Commissioner Report Cards

Arkstfan · January 4, 2013

Craig Thompson A+

He took what was once the best non-AQ TV contract but then became an albatross and got it modified so they can sell more games and make more money and get more exposure. A few weeks ago he was literally in a position where Arkansas State and Louisiana believed they were MWC bound once the Big East pulled two more MWC. In a matter of weeks, he won back Boise State. By most accounts is expected to announce the return of San Diego State and may be relatively close to getting BYU back.

When everyone panicked he stayed calm and didn't burn bridges. More importantly he made sure the door stayed open by ignoring those who said that the MWC should just accept reality and go ahead and take NMSU and Idaho. Taking Idaho almost certainly would have closed the door on Boise returning and NMSU wasn't going to advance the cause either. Top notch performance.

Karl Benson D

Came in acting as if UNT and FIU were gone rather than going through the motions of trying to hold the league together. His quick acting cowboying of running Georgia State in by using a specially empowered committee seriously weakened him after a short time on the job. Adding Texas State and UTA were OK moves but he has learned from the opening mistake. Six weeks out from MTSU and FAU leaving he hasn't tried to ramrod an immediate response. The membership has calmed down and already some schools are actively advocating to allow MTSU and FAU have early departure because they've used the past few weeks to explore schedule options. ASU's AD made no bones about it in a radio interview earlier this week, he's got a game lined up that he wants and he needs them out. That means the panic is gone. Didn't take the bait when pressure was applied by other commissioners to help NMSU and Idaho out of their jam.

Brit Bankowsky D-

It started as a smart idea. Take one maybe two teams to offset losing four. Get CUSA to 9 or 10 members. One to fill the Texas hole and maybe one to appease the east. It quickly spiraled out of control. Depending on whom you believe, La.Tech and UTSA came into the mix either to help MWC in their gutting of the WAC or to insure that the Sun Belt didn't add two programs that might strengthen the league. Either way it seemed like a decent idea, get back to 12. Except the eastern membership balked. They would block Tech and UTSA unless they were thrown a bone. So they got Charlotte and ODU. Six teams added, one with 8 years of playing an FBS schedule three with zero years experience in FBS. Then the Big East strikes again and CUSA reacts again. Taking an MTSU that is .500 over the past five years and pretty well run program and an FAU that well hasn't hit .500 but at least didn't just fire their coach to hire Ron Turner.

Mike Aresco F

You can't blame him for losing Louisville and Rutgers or Notre Dame but you can certainly blame him for the loss of the seven basketball schools. It was a classic in speed over thought. Adding ECU made sense but Tulane broke the camel's back. Tulane was sprung on the presidents for a fast vote to keep things quiet. The few football presidents spoke glowingly of Tulane's new financial committment and sterling academic reputation and nice location. The vote passes without the AD's being consulted and the presidents get back home to a firestorm. The AD's and coaches are livid. Yet another school added that hurt the strength of basketball and a school that plays basketball in an 80 year old (but recently modernized) 3,600 seat facility and has had no need to look at adding more seats. With the ever shifting line-up faced the problem of being obligated to find at least one more western school to make the league work, repeatedly rejected by BYU and Air Force approached UNLV, Fresno and New Mexico and the three knew the question to ask thanks to Commissioner Thompson, "What's the latest number from your TV consultants?". Depending on who you believe there is either no number or one that is a fifth of the number used when Boise was first courted. The only thing propping the league up right now is that Houston, SMU, Tulane, Memphis, UCF, and ECU don't see a 20 team C-USA as a viable option and Cincinnati and UConn need some place to get their mail while courting the ACC.

TIgreen01 · January 4, 2013

I'd give the CUSA commish an F-.

UNT90 · January 5, 2013

I'd give the CUSA commish an F-.

Yep.

UNT, and MTSU should have been the only adds. FIU is looking like a train wreck, FAU or FIU is an either/or proposition, at best and really shouldn't have been added at all. La Tech doesn't have the all important market, and all the others have not played one game of FBS football.

If CUSA had held tight, not added any programs without FBS experience, and only added UNT and MTSU/La. Tech., they may be in a position right now to lure SMU and Houston back to CUSA.

But no, now we have to play a bunch of start ups.

Still better than the Belt.

UNT86 · January 5, 2013

The door closed to SMU coming back to C-USA the day we joined.

It will be a "cold day" when they play in any conference we are also in.

And if they EVER think we have a chance to win in the upcoming 10 game series, they will find a way out of the game (or entire series).

The C-USA commish had to know when we were invited, that would burn the bridge with SMU.

oldguystudent · January 5, 2013

I've taken the position that no matter what happens, no matter how much the entirety of the 120+ teams in FBS conspire to screw UNT, it isn't going to make the ribs any less delicious, the beer any less intoxicating, or the coeds any less, well, I'm getting old, so I'll stop there.

