ESPN article - Sun Belt strategy

[MeanGreen61]

"We have to beat out-of-conference opponents," Villareal said. "Those wins give your league more credibility."

For Villareal's school, just staying on the field against Texas Sept. 2 would be a start.

ARTICLE

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/sto..._pat&id=2554796

Chris Ditto/WireImage.com

North Texas scrambles to schedule games with large guaranteed payouts.

Maloney/WireImage.com

Louisiana-Lafayette and the rest of the Sun Belt teams didn't rate very high in the preseason magazines.

AP Photo/Dave Martin

Troy shocked Missouri in 2004 to give the Sun Belt one of its few signature wins.

AP Photo/Dave Martin

Charlie Weatherbie takes Louisiana-Monroe on the road eight times in 2006.

[untwillrise]

Even though I want us to be unbeaten in con. play. i think this could be a solid year for four sunbelt teams. aslo having two teams to play in bowl games.

[VideoEagle]

That's a good article for the Sun Belt. It points out problems, but also points out improvements.

This also is the truth, no matter how bleak the numbers: The league has improved over the last five years. It reorganized as a more geographically sensible conference last year, shuttling Idaho, Utah State and New Mexico State to the Western Athletic Conference and adding Florida Atlantic and Florida International. It's putting 36 games on regional television this year and has put more butts in seats at home stadiums. And almost every school has made a significant football facility upgrade in recent years.

If the 2005 attendance numbers are an accurate indicator, the Sun Belt has surpassed both the Mid-American Conference and the Western Athletic Conference in terms of stability.

The article also points out we as a conference have to start winning more OCC games.

[KingDL1]

I wonder if DD has been told that this is important, to both our University and the Sun Belt?

He will have to come up with an entirely different strategy, imagine DD preparing to win against OOC teams. I guess he should consider backing off the draw play.

RV said in his post the other day;

I know that tennis and swimming are not important to most of you but those last two hires should speak volumes of what we now expect in all of our coaches. People who expect to win, people who recruit outstanding athletes and people who expect to be a nationally competitive and ranked program. Although they come from a Big 10 and Pac 10 program, they feel they are now in a better situation and have facilities and support systems that will allow them to field nationally competitive athletes and programs. And they go out and sell it every day. Be assured that every coach must now approach it that way as most of the deficiencies that once hindered their efforts no longer exist. If they choose not to approach it that way then they can't fit into the future of this program.

That comment along with the Sun Belt strategy seems to be the exact polar opposite of DD's style and history.

[VideoEagle]

The ESPN article reads that there are two "signature wins" for the SBC. One was Troy over Missouri. The other was NT's (and DD's) win over Cincy.

[KingDL1]

The ESPN article reads that there are two "signature wins" for the SBC. One was Troy over Missouri. The other was NT's (and DD's) win over Cincy.

←

Wow four years ago, dang, if we have one a decade I guess we are doing a heck of a good job.

And the Belt as a whole only two in 5 years at that rate of inconsistency some would consider those wins a fluke.

Edited August 20, 2006 by KingDL1

[Norwester]

Baylor 2003 really should be on the signature list. It wasn't some garbage three-point win, it was a complete anihilation of a Big XII opponent.

[KingDL1]

Baylor 2003 really should be on the signature list. It wasn't some garbage three-point win, it was a complete anihilation of a Big XII opponent.

←

Except that Baylor was at its all time worst in the schools history that year and the year before.