Should Nt Have Easier Schedule

[H-towngreen]

Should NT have an easier OOC schedule to improve our record, therefore improving our chance at a bowl, better recruits, so on and so on.

Maybe even for just one or two years

Here is a look at who Hawaii has played and how they finished. It helped them out in the long run.

2007 11-0

Northern Colorado

Utah State

Louisiana Tech

UNLV

Charleston Southern

Idaho

San Jose State

New Mexico State

Fresno State

Nevada

#19 Boise State

Washington

They played 1 ranked team in Boise, and a 4-9 Pac 10 team, and a 2-10 UNLV team. This schedule got them to a BCS game

[UNTflyer]

There is a downside, of course... we'd lose all that money we get playing the OU's and the Texas' and the LSU's. To make up for that, the school would need to impose an athletic fee of like $50 a semester.

I think it's worth it. We should play one BCS conference team a year, and it should be a cellar-dweller like Baylor, Mississippi, Syracuse... so that we can get some big time home-home series going. One that won't be cancelled after we play in their house.

I would be in favor of a heft athletic fee increase, somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 to $150 a semester.

That's 6 1/2 to 10 million a year. We could build the stadium, fund new sports like baseball, and have a marketing budget that will draw bigger crowds to Fouts and the Pit.

Edited January 8, 2008 by UNTflyer

[TIgreen01]

Should NT have an easier OOC schedule to improve our record, therefore improving our chance at a bowl, better recruits, so on and so on.

Yes.

[AnotherEagleFan]

I think that the weaker schedule ultimately hurts the program. If you want respect you have to play a tough schedule. Neither CUSA nor the Sunbelt provide a tough conference schedule so the OOC games are important.

[MeanGreenEagle]

They only made a BCS game because they started the season ranked. If UNT played that schedule and won every game next season we wouldn't be in a BCS bowl.

[Eagle1855]

I think that the weaker schedule ultimately hurts the program. If you want respect you have to play a tough schedule. Neither CUSA nor the Sunbelt provide a tough conference schedule so the OOC games are important.

Agree and disagree. I think if you do it short-term to build a "winning" program, it's a good way to go. It worked for A&M in basketball, K-State in football. You start winning, it brings a winning attitude. It builds confidence.

On the flip, the Sun Belt conference is where people go to schedule their "lay-ups". So we're essentially already in a conference full of cupcakes (at least that is the perception). Same for C-USA, WAC, MAC, etc.

I just think it does a lot to the mentality of a team to constantly start the season 0-4 or 1-4. Imagine the momentum rolling into conference play 3-2 or 4-1?

I've noticed Troy and a couple other SBC teams scheduling BCS games later in the season. I think this is something that would serve us well. Unfortunately, I think we are more closely aligned with the Big 12 (for obvious geographical reasons), and they seem to play all their OOC games early. Though this doesn't mean we HAVE to keep playing Big 12 $$$ games.

[UNTflyer]

I think that the weaker schedule ultimately hurts the program. If you want respect you have to play a tough schedule.

Our schedule can't get any weaker in the Belt, and starting off at the other extreme playing the national Champion does not win us any respect.

But we should play a tough-er schedule than Hawaii, which is why I suggest cellar-dwelling BCS teams.

[buff64]

Look what it's done for Ohio State.

[Cerebus]

Easier schedules = more wins = more recognition.

It also means:

Easier schedules = less guaranteed money = RV has to sell blood to make ends meet.

We have reduced the number of these games since RV took over, there is no way to get rid of them completely unless we average ~25k at fouts.

[Eagle1855]

Look what it's done for Ohio State.

so all we have to do is win the Big 10?

[Cerebus]

so all we have to do is win the Big 10?

No all we have to do is lose to LSU...

2008 is looking up!

(I kid, I kid)

[VideoEagle]

Easier schedules = less guaranteed money = RV has to sell blood to make ends meet.

We have reduced the number of these games since RV took over, there is no way to get rid of them completely unless we average ~25k at fouts.

I might have misunderstood but I thought RV had written a "money game" is the equivalent of a 25K game at Fouts. So we don't have to average 25k, just have as many 25k games a year as money games - no more than 2 - and keep the other games averaging 16k. That's not easy, but still easier than averaging 25k.

[TheColonyEagle]

If you want respect you have to play a tough schedule. Neither CUSA nor the Sunbelt provide a tough conference schedule so the OOC games are important.

Neither does the WAC but hasn't hurt Boise St. or Hawaii.

As far as getting respect from a tough schedule, I don't think we get much respect getting our brains beat in 79-10.

My dream would be to get some more money raised so we can quit freaking playing the #1 team in the nation every year. It gets really old.

[AnotherEagleFan]

Neither does the WAC but hasn't hurt Boise St. or Hawaii.

