I think I owe RV an apology

FirefightnRick · July 22, 2013

The re-air of the ULM / Arkansas game is on ESPNU right now. They ranked it as the #13 best game of 2012.

And... Arkansas was ranked. When was the last time we beat a ranked team? 1974?

Rick

FirefightnRick · July 22, 2013

Not praising, just giving them their due respect.
A win over Alabama in '07
A one point loss to Arkansas in '08
A win over Arkansas in '12
A 3 point OT loss to Auburn in '12
A 5 point loss to Baylor in '12 in a game they hosted.....in their crappy stadium.
They have out recruited us for players who are right here from under our noses.
At one point of last year 4 of their starting 5 O linemen were from DFW and its surrounding areas.
All with a pathetic $8 Million Athletic budget, about $2.5 of that going towards football.
If I was convinced we were doing all we could I would feel better. But we're not. Those of us who have been paying attention know we aren't putting our best foot forward, that there is little accountability and we aren't turning over every stone to find money and solid coaches. Simply look at the last basketball hire in regards to Danny Kasper never getting contacted for the job as one example, and I can sit here and type all day of countless others.
Rick

Adding to my point about our effort compared to others...

HAT TIP to the Reality board,

New Mexico State........gets 7 home games this year including against like opponents UTEP, Rice and Idaho.

They also host Abilene Christian who, although is transitioning to 1-AA is still better than Texas Southern any day of the week.

But where our remaining three games are against Middle, UTSA and Ball State this year.....

New Mexico State was able to convince San Diego State, Minnesota and Boston College to fly into El Paso and bus 45 minutes to the Afghanistan of the West to play them.

But hey,.....lets keep apologizing for ourselves.

Rick

Edited July 22, 2013 by FirefightnRick

Harry · July 22, 2013

Adding to my point about our effort compared to others...
HAT TIP to the Reality board,
New Mexico State........gets 7 home games this year including against like opponents UTEP, Rice and Idaho.
They also host Abilene Christian who, although is transitioning to 1-AA is still better than Texas Southern any day of the week.
But where our remaining three games are against Middle, UTSA and Ball State this year.....
New Mexico State was able to convince San Diego State, Minnesota and Boston Collegeto fly into El Paso and bus 45 minutes to the Afghanistan of the West to play them.
But hey,.....lets keep apologizing for ourselves.
Rick

You make some good points but to be fair those team know that they will leave Las Cruces with a IA win. We are pretty tough at home under Mac.

FirefightnRick · July 22, 2013

You make some good points but to be fair those team know that they will leave Las Cruces with a IA win. We are pretty tough at home under Mac.

Mmmmmmm.....I'm trying to think of an opponent who would fear scheduling a team that hasn't had a winning season in 8 years?

Rick

emmitt01 · July 22, 2013

Never heard of Kentucky or Vandy? Duke in the ACC? Currently Kansas in the Big XII is marked as a win on some mid-majors schedule. We beat a crappy Indiana team two years ago when we were not even that good.

So yes. The conference does not make a team. The years you quoted, those teams were not so strong. Yes, nice win for the program. But I would rather measure against TCU or Boise that takes on top teams and wins.

TCU sucked for decades. Boise was in the Big West 15 years ago (losing to UNT if I recall). Why not North Texas?

Let's (honestly) say we can measure up to the best Sun Belt teams...THEN we can worry about measuring up to TCU and Boise. They have two things that we don't have right now. Vision and direction.

greenminer · July 22, 2013

Mmmmmmm.....I'm trying to think of an opponent who would fear scheduling a team that hasn't had a winning season in 8 years?
Rick

NMSU at home:

2009 2-4

2010 2-4

2011 2-4

2012 1-5 (Sac St was their only win last year)

UNT at home:

2010 0-6

2011 (DMac YR1) 4-2

2012 3-2

I actually want to agree with you and others - I think scheduling took a step back this year and I don't understand why we are not getting it done - but Harry has a valid point. DMac is doing much better in Denton than NMSU is in Cruces. Even in some of our losses we have provided a scare.

Edited July 22, 2013 by greenminer

greenminer · July 22, 2013

I wish I knew more about scheduling, but I don't. Right now I think when we ask teams to come to Apogee, they consider two things:

1) is it a lock for a win or loss?

2) what impact does this have on our budget?

UNT doesn't offer a definitive answer to either of those, at least not the first. We might actually go 3-9 this year, or we might go 9-3. We will probably be somewhere in between, but "probably" is not what my boss wants to hear when committing to something. If we can start winning 7+ games consistently, maybe it might actually be easier to bring in who we want? Because we can answer item #1 with some consistency?

Having said all that, I agree with the "Others are getting it done" sentiment and hope the 2013 schedule is the last of its kind.

Edited July 22, 2013 by greenminer

UNT90 · July 22, 2013

You make some good points but to be fair those team know that they will leave Las Cruces with a IA win. We are pretty tough at home under Mac.

