Thoughts

[Daddy Dumpsalot]

I was talking to some friends and it began to dawn on me how TCU moving to the Big East will affect UNT and SMU.

I think TCU has been the flagship school in the DFW area for a few years now since the national attention they have been getting by being in the top 25 and that alone has lured many recruits to play for them. Now that they are going to be in a BCS conference and will playing the likes of WVU, Pitt, and UConn at home, will this put UNT and SMU even further in the back seat?

Will the casual sports fans in Dallas now root for TCU over any other school in the area? Even worse, will the UNT alumni start to direct their attention and resources to TCU?

I am worried about the impact this will have in terms of enrollment, recruiting, and the future of UNT athletics.

Please tell me that I am worrying for nothing.

[GreenMachine]

I was talking to some friends and it began to dawn on me how TCU moving to the Big East will affect UNT and SMU.

I think TCU has been the flagship school in the DFW area for a few years now since the national attention they have been getting by being in the top 25 and that alone has lured many recruits to play for them. Now that they are going to be in a BCS conference and will playing the likes of WVU, Pitt, and UConn at home, will this put UNT and SMU even further in the back seat?

Will the casual sports fans in Dallas now root for TCU over any other school in the area? Even worse, will the UNT alumni start to direct their attention and resources to TCU?

I am worried about the impact this will have in terms of enrollment, recruiting, and the future of UNT athletics.

Please tell me that I am worrying for nothing.

you are worrying for nothing. We can't even get our own alumni to direct their attention and resources to NT, why would they direct it at TCU?

[meangreanmick]

Flip side to that is, what if TCU starts losing a few games with a much harder schedule. They won't be the sexy cinderella story anymore. They take one or two losses and then will anyone continue to pay as much attention? Especially given their schedule will be full of east cost teams that many high schoolers in Texas and local fans probably don't care as much about. I think win, no matter where it is, and people will come watch. Of course, the better the league, the more people will come. However, I think the flip side is if you lose, no matter the league, people will stop coming. See Texas this year as an example. Perennial powerhouse on national scale, BCS conference. They had a very down season and had to slash ticket prices midseason to try to get people to come to the games.

I think this could go either way for them. People, especially it seems in Texas, flock to the winners and can't get away from the losers fast enough.

[HoustonEagle]

All good concerns. Still in the end all we can do is be concerned about things we can control. Lets get our house in order and let the cards fall where they may. I think if we do that we will all be pleased with the results.

[NThomas]

The only programs TCU will hurt are causal fans of major BCS schools like Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Arkansas, etc.

North Texas should focus more on alumni that root for other college teams. They'll be the proud alums to sell the program to the casual DFW fan.

[UNTP1]

This won't matter when we start winning and winning consistantly because the 93k UNT alum in the DFW area will start jumping on the Mean Green bandwagon like crazy. Just look at what happened with the Rangers this year.

Edited December 2, 2010 by UNTP1

[MDH]

People generally don't enroll based on football performance alone...I think you're going crazy with that one. Look at the difference in tuition between UNT, TCU and SMU. Even in our run of NO Bowls, I doubt very few said "I'm going to go to UNT to go to the football games and be a part of that"

[KRAM1]

Point was made earlier...UNT and its alumni and fans need to do something about the things they can control and not worry about those things they cannot control. "Get your own house in order and you won't be worrying about someone else's house" is what the Mean Green faithful should be concerned with right now.

The Mean Green made a major step toward getting its football house in order just this week, so now it's time the fans and alums do all they can as well.

GO MEAN GREEN! Good things are happening at UNT these days!

[Cowtown]

Actually TCU's application numbers have steadily risen over the last 10 years.

The problem is that because of the larger pool they selecting more high academics, which means a few less hots for the Froggies.

People generally don't enroll based on football performance alone...I think you're going crazy with that one. Look at the difference in tuition between UNT, TCU and SMU. Even in our run of NO Bowls, I doubt very few said "I'm going to go to UNT to go to the football games and be a part of that"

[FirefightnRick]

No one in Fort Worth cares to see the likes of UConn, Louisville or S. Florida. Syracuse or Pitt maybe? If TCU doesn't keep their current interest up they will be stuck with a huge travel bill for nothing.

