Fau=failed And Unemployed

badgerwolf · June 24, 2008

I really don't want to get in the middle of all of this but multiple bowl bids and top 25 votes are a fairly new thing for lower run IA schools. The MAC went literally decades with no bowls and/or ranked teams. The Big West and the WAC both were 1 bid teams back in the day. It is a fairly new thing having bowls for 6-6 teams. The Belt could easily buy their way into the Boise Bowl or the San Fran Bowl but we are not that stupid. Does the WAC have three bowls? Kind of - they have bowls hosted by members of their conference at their home stadiums. Could the Belt do this? Sure - they pulled off a bowl in Lafayette after Katrina, I am sure we could set up a couple more if we wanted the bragging rights. The truth of the matter is that the Belt hasn't had enough bowl eligible teams to justify buying into a bowl until the last three years. The first three years we were VERY lucky to have one team that was even above .500. Now we have a couple of teams doing better - well, only a couple have been left home during bowl season - Troy last year, NMSU a few years back, and MUTS the initial year when NT went with a losing record. Every other year that a team needed an at large bid we were able to place a team. With even more bowls coming on line this year we will have even more options when conferences come up short. I am sure that the folks at MTSU are thrilled that we weren't tied to the Boise Bowl so that they could go to the Motor City instead. Troy bought their way into Silicon Valley just fine. We need to be smart and find the right fit - so far the only contract that is up that we would be interested in is Mobile and it is very possible that we will score that. Be patient young grasshopper - this is a good problem to have but it is a NEW problem.
Oh, and BTW - we will have a top 25 team eventually... I bet that it comes sooner than you think.

I also do not understand all the venom being spewed towards the SBC; following is the Dixie Fried Sports SBC Preview from the Troy Board:

http://www.gotroytrojans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10371

The Sunbelt Conference

Matt Barber

Dixiefriedsports@gmail.com

Yes, I know this conference once had a team win the conference with a losing record(North Texas). And yes I do realize that the conference has had two Indians become Warhawks and Red Wolves. But come on, even the most casual CFB fan notices that this league has improved. Don't believe me? Just ask Minnesota, Alabama, Memphis, Missouri, and Oklahoma State.

2008 Conference Predictions

1. Florida Atlantic-Two years ago I met a man with a FAU shirt on at a gas station in Columbia, SC. The man was looking for directions to Williams Brice Stadium. The gentleman told me his son played ball for FAU. Little did I know at this time that I had just met the father of a legit NFL prospect. The man was of course the father of Rusty Smith. The Sun Belt Player of the Year and 20 starters is why I believe FAU will once again win the SBC. Doesn't hurt when you have men to throw to like Gent and Harmon. An ESPN game on October 7 will likely decide the Sunbelt against Troy.

2. Troy- A tough out of conference schedule is the first thing that catches your attention. Road games at Oklahoma State, LSU, and Ohio State will be brutal. If Troy can whip the Pokes in Stillwater you could be looking at a 10 win team. Troy does lose its top QB, RB, and top 2 WRs, but the team is talented on defense and has a quality O-line. The Trojans open the year in a tough game on the road against MTSU, get past that game you you'll be looking at the SBC title game on Ocotber 7.

3. Arkansas State-The Red Wolves replace the Indians in Jonesboro as the SBC has its 2nd nickname change in two years. ASU was able to play Texas very tough in Austin last year and for the 2nd consecutive year they beat rival Memphis. 1,000 yard rusher Reggie Arnold returns. This team was in New Orleans in 06, but I don't believe ASU is strong enough for FAU or Troy. Southern Miss could be on upset alert when it visits Jonesboro on Sept 13.

4. ULM-Charlie Weatherbie enters year six as the Warhawks coach. Malone Stadium had some much needed upgrades last year and the team itself had some upgrades finishing a strong 6-6. Most though will remember possibly the largest win in school history, a 21-14 win in Tuscaloosa. Gone is Calvin Dawson, but Goodin and Lancaster are good enough to carry the load.

5. Middle Tennessee State-Rick Stockstill is doing a fine job at MTSU. A bowl appearance 2 seasons ago and a team last year that hung 42 on Louisville and nearly knocked off a good Virginia team. Stockstill is a former Holtz and Spurrier assistant and was known as one of the nation's top recruiters while at Clemson. Year three is likely to be similar to last year, but MTSU does get 2 straight big time home games against Troy and Maryland to open the season.

