Paying Nichols St for 2nd home OOC next year

[UNT90]

But you know what would make me happier than more home games or higher quality opponents in Apogee? Beating the teams that pay us to play them, no matter if it's home or away. Get a few of those and everything else will fall into line.

It's a lot easier to beat a Big 5 team if you play them at home. We played K. St. at freaking Fouts Field. No excuse not to get a higher profile team into Apogee and absolutely no excuse to be in the scheduling pickle we are in with only Houston to show for it.

[10Eagle10]

Is there something else about this, or has it changed this year? Colorado St. had a win over only one FCS program but needed a 7th win to become bowl eligible, which confused me. Maybe they played at Hawai'i and had a 13-game schedule...if that's the case do you need more than 6 wins? Is it .500 or minimum of 6?

As you noted, they had Hawaii on their schedule. The "Hawaii exemption" allows any team traveling to the island to schedule an additional 13th game to make up for the costs, etc for the lengthy travel. Most schools either schedule an additional home game for revenue or schedule a "bodybag" game for a guaranteed paycheck. Some schools, however, do not play a 13th game. If you play 13, then you must win 7 because bowl eligibility requires your team to be .500 (barring waivers).

Is it .500

or better

yes

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Bravo to the AD for buying a gane. Need to do it 2 or 3 more times to get out of the scheduling hole the AD has put us in.

Since you are an extremely myopic, reactionary rah rah kind of guy, please look at the below link:

http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-15/conf-usa/2015-north-texas-mean-green-football-schedule.php

Don't be surprised when the AD tries to tell you that the at SMU game is actually "an alternative sight home game."

But don't stop there, my myopic minion, take a look at 2016, 2017, and 2018 and you will realize the scheduling pickle we have gotten ourselves into.

Oh, and guess who is hosting OU next year? That would be Tulsa. That's right, Tulsa. In that quaint but tiny stadium of theirs. I guess OU wants to play in that hotbed of north Oklahoma recruiting.

Meanwhile, we are told to be happy with Houston as a "marque" home game.

Scheduling football. One of the worst things this AD does.

My final year of law school at TU, Oklahoma came to Skelly. Before that season, they hadn't played in Tulsa since 1987. And, before that since 1942...the year my dad was born to Dust Bowl sharecroppers in Shamrock, Oklahoma.

Oklahoma and Tulsa have only played one another 26 times, seven of those during the Stoops era, with two in Tulsa. From 1943-1978, they never played one another.

Tulsa biggest regional rivals have been Arkansas and Oklahoma State, each of whom they have played 72 times - even though they never shared a conference affiliation!

Tulsa played Arkansas eevery year from 1933-1955, skipped a year, then every year from 1957-1990. Since 1990, though, they have only played four times. And, get this: Arkansas has not played in Tulsa since 1952! For 30+ years in a row, Tulsa played at Arkansas!

Tulsa played Oklahoma State every year from 1926-1965, then again from 1981-1996. The games were usually home-and-home, but occassionally, Oklahoma State would get home games two years in a row.

What happened between Barry Switzer and Bob Stoops was that OU essentially dropped off the map in recruiting the Tulsa area. OSU owned Tulsa, for the most part, and it was cherry picked by Arkansas, Tennessee and others.

Next year will be OU's eighth time to play Tulsa with Bob Stoops as head coach, and third time in Tulsa. Stoops does that for a reason. Of the few decent recruits that come out of Oklahoma, many are from Tulsa. With the money T. Boone Pickens has given to Oklahoma State, and the success that head coaches Les Miles and Mike Gundy have produced for it, he cannot afford to take the Tulsa area athlete for granted.

Edited December 4, 2013 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

[JesseMartin]

You know, for the sake of tune-up games, I don't mind if it's an FCS school once in a while, but I'd much rather a recognizable name. Delaware or another well-known state school would be easier to convince people to come that have been out of the loop. I have told a few alumni about the possibility of the Heart of Dallas bowl, and some haven't been to a game in a while, while others have never gone to one. Most are considering heading in to check it out, some with kids in tow for their first game, especially if it's a big "name" opponent. And if we keep trying to convince these people to go to Apogee, a game against Idaho or New Mexico State or other low-end FBS program (but still with a recognizable name, at the very least a major state university) or even a FCS school along those lines will be an easier sell than "where the hell is Nicholls State".

