Rick Gosselin: Football is Back at North Texas. Big Time Football.

meangreendork · April 15, 2014

Kent St., Idaho, New Mexico St, and Buffalo are a couple of places that are far worse off than UNT was. It would take an SMU/SEC level of cheating to win consistently at those schools.

Mac has done a great job of guiding the program in the right direction. He has dug us out of a pretty deep hole. I'm glad he is our coach. He has put us back to a respectable level on the field. He hasn't done anything out of this world. He hasn't taken us to a BCS game or won a conference championship yet. He has done what I thought he was going to do when we hired him.

When he arrived we did have talent. A lot of those guys that helped him right ship weren't his recruits. He helped those guys realize the talent that they had.

I think this thread can be closed now.

VideoEagle · April 15, 2014

Is this the discussion of phenomenology as it relates to the film Dark Star? Want to be sure I'm in the right place.

UNT90 · April 15, 2014

I do think expectations are part of the calculus. Like, going with basketball (my sport of choice). I think the best job is Kansas. They have all the benefits of being a Blue blood program, but their expectations don't seem unreasonable. Generally speaking, they want conference titles and nice runs in the tourney more often than not. If Self did at Kentucky, what he's done at Kansas (one title, one other championship appearance, a ton of regular season titles, but numerous early NCAA flame outs), their fanbase would have his seat warm every year. Big Blue Nation wants a National Title every four to five years, and if you don't make it happen, they turn on you. Tubby Smith had all sort of success there, but the last several years he was fired in the press numerous times.

That's why he finally fled to Minnesota.

But we are talking about worst job, not best job. None of the candidates for worst job are going to have much of any expectations.

Stan R · April 15, 2014

SMU is laughing hysterically now. "You mean all we had to do was to wait to start paying players until 2017 when the unions took over???"

golfingomez · April 15, 2014

YOU WON'T AGREE IDAHO IS A WORSE PLACE TO COACH!?!?!

They play in an airplane hanger, in a state with very few D1 athletes, with anyone who could be talked into going to Idaho already going to Boise St, AND THEY ARE MOST LIKELY GOING TO BE IN THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE IN FIVE YEARS!

Thou shalt not take the Kibbie Dome's name in vain

TIgreen01 · April 15, 2014

This is my last memory of UNT football. Everyone on here needs to stop trying to make me remember the freaking 1997 Utah St game, Flannigan fighting fans in the Fouts stands, Dickey's black jersey gate, or ANY Todd Dodge home game. EFF ALL OF YOU who contributed to this!!!

And yes, I freaking realize that this image is 1600x1200. DEAL.

Christopher Walker · April 15, 2014

I love it when the intelligently humorous individuals of GMG come to save a thread.

Green Mean · April 15, 2014

pastorgrant · April 15, 2014

I'm generally a focus on the positive kind of dude, but I'm pretty sure this off-season will have me crazier by the end of it than the time I had "Feliz Navidad" stuck in my head for ten days straight.

Shuke-D · April 15, 2014

I love it when the intelligently humorous individuals of GMG come to save a thread.

Ben Gooding · April 16, 2014

I'm not even arguing the 19K. I couldn't care less about the actual numbers. All I'm trying to say is this is Texas. We have expectations of greatness. Not a lot of the schools mentioned do.
Maybe if you'd side step the "get off my lawn" attitude you'd understand that I'm freaking complimenting the fan support we have. But nah, don't read the post.

Ok, well maybe you should have said the worst program in the state of Texas. But even then that's far fetched.

JRock · April 16, 2014

Great article. GMG.

SSP · April 16, 2014

Just to throw this out there, but are we sure either of these guys are Mexian?

Funny story...

I won't explain all of it but it ended with me calling it MeXia, instead of Me-Hey-A... at a school assembly...

Edited April 16, 2014 by SSP

SSP · April 16, 2014

I think we have time to hear the whole story.

There was a stumble to the podium, a mascot knocked over, broken regional champ trophies and a "Beat Mexia!"... Great day. Thanks for bringing it back up.