I really don't think fear of a loss is why we can't get good home opponents, do you? Seriously?

Considering schedules are made 3 to 4 years in advance, we should have home ganes with Alabama and LSU, according to that theory.

Scheduling is one of the worst thing this AD does, along with hiring coaches.

Edited July 22, 2013 by UNT90

UNT 90 Grad · July 22, 2013

I really don't think fear of a loss is why we can't get good home opponents, do you? Seriously?
Considering schedules are made 3 to 4 years in advance, we should have home ganes with Alabama and LSU, according to that theory.
Scheduling is one of the worst thing this AD does, along with hiring coaches.

Not saying I agree/disagree with the theory, but that means upcoming schedules were made around the time we scared K-State at home.

UNT90 · July 22, 2013

Not saying I agree/disagree with the theory, but that means upcoming schedules were made around the time we scared K-State at home.

How many games did we win that season?

Serious stretch here, don't you think?

FirefightnRick · July 22, 2013

There is .000001 percent chance that a team from the Big 10, ACC or Mountain West won't schedule to play in Denton BECAUSE they fear a loss.

Anyone who thinks teams from those conferences won't come here because they fear a loss is kidding themselves.

Rick

Edited July 22, 2013 by FirefightnRick

FirefightnRick · July 22, 2013

There is .000001 percent chance that a team from the Big 10, ACC or Mountain West won't schedule to play in Denton BECAUSE they fear a loss.
Rick

Reminds me of the same line people have swallowed that.....

"No basketball coach worth his salt would come to North Texas for less than a 5 year contract".

When in reality,...nearly one fourth of D1 programs had signed coaches to less, including programs like UNLV who started their guy out with 3.

Rick

untjim1995 · July 22, 2013

I think that getting an AQ here from the SEC, Big XII, or the B1G will be almost impossible if they keep scheduling 9 games a year and Jerry World continues to host big games in the DFW Metroplex. Trust me, I never wanted to give RV a pass. I already think the strong majority of UNT fans think he is genius just because he allowed tailgating. To me, that really says more about the idiocy of the ADs before them that didn't allow this, but that's how low of a bar RV has to clear with most of this fanbase. I've already been on record that RV is the worst AD I've personally ever seen at any college at hiring coaches in the money sports, mostly because other ADs who made poor hires like his never got much of a chance to make further hires. But not here...

All that said, if Northern Illinois has to lose a "home" game against Nebraska in Chicago, but they still play 4 times in Lincoln within 8 years is just amazing to me. Northern Illinois has accomplished quite a bit over the last 10 years. It wouldn't seem that they couldn't get a home game against a Nebraska program that is certainly down from its heyday. But the 9 conference games leaves you with 3 OOC games and if you figure the B1G teams play a Pac-12 team every year for one of those 3 OOC games, those B1G teams aren't going to give up a home OOC game when they can make so much money buying North Texas for a game--see Iowa. Just hate admitting it, but it says a lot about why we couldn't get them here for a return game. RV still needs to call the Pac-12 schools, the ACC schools, and the MWC schools for home-and-home series, but I am willing to give him a pass on the Iowa games. Sorry RV...

GL2Greatness · July 22, 2013

it is really pretty simple if you look at the truth and the reality

it comes down to money plain and simple....other programs have it and north Texas needs it......sure you can call football and mens and womens BB the :money sports" but more than likely at north Texas football is the only one that brings in more than it spends each year and there are really not money games in basketball or at least not for near the same amount of money

it is a simple fact that the stajium cost a lot of money and half of it needs to be paid for, the sponsorship deal is nice, but part of it was in kind services to the university and the rest of it is back loaded and the truth of the matter is companies that sponsor stajiums do not exactly have a stellar record of completing those deals or even being in business when those deals end.....and that is just for the pros much less college.....so letting the 50/50 ratio of student to private funding slip here and there for a year or two with the idea that it will catch back up down the road and all even out is a very dangerous gamble and one the powers at be at north Texas are not going to take

ticket sales are not huge and are not much above Fouts, the GMG club membership is growing, but slowly, suites are sold out which is nice, but club seats have availability and there are numerous training rooms, film rooms and on and on waiting for sponsorships

so the money has to come in from somewhere and that is games with teams that pay money to show up for one game.....D1-AA teams are demanding more money and lower level D1-A teams are looking for more money and really the Idaho game was a bargain at $400,000 and RV managed to catch them at a time when they were more desperate than north Texas

there are 11 other programs in Texas, 3 in the metromess, Jerry paying big money for games, The Cotton Bowl paying big money for games and Reliant and The Alamodome have paid big money for games and pro stajiums all over the country are now doing the same

so teams have options and lost of them and when one program needs money (whether or not their fans want to believe that) they are going to have to do what it takes to get money and if a home game is a break even affair or if paying $400,000 or so for a D1-AA team or a team that does not bring much excitement is a break even affair or even a slight money loser well that will either need to be made up or it will just not be played in favor of spending travel cost and collecting a check