Rick

[drex]

I know for a fact, through my association with former NT personnel, that the success of NT athletics impacts initial interest in the school by high schoolers. The positive publicity works well for initial inquiries by the high schoolers into what NT has to offer. It's great publicity to have winning programs--especially football in Texas. What hurts us is that when the high school kids get here they have no knowledge of most of the teams we play. It will be most beneficial for us to play schools that are more well known in this part of the country--and beat them.

[FloMoGrad]

I came to UNT because of a number of factors, sunbelt conference and football schedule had absolutely 0 to do with it. Win, doesn't matter who you play, and the students will support it.

Moved to FL before the season started, but had 2 empty seats at every home game but the Fouts Finale. Kind of my tribute to myself as a fan for sitting thru the last 5 yrs of UNT football. Even though I can only say with any certainty I'll make it to the home opener next year, I'll be making my MGC donation and claw'ing up for another 2 season tickets at least. I'll donate the non-attending games this year to the athletic dept for recruiting or find a good home. Our program will only go where we drive it as fans. We finally have real pieces to the puzzle and now is the time to recognize that and get behind this program like never before.

[ColoradoEagle]

If TCU is winning, I'm sure there will be continued interest in them regardless of who is or isn't coming to town. That doesn't really affect us once Mac can turn this around and get us winning. Unless the SBC makes a remarkable turnaround in the off-season, it's possible that as early as next year we could be 11-1 and receiving quite a bit of attention locally, going to a bowl game far and above the New Orleans bowl.

Edited December 2, 2010 by ColoradoEagle

[TIgreen01]

It wasn't that long ago that TCU was playing in the SWC along with Texas, Tamu, etc. They didn't garner much local attention back then, nor do they really now. They struggle to fill their 40k seat stadium and have been a top 5 team for 2 years running. I just don't think that the average fan in Texas will ever fully throw their support behind a private school like TCU, SMU or Rice.

What will be interesting will be to see how this hurts everyone in basketball recruiting. They now stand a chance to seriously upstage anyone in this region with that basketball affiliation.

[PlummMeanGreen]

No one in Fort Worth cares to see the likes of UConn, Louisville or S. Florida. Syracuse or Pitt maybe? If TCU doesn't keep their current interest up they will be stuck with a huge travel bill for nothing.

Rick

If any of you had been in Fort Worth the day the Southwest Conference imploded you would have all but seen grown men cry. You would have seen TCU alums who were so pissed after Baylor took "their spot in the Big 12" they had to point their fingers at someone to blame and their Chancellor Tucker and AD Frank Windegger got many fingers pointed at them that day. Reason is TCU at that time was setting on enough of a school endowment they could have built any kind of athletic venue no matter the cost. How much did TCU spend during that era? How about a big fat "ZERO!"

In fact, it had been AD Grant Teaff's Baylor U who had been building up their athletic venues (arsenal) slowly and methodically thru the previous years almost knowing what would be on the horizon with the impending death of the SWC; that is, one of the state of Texas traditions that most of us grew up and followed some aspects of SWC sports whether we attended one of its schools or not.

What Comes Up--Will Come Down... As we of North Texas know more than anyone (and to quote ol' Blue Eyes) "your riding high in April...shot down in May." Well, I don't think TCU will be able to continue what they are doing at the level they are doing it and if they can--all power to em', but has all the private school's forever model of decades past (Notre Dame) been able to maintain a Top 10 national presence of late?

TCU and the Big East will have the usual honeymoon period and this is TCU's 4'th (?) league since the SWC broke apart, but when TCU starts having a few 6 & 5, 7 & 4 and even a 5 & 6 season thrown in there from time to time the Big East travel and its schools will have no more attaction to Texans than many of the schools those of us in CUSA and the Sun Belt have zero in common. (SMU vs. East Carolina, for instance)?

UNT is far away enough from Dallas and Fort Worth to become a special, unique program and I think Coach McCarnie sees that, but like any other school it has to win and win often to start cashing in on what will make us that special, unique program.