Yeah, I know, keep winning and going to bowl games and the exposure will help, but along the way, getting casual fans who know nothing about the strength of most programs back to campus will be easier if you invite them to a UNT game against Indiana State or Illinois State than one that doesn't ring a bell with your average Joe or Jane Alum. I know we've played Nicholls State a lot over the years, but as much as it may bring back old memories with some of us, it's not likely to help swing the momentum in getting another 10K fans in attendance, and hopefully coming back for more and donating to the University.

[UNTFan23]

If we had at least a 40,000 seat stadium and with how UT-Austin has most always been schedule-friendly with UNT and even made us the first ever G5'esque type of school to put on their football schedule as far back as 1976 would it be outside the realm of possibilities that we could play them at Apogee Stadium? I know, that's quite a reach for some who have been conditioned for way too long to think at different levels but............... have you seen UTSA's future home schedule lately?

UH is building their stadium to seat at least 40K and many on this board think we should try to act like them; even copy their Tier 1 Research Status success which they got before you could say..............Bill Yeoman & the Houston Veer.

This? If we don't stay on the race track with the hoss'es we want to race against then how we ever going to win a race against those kind of hosses?

GMG!

PS: Don't forget now that SMU has hosted TTech and TAMU at their Ford before you say none of this can be done.

We currently don't need a 40k seat stadium. Until we consistently fill our current 30k stadium (which we have yet to do), adding more seating will only make the stadium feel more empty with the same sized crowds.

[oldguystudent]

We currently don't need a 40k seat stadium. Until we consistently fill our current 30k stadium (which we have yet to do), adding more seating will only make the stadium feel more empty with the same sized crowds.

Recall the debates during Apogee planning and construction that many demanded a capacity of 50,000. I'm not judging because hindsight is always 20/20, but man, what a mistake that would've been. Stadium would've been bigger, emptier, and not nearly as nice.

[MeanGreenTexan]

Recall the debates during Apogee planning and construction that many demanded a capacity of 50,000. I'm not judging because hindsight is always 20/20, but man, what a mistake that would've been. Stadium would've been bigger, emptier, and not nearly as nice.

Right. Especially coming right off of the Dodge years, and scheduling Idaho/TXSouthern/NichollsSt type games as OOC matchups.

[oldguystudent]

Right. Especially coming right off of the Dodge years, and scheduling Idaho/TXSouthern/NichollsSt type games as OOC matchups.

OK, Devil's advocate. We bring in Texas A&M for one game. Place fills up to 50,000 SRO, more than half of whom are wearing Maroon. Johnny Football drops a hundred on us and flashes his little money sign to the students. For the other 4 1/2 home games, we've still got Arkie St and later, UTEP. Yup. Totally worth it.

But don't let me get in the way of a good RV ass ramming at any given opportunity.

Edited December 4, 2013 by oldguystudent

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

You know, for the sake of tune-up games, I don't mind if it's an FCS school once in a while, but I'd much rather a recognizable name. Delaware or another well-known state school would be easier to convince people to come that have been out of the loop. I have told a few alumni about the possibility of the Heart of Dallas bowl, and some haven't been to a game in a while, while others have never gone to one. Most are considering heading in to check it out, some with kids in tow for their first game, especially if it's a big "name" opponent. And if we keep trying to convince these people to go to Apogee, a game against Idaho or New Mexico State or other low-end FBS program (but still with a recognizable name, at the very least a major state university) or even a FCS school along those lines will be an easier sell than "where the hell is Nicholls State".

Yeah, I know, keep winning and going to bowl games and the exposure will help, but along the way, getting casual fans who know nothing about the strength of most programs back to campus will be easier if you invite them to a UNT game against Indiana State or Illinois State than one that doesn't ring a bell with your average Joe or Jane Alum. I know we've played Nicholls State a lot over the years, but as much as it may bring back old memories with some of us, it's not likely to help swing the momentum in getting another 10K fans in attendance, and hopefully coming back for more and donating to the University.

I agree here. What I'd like is one with alumni that might be living in the DFW area - Sam Houston State or Stephen F. Austin...or, Texas State. Yeah, I know Texas State is FBS now.

