Let's Talk About the New Orleans Bowl

[Cr1028]

23 minutes ago, aztecskin said:

 

Welp, I guess this pretty much sets the stage. See y’all in NOLA.

[Green Lantern]

52 minutes ago, aztecskin said:

 

Interesting!

I’m ordering my green beads!

[MeanGreenDan]

The other Brett says whoever wins Saturday gets to choose, and the Independence will be on the table.

https://www.thescore.com/ncaaf/news/1429484

[shaft]

11 minutes ago, MeanGreenDan said:

The other Brett says whoever wins Saturday gets to choose, and the Independence will be on the table.

https://www.thescore.com/ncaaf/news/1429484

It also says Independence Bowl will be FSU vs FAU.  I’m not sure FSU wants to play FAU if they lose Jimbo.

Indepence Bowl vs anybody should be our top choice.  

[MeanGreenTexan]

6 minutes ago, shaft said:

It also says Independence Bowl will be FSU vs FAU.  I’m not sure FSU wants to play FAU if they lose Jimbo.

Indepence Bowl vs anybody should be our top choice.  

With the way FSU backed into a bowl (if they win... they may be so beaten down by losing Jimbo & the implosion of their preseason goals that they could just go through the motions and lose), they will get sent to whatever bowl the ACC sends them to.   I would not expect them to play well.   If FAU wins, you'd better believe they'd want a crack at FSU... kinda like we would love to have a shot at a down UT or Tech.   I think it comes down to winning the game this weekend to have a crack at the Independence Bowl.   Lose, and we're not going.   Win, and I don't see why the Independence Bowl wouldn't want us.

[CaribbeanGreen]

52 minutes ago, shaft said:

It also says Independence Bowl will be FSU vs FAU.  I’m not sure FSU wants to play FAU if they lose Jimbo.

Indepence Bowl vs anybody should be our top choice.  

Completely agree. This would be INCREDIBLE - a long time established bowl, positioned late in the bowl season adding to the prestige, and by far the shortest drive of the "out of town" bowl options. This would be incredible, and a well-deserved end to a magical season.

[keith]

New Orleans is a great destination for a bowl game (IMHO).  If that was the only consideration, I would be all for it.  I'm not excited about the date/time of the game or the matchup.   For this reason I would probably put New Orleans about 4th or 5th on my list of possible bowl games.  Independence Bowl, if we have that option would be a clear number 1 with the local metroplex bowls being toss-ups after that.

[wardly]

Its my understanding that the UNT Athletic Department primary goal is to continue to build our local fan base. The HOD bowl game does that for us, and we would play a P5 opponent, probably K-State or TT .Albuquerque and New Orleans would match us with a G5 opponent, and I have seen so many different schools mentioned regarding the Independence Bowl {except UNT} that I don't have a clue who will end up there.

[Side Show Joe]

21 hours ago, Harry said:

Come on Joe, you don't mean that... you're too good of a fan.    Of course there would be disappointment but we still have to support this team.

Keep in mind, we would get similar responses from Tech fans upon learning they would be playing us as well.

I love my Mean Green. I have followed them for years, and will continue to be a die hard season ticket holder, and support them. I never stated anything to suggest otherwise.

In relation to this topic...Today at work, I spent all day in meetings, where 7 co-workers either had North Texas stickers on their vehicles, or were wearing UNT polos. Some, like me, had both. These co-workers were very excited about the season we have had, and they are proud of where UNT is now. These are not fans like us. They don't blog on here. These are the disconnected alums the athletic department has always dreamed of reengaging.  I live in a small town of 10K, about an hour and a half away from Denton. These people will travel to DFW for a bowl featuring North Texas. Some, maybe most, would even travel to Shreveport to watch the Mean Green face an ACC or another P5 program. But, they are not going to travel to New Orleans to watch the Mean Green face a Sun Belt team. Today, a few even commented on how glad they were that North Texas has moved on from the old Belt days. I didn't have the heart to spread this as yet unsubstantiated rumor of the NO Bowl. I'm telling you, if the athletic department takes the NO Bowl verses a Belt team, our attendance at the game will not be too great.

And, I'm dead serious. I won't go watch us play a Sun Belt team in the NO Bowl either. My opinion may ruffle some feathers on here, and in the athletic department, but I don't care. I expect better.

Our athletic department can and should get us a better bowl situation. I will be shocked if Wren accepts a bid to face a Belt program in the New Orleans Bowl.

