out of the story...

No North Texas coach has beaten UTSA. Our lone win last season came with Canales and Cosh serving as interim head coaches.

Truth is, stories about this series developing into a rivalry wouldn't be getting published if our coaches would win these games. Coach Mac couldn't get it done. Now Littrell has lost his first game against UTSA. I'm very unhappy about this.

After almost 103 years of football, North Texas is only 5 games over .500. Let that sink in for a while. We have to demand better, or we will get passed by other upstarts like UTSA, and move-ups from the FCS.

Edited November 1, 2016 by Side Show Joe

GrandGreen · November 1, 2016

33 minutes ago, Side Show Joe said:

Here is an interesting fact that was left out of the story...

No North Texas coach has beaten UTSA. Our lone win last season came with Canales and Cosh serving as interim head coaches.

Truth is, stories about this series developing into a rivalry wouldn't be getting published if our coaches would win these games. Coach Mac couldn't get it done. Now Littrell has lost his first game against UTSA. I'm very unhappy about this.

After almost 103 years of football, North Texas is only 5 games over .500. Let that sink in for a while. We have to demand better, or we will get passed by other upstarts like UTSA, and move-ups from the FCS.

After 103 years of football, we have to demand better, than i guess us fans have been the problem all along. Just struck me as a funny conclusion at a time when NT is finally doing the things that most of us have wanted if not demanded forever.

Funny, how much expectations have changed in less than a month. Most fans were lamenting the sad state of the program citing the lack of talent, low number of ship players, and how this was going to be a long term project to turn this around. Now most of us are very disappointed at a poor showing on the road and a .500 record. That definitely is progress.

Side Show Joe · November 1, 2016

19 minutes ago, GrandGreen said:

After 103 years of football, we have to demand better, than i guess us fans have been the problem all along. Just struck me as a funny conclusion at a time when NT is finally doing the things that most of us have wanted if not demanded forever.

Funny, how much expectations have changed in less than a month. Most fans were lamenting the sad state of the program citing the lack of talent, low number of ship players, and how this was going to be a long term project to turn this around. Now most of us are very disappointed at a poor showing on the road and a .500 record. That definitely is progress.

You have totally missed the point of my post. My expectations of beating UTSA have never changed. I find nothing funny about losing to them.

foutsrouts · November 1, 2016

If it helps any, our alleged rivals are underwater all-time while we're still hanging above .500.

smu is 45 losses below .500

utsa is 6 losses below .500

We'll get 'em next time around.

wardly · November 1, 2016

I think that its great "THE BATTLE OF THE BIRDS" has become a real rivalry, something that we have never had. Please don't count S.M.WHO, as it takes two to tango.

NM Green · November 1, 2016

I always felt Mac didn't take the rivalry seriously. Can someone at the Coaches Show ask Littrell if he realizes the magnitude of this win to the fans? I can't stand them and I that day we open up a can of whoop arse on them will be delicious. I will savor that win even if it is the only one of that year. I missed last year's game so I have never seen them beat the dirty birds. Need a coach who wins (got him) and a coach that can beat UTSA. That is my hope folks. No looking back - look forward.

Now beat the Dawgs!

GMG

CMJ · November 1, 2016

Hell, I consider MTSU a bigger rival.

Rudy · November 1, 2016

Yeah, we have a history with the Muts.

It doesn't matter how hard people want to force the NutsaCK as our rivals, they're not. When you think of a school's arch rival, you think of a fanbase that pulls pranks on the other school. You look forward to the game all year. If you lose, you're miserable. You get psyched up. They are all you think about. This game was another game. When the clock struck 0, I moved on to the next game.

Please stop trying to force this as a GD rival. Rivals develop naturally. Let it go and if it develops into one, then so be it.

emmitt01 · November 1, 2016

Whataburger is my favorite fast food joint. Occasionally, my craving for chicken strips will win out and I will eat some KFC.

KFC could never truly rival Whataburger though.

GrandGreen · November 1, 2016

10 hours ago, Side Show Joe said:

You have totally missed the point of my post. My expectations of beating UTSA have never changed. I find nothing funny about losing to them.

Where in that post do I state that you thought it was funny to lose to UTSA or anyone else for that matter. It is the "we have to demand better" comment after 103 years that got me. Fans can demand better all they want, but unless they are willing and able to throw a lot of cash into the program; it is not going to make any significant difference. Reference the last 103 years as you stated. You can withhold your support, which is pretty much what the masses have done at NT forever. That certainly didn't or won't positively change anything.

Right now, the administration seems to be making all the right moves and really investing in the program. It is late by any standards, but the timing of your comment seems to be way off given the transformation that currently is taking place in NT athletics.