6. ULL-It's now or never for Rickey Bustle. The former Lou Holtz assistant has had 7 years to get the Cajuns bowling. It seemed as if the program was on its way up in 05 and 06 as the Cajuns combined to win 12 games, but last year's 3-9 record was much worse than many predicted. ULL does return 8 starters on offense, but this team still doesn't look strong enough to save Bustle's job

7. North Texas-When the SBC first started playing football it appeared North Texas was going to be the dominant program. It's a school of nearly 35,000 students and its in the talent rich state of Texas. 29 wins in their first 4 years has dropped to 7 in the last 3. Todd Dodge comes from the Texas High School ranks and brings an exciting offense with him. In year 1 the offensive production increased from 232 Total yards a game to 409. Still the Mean Green are in transition and are probably a year or two away from challenging for the New Orleans Bowl again.

8. Florida International-Mario Crisobal might have the nation's toughest job. While FIU is located in a talent rich area, it has very little fan support and other than a fight against the 'Canes in 06 very few know about the school. It doesn't help that you have to battle a HOF head coach at FAU for recruits. Still, Cristobal was able to beat North Texas last year to get the team's first win in 23 games. 18 starters return, but this team is still in the bottom of the SBC

Western Kentucky-The Hilltoppers aren't in the Sunbelt yet, but this is a great addition to the league in 2009. Facility upgrades are well on the way and the program has shown it can win at the 1-AA level. WKU was able to knock off MTSU last year and nearly beat Troy. A tradition rich basketball school, the Toppers hope that playing 10 D-1 schools in 08 will be a small step to building 1-A tradition in football

greenminer · June 25, 2008

Perhaps, but Boise and Hawaii have been to BCS bowls. Nobody in the Sun Belt has been to anything better than the Motor City where even there the 'Belt rep was grossly overmatched on the day the pairing was announced. Last year Troy State was 8-4 and was still shunned for a bowl over teams from the MAC and CUSA with fewer wins. Surprised? Don't be. The Sun Belt is not a very good league from top to bottom. Very poor leadership. Lack of organization. Lack of persistence. Poor marketing. It's actually quite embarrassing.
Let me ask you this. Would you rather miss trips to Boise and Hawaii if it meant you could go to bowl with an 8-4 record as a member of the more prestigious WAC, or would you rather attend every road game in the 'Belt, finish second in the league, and be denied a trip to a bowl game because you're a member of a league that has only one bowl bid?
The fact that some people even in Boca Raton, Florida look at FAU as "Failed And Unemployed" is a slap in the face at a Belt school. But Belt schools should be used to getting slapped in the face. Really, has the league done anything to deserve better than it's continual slaps in the face? Not from a football standpoint.

Don't relate at all. How does being in a league with 2 BCSers justify week after week, year after year with the rest of those teams? Money? Are you kidding? Those two aren't going BCS partying again for a while, and I'm still waiting for Pat Hill to regain his giant-killer form from 4 years ago...in the meantime, you're equating a 2 year run by Hawaii and Boise into good league management. Right... what exactly has the WAC done to help Boise and Hawaii? Boise will always be Boise and it has nothing to do with what conference they're in. Hawaii had a great 10 year run thanks to JJ, and let's see where they go now that he's in Dallas. And I would be hard-pressed to name who would still be in the WAC in 10 years. If we want to move, why would we go to such instability? If we move, are we making a 10 year commitment to a league or a 50 year? That might change my mood.

*kneejerk sarcasm continuing :thumbsup:

You know what the WAC is? It's like watching a college football landscape die in slow motion. I've been watching it for as long as I've been alive, and what I can remember is witnessing an incredible run in the '80s and early '90s. The same conference has a great history, but all these respectable schools left. In a very not-so-discreet manner, they said "Screw you Benson, this league is sh*7" And thus the MWC was born. The general consensus among the MWC/CUSA defections is that Benson has sat on his ass and done nothing with the successes that these teams have afforded the league. I would love to hear a counter argument. Every year I hear Benson fighting for his league's bowl life, and every year Waters is a step closer to getting the 2nd. Meanwhile CUSA has a bowl game or two it should probably afford the Belt. And we haven't had to wait for a contract...we fielded 2 a couple seasons ago thanks to the at-large.