As pointed out in many threads throughout the years, Texas State and New Mexico State are the two schools we've played the most throughout our history. I'd stick Texas State and New Mexico State back into the mix every other year.

I lobbied for and like playing MAC schools. I detest playing OU and Texas. I don't mind playing SEC schools as long as we are spreading it around.

The thing is, scheduling is tricky, and done years in advance. So, anything we write here is pure fantasy. So, in that vein, here would be my fantasy OOC scheduling:

(1) Open with Sam Houston/SFA/or Traditional Black College (Grambling, Texas Southern, Alabama A&M, Alcorn State, etc.)

(2) Home and home, MAC opponent

(3) Home and home, alternating Texas State/New Mexico State (NMSU in the years we do not play UTEP in El Paso...obviously)

or

(3) Low-lying 5 Monopoly Conference School (Kentucky, Indiana, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa State, Virginia, Duke, Colorado, Purdue)

Edited December 4, 2013 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

So, here's what I'd angle for, given that we're booked pretty much through the 2017 season...and, let me say that I like the SMU and Army series, as well as Iowa, Florida, and Tennesee...refreshing change from the old rotation of OU, Texas, LSU. Thank you, Rick V.

2018 - 2021 we have only the end of the Army series and the ongoing SMU series. For the other games those four years I'd trying to get Texas State and New Mexico State as both are available: http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/sun-belt/new-mexico-state-aggies.php, http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/sun-belt/texas-state-bobcats.php

We play UTEP in El Paso during even number years, so give me this for 2018-2021 (games where we currently have open dates, I have put in italics):

2018

09/01 - SMU

09/08 - at Army
09/15 - TEXAS STATE / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

2019
08/31 - at New Mexico State / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC
09/07 - at SMU

09/14 - ARMY

2020
09/05 - SMU
09/12 - NEW MEXICO STATE / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

10/10 - at Army

2021

09/04 - at Texas State / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

09/11 - at SMU

10/09 - ARMY

2022-2025, we only have the end of the SMU series so far. Here is what I propose in those seasons:

2022

09/03 - TEXAS STATE / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

09/10 - SMU

09/17 - at Low-lying Monopoly Conference School / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

2023

09/02 - HOME vs Low-lying Monopoly Conference School / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC
09/09 - at SMU

09/16 - at New Mexico State / or at MAC / or HOME vs. FCS/TBC

2024
08/31 - NEW MEXICO STATE / or HOME vs MAC / or HOW vs FCS/TBC
09/07 - SMU
09/14 - at Low-lying Monopoly Conference School / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

2025

09/06 - at SMU

09/13 - HOME vs Low-lying Monopoly Conference / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

09/20 - at Texas State / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

Now for the 2022-2025 schedule, I am not saying schedule two games versus FCS or Traditional Black College. What I'm saying is that if one of the other OOC dates is already filled with Texas State, New Mexico State, MAC, or Low-lying Monopoly 5 AND we can't get Texas State, New Mexico State, MAC, or Low-lying Monopoly 5 in the other OOC date, THEN defualt into FCS/TBC. So, it's FCS/TBC ONLY IF Texas State, New Mexico State, MAC, or Low-lying Monopoly 5 cannot be had.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

MACs available for home and home 2018-2021:

Akron

Buffalo

Kent State

Ohio

Ball State

Eastern Michigan

Western Michigan

MACs available for home and home 2022-2025:

Akron

Bowling Green

Buffalo

Kent State

Ohio

Miami (OH)

Massachusetts

Ball State

Central Michigan

Eastern Michigan

Northern Illinois

Toledo

Western Michigan

[MeanGreenTexan]

So, here's what I'd angle for, given that we're booked pretty much through the 2017 season...and, let me say that I like the SMU and Army series, as well as Iowa, Florida, and Tennesee...refreshing change from the old rotation of OU, Texas, LSU. Thank you, Rick V.