I donate money because I was given opportunity at a second education and career that I probably didn't deserve. I come back to Denton because I enjoy an excuse to get together with the friends I made while in school, the friends I made after school at tailgates, and the friends I've yet to make.

All this magical musical screw everybody in chasing the dragon...er...ESPN dollar game makes me tired head, and I refuse to play anymore.

But the ribs are still delicious, the beer is still intoxicating, the coeds are still, well, I'm getting old.

FBS, BCS, Gangbang of five, D1A/D1AA, CUSA, SMU, shopping carts in Safeway, I refuse to care anymore.

Edited January 5, 2013 by oldguystudent

PlummMeanGreen · January 5, 2013

I've taken the position that no matter what happens, no matter how much the entirety of the 120+ teams in FBS conspire to screw UNT, it isn't going to make the ribs any less delicious, the beer any less intoxicating, or the coeds any less, well, I'm getting old, so I'll stop there.

I donate money because I was given opportunity at a second education and career that I probably didn't deserve. I come back to Denton because I enjoy an excuse to get together with the friends I made while in school, the friends I made after school at tailgates, and the friends I've yet to make.

All this magical musical screw everybody in chasing the dragon...er...ESPN dollar game makes me tired head, and I refuse to play anymore.

But the ribs are still delicious, the beer is still intoxicating, the coeds are still, well, I'm getting old.

FBS, BCS, Gangbang of five, D1A/D1AA, CUSA, SMU, shopping carts in Safeway, I refuse to care anymore.

If one would have told me we would walk in the wilderness as long as we have post 1978 season, ie, our 4'th winning season in a row at the time with several wins the previous 5 seasons to 1978 over some rather impressive name NCAA FBS level schools; anyhow, if one would have told me about such a future wildnerness walk for North Texas I would have told them back then...... "what you talking about boy" we are on our way up the NCAA totem pole.

And yes,.oldguystudent, I am getting older, crustier, and rougher around the edges. I do like what I think is a move in the right direction now with a long over-due new football stadium in place that with another 10K to 15K additional seats few of the Big Boys could match with their much Older Lady football venues. We seem to have a slow yet we all hope is a steady upwardly bound program with Coach McCarney, but good golly Miss Molly, my entire adult life flew by me like a Boeing 747 jumbo jet following all this. Young Gun Alums, you, too, will be shocked by how fast it all goes by. Free advice here: Keep your main lifes priorities in check and always try to remember that all this Mean Green business is still the toy section of most all our department stores that we call life. When it becomes more than that you might only start experiencing major disappointment.

I (as most of you older alums) merely wanted North Texas to be better positioned than we are here in 2013 with yearly increased attendance numbers commensurate with all our UNT constiuenices across the board growth, but we are not there yet and I have stated several opinions why on this board and got red numbers for doing so, but I will always say how I feel....just like most seem to do on these kind of forums.

CUSA? I have praised La Tech's recent successes but in many ways after looking at their last 30 years of football wins/losses, they have been on their own roller coaster ride. Still....I am not quite sure why they got the CUSA call over the U of L Rajun Cajuns as I compare both programs. I honestly think Terry Bradshaw sat in Commish Banowsky's office till he got a yes concerning his alma mater. I said the same about ESPN's Craig James doing the same with Big East officials when that league was more relevant. To me, North Texas has rarely used our power hitters enough to help us in similar areas but that is just another opinion.. And yes, La Tech'sters, I know UNT was invited mostly because of location and hardly because of our records of the last umpteen years but we'll take it anyway--we needed Lady Luck to smile on us at some point and still do; after all, another local school got a CUSA invite many years ago with an 18 football season losing streak and, GrayEagle, I will not mention any names.

The future of the Gang of 5?

Harry wrote a masterful epistle on what all our schools need to do as one unified group, but I fear there is still too much "me, me, me" going on and conference social climbing that will continue among some of our 5 unique conferences and prevent it from happening. When there is too much of that "me, me, me" involved in most anything, you will rarely find unity of a common cause and teamwork which Harry said we should all try for a change even for political purposes with the Big Boys. .

Early Christmas Wish List Item #1: I wish every Gang of 5 conference school president could get a copy of Harry's epistle because I really do think it is a read that makes very much sense, but we know that the "makes very much sense" part could be its demise in today's NCAA.

GMG!

Edited January 5, 2013 by PlummMeanGreen

Arkstfan · January 5, 2013

Hey at least you guys got to align with some people in your region.

We draw more fans than La.Tech, can raise money, have more support in Little Rock than they could dream of having in Shreveport (and they are 20 minutes closer to their claimed market) and we are stuck in entry level land for eternity.