[greenminer]

6 hours ago, meangreenthirteen said:

A bowl game vs a Sun Belt team would be a monumental failure on the part of the AD.

Disagree.

[mgfan]

NO to N.O. 

Sorry, but Troy isn't exciting. I want a shot a the big boys if possible and so should you. Stop settling. This fan base needs to think and demand bigger. N.O. bowl ain't gonna cut it and neither will playing a suck belt team. Reach up not down. 

[Mike Jackson]

On 11/27/2017 at 10:16 PM, GMG_Dallas said:

I did read it which is why I mentioned Fresno and sdsu. I guess I'll just have to respectfully disagrees that G5 affiliations don't matter. AAC and Mountain West are respected conferences which is evidenced by the fact that they tend to have teams ranked in the top 25 every year. They got that way by having teams beat P5s regularly in either bowls or regular season. We can't get to their recognition by playing a sun belt team in a bowl. It just won't happen. @Green Lantern

No to Arkansas State, Troy and any other Sun Belt team we have played more than 3 times.  I don’t even see why there is a debate especially with the earlier play date.  I could at least go to Armed Forces Bowl even though I don’t want to see Army again.  For college football fans not connected with either program a grudge match might be interesting drama and a scheduling ananolly that would never happen again.  A football trivia question in 10 years.  Armed Forces a Bowl would be my last choice but if the alternative is a match up against the Sun Belt,  Army again please.   

[Cerebus]

Before last weekend, it was highly likely a couple of CUSA teams were going to play P5 teams.  But then five P5 teams (  Duke, UCLA, Utah, Purdue, and Texas Tech ) won their sixth game.  Some of them beat heavy favorites.

ESPN wants P5 vs P5 games and it looks like the options for a CUSA team to play a P5 are dwindling.  

[MeanGreenTexan]

5 minutes ago, Cerebus said:

Before last weekend, it was highly likely a couple of CUSA teams were going to play P5 teams.  But then five P5 teams (  Duke, UCLA, Utah, Purdue, and Texas Tech ) won their sixth game.  Some of them beat heavy favorites.

ESPN wants P5 vs P5 games and it looks like the options for a CUSA team to play a P5 are dwindling.  

That's why we need to win this weekend so we can be the C-USA CHAMPION, and be more attractive to ESPN. 
We're already attractive to both of the HoD & Independence committees, simply for the potential fan #'s we'd bring.

If FAU wins, they'll be the more attractive team to pair (even though their fanbase won't show up to home games, let alone travel).   And as you're saying, the opportunities for a G5-P5 matchup are dwindling.

[Got5onIt]

3 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

That's why we need to win this weekend so we can be the C-USA CHAMPION, and be more attractive to ESPN. 
We're already attractive to both of the HoD & Independence committees, simply for the potential fan #'s we'd bring.

If FAU wins, they'll be the more attractive team to pair (even though their fanbase won't show up to home games, let alone travel).   And as you're saying, the opportunities for a G5-P5 matchup are dwindling.

 

Anyone have a clue on how FAU fans travel? 

[TheColonyEagle]

If we're going to play Troy. 

We BETTER win.

period 

From a perception standpoint (which is absolutely critical to the growth of a program) a loss to a sunbelt team takes us back a few steps. We cannot have it. 

I'm not taking a shot at Troy. They're a good football team. Hell, we could be underdogs in he game. But when Joe fan in DFW opens ESPN up on 12/17 and sees that UNT got beat by a team in the Sunbelt  they'll wonder why we're not in the Sunbelt and then they'll say "Psshhtt I thought UNT was good this year"

2 things here. Perception and reality. We are at a critical point in our program and have to guard our perception. So if we're going to play a bowl game against a team from a PERCEIVED lower conference because we just wanna have a good time.....we damn sure better win the game. 

[UNTLifer]

1 hour ago, Got5onIt said:

 

Anyone have a clue on how FAU fans travel? 

They don't show up in Boca, so I doubt they travel well.  The attendance Saturday will be a joke for a conference championship game.

[MeanGreenDan]

1 hour ago, Got5onIt said:

 

Anyone have a clue on how FAU fans travel? 

They don't travel to home games, so doubt they will travel elsewhere.

[Got5onIt]

Good news for us when Bowls are looking to fill their spots. We know we can fill the HoD, but how well do NT fans really travel? I can’t remember much about the stands during the NO Bowl years....