How Bout That Sun Belt Conference?

FirefightnRick · December 23, 2006

Now tell me again how it is that the Sun Belt sucks and all we want for Christmas is to be in c-USA? Don't bother, I'm not listening!

North Texas 24 - smu 6

tulsa 28 - North Texas 3

smu 55 - Arkansas State 9

uab 21 - Troy 3

Louisiana Lafayette 31 - houston(c-USA Champs) 28

Arkansas State 26 - memphis 23

Troy co-champions SBC 41 - rice(c-USA 2nd place) 17

Not bad for an infant college football conference in only it's 6th season, ever.

sssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, don't let the secret out.

Rick

FirefightnRick · December 23, 2006

What an ass kicking by Troy. Great job. Stebo predicted back in '01 that this program would take off and that they would be looking at the rest of us in their rearview mirror. They now have gone to two bowl games in only 5 years of playing 1-A ball, winning one of them.

Rick

MeanGreenBuzz · December 23, 2006

Great win by Troy! This brings credibility to both them and the Belt! Next year will be Troys year to make their destiny. Can they crack the BCS?

NT80 · December 23, 2006

41-17. Nice!!

emmitt01 · December 23, 2006

Great win by Troy! This brings credibility to both them and the Belt! Next year will be Troys year to make their destiny. Can they crack the BCS?

Tap the brakes. They're 8-5.

MeanGreenBuzz · December 23, 2006

Tap the brakes. They're 8-5.

I know. I am not saying they will, but close losses to FSU and G-Tech while instilling a new offense that now looks to be well in place show that they have a lot of potential. They have always had a great D and now that it looks like they have an offense to go with it...

NCMeanGreen · December 23, 2006

Makes you wonder how they lost like that to UAB... :blink:

Got5onIt · December 23, 2006

Where are all the Applewhite NutHuggers????

Troy put on the best New Orleans Bowl performance by far. Hats off to the Trojans.

:clapping:

Edited December 23, 2006 by Got5onIt

AnotherEagleFan · December 23, 2006

That was a great win. And I admitt that i did not expect this outcome at all. But before we start really thumping our conference chests lest look at how many bowl teams we have vs other conferences. Specifically that conference mentioned earlier in the thread.

UNTLifer · December 23, 2006

That was a great win. And I admitt that i did not expect this outcome at all. But before we start really thumping our conference chests lest look at how many bowl teams we have vs other conferences. Specifically that conference mentioned earlier in the thread.

With only one guaranteed bowl spot and a six year old football league, the SBC should be proud. Plus, thumping CUSA's #2 and having a winning record against their conference is something this young football conference can hang its hat on.

AnotherEagleFan · December 23, 2006

With only one guaranteed bowl spot and a six year old football league, the SBC should be proud. Plus, thumping CUSA's #2 and having a winning record against their conference is something this young football conference can hang its hat on.

I never said anything about not being proud. I am proud that a Sunbelt team won its bowl game. But why do people on this board have to bring down others in order to build themselves up. It is very much a we may be bad but not as bad as you kind of mentality.

If we say that CUSA is so bad then why do we care and why must we justify the win???? Which is exactly what is happening.

BTW lets be honest. We were lucky to beat SMU. And if you are honest with yourself you will agree.

We should ban "CUSA" from being used on the board. That midmajor should not be our yardstick for success. When you want to start comparing UNT to Florida State before the turnaround then give me a call. Or when you want to compare us what Utah was able to do during the past 5 years (until they lost their coach) , again look me up.

We should be putting our success in a positive light.

runt96 · December 23, 2006

It's nice to see the SBC is 1-0 in bowls and has a shot at a 2-0 record. That would add credibility to our conference. Look at MWC, they're undefeated(with a W over a PAC team). In a week, you'll start seeing how conferences fared during bowl season. This could'nt hurt our chances at getting more televised games and improving reruiting for the whole conference.

It's not a matter of us becoming over-enthusiastic about CUSA or WAC losses. It's about our fellow conference mates doing well and showing that we have all improved our level of play.