2018 - 2021 we have only the end of the Army series and the ongoing SMU series. For the other games those four years I'd trying to get Texas State and New Mexico State as both are available: http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/sun-belt/new-mexico-state-aggies.php, http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/sun-belt/texas-state-bobcats.php

We play UTEP in El Paso during even number years, so give me this for 2018-2021 (games where we currently have open dates, I have put in italics):

2018

09/01 - SMU

09/08 - at Army

09/15 - TEXAS STATE / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

2019

08/31 - at New Mexico State / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

09/07 - at SMU

09/14 - ARMY

2020

09/05 - SMU

09/12 - NEW MEXICO STATE / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

10/10 - at Army

2021

09/04 - at Texas State / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

09/11 - at SMU

10/09 - ARMY

2022-2025, we only have the end of the SMU series so far. Here is what I propose in those seasons:

2022

09/03 - TEXAS STATE / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

09/10 - SMU

09/17 - at Low-lying Monopoly Conference School / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

2023

09/02 - HOME vs Low-lying Monopoly Conference School / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

09/09 - at SMU

09/16 - at New Mexico State / or at MAC / or HOME vs. FCS/TBC

2024

08/31 - NEW MEXICO STATE / or HOME vs MAC / or HOW vs FCS/TBC

09/07 - SMU

09/14 - at Low-lying Monopoly Conference School / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

2025

09/06 - at SMU

09/13 - HOME vs Low-lying Monopoly Conference / or HOME vs MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

09/20 - at Texas State / or at MAC / or HOME vs FCS/TBC

Now for the 2022-2025 schedule, I am not saying schedule two games versus FCS or Traditional Black College. What I'm saying is that if one of the other OOC dates is already filled with Texas State, New Mexico State, MAC, or Low-lying Monopoly 5 AND we can't get Texas State, New Mexico State, MAC, or Low-lying Monopoly 5 in the other OOC date, THEN defualt into FCS/TBC. So, it's FCS/TBC ONLY IF Texas State, New Mexico State, MAC, or Low-lying Monopoly 5 cannot be had.

Look homie,

I don't know about you, but by the time 2018 rolls around, I expect UNT to be bringing top 25 teams into our newly expanded stadium so that we can keep the SoS up in order to get into the BCS playoff.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

If I list these schools, it is because they already have future schedules road games at mid-majors, so we know they have the tendency to home and home mid-majors.

Low-lying Monopoly Conference 5 available for home and home 2018-2021:

Duke

Wake Forest

Pitt

Syracuse

Indiana

Minnesota

Purdue

Kansas

TCU

Utah

Washington State

Kentucky

Vanderbilt

Low-lying Monopoly Conference 5 available for home and home 2022-2025
Duke

Wake Forest

Pitt

Syracuse

Indiana

Minnesota

Purdue

Iowa State

Kansas

TCU

Colorado

Utah

Washington State

Kentucky

Vanderbilt

[BillySee58]

I'd really like a home and home with Vandy

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Look homie,

I don't know about you, but by the time 2018 rolls around, I expect UNT to be bringing top 25 teams into our newly expanded stadium so that we can keep the SoS up in order to get into the BCS playoff.

Okay, but I look more at the Texas Tech and Kansas State model. After they began to have a run of success, they still were not bringing any eduling"big names" or even Top 25 into their stadiums. I don't think Tech ever did. Kansas State did a home and home with USC in the early 2000s, but beyond that....

I disagree with Mike Leach on many things, but not scheduling. Same with Bill Snyder. When you are a school that doesn't have the historical cache, you have to do what you can to keep momentum of bowl seasons going. You do that by scheduling winnable OOC games.

Besides, as Boise State's success has shown, just because you might win a game or two versus Goliath, doesn't mean other Goliaths will come. In fact, it usually scares the lot of them away. TCU as well.

So, play the percentages to your favor in scheduling. The MAC has been excellent competition for us, a good measuring stick of where we are. Once we start brigning in bowl money year after year, it should become less urgent to plays the OUs, UTs, and LSUs, so we can default down to Kansas, Wake Forest, Purdue, and the like. And, because those schools are up and down, who knows...maybe we catch them in one of their up streaks.

The point is to build on winning seasons. Alabama, OU, Michigan, Ohio State, USC, Miami...they aren't scheduling home and homes with the likes of Boise State and TCU, so they wouldn't be likely to do it for us either.

[UNT90]

OK, Devil's advocate. We bring in Texas A&M for one game. Place fills up to 50,000 SRO, more than half of whom are wearing Maroon. Johnny Football drops a hundred on us and flashes his little money sign to the students. For the other 4 1/2 home games, we've still got Arkie St and later, UTEP. Yup. Totally worth it.