The Sun Belt may be fighting for nationwide respectability, but I feel there's been far more progress across the board in the past 4 years than anything within the WAC. Everything below Hawaii and Boise makes me shutter. Fresno State in the CWS might be relevant if we even fielded that sport. I love the Belt. Would I like to see us move up? Sure, but I'm excited to see a we're-in-this-together attitude while we're here. The WAC is more like every-man-for-himself.

Edited June 25, 2008 by greenminer

KAjunRaider · June 25, 2008

Please disregard RaiderInTheZone. He is a former UCF fan, that got the SBC forum shut down by himself. He has had multiple, multiple aliases and been blacklisted from many a board, always coming back with a new alias. Take what he says with a grain of salt.

I could say more, but will not.

Edited June 25, 2008 by KAjunRaider

RaiderInTheZone · June 25, 2008

Please disregard RaiderInTheZone. He is a former UCF fan, that got the SBC forum shut down by himself. He has had multiple, multiple aliases and been blacklisted from many a board, always coming back with a new alias. Take what he says with a grain of salt.
I could say more, but will not.

Anything else you wish to add, Mr. Groce?

You see, this is what I'm talking about. You guys at MTSU are so fake. You've been pretending to be my friend from day freakin' ONE. I was never a UCF fan. I was infactuated with UCF, but I never for once stepped foot on their campus, so how could I be considered one of their fans?

Chris, watching you and listening to and the other MTSU fans cry and moan about lack of respect from Vandy and Memphis and Tennessee is laughable. MTSU doesn't deserve it. All you do is give 1-AA teams their first victories ever over 1-A teams--something that has happened three times to MTSU since 2002. MTSU is the FCS Division's b!tch. I've learned that from watching them. I also learned that MTSU is incapable of beating any BCS team other than Vandy. I will thoroughly enjoy watching Maryland crush your little blue hearts just as Virginia did last year. And I'm going to laugh my @ss off when MTSU doesn't even get four wins this year.

Now run back to your little messageboard, Chris. You apparently added nothing to this topic.

UNTLifer · June 25, 2008

Anything else you wish to add, Mr. Groce?
You see, this is what I'm talking about. You guys at MTSU are so fake. You've been pretending to be my friend from day freakin' ONE. I was never a UCF fan. I was infactuated with UCF, but I never for once stepped foot on their campus, so how could I be considered one of their fans?
Chris, watching you and listening to and the other MTSU fans cry and moan about lack of respect from Vandy and Memphis and Tennessee is laughable. MTSU doesn't deserve it. All you do is give 1-AA teams their first victories ever over 1-A teams--something that has happened three times to MTSU since 2002. MTSU is the FCS Division's b!tch. I've learned that from watching them. I also learned that MTSU is incapable of beating any BCS team other than Vandy. I will thoroughly enjoy watching Maryland crush your little blue hearts just as Virginia did last year. And I'm going to laugh my @ss off when MTSU doesn't even get four wins this year.
Now run back to your little messageboard, Chris. You apparently added nothing to this topic.

Take your ball and go play somewhere else. The MUTS board seems like the place you need to discuss your issues. Your rants have nothing to do with North Texas.

RaiderInTheZone · June 26, 2008

Take your ball and go play somewhere else. The MUTS board seems like the place you need to discuss your issues. Your rants have nothing to do with North Texas.

I apologize for KajunRaider and GoMTBlue for trying to derail this topic with senseless garbage. What I think does have to do with North Texas is the fact that UNT still should've bolted for the WAC. Under the leadership of a better conference commissioner in Karl Benson as a member of the more talented and respected Western Athletic Conference, North Texas would've prospered especially when you consider the timing that UNT was sought by the WAC. North Texas was at their highest point of their Sun Belt careers having won four straight 'Belt titles. The WAC would've presented UNT the chance to play more widely respected teams every year in Boise, Hawaii, Fresno, and Nevada all which are more thought of than even the best 'Belt team.

Just my opinion though. I hardly see where UNT has gained anything from staying in the 'Belt. Seriously, what has the 'Belt done for North Texas since UNT turned down the WAC? Have you really seen any major change for the better?