UNT74HM · December 23, 2006

BTW lets be honest. We were lucky to beat SMU. And if you are honest with yourself you will agree.

OK. I'll be honest. We were NOT lucky to beat SMU. We could have beaten them by another touchdown but decided to take a knee and run out the clock. We beat them like a drum.

AnotherEagleFan · December 23, 2006

It's not a matter of us becoming over-enthusiastic about CUSA or WAC losses. It's about our fellow conference mates doing well and showing that we have all improved our level of play.

Really?? Did you read the topic and post that started the thread?

emmitt01 · December 23, 2006

BTW lets be honest. We were lucky to beat SMU. And if you are honest with yourself you will agree.

Ok, here's me being honest. 24-6. That's not a close game. That's not a "lucky" game. That's a ass-whoopin from start to finish. And it's a game that, as has already been mentioned, could have been 31-6.

Edited December 23, 2006 by emmitt01

stebo · December 23, 2006

Greetings from California! Rick got it right - Troy was a sleeping giant that woke up when they got into IA. They are the only show in town and the place pretty much shuts down on game day. There might only be 10K in town but all 10K of them are at the games and then all of the students and the alumni from surrounding areas. Soon they will have alumni traveling long distances to see the Trojans, they really got it going on in Trojanland.

As for our comparisons to CUSA - well, they turned us down! Of course we want to be in better company, even if it is by default. Same goes for the WAC, we turned them down and now we want to make sure we made the right decision, it is that simple. When we compare our conference to other mid-majors it is because the Belt has a terrible reputation that maybe it doesn't deserve.... we are not the worst conference in IA - the WAC, the MAC, and/or CUSA could battle for that honor..

AnotherEagleFan · December 23, 2006

Ok, here's me being honest. 24-6. That's not a close game. That's not a "lucky" game. That's a ass-whoopin from start to finish. And it's a game that, as has already been mentioned, could have been 31-6.

good luck finding many neutral fans who would agree that given the same coaches players etc that UNT would win that game 2 out of 10 times. Maybe next year with the new coach it will not be an upset. It was an upset this year and for you to think otherwise is a homer statement.

I prefer to be a realist. Realistically, I think that we should win the sunbelt next year. And I will not waste any more energy with this post. I would rather talk about the great things of the future and not talk about how we are better then this team or that conference. I would rather have the team remove all doubts on the field.

UNTLifer · December 23, 2006

I never said anything about not being proud. I am proud that a Sunbelt team won its bowl game. But why do people on this board have to bring down others in order to build themselves up. It is very much a we may be bad but not as bad as you kind of mentality.
If we say that CUSA is so bad then why do we care and why must we justify the win???? Which is exactly what is happening.
BTW lets be honest. We were lucky to beat SMU. And if you are honest with yourself you will agree.
We should ban "CUSA" from being used on the board. That midmajor should not be our yardstick for success. When you want to start comparing UNT to Florida State before the turnaround then give me a call. Or when you want to compare us what Utah was able to do during the past 5 years (until they lost their coach) , again look me up.
We should be putting our success in a positive light.

I wasn't responding to "people on this board...bring down others" comments, just yours. Specifically:

But before we start really thumping our conference chests lest look at how many bowl teams we have vs other conferences. Specifically that conference mentioned earlier in the thread.

1. Yes, we only have two bowl teams, but by record, actually qualified three. Not bad for a fledgling football conference originally composed of recent "move-ups" from D1AA that gets regularly belittled in the media. The SBC only has one guaranteed bowl spot.

2. The "conference mentioned earlier," CUSA and the MAC have more bowl tie-ins than the SBC, not sure of the exact numbers. The Sun Belt is only guaranteed 1 bowl game.

I think FFR's point was that all we, SBC member fans, hear is how bad the SBC is, and how we should move out of the conference. Many beleive that the SBC will get stronger as it grows and as more people become aware of the programs in the conference. I know we all aspire to move up and this will happen one step at a time. Comparing NT of today to FSU of the 70's is apples to oranges based on the make-up of the conferences, the BcS and the number of bowl games available.