UNTFan23 · April 16, 2014

Ben Gooding · April 16, 2014

Well the point of the thread was to recognize the pub that North Texas is getting. We can all be happy about that.

Green P1 · April 16, 2014

This was the worst job in college football, gramps. Sorry you're in too deep to get that.

I'm sure I've missed plenty of gold because I quit reading ya'lls argument after this...

If you believe that... good God you're an idiot.

Ben Gooding · April 16, 2014

I'm sure I've missed plenty of gold because I quit reading ya'lls argument after this...

If you believe that... good God you're an idiot.

I tried to explain to him, but he wasn't listening to it. There are 7 programs off the top of my head in CUSA alone that could easily be considered worse PROGRAMS than North Texas.

HoustonEagle · April 16, 2014

Wow I just read this whole thread. For those fortunate enough to start at the bottom a quick summary:

UNT got some great publicity.

Dan McCarney invented hyperbole.

Meangreener is tilting at windmills.

Do not start a Mac and Cheese franchise.

Cerebus, Quoner and Tasty would like everyone to know they are smart.

UNT was never the shortest midget in the room

And I'm a douche for writing this summary.

Well there ya have it, Hallelujah, holy sht, pass the Tylenol.

Edited April 16, 2014 by HoustonEagle

Ben Gooding · April 16, 2014

Some posters have no room to talk...

Maybe some don't.

Stix · April 16, 2014

I'm generally a focus on the positive kind of dude, but I'm pretty sure this off-season will have me crazier by the end of it than the time I had "Feliz Navidad" stuck in my head for ten days straight.

You know, Jose Feliciano, you got no complaints.

KingDL1 · April 16, 2014

I'm sure I've missed plenty of gold because I quit reading ya'lls argument after this...

If you believe that... good God you're an idiot.

Oh my God you would not believe, it is off season and you should take the plunge.

GreenMachine · April 16, 2014

That helped our budget, attendance, recruiting how?
NT is in a highly competitive state and market. We will demand value for our dollar or spend it elsewhere. Most alums did and became TCU fans. Unfortunate reality.
That's what separates us.

Most fans became TCU fans? Reality? You exaggerate much?

LongJim · April 16, 2014

Just on Saturday my friend posted on FB that he got season tickets.

"How did you get to the front of the line?"

"What'd that run ya? $50 for the whole season? Bahahaha"

"Best $10 you have ever spent"

"We got a football team?"

All alumni from our time there when we were going to NO Bowls every year. These are the people Coach Mac is trying to reach and will keep trying to until he is blue in the face. What's pathetic is that he has to. All these guys are football fans, they watch college & NFL games. However, they can't be bothered to give a crap about their own university. Not even after the amazing year that was last season. Coach Mac asks even if you are the mildest fan ever, why not jump on board?

I cannot answer that question. Makes no sense to me. He is building something special here. There are still detractors on this board, heck, even in this post. As Coach Mac once said during a radio interview at Rudy's, "let's take the negativity out of it"

This is pretty much it. Mac is not talking to us. Since he got here, everything out of his mouth has been to say "UNT is not small-time/half-ass anymore. Things have changed, and we are serious about this." He uses hyperbole all the time--but he's not speaking to us. He's letting people know that things are on the way up, and spinning everything as postively as possible to try to get the perception--by the public, student body, alumni, etc.--that UNT football is a joke completely turned around. More power to him. He toots his own horn to let people know "I know what I'm doing. I'm not a HS coach...etc."

Let him do it. It's working.

UNT90 · April 16, 2014

This is pretty much it. Mac is not talking to us. Since he got here, everything out of his mouth has been to say "UNT is not small-time/half-ass anymore. Things have changed, and we are serious about this." He uses hyperbole all the time--but he's not speaking to us. He's letting people know that things are on the way up, and spinning everything as postively as possible to try to get the perception--by the public, student body, alumni, etc.--that UNT football is a joke completely turned around. More power to him. He toots his own horn to let people know "I know what I'm doing. I'm not a HS coach...etc."

Let him do it. It's working.

And that's fine. It's not an earth shakingly new plan.

But long time fans actually believing it is pretty naive.