But don't let me get in the way of a good RV ass ramming at any given opportunity.

Or we bring in Texas. Hang with them all through the game, and the home crowd helps us pull off an upset that wouldn't have happened in Austin.

Why do you use the team with the best player in college who just happens to be QB as an example? If we take ass bearings on the road on a consistent basis, why shouldn't we try to get one of these getable teams in for a 2 for 1 or even a 1 for 1? Why schedule a 2 for 0 with freaking Iowa??

Defend RV all you want, but he has ROYALLY SUCKED when it comes to scheduling football. 4 years, 2 five game home seasons, inflexible scheduling position, and no marque opponents to show for it.

If he plays poker like he schedules football, I'd love to be playing behind him at a Texas Holdem poker table. That would be a profitable night.

Edited December 4, 2013 by UNT90

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Also, from a visiting fan perspective, haven't most of us already been on the OU, Texas, and LSU campuses many times? What is the point to continue it once we are getting more bowl money from C-USA?

Why not home and home other schools and be able to broaden both the teams' and fans' travel horizons? Would love a home and home with Pitt. playing at Heinz. Imagine visiting The Palouse during an away game with Wazzu.

Or, walking around a historic, academic campus like Duke or Purdue? Getting in a visit to the Mall of America at Minnesota?

It's winnable games without the same old, boring jaunts up and down the road to OU or Texas, or over the border to LSU. That's what I'm driving at. Winnable games for the team, cool tourist experiences for the fans and players' families.

Edited December 4, 2013 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Or we bring in Texas. Hang with them all through the game, and the home crowd helps us pull off an upset that wouldn't have happened in Austin.

Why do you use the team with the best player in college who just happens to be QB as an example? If we take ass bearings on the road on a consistent basis, why shouldn't we try to get one of these getable teams in for a 2 for 1 or even a 1 for 1? Why schedule a 2 for 0 with freaking Iowa??

Defend RV all you want, but he has ROYALLY SUCKED when it comes to scheduling football. 4 years, 2 five game home seasons, inflexible scheduling position, and no marque opponents to show for it.

If he plays poker like he schedules football, I'd love to be playing behind him at a Texas Holdem poker table. That would be a profitable night.

Texas already plays once a year in Dallas against OU; they aren't coming back up here just for us. Plus, they are now in Fort Worth every other year because TCU is in the Big 12. Those in addition to coming halfway up every other year to Waco to play Baylor.

Bottom line is, they aren't coming to Denton, so we need to get someone who will.

[UNT90]

Okay, but I look more at the Texas Tech and Kansas State model. After they began to have a run of success, they still were not bringing any eduling"big names" or even Top 25 into their stadiums. I don't think Tech ever did. Kansas State did a home and home with USC in the early 2000s, but beyond that....

I disagree with Mike Leach on many things, but not scheduling. Same with Bill Snyder. When you are a school that doesn't have the historical cache, you have to do what you can to keep momentum of bowl seasons going. You do that by scheduling winnable OOC games.

Besides, as Boise State's success has shown, just because you might win a game or two versus Goliath, doesn't mean other Goliaths will come. In fact, it usually scares the lot of them away. TCU as well.

So, play the percentages to your favor in scheduling. The MAC has been excellent competition for us, a good measuring stick of where we are. Once we start brigning in bowl money year after year, it should become less urgent to plays the OUs, UTs, and LSUs, so we can default down to Kansas, Wake Forest, Purdue, and the like. And, because those schools are up and down, who knows...maybe we catch them in one of their up streaks.

The point is to build on winning seasons. Alabama, OU, Michigan, Ohio State, USC, Miami...they aren't scheduling home and homes with the likes of Boise State and TCU, so they wouldn't be likely to do it for us either.

Leach and Snyder had the luxury of coaching in a Big 5 conference, where scheduling cupcakes was ok, because your conference strength of schedule made up for it.

Under your scenario, we would never host a CUSA championship game if we won the west and were tied with the east winner in record.

[UNT90]

Texas already plays once a year in Dallas against OU; they aren't coming back up here just for us. Plus, they are now in Fort Worth every other year because TCU is in the Big 12. Those in addition to coming halfway up every other year to Waco to play Baylor.

Bottom line is, they aren't coming to Denton, so we need to get someone who will.