The ONLY other FBS in our state won't play us in ANY sport (they pulled out of a baseball tournament at UTA a few years ago because we would be in it as well). The closest FBS to us (Memphis) won't talk about extending our football deal after this season because we've won 4 of the last 5. Won't talk about playing basketball any more since the last game went to OT when we missed a buzzer beater and the game before we lost on a buzzer beater.

The next closest FBS won't play in basketball because we won more than they did and they will hire our football coach but lost interest in football after we forced them to score late to win.

Y'all don't know what having it bad is.

wardly · January 5, 2013

I think the Belt,CUSA,and Big Least Commissioners are dancing as fast as they can, and unless someone has inside information otherwise then i don't see how you can blame them for some of their flock seeking greener pastures.Their boats are all leaking.

UNT90 · January 6, 2013

Hey at least you guys got to align with some people in your region.

We draw more fans than La.Tech, can raise money, have more support in Little Rock than they could dream of having in Shreveport (and they are 20 minutes closer to their claimed market) and we are stuck in entry level land for eternity.

The ONLY other FBS in our state won't play us in ANY sport (they pulled out of a baseball tournament at UTA a few years ago because we would be in it as well). The closest FBS to us (Memphis) won't talk about extending our football deal after this season because we've won 4 of the last 5. Won't talk about playing basketball any more since the last game went to OT when we missed a buzzer beater and the game before we lost on a buzzer beater.

The next closest FBS won't play in basketball because we won more than they did and they will hire our football coach but lost interest in football after we forced them to score late to win.

Y'all don't know what having it bad is.

I'd take winning in the Belt over sucking in CUSA any day of the week (or sucking in the Belt, for that matter). At least you competed when you played major competition. At least you beat Memphis 4 out of 5 times while we haven't beat anyone that mattered in forever. And at least you got home games against some major competition.

We absolutely know what having it bad is.

Edited January 6, 2013 by UNT90

UNTLifer · January 6, 2013

Was this a published report card or ArkStFan's opinion?

Arkstfan · January 7, 2013

Was this a published report card or ArkStFan's opinion?

My exclusive opinion

Mean Green 93-98 · January 7, 2013

Was this a published report card or ArkStFan's opinion?

My exclusive opinion

I really don't see much room for disagreement with any of it. Except, as mentioned above, possibly bringing Banowsky's D- down to an F-.

UNT90 · January 7, 2013

My exclusive opinion

And you beat a top 25 team in a bowl .

Please, no more whining about how bad you have it, especially when our BBall coach is in the process of gifting you the western division, also.

You don't know what bad is, my friend.

Edited January 7, 2013 by UNT90

GrayEagle · January 8, 2013

If Banowsky loses anymore members to another Gang of 5 conference then he doesn't need a grade; he needs to be ousted. If he's done anything to keep CUSA together it's yet to be seen.

I can understand SMU, Houston, UCF and Memphis leaving. When they left it was thought that the Big East would remain a BCS conference and they still had the Catholic seven. I'm thinking that Rutgers and Louisville hadn't yet committed but I'm not sure of that timeline. Pretty understandable that you don't deny the opportunity to move up.

What's happened since then are purely lateral moves and, unless it can save a lot on travel, should be stopped. On that statement I will cut him some slack on ECU leaving as I think that it would save expenses for them. Tulane really turned traitor after rhetoric about keeping the conference together. Now, we are hearing from the Tulsa president about how they're unhappy. Many are happy about all of college football and they are about to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. For pete's sake, let it rest.

BB's big failure was his replacements. I agree with North Texas which was to replace presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. I also agree with adding Louisiana Tech because they had the best record of any of the teams available. Both are long-standing BCS members. It helped that ESPN drew the TV market to include Shreveport. And eventually Middle Tennessee, a 12-year FBS member in the Nashville TV market.

Banowsky in the interim added the following:

FIU - A six-year member of the FBS with four losing seasons. Their average attendance for the six year period is less than the 15,000 average required for the FBS. They had two good seasons on the field and in the stands. They have a substandard stadium which has been expanded to 23,000+ but may still lack a pressbox; definitely not FBS quality. FIU is a very large, quality university in the Miami TV market but that's about the end of the superlatives.

FAU - Another six-year member of the FBS that had success early but has tapered off. Slightly better attendance and a FBS stadium of 30,000. Technically, in the West Palm Beach TV market, which is large in itself, with some interest from Miami. It has some potential now but needs more work. Smaller than FIU but still a large university.

UTSA - At the time it was chosen the Roadrunners hadn'[t played a FBS team. It's a great, very large destination city with good support with a very good stadium, albeit nearly twenty miles from the campus. In time, this should be an excellent member, especially if Larry Coker remains coach. But, they were rushed into a conference that had never taken a moveup (FCS or new program) from outside the conference.