The new stadium is having the exact effect that many of us Old Gun Alums thought it would for UNT and albeit Troy and FIU (as the DRC Sports Editor wrote) will be the 2 schools next Fall to get all the pre-season votes to win the SBC football championship, lets just see what effect all this "New Era" business we have going on in Denton will have on next year's SBC football championship and subsequent trip to the New Orleans Bowl.

GMG!

Edited December 2, 2010 by PlummMeanGreen

[ForneyGreen]

I really don't think success at TCU (or SMU for that matter) really affects UNT one way or the other except with a handful of recruits. Regarding attendance or support for our program, that is completely up to us.

I am however excited about TCU's move to the Big East. It is great for TCU (I have no affiliation with TCU, but good for them - they've worked their arses off for this and deserve a BCS conference). And... it may be great for UNT.

To be honest, I really do not expect that UNT would get attention from the Mountain West at this time - but what if the Mountain West was interested in SMU to keep a DFW presence? That would open the CUSA door for UNT.

[Green Mean]

No one in Fort Worth cares to see the likes of UConn, Louisville or S. Florida. Syracuse or Pitt maybe? If TCU doesn't keep their current interest up they will be stuck with a huge travel bill for nothing.

Rick

In the end the long travel will pay for itself. I don't see how people would care about the MWC and not the Big East? The casual fans know Big East schools. Their move to the conference was huge and it will pay off one way or another. And they don't have to go undefeated just to be considered for a BCS bowl. They have room for error now that they are in a BCS conference.

[MDH]

Actually TCU's application numbers have steadily risen over the last 10 years.

The problem is that because of the larger pool they selecting more high academics, which means a few less hots for the Froggies.

Ok, so has UNT's, what's the point? I'm sure most every school in Texas has seen application numbers increasing as A) Population grows People are moving to Texas C) UT is overflowing and causing top students to look elsewhere.

[meangreen]

The success that TCU has can only be good for UNT in the long run. It brings more national attention to college football in the metroplex, which up until a few years ago had been terrible since the SMU Pony Express days. So, I think it will bring more attention which is always good. Also, It helps our chances at getting into a new conference. Bottom line is, UNT has to get out of the Sun Belt to grow as a football program. If UNT gets into CUSA or MWC, watch out America. Not even kidding. As Mike Canales put it "This place is a gold mine"

[NM Green]

TCU's rise to the Big East is good for them, but North Texas is a program that stands on its own.

I was at the Bball game tonight and couldn't help but think this program is sitting at 6-1! 6 and freaking 1! Do you know what TCU and SMU would do for a bball program that is stout and has only 1 loss, oh yea to the freaking #4 team in the country!

TCU couldn't even compete in the Mountain West. Good luck in the Big East. They will be a non-factor but kudos to the BE they now get a pipeline into Texas to recruit - Dumb Big 12. They opened the door to the entire east coast and didn't even have to. They had open slots.

I fully expect TCU to dominate in the BE in football and be perennial BCS visitors. That is why they are there. Their basketball program will stay down and it would behoove us to keep ours performing at a high level until football comes around. It stings the frogs and ponies like you don't even know that we kick their arse in bball right now, just as I sting that our football team plays 3rd fiddle to them.

TCU has their automatic bid. I am here to support the Mean Green to get ours. We need to win and get into the broken down Big 12 or whatever comes about.

Shoot high Mean Green! Go Bold and Shoot High!

GMG

[TodgeRodge]

No one in Fort Worth cares to see the likes of UConn, Louisville or S. Florida. Syracuse or Pitt maybe? If TCU doesn't keep their current interest up they will be stuck with a huge travel bill for nothing.

Rick

it is just over 100 miles in extra travel for the Big East vs the MWC hardly a budget breaker especially when one considers the east coast will have a much stronger travel infrastructure in place and many of the members are right in large metro areas with direct access from DWF

TCU's rise to the Big East is good for them, but North Texas is a program that stands on its own.

I was at the Bball game tonight and couldn't help but think this program is sitting at 6-1! 6 and freaking 1! Do you know what TCU and SMU would do for a bball program that is stout and has only 1 loss, oh yea to the freaking #4 team in the country!

