SBC or OOC

andrewrozell · September 17, 2006

Question: Would you rather dominate the SBC every year (except 2005 of course) or have some upsets in OOC scheduling?

Answer: Though beating SBC teams is a great acheivement, I would take the latter for a couple reasons. (1) We have been there done that with the Sun Belt, I believe we have to show something outside of SBC to get any notice. (2) I would rather be Troy hanging with FSU and GT than to beat Troy. (3) I hear the number of MILFs in the SBC compared to other conferences is minute (er, perhaps that isn't relevant; lets just consider the first two for this argument).

I have never been a Dickey hater. I have tried to stay positive. But tonight it all changed. Dickey (and Ramone) made poor calls and wasn't aggresive enough. Now, if losing wasn't bad enough, we have Danny "TO" Meager making North Texas look stupid on ESPN.com. (sigh)

SeanMG · September 17, 2006

agreed. ( and not just because he is my old roomate )

We won the SBC title 4 times and it didnt really get us anywhere. The only way we will get respect is with OOC upsets. Perhaps Troy isnt a household name yet, but I do see them on Sportscenter now.

Talon90 · September 17, 2006

The days of us dominating the Sun Belt are over. The Sun Belt is improving and we are not.

We are going to have all we can handle in conference play this year.

NT80 · September 17, 2006

Question: Would you rather dominate the SBC every year (except 2005 of course) or have some upsets in OOC scheduling?
Answer: Though beating SBC teams is a great acheivement, I would take the latter for a couple reasons. (1) We have been there done that with the Sun Belt, I believe we have to show something outside of SBC to get any notice. (2) I would rather be Troy hanging with FSU and GT than to beat Troy. (3) I hear the number of MILFs in the SBC compared to other conferences is minute (er, perhaps that isn't relevant; lets just consider the first two for this argument).
I have never been a Dickey hater. I have tried to stay positive. But tonight it all changed. Dickey (and Ramone) made poor calls and wasn't aggresive enough. Now, if losing wasn't bad enough, we have Danny "TO" Meager making North Texas look stupid on ESPN.com. (sigh)
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Could you care less which team wins the MAC? But you notice when they beat a Big12 or Big10 team right?

Arkstfan · September 17, 2006

Northern Illinois beat Maryland, Iowa State and Alabama all in the same season for a 10-2 record. What bowl did they play in? None.

They finished too low in MAC play that year.

The Belt started in the depths of hell. Take UNT's rating in Sagarin last year in finishing last in the Belt. It was high enough to have finished fourth in the Belt in 2001.

Akron took a big step toward having its win over NC State last week labeled no big deal, because some people will deem it a fluke thanks to their conference loss today and others will note that NC State got thumped by Southern Miss.

The non-conference win theory is almost right. Respect comes from non-conference wins... in December. And to get a shot to play a non-conference win in December, you've got to win in conference play.

Fresno State has won or shared nine league titles in I-A. They've finished ranked by the AP twice. 1992 as WAC Co-champs they thumped USC in a bowl and 2004 no title but they beat Virginia in a bowl after beating Georgia Tech and UCLA in bowls.

Boise three rankings after 2-1 bowl appearances and league titles each year.

It takes both.

Mean'n'Green07 · September 17, 2006

The days of us dominating the Sun Belt are over. The Sun Belt is improving and we are not.
We are going to have all we can handle in conference play this year.
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Very true. A few belt teams have really impressed me so far this season. FIU was up 28-27 against Bowling Green late in the fourth (Bowling Green barely pulled out a win), they almost knocked off South Florida last week too. Troy has also been playing everyone hard.

It's hard to say if we're getting worse or the belt is getting better because our OOC games have always been bad.

NT91 · September 17, 2006

agreed. ( and not just because he is my old roomate )
We won the SBC title 4 times and it didnt really get us anywhere. The only way we will get respect is with OOC upsets. Perhaps Troy isnt a household name yet, but I do see them on Sportscenter now.
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All the SBC teams should be in Div-1AA but Troy.

Sorry but it's the truth.

rcade · September 17, 2006

Question: Would you rather dominate the SBC every year (except 2005 of course) or have some upsets in OOC scheduling?

I want North Texas to beat decent mid-major teams, whether they're in the Belt like Troy or OOC like Tulsa.

The Belt has gotten better since dropping western teams and adding Troy, FIU and FAU. I'm hoping that the reduced travel expenses and stronger regionalism helps all of the programs. Right now, there's no argument that the Belt's the worst I-A conference. If we start beating some MAC and CUSA teams, that'll change fast.

As for your specific question, the prospect of UNT dominance of the Belt this year seems pretty remote to me. Troy was five minutes from going into Tallahassee and beating the Noles last weekend.

Arkstfan · September 17, 2006

All the SBC teams should be in Div-1AA but Troy.
Sorry but it's the truth.
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You guys send us a post-card and let us know how that move works out.

Huff · September 17, 2006

I would prefer to win SunBelt conference games because that wins us a conference championship and sends us to a Bowl game.

I am afraid that some of our fans are going back to the mentality of our Southland Conference days when we would get all fired up about playing (and sometimes beating) a school like Texas Tech then give less emphasis to our conference games and lose to Northwestern State or McNeese State. That attitude didn't work then and it won't work now.

DoubleEagle · September 17, 2006

I would prefer to win SunBelt conference games because that wins us a conference championship and sends us to a Bowl game.
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Ditto.

GO MEAN GREEN!!