As far as getting respect from a tough schedule, I don't think we get much respect getting our brains beat in 79-10.

My dream would be to get some more money raised so we can quit freaking playing the #1 team in the nation every year. It gets really old.

Actually I think that it did hurt Boise St. Had they beaten 2 very respectable OOC teams last year and then Beat OU they would have been National Champs. Instead, they were an undefeated Mid with 1 credible win.

[GreenAlums]

Actually I think that it did hurt Boise St. Had they beaten 2 very respectable OOC teams last year and then Beat OU they would have been National Champs. Instead, they were an undefeated Mid with 1 credible win.

I'll take that for UNT!

[AnotherEagleFan]

I'll take that for UNT!

Ya'll have had a bad run but not that bad. Look at the improvement from the 1st game to the last. If you could keep that same schedule you would think that UNT would be able to beat everyone but OU and Ark in 2-3 years. (Assuming the opponents do not improve at the same pace as UNT). And then in another 2-3 years you will be beating Ark half of the time and having those "woulda, coulda, shoulda" games against OU.

I think that is a great schedule. A top 10 team, A mid pack SEC team, Navy and a cross town rival. This is the type of schedule you want every year. Ok it would be nice for Ark to play in Denton every so often.

[Eagle1855]

Ya'll have had a bad run but not that bad. Look at the improvement from the 1st game to the last. If you could keep that same schedule you would think that UNT would be able to beat everyone but OU and Ark in 2-3 years. (Assuming the opponents do not improve at the same pace as UNT). And then in another 2-3 years you will be beating Ark half of the time and having those "woulda, coulda, shoulda" games against OU.

I think that is a great schedule. A top 10 team, A mid pack SEC team, Navy and a cross town rival. This is the type of schedule you want every year. Ok it would be nice for Ark to play in Denton every so often.

good post

[AnotherEagleFan]

good post

Thanks I've been drinking..... Just Kidding

[ShopMeanGreen]

There is the money issue but it doesn't do any good to be beatten by LSU, OK, TX etc. at this stage of the game. The conference schedule is so weak even with a near perfect season NT will never make the top 25. Beating other mid level teams will make a huge difference in attendance which will make up the $ for body bag games. As things turn around for NT in a few years by all means start picking on the big guys. The goal now should be to put people in the seats at Fouts and soon the new stadium. Going to LSU etc. won't help that. I say don't play anyone that won't come here.

[NTPhiKap99]

I might have misunderstood but I thought RV had written a "money game" is the equivalent of a 25K game at Fouts. So we don't have to average 25k, just have as many 25k games a year as money games - no more than 2 - and keep the other games averaging 16k. That's not easy, but still easier than averaging 25k.

Exactly. We should be able to average 16-18k per conference home game as long as we are at least in contention for the conference championship. Then we need at least two non conference home games one should be regional TCU, SMU, UH, Rice, UTEP, Baylor, Tulsa, Tulane and I'd even take NMS or La Tech(in my opinion we should play at least two of those team each year one home one away). Then we should be able to find a home and home with some low level BCS schools and other mid-majors.

[forevereagle]

Exactly. We should be able to average 16-18k per conference home game as long as we are at least in contention for the conference championship. Then we need at least two non conference home games one should be regional TCU, SMU, UH, Rice, UTEP, Baylor, Tulsa, Tulane and I'd even take NMS or La Tech(in my opinion we should play at least two of those team each year one home one away). Then we should be able to find a home and home with some low level BCS schools and other mid-majors.

By that logic, we would have 6 home games. I don't know how many times that has happened lately, but not many. What we really need is to be more like LSU and Florida nad shoot for 8 home games every year. I think that will really help our situation.

[filmerj]

I would be in favor of a heft athletic fee increase, somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 to $150 a semester.

I am too... since I am out of school.

[NTPhiKap99]

By that logic, we would have 6 home games. I don't know how many times that has happened lately, but not many. What we really need is to be more like LSU and Florida nad shoot for 8 home games every year. I think that will really help our situation.

Thats the point inorder to give up the LSU, OU, Texas game each year we have to start having 6 home games 4 conference and 2 non-confernce. Inorder to make back the money we would lose for not playing a top 5 team each year we need to play 6 home games a year and need 25-30k in two of them.

[NTEdgex2]

It seems I remember reading that we will begin scheduling 6 home games every year beginning in 2009.

GMG!

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

If you look at all of the computer rankings you'll find that we rank 100-110 in Strength of Schedule. We play four OOC games next year and other than LSU it's no cinch htat another opponent will be ranked in the Top 50.

Until we become Top 50, I agree that we should play no more than one Top 25 team per year. These one-half to three-quarters of a million dollar guarantees pay a lot of bills and if we should happen to win one, would really get us noticed fan wise.