Brett Vito C-USA media days wrap-up thoughts and tidbits

[Harry]

After banging out a few stories for the tomorrow’s papers, I’m back with some follow-up thoughts from Conference USA media day.

I wrote a main story and a notebook for tomorrow’s DRC (buy the newspaper), so there isn’t much I didn’t get in, but here’s one tidbit I omitted.

Dan McCarney talked a little about opening against Texas and facing SMU early in the season …

“North Texas has never beaten Texas and is 4-28 against SMU [actually, it's 4-28-1, but who's counting?],” McCarney said. “Rivalry? Rivalry at 4-28? We had better establish one where we have a chance and they have a chance. Do the math, there is no rivalry.”

read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2014/07/c-usa-media-days-wrap-up-thoughts-and-tidbits.html/

[Ben Gooding]

Mac is incorrect. Coming from Iowa and not knowing of the Universities perceptions of each other it's understandable to see where he is coming from. Let there be no mistake, there is an apparent hatred for one another. Regardless of the overall record there is still animosity between the two schools.

[UNT90]

Mac is correct. This is a one way rivalry from only the most ardent UNT fans.

They should ask themselves: do you really wanna play TTech to SMU's A&M?

[JRock]

Regardless.....beating them helps our program. That's what I care about.

[cdizzle86]

This is why I like Mac. We all like to believe we have a rivalry with SMU, but in reality they are just the big brother that has picked on us for quite sometime. I like to think we've grown up a bit and are ready to kick their teeth in.

[JRock]

Cdizzle....spot on.

[GrandGreen]

SMU and NT are 2-2 in their last four meetings, about 40 miles apart and both striving to be relevant in college football. That seems to me a good basis for a very good rivalry. Yes, SMU would never admit to anyone that NT is a rival; but they definitely are. You won't see a complacent SMU when they come to Apogee.

[untjim1995]

When we have played SMU on even terms, we have been equal in record. We split the last two games in the series, they beat us 2 out of 3 when they came back from the death penalty with about 30 more scholarships to offer than we had by the last time we played them. And we did beat them at Texas Stadium in the Fry years before they started blatantly buying players.

[DallasGreen]

SMU and NT are 2-2 in their last four meetings, about 40 miles apart and both striving to be relevant in college football. That seems to me a good basis for a very good rivalry. Yes, SMU would never admit to anyone that NT is a rival; but they definitely are. You won't see a complacent SMU when they come to Apogee.

I don't buy that it's a mismatch as many of those SMU victories were many decades ago. I hope Mac is not undermining the importance of this game, and that message is what the players are hearing.

[Stix]

If the series record defines whether it is a rivalry, then was Iowa - Iowa State a rivalry in Mac's first year in 2005?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa–Iowa_State_football_rivalry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safeway_Bowl

This is just more classic coach-speak from Mac to motivate his team. Yes, it's a rivalry, no matter how much the Ponies deny it.