Comparing our home schedule against SMU's

Harry · July 7, 2014

SMU has the following home games in 2014:

Texas A&M

TCU

Cincy

Memphis

South Florida

Houston

That's a pretty impressive home schedule in my book

UNT has this in 2014

SMU

Louisiana Tech

Nicholls State

Southern Miss

Florida Atlantic

Florida International

My thought is this, SMU is looking to ramp up their attendance numbers and games against A&M and TCU will help that a lot. Houston should be a good conference game crowd as well. Cincy, Memphis and South Florida not so much...

For us the SMU game is the best shot at a sell out and a great regional opponent for us, similar to TCU for SMU. La Tech should bring a good amount of fans and maybe some for Southern Miss but they both have been down. Nicholls and the Florida schools won't bring any or very few.

I guess my point is this, it is very hard to hit attendance goals when you are expected to have your fans alone fill your stadium up 5 out of 6 games a year. SMU has 3 games where they should get a very good visiting attendance. C-USA didn't do us any favors by scheduling two Florida school home games in one year.

The other thing is, why would Texas A&M be willing to play at SMU as Baylor, Texas Tech and others before them have yet we can't seem to land the elusive Big 12 opponent? Our stadium is similar in size. I don't think people realize how big getting a team like that to come to Apogee and Denton would be. Especially with the fence sitting fans who are content to sit in front of their TV's and not experience the glory of Apogee and The Hill.

BIG DAWG · July 7, 2014

You are absolutely right...it will next to impossible for us to sell out without someone else bringing in some fans. We can have some very decent crowds, but not sellouts

Ben Gooding · July 7, 2014

We'll have 3 games hit the 26+ mark this year SMU, La Tech (Thursday night game), and homecoming, so that will help. Trick will be trying to get at least one more at 26k+. Southern Miss is probably the best bet. Nichols and FIU expect 15-20k. Whoever scheduled that game against Nichols dropped the ball.

UNT90 · July 7, 2014

I think expecting 26k for FAU as a homecoming opponent is a little much.

Really wonder why the USM game on 10/18 wasn't homecoming.

Trying to create 2 draws?

Ben Gooding · July 8, 2014

We got it for UTEP, granted UTEP traveled well.

UNT90 · July 8, 2014

FAU ain't UTEP.

If we are winning, we may hit 24k. If we aren't winning...

emmitt01 · July 8, 2014

I think expecting 26k for FAU as a homecoming opponent is a little much.
Really wonder why the USM game on 10/18 wasn't homecoming.
Trying to create 2 draws?

I think that's exactly what the thinking was. FAU won't peak the interest of the average fan so you gotta use the homecoming draw.

greenit · July 8, 2014

Let's just hope UNT is peaking the interest of the average fan. Just win and let's see what happens. Hoping for the best.

I just wish we could sell out the 6,500 or so MGC donation required seats plus the suites. That would be a good start.

Mean Green 93-98 · July 8, 2014

The key really isn't how many visiting fans you can bring. . . . The key is how your home opponents will help you draw your own fans. Even if A&M didn't bring a single fan, they would stir up enough student/alum/local interest to bring a very good crowd. As for us, the SMU game will generate the most interest among the UNT fanbase by far.

TIgreen01 · July 8, 2014

I'm sure this was hashed out when the schedule was initially released, but why are we getting both Florida schools in the same year?? They aren't in our division any longer? Is this just an adjustment while we settle in to the conference from what we already had in the Sun Belt?

Comparing SMU's home schedule to ours is laughable. When the best game on our schedule IS smu?! Outside of that one game, I really only care about seeing LaTech this year. SMiss has just fallen so far that they are not likely to be a decent draw. Really, I've said this before, but I hate playing the F_U schools. HATE IT. I hate it even more now that they are in a separate division and we get stuck with not one, but 2 crappy home games in the same season.

MeanGreenTexan · July 8, 2014

I'm sure this was hashed out when the schedule was initially released, but why are we getting both Florida schools in the same year?? They aren't in our division any longer? Is this just an adjustment while we settle in to the conference from what we already had in the Sun Belt?

Comparing SMU's home schedule to ours is laughable. When the best game on our schedule IS smu?! Outside of that one game, I really only care about seeing LaTech this year. SMiss has just fallen so far that they are not likely to be a decent draw. Really, I've said this before, but I hate playing the F_U schools. HATE IT. I hate it even more now that they are in a separate division and we get stuck with not one, but 2 crappy home games in the same season.

What's great about it is that we just-so-happened to get both at home in the same year. We should not see this again for a VERY long time since we'll owe them an away game each, but we'll have to play all of the other East teams first.

I really think it was a mistake for us to somehow get alternating years of all 3 texas-school teams at home, then away.

Edited July 8, 2014 by MeanGreenTexan

Harry · July 8, 2014

What's great about it is that we just-so-happened to get both at home in the same year. We should not see this again for a VERY long time since we'll owe them an away game each, but we'll have to play all of the other East teams first.

I really think it was a mistake for us to somehow get alternating years of all 3 texas-school teams at home, then away.

More than likely it was about appeasing the Tulsa's and Tulane's and ECU's who are no longer in the conference anyway. Hey -- I loved our home schedule last season with UTSA, UTEP and Rice... and I certainly like the C-USA slate as opposed to the Belt. Landing both Florida schools in one season was rough.

GrayEagle · July 8, 2014

I don't like our schedule either. All of the West Division will be decent draws (except when UAB gets moved to the West) but I don't want all of the Texas schools at home one year and none the next. I had much rather see a 2-1 split on the home schedules. I think that La Tech and Southern Miss will be decent draws. No one in the East except Marshall gets me excited. I do see moderate response to Middle and WKU but the others almost zero. And, please never again do we want to see the two F_Us at home or away in the same year (in football).

SMU had a long history of playing those Texas schools that were in the Southwest Conference and that makes it much easier for them to get home and homes. We've only had Baylor, Rice, SMU, TCU, Houston and Texas Tech ever visit Denton. A&M did play us at Texas Stadium. Arkansas has played us in Little Rock. Texas won't even play us on a neutral site. Of course, I don't believe that you'll ever see them play SMU at Ford either.

Scheduling is tough. As long as we have to have a money game we're going to have to have a FCS opponent or someone very low on the totem pole in the FBS who would be willing to play here without a return game. We can gripe to kingdom come but those are the facts. For most of the next decade or so we have home and homes with SMU and Army. Those should be good draws. So, we're just talking about one home and home series per year. I hope that we can do that with either AAC or MWC opponents. I would especially like Houston but I believe that they are positioning themselves to be the next Big 12 candidate, provided they can get Texas' backing. Otherwise, Tulsa would be my next choice for home and home. From there, I don't much care. When we can win and fill our stadium most of the time it's time to consider enlarging Apogee. When we get 40,000 seats or more scheduling home and homes will become much easier.

Edited July 8, 2014 by GrayEagle

Tyler Maryak · July 8, 2014

not sure if anyone has said this, but i'll take the Ws this season against FAU/FIU/etc over a sell-out crowd. once our talent is a little more developed, i'd love to try and land baylor or someone. i bet it'll be easier if we can demonstrate that last season wasnt a fluke.