Charlotte - Still hasn't played a down of football. A quality university, a former basketball/olympic sports member, but no football stadium or football team. Charlotte is a great TV market and if basketball is the harbinger of future success then they will be competitive and have good attendance. But, even the stadium that they are building will only hold 15,000. They simply weren't, and aren't, ready.

Old Dominion - ODU has qualities that you'd want when expanding. Norfolk is a rather large metro area/TV market. They've had a good FCS team for the past two years and they fill their stadium of 20,000. The have a waiting list for season tickets. Again, this is a moveup team. Why rush to overexpand? When they'd earned their spurs I believe that we would have gladly taken them.

CUSA has suffered mortal wounds but it can recover if it doesn't lose more members. If it does, I hope that it loses Mr. Banowsky.

North Texas Shep · January 8, 2013

CUSA may not be doing great and may not have the best leader, but it is still a step up from the Sun Belt. I am happy to be a part of CUSA and can not wait to get my season tickets and have some fun next season.

Arkstfan · January 8, 2013

And you beat a top 25 team in a bowl .
Please, no more whining about how bad you have it, especially when our BBall coach is in the process of gifting you the western division, also.
You don't know what bad is, my friend.

Bad is being a new FBS and breaking a 14 game losing streak against a Division II (not I-AA, II) when you get a second shot at a hail mary after a pass interference.

Bad is getting Ole Miss to come to your place and it being the first game after 9/11 and a referee mike check being heard over the video tribute.

Bad is firing your coach (with happily caught early prostate cancer) who is 3-19 in his last two years on Monday before the last game (Thanksgiving) and he asks for time to tell the team then never does it, school hands out the release in the 3rd quarter and national press reports "Arkansas State fires cancer victim coach on Thanksgiving Day".

Bad is having a basketball coach six years removed from an NCAA bid who can't do better than .500 in league play after that and his Sunday School buddies creating a save the coach campaign that convinces the administration the coach is loved and he gets a three year extension which results in an immediate loss of half the season ticket holders.

Bad is knowing that wins and tickets sold don't matter, the dumb luck of being in a small market means we are where we are for many years to come. Never mind that there are people who can walk outside their house and see the tower of the Jonesboro ABC affiliate, they are in the Little Rock market, even though they can't get Little Rock TV with a normal antenna. Never mind that in many nearby towns they watch Jonesboro TV because Jonesboro TV covers their city and their high school teams, never mind that they work and shop in Jonesboro, Nielsen says they are in the Memphis market.

UNT90 · January 8, 2013

Bad is being a new FBS and breaking a 14 game losing streak against a Division II (not I-AA, II) when you get a second shot at a hail mary after a pass interference.

Bad is being a FBS member and VOLUNTARILY dropping down to FCS

Bad is getting Ole Miss to come to your place and it being the first game after 9/11 and a referee mike check being heard over the video tribute.

Bad is NEVER hosting a SEC team at home in the modern are. Bad is also having a new stadium and having the ref mikes malfunction FOR THE FIRST 2 YEARS.

Bad is firing your coach (with happily caught early prostate cancer) who is 3-19 in his last two years on Monday before the last game (Thanksgiving) and he asks for time to tell the team then never does it, school hands out the release in the 3rd quarter and national press reports "Arkansas State fires cancer victim coach on Thanksgiving Day".

Bad is firing your coach shortly after he has a heart attack, then allowing him to coach out the season, only to have said coach go to Academy and buy the cheapest, ugliest plain black uniforms and have your team wear them in the final home game.

Bad is having a basketball coach six years removed from an NCAA bid who can't do better than .500 in league play after that and his Sunday School buddies creating a save the coach campaign that convinces the administration the coach is loved and he gets a three year extension which results in an immediate loss of half the season ticket holders.

Bad is having a very talented team, one including a lottery pick, and hiring a coach who has no idea what he is doing to lead that team. And having to probably tolerate the guy for 3 or 4 years because you signed him to a 5 (not a 4) year contract and are too poor to fire or re-assign him.

Bad is knowing that wins and tickets sold don't matter, the dumb luck of being in a small market means we are where we are for many years to come. Never mind that there are people who can walk outside their house and see the tower of the Jonesboro ABC affiliate, they are in the Little Rock market, even though they can't get Little Rock TV with a normal antenna. Never mind that in many nearby towns they watch Jonesboro TV because Jonesboro TV covers their city and their high school teams, never mind that they work and shop in Jonesboro, Nielsen says they are in the Memphis market.

Bad is going to a new conference with better competition when you couldn't even compete in the last crappy conference you were in. Bad is knowing that your basketball team is doomed for failure NEXT year with the same train wreck running the program. Bad is the fear that the only publicity you willl get from this move is local media saying that you weren't readty athletically for the move. Bad is also being a 3rd rate citizen in the "big market" that you occupy, only selected for membership in another conference because the 2 prettier schools were taken.

I could do this all day.

Edited January 8, 2013 by UNT90