GoMeanGreen1999 · September 17, 2006

I would prefer to win SunBelt conference games because that wins us a conference championship and sends us to a Bowl game.
I am afraid that some of our fans are going back to the mentality of our Southland Conference days when we would get all fired up about playing (and sometimes beating) a school like Texas Tech then give less emphasis to our conference games and lose to Northwestern State or McNeese State. That attitude didn't work then and it won't work now.
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Yea, well the problem is that the rest of the Sun Belt just like what happened in the Big West is catching up with us and will eventually (just like Boise State did) pass us by and move on. Oh well, at least we will still have DD.

El Paso Eagle · September 17, 2006

Ditto.
GO MEAN GREEN!!
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Then you guys will wish them well when Troy moves on, ULL moves on, etc.

There always seems to be one glaring oversight by many when they “brag” about DD's Sun Belt conference success. It (Sun Belt) was (is?) the worst 1A conference. Now you have schools like Troy, ULL, Ark State, MT who are committed to improving their programs. I am afraid many peoples “Glory Days” of Sun Belt success are long gone.

bflan · September 17, 2006

OOC wins are nice.....but quickly forgotten by the outside fan. Teams that go to bowls get noticed. Office bowl pools show the schools who play in December and January, not who beat who in September. I'd like to see some OOC wins, but nothing is better than going to, and winning a bowl. The bigger bowl the better. Our bowl is surely not so grand, but it is the first bowl of the season and is noticed. Troy's close losses show me something, but a loss is a loss is November and no one really cares.

September 17, 2006

OOC wins are nice.....but quickly forgotten by the outside fan. Teams that go to bowls get noticed. Office bowl pools show the schools who play in December and January, not who beat who in September. I'd like to see some OOC wins, but nothing is better than going to, and winning a bowl. The bigger bowl the better. Our bowl is surely not so grand, but it is the first bowl of the season and is noticed. Troy's close losses show me something, but a loss is a loss is November and no one really cares.
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I can still remember Troy beating Missouri but I can't even tell you which bowl they went to or who they played in the bowl out in California.

shutter · September 17, 2006

Its as simple as this, EVERY GAME IS A WIN, or you didnt do your job. I dont see how one game is any better than another. We should play to win with the utmost ergancy.

rcade · September 17, 2006

I'd like to see some OOC wins, but nothing is better than going to, and winning a bowl. The bigger bowl the better.

How do we get to bigger bowls without OOC wins? The only thing that has gotten the Belt into more than one bowl per year is bowl inflation.

fan19740 · September 17, 2006

Are we going to pick and choose what games we should win. How about we just win.

NT80 · September 17, 2006

I would prefer to win SunBelt conference games because that wins us a conference championship and sends us to a Bowl game.
I am afraid that some of our fans are going back to the mentality of our Southland Conference days when we would get all fired up about playing (and sometimes beating) a school like Texas Tech then give less emphasis to our conference games and lose to Northwestern State or McNeese State. That attitude didn't work then and it won't work now.
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What did 4 SBC Championships gain us? New conference? New Stadium? New Coach? Better recruits? Nada.

shutter · September 17, 2006

I bought season tickets 4 years in a row and would not have it the team had to been doing well. I also got 2 more families to by tickets so I think the affect of winning is tangible both for OCC and conference play. come on. Football is a product for the consumer and we are on our way to grow.

jimmyjames_99 · September 17, 2006

What did 4 SBC Championships gain us? New conference? New Stadium? New Coach? Better recruits? Nada.
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I have had season tickets for 3 seasons, ever since I moved back to North Texas. I would agree that the SBC Championships haven't seemed to help our recruiting or our rankings. However, I have noticed more butts in the seats. On the student and alumni sides alike.

Something else I have noticed, not related to football as much as the perception of our school. If we are the 3rd/4th largest school in Texas, why don't I see more NT merchandise in the sports stores. I mean, go into Home Depot and you'll see gift cards with Texas Tech, Texas, TCU, SMU... but no UNT... Why is that? We should have as large, if not larger, living alumni base. Why aren't we marketed as such. If we acted like one of the largest schools in Texas, I think students and possible recruits would start to look at us in a different light.

And to those that want to sell their season tickets back already... Shame on you! There's nothing better than a UNT game in Fouts on a Saturday night, no matter what conference. However, I do like to see us win especially against SMU.

Edited September 17, 2006 by jimmyjames_99

Travis · September 17, 2006

Its as simple as this, EVERY GAME IS A WIN, or you didnt do your job. I dont see how one game is any better than another. We should play to win with the utmost ergancy.
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Word brotha. word

Arkstfan · September 17, 2006

What did 4 SBC Championships gain us? New conference? New Stadium? New Coach? Better recruits? Nada.
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Nada? Is that what the new athletic complex is being called? Is it named after someone cause that name really sucks.

Cr1028 · September 18, 2006

Something else I have noticed, not related to football as much as the perception of our school. If we are the 3rd/4th largest school in Texas, why don't I see more NT merchandise in the sports stores. I mean, go into Home Depot and you'll see gift cards with Texas Tech, Texas, TCU, SMU... but no UNT... Why is that?
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Because fair-weather fans don't give a damn about how big your school is. They only care about winning.

Settling for the worst bowl game of the series is a recipe for eternal mediocrity.

Oh, and a side note to the offensive coaches. It's hard to to win a hand of poker if the other players know your cards.

NT80 · September 18, 2006

Nada? Is that what the new athletic complex is being called? Is it named after someone cause that name really sucks.
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It's an Athletic Complex, not a football shrine. The vacant field next to it where a new football stadium should stand is testament to the football progress.