TCU couldn't even compete in the Mountain West. Good luck in the Big East. They will be a non-factor but kudos to the BE they now get a pipeline into Texas to recruit - Dumb Big 12. They opened the door to the entire east coast and didn't even have to. They had open slots.

I fully expect TCU to dominate in the BE in football and be perennial BCS visitors. That is why they are there. Their basketball program will stay down and it would behoove us to keep ours performing at a high level until football comes around. It stings the frogs and ponies like you don't even know that we kick their arse in bball right now, just as I sting that our football team plays 3rd fiddle to them.

TCU has their automatic bid. I am here to support the Mean Green to get ours. We need to win and get into the broken down Big 12 or whatever comes about.

Shoot high Mean Green! Go Bold and Shoot High!

GMG

if anyone on this forum had said ten or even five years ago that TCU would be playing in their second straight BCS game, finishing in the top 10 in football for the third year in a row, moving to an AQ BCS conference, and had a baseball team in the CWS after beating Texas to get there

they would have been roundly mocked and ridiculed....but yet here they are today

I am sure TCU fans appreciate your concerns about their mens basketball program and it's future, but history is starting to show that TCU does pretty well on their own doing what they feel is best for their athletics program and their university

[NM Green]

I have been living in and going to Mountain West bball games for 15 years now in New Mexico and Las Vegas. The MWC is terribly underrated as a bball league, but TCU could barely stay on the floor with those programs in the Pit, The Marriott Center, Thomas and Mack...They will field a bball team because they have to but they will not be a bball factor. They will be the best fball program in the BE and that is great for them.

In following UNT for 24 years do you think I ever thought I would see UNT playing at the top level of football, traveling with the MG Nation to four consecutive bowl games, building of a brand spanking new football palace...UNT has come a long way since I joined the Nation in the fall of '86 when we were 17,000 students strong. Today we hired a former Big 12 coach, drove a Big 12 bowl team mad last week, have a new home to tailgate in and win in, and in 10 short months will open our new palace to the football world. I have also worn conference champion and big dance t-shirts to the last 3 bball games and look forward to the Mean Green competing for our conference title again this year. How sweet was it to have the 3 programs I follow closely - Mean Green, Lobos, and Rebels make the Big Dance last year!

My point is that UNT has much to offer and should be fueled by TCU and SMU's success. The frogs and ponies in their displeasure with UNT's bball success should be driven to improve their lots. If we continue to excel and make the Dance again we will get a ton of attention in the area just as TCU will when it hits the Rose Bowl.

This Mean Green fan is NOT defined by the success of the purple red blue and white. Mean Green have a lot of valuable seeds planted in rich soil. We will be just fine as well.

Go Mean Green! Beat Texas Southern! 7-1 here we come!

GMG

[perryfrog]

it is just over 100 miles in extra travel for the Big East vs the MWC hardly a budget breaker especially when one considers the east coast will have a much stronger travel infrastructure in place and many of the members are right in large metro areas with direct access from DWF

if anyone on this forum had said ten or even five years ago that TCU would be playing in their second straight BCS game, finishing in the top 10 in football for the third year in a row, moving to an AQ BCS conference, and had a baseball team in the CWS after beating Texas to get there

they would have been roundly mocked and ridiculed....but yet here they are today

I am sure TCU fans appreciate your concerns about their mens basketball program and it's future, but history is starting to show that TCU does pretty well on their own doing what they feel is best for their athletics program and their university

Thank you. I'm glad someone noticed. Actually, the competition in the Big East will not be

any tougher that it was in the MWC in football. And being the best conference in basketball

certainly will not hurt TCU in recruiting in that sport. Here's wishing UNT to do well also.

GO FROGS!!!!

GO MEAN GREEN EAGLES!!!!

[greenminer]

TCU got to where they are because they decided to take care of themselves first.

I think we are finally starting to do the same.

If that means acting above any conference loyalties, I am okay with that.

I love my Belt, but it would be naive to blow off the advantage$ afforded AQ members. Good for TCU. Let's put ourselves in a similar position before any possible classification splits.