And another thing, beating SMU was not an upset based on their recent lack of success.

Edited December 23, 2006 by UNTLifer

scotty474 · December 23, 2006

The win over smu is what it is - a win. Now, if we want to speculate about how many times over ten games we would win with the same players & coach, that is different. The fact is games are played one game at a time and the result of that one game is all that matters, even if you want to call it luck.

How many times would UT win against USC over 10 games last year? Vince Young had one of the greatest college games of all time. Could he replicate that feat 10 times over USC? I do not believe he could, but the fact is the one game they played, UT won.

We live in a world of "what is", not "what if."

Now if you want to talk about a lucky win (2000 I think), how about the one where the Tech player ran down one our players in the closing moments of the game, causes a fumble inside of the 10 yard line on what would have been a game clinching TD. I listened to that game on the radio. George Dunham sounded so defeated. Now that was lucky for Tech from a Mean Green perspective. Tech would tell you it was skill on their part - speed to catch the player from behind and smarts to force the fumble.

The great part about smu is they will get their chance next year.

GO MEAN GREEN!

Edited December 23, 2006 by scotty474

Cr1028 · December 23, 2006

We beat SMU because they weren't expecting a Woody.

emmitt01 · December 23, 2006

good luck finding many neutral fans who would agree that given the same coaches players etc that UNT would win that game 2 out of 10 times. Maybe next year with the new coach it will not be an upset. It was an upset this year and for you to think otherwise is a homer statement.
I prefer to be a realist. Realistically, I think that we should win the sunbelt next year. And I will not waste any more energy with this post. I would rather talk about the great things of the future and not talk about how we are better then this team or that conference. I would rather have the team remove all doubts on the field.

The only way that I know of to prove who is the superior team is to line up and snap the ball. We did that, we won, they lost, end of story. You, and every pony fan, can argue about who was the better team throughout the season all you want. All I know is that when they had 60 MINUTES to prove it they lost in dramatic fashion.

Smitty · December 23, 2006

Ok, here's me being honest. 24-6. That's not a close game. That's not a "lucky" game. That's a ass-whoopin from start to finish. And it's a game that, as has already been mentioned, could have been 31-6.

Absolutely. Frankly, the only result that is really hard to explain is SMU beating Arkansas State 55-9. We saw both those teams, and no way was SMU 46 points better.

But the most telling result is last night's game. Two schools, fairly representative of their conferences, both in their first bowl game ever (Troy) or in decades (Rice). Both teams had time to prepare, everything to play for, nothing to lose, on a neutral field - and the Sun Belt won big.

I can barely believe it myself, but that 4-3 record against Conference USA is real.

ParksAndRecRick · December 23, 2006

GRAND job to TROY! Way to go Trojans! Conference USA....second place to the Sunbelt! And, gang...the fun is just beginning!

Dodge Ball...

The Ducking Begins September 2007

MeanGreen61 · December 23, 2006

Absolutely. Frankly, the only result that is really hard to explain is SMU beating Arkansas State 55-9. We saw both those teams, and no way was SMU 46 points better.
But the most telling result is last night's game. Two schools, fairly representative of their conferences, both in their first bowl game ever (Troy) or in decades (Rice). Both teams had time to prepare, everything to play for, nothing to lose, on a neutral field - and the Sun Belt won big.
I can barely believe it myself, but that 4-3 record against Conference USA is real.

It's Troy's second bowl game since being in the Sun Belt. They played NIU in the Silicon Valley Bowl in '04.

Trojan all the Way · December 24, 2006

Makes you wonder how they lost like that to UAB...

Easy to explain. Ther three weeks prior to the UAB game, we played FSU, Georgia Tech, and Nebraska, all away from home. We took FSU and G Tech into the fourth quarter before losing leads we had developed. We were physically and mentally beat up. After the UAB loss (we play them ten times, and we'll beat them 8 or nine times) we had an open week. We used that as a week to heal, regroup, and refocus on our goal of winning the Belt. For hour first year in the spread offense, not too bad.