Yep, like Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Louisville, or any other respected big 5 team that doesn't play regularly in the metroplex.

We will never take a big step forward until we play and beat one of these types of teams. Winning the HOD if we play Toledo means nothing for future attendance Winning the HOD while playing Michigan means EVERYTHING.

Very hard to get that type of win on the road. Very hard to grow the fan base without that type of win.

It's not hard, folks.

[untjim1995]

Also, from a visiting fan perspective, haven't most of us already been on the OU, Texas, and LSU campuses many times? What is the point to continue it once we are getting more bowl money from C-USA?

Why not home and home other schools and be able to broaden both the teams' and fans' travel horizons? Would love a home and home with Pitt. playing at Heinz. Imagine visiting The Palouse during an away game with Wazzu.

Or, walking around a historic, academic campus like Duke or Purdue? Getting in a visit to the Mall of America at Minnesota?

It's winnable games without the same old, boring jaunts up and down the road to OU or Texas, or over the border to LSU. That's what I'm driving at. Winnable games for the team, cool tourist experiences for the fans and players' families.

Playing OOC games versus AQs doens't have to always be against OU, UT, LSU, Bama, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, and Tennessee. And I'm certain A&M will be on the schedule soon enough, with the way we schedule these games. As TFLF mentioned, play teams that can still pay you a good check but you could actually compete with should be the goal going forward. Getting crushed against one of the SEC or Big XII powers that the local media and fans all fawn over, which then causes the "same ol' UNT" story to get reported, ends up leaving us with fans that dont want to come out the next weekend to watch us play a FCS or non-AQ team at home. See UNT Football from 1998-2012.

[BillySee58]

Okay, but I look more at the Texas Tech and Kansas State model. After they began to have a run of success, they still were not bringing any eduling"big names" or even Top 25 into their stadiums. I don't think Tech ever did. Kansas State did a home and home with USC in the early 2000s, but beyond that....

I disagree with Mike Leach on many things, but not scheduling. Same with Bill Snyder. When you are a school that doesn't have the historical cache, you have to do what you can to keep momentum of bowl seasons going. You do that by scheduling winnable OOC games.

Besides, as Boise State's success has shown, just because you might win a game or two versus Goliath, doesn't mean other Goliaths will come. In fact, it usually scares the lot of them away. TCU as well.

So, play the percentages to your favor in scheduling. The MAC has been excellent competition for us, a good measuring stick of where we are. Once we start brigning in bowl money year after year, it should become less urgent to plays the OUs, UTs, and LSUs, so we can default down to Kansas, Wake Forest, Purdue, and the like. And, because those schools are up and down, who knows...maybe we catch them in one of their up streaks.

The point is to build on winning seasons. Alabama, OU, Michigan, Ohio State, USC, Miami...they aren't scheduling home and homes with the likes of Boise State and TCU, so they wouldn't be likely to do it for us either.

Yes, but that's because they play in conferences with multiple top 25 teams. It's either play a top 25 team during OOC, or we won't see one all year.

I understand it's a lot easier said than done to get top 25 schools to come into Apogee, but for the schools that you mentioned they have chances to get statement wins in conference. With games that are scheduled by the conference, not the schools.

[untjim1995]

Yep, like Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Louisville, or any other respected big 5 team that doesn't play regularly in the metroplex.

We will never take a big step forward until we play and beat one of these types of teams. Winning the HOD if we play Toledo means nothing for future attendance Winning the HOD while playing Michigan means EVERYTHING.

Very hard to get that type of win on the road. Very hard to grow the fan base without that type of win.

It's not hard, folks.

Eventually, we are going to have to beat one of these AQ powers to move upward. Hell, the year we beat a terrible Baylor team at home (2003) resonated more with the UNT Family than any other win we have had since we beat Texas Tech in 1999. The point that we got to play Baylor at home made it even more thrilling, since they are the highest profile AQ team to ever play us in Denton since the BCS came into play. Even this year, going 8-4 and creating some excitement has been mostly with fans that are always here or with some fans that are not beaten down with UNT athletics yet. If we get Toledo or some other non-AQ team with no reuptation as an opponent will do nothing for us on that front, either. It already is so UNT-typical to finally have a good season, with a possible bowl berth waiting for us in the perfect venue (Dallas) against a big name opponent from the Big Ten, only to have the Big Ten not be able to fill their obligation for the bowl slots, due to Pedo State not being bowl eligible even with a winning record.