UNTLifer · June 26, 2008

I apologize for KajunRaider and GoMTBlue for trying to derail this topic with senseless garbage. What I think does have to do with North Texas is the fact that UNT still should've bolted for the WAC. Under the leadership of a better conference commissioner in Karl Benson as a member of the more talented and respected Western Athletic Conference, North Texas would've prospered especially when you consider the timing that UNT was sought by the WAC. North Texas was at their highest point of their Sun Belt careers having won four straight 'Belt titles. The WAC would've presented UNT the chance to play more widely respected teams every year in Boise, Hawaii, Fresno, and Nevada all which are more thought of than even the best 'Belt team.
Just my opinion though. I hardly see where UNT has gained anything from staying in the 'Belt. Seriously, what has the 'Belt done for North Texas since UNT turned down the WAC? Have you really seen any major change for the better?

We played those teams in the Big West and it was a failure. The WAC has damn near bankrupted La Tech because of the ridiculously highly travel costs and would do the same to NT, plus I like to be able to read about our road games in the Sunday paper, not on some back page of the Monday edition that is full of Cowboys' analysis.

We have enough misled and confused NT fans that support a move to the WAC without some SBC hating ex-MUT coming on here and poking the fire.

What has the SBC done for NT?

We played in four straight bowl games that provided recognition and publicity that our university had never received.

Our success allow us to generate donations that helped build a new Athletic Center and a new tennis center.

The SBC has allowed us to play on ESPN2 in four consecutive bowl games and on ESPN regional during the season.

Go fight your fight somewhere else.

badgerwolf · June 26, 2008

We played those teams in the Big West and it was a failure. The WAC has damn near bankrupted La Tech because of the ridiculously highly travel costs and would do the same to NT, plus I like to be able to read about our road games in the Sunday paper, not on some back page of the Monday edition that is full of Cowboys' analysis.
We have enough misled and confused NT fans that support a move to the WAC without some SBC hating ex-MUT coming on here and poking the fire.
What has the SBC done for NT?
We played in four straight bowl games that provided recognition and publicity that our university had never received.
Our success allow us to generate donations that helped build a new Athletic Center and a new tennis center.
The SBC has allowed us to play on ESPN2 in four consecutive bowl games and on ESPN regional during the season.
Go fight your fight somewhere else.

KUDOS to you!!!

The NEW Big West is not a good fit for NT, UL Cajuns, or stAte; we have all been there and done that.

CMJ · June 26, 2008

The SBC also got us back in the Dance - which was also a huge publicity coup(even a Rich Young human interest story on the CBS National News).

Green Mean · June 26, 2008

We played those teams in the Big West and it was a failure. The WAC has damn near bankrupted La Tech because of the ridiculously highly travel costs and would do the same to NT, plus I like to be able to read about our road games in the Sunday paper, not on some back page of the Monday edition that is full of Cowboys' analysis.
We have enough misled and confused NT fans that support a move to the WAC without some SBC hating ex-MUT coming on here and poking the fire.
What has the SBC done for NT?
We played in four straight bowl games that provided recognition and publicity that our university had never received.
Our success allow us to generate donations that helped build a new Athletic Center and a new tennis center.
The SBC has allowed us to play on ESPN2 in four consecutive bowl games and on ESPN regional during the season.
Go fight your fight somewhere else.

I could be wrong but I thought that I had seen a post in a thread sometime a while back saying that LA Tech had not lost money and that they made the same type of money as they had been in comparison to the Belt schools. It was something along those lines. As most know I am Pro WAC so I think the WAC is the way to since just about anything is better than the belt. Oh and Fresno State won the college baseball world series....I know we dont have baseball but I sure as hell would like to be in that conferenced and associated with the CWS Champs.

greenminer · June 26, 2008

I could be wrong but I thought that I had seen a post in a thread sometime a while back saying that LA Tech had not lost money and that they made the same type of money as they had been in comparison to the Belt schools. It was something along those lines. As most know I am Pro WAC so I think the WAC is the way to since just about anything is better than the belt. Oh and Fresno State won the college baseball world series....I know we dont have baseball but I sure as hell would like to be in that conferenced and associated with the CWS Champs.

Right, because the world over is just the same clamoring to be associated with our 4 golf titles.

Oh that's right, there are actual baseball fans.

...right?

Quoner · June 26, 2008

Right, because the world over is just the same clamoring to be associated with our 4 golf titles.
Oh that's right, there are actual baseball fans.
...right?

Why not just move to the CAA and be associated with George Mason? They had quite a team a few years ago too.

Green Mean · June 26, 2008

All I am saying is the WAC in my opinion is a better fit. But screw it RV does not seem to keen on going to the WAC so as a NT fan its either CUSA or bust....thats definitely putting our eggs in different baskets!!