If we had somehow won at Georgia, but lost the Rice game and the Ball State game, we would have an even higher buzz about us right now with the local media and regular Joe fans in DFW than we have today, just because of the respect that Georgia carries in the college football world.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Playing OOC games versus AQs doens't have to always be against OU, UT, LSU, Bama, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, and Tennessee. And I'm certain A&M will be on the schedule soon enough, with the way we schedule these games. As TFLF mentioned, play teams that can still pay you a good check but you could actually compete with should be the goal going forward. Getting crushed against one of the SEC or Big XII powers that the local media and fans all fawn over, which then causes the "same ol' UNT" story to get reported, ends up leaving us with fans that dont want to come out the next weekend to watch us play a FCS or non-AQ team at home. See UNT Football from 1998-2012.

This is exactly it.

Also, it doesn't matter AQ or non-AQ. Schools never lined up to go play at Boise State or TCU just because they were winning. They are not going to line up to play us either.

The schools I've mentioned are gettable. They are scheduling home and homes with mid-majors. If we'd played Kentucky instead of Georgia this year, and played with the intensity we had at Georgia, we'd have beaten them.

Also, you don't have any idea whether playing Wake Forest instead of Miami or some other big name school would hurt us in the C-USA Championship Game stakes. The schools I've listed ebb and flow. Kansas went to the Orange Bowl a few seasons ago.

The schedules I've posted are 5-12 years into the future. Any of those teams could be up during that time span. Do you think that years ago when we scheduled Ball State that anyone had an inkling that they'd be 10-2? Highly unlikely.

What I'm saying is the extra money we are now making in the new conference makes it less urgent to go get a guaranteed ass beating at places we've already been to several times in the past. Boring.

With the Monopolistic 5, schedule a winnable game against the likes of a Kansas or Kentucky or Wake Forest. We may catch them in a good stretch the way we caught Ball State this season. But, whatever the case, we need to keep making schedules like the one we had this season.

Hard to believe people are still on RV about scheduling. We've only had an attractive place to play for three seasons now, and schedules are made years in advance. There is no magic scheduling fairy dust he can just sprinkle over the heads of other athletic directors, okay?

And, look, I've been critical about Rick at certain points in time, too. But, right now, in 2013, it's pretty damn hard to say he hasn't gotten us pretty much everything we ever bitched about. The guy has answered the bell.

I mean, the only critical thing I can say about him now is that he ain't Jesus, healing the sick, causing the lame to walk, and the blind to see. So, as Jesus, he's a failure. But, as an athletic director, he's hard to beat. He ain't gonna be able call 10,000 angels to force UT or OU to come to the DFW area one more time after they've already played each other here and hauled their cookies to TCU and Baylor as well. Sorry.

Edited December 4, 2013 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

[PlummMeanGreen]

No Sun Belt schools.............nothing against them but its not the direction we need to go unless we're flirting with going down an NCAA division once again.

You don't get Top 25 votes or ranked teams by the continual playing of Sun Belt teams. Go back to the MAC for that--they have a Top 25 school EVERY Fall.

How long did we want out of the Sun Belt? Then why go back with even OOC games? We keep playing SBC schools and some of the national media (the ones who make or influence Top 25 votes) will think we never left that conference.

? Why build an Apogee in the first place if we keep acting and scheduling like we're a 1-AA school?

FWIW, we all but had better OOC scheduling when we were at Fouts. Why the hell we back-tracking?..............................Is 3 year football program UTSA back-tracking? No, they are moving forward. Will UNT provide for its fans and alums surgical masks to prevent us from swallowing the Road Runner's dust? (I will not tell you how many schools have passed North Texas since our Missouri Valley Conference era--it would almost break your spirit).

! AND........you keep patting mediocrity on the back and you'll keep getting mediocrity. Also, when you have those on staff who do much better jobs selling themselves than they do football season tickets, then that is the time for there to be a real Come to Jesus talk to see where this thing is really going at this juncture of our school's existence (along with its warp speed growth which should have all this time translated into many more football ticket sales................ but hasn't).

.

GMG!

Edited December 5, 2013 by PlummMeanGreen