Is it time to rethink the paycheck games?

[Harry]

RV has stated he played these paycheck games at Southern Miss and will continue to do so at UNT.

My question is should we? Is the money worth it?

This has been debated before but after last nights debacle I thought it worth discussing again.

We aren't even getting top dollar FAU is getting $1,000,000 for each of their games vs Nebraska and Alabama; it is reported we got $875,000 for our game vs UT.

Thoughts??

[MeanGreenHoops]

Worth it, yes, but not the 1st game of the season. We always do better in these games when it's week 2, 3 or 4.

[GMG24]

Depends on the opponent. And I agree not week 1.

[IslandEagle]

RV has stated he played these paycheck games at Southern Miss and will continue to do so at UNT.

My question is should we? Is the money worth it?

This has been debated before but after last nights debacle I thought it worth discussing again.

We aren't even getting top dollar FAU is getting $1,000,000 for each of their games vs Nebraska and Alabama; it is reported we got $875,000 for our game vs UT.

Thoughts??

Yeah....and look where USM football is these days.

[Eastwood Eagle]

Worth it, yes, but not the 1st game of the season. We always do better in these games when it's week 2, 3 or 4.

This makes a huge difference. Nothing worse than starting a season like this.

[Ben Gooding]

I say rethink it, yes. We need wins not money. Wins create money with the chance of growth. Body bag games are one time check with no growth of money and at the end of the day we potentially lose fans. We need to schedule within our limits and win football games. More wins, more fans, more money. It's a cycle that if not stopped can last forever. We are in the midst of trying to change a culture and body bag games kills that momentum. No more body bag games. Schedule Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, ULL, Tulsa, Tulane, ECU, UCF, USF, Memphis, Colorado, Colorado St, Minnesota, Iowa St, Toledo, NIU, Vanderbilt, UK, Wake Forest, NC State, Duke, Ga Tech, SDSU, NM, NMst, etc. etc. etc. We must stop playing the blue bloods of the P5. It's unnecessary. GMG

[H-towngreen]

No more body bag games. Schedule Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, ULL, Tulsa, Tulane, ECU, UCF, USF, Memphis, Colorado, Colorado St, Minnesota, Iowa St, Toledo, NIU, Vanderbilt, UK, Wake Forest, NC State, Duke, Ga Tech, SDSU, NM, NMst, etc. etc. etc. We must stop playing the blue bloods of the P5. It's unnecessary. GMG

This, I've been saying this forever. Spot on Ben. I'd rather get a home and home with a Colorado and Iowa State OR hell, go ahead and have them pay both pay us 450k each. That equals what we get for the body bag game and these are games we could win.

[3XL]

if we play them...then yes...get top dollar....

what's the "gate only" money at UT? 8 million? they can can afford $1M

[UNTexas]

It's ignorant to start every season getting stomped. It's demoralizing. Look at last year's beginning with Idaho. We started off well and the momentum carried on throughout the season. It's less than 24 hours after getting gutted and you'd think the wheels are coming off in Denton. The great vibe from last season completely wiped away because of the embarrassing offensive output in Austin. We need to stop playing bodybag games.

[oldguystudent]

It seems to me that the increase in revenue from CUSA television contracts over the old Karl Benson shitconference is greater than the increase in coaching salary and money received from body bag games combined. But I don't know. I'm just an accountant from UNT, and UNT doesn't seem to be able to do money very well.

[Cerebus]

We need them to balance the budget. However, not the first week. Also, how in the hell did UT get to pay is UNDER market price? *WE* Paid Idaho over 400k last year, now UT can barely afford to play us twice that?

[emmitt01]

I have never liked them to start a season. Every single year hope springs eternal. People think "maybe North Texas really is improved". Then we play these body bag games and it's "same ol' North Texas". We could butt pound SMU next week and the stench will still be there. We've proven in week one that the casual fan can chalk us up to "good for a CUSA team".

Is aTm better than UT? Yes. Would they pound them by two touchdowns? Probably. But UT dodges them and ensures that the casual fan never gets proof.

[Ben Gooding]

I have never liked them to start a season. Every single year hope springs eternal. People think "maybe North Texas really is improved". Then we play these body bag games and it's "same ol' North Texas". We could butt pound SMU next week and the stench will still be there. We've proven in week one that the casual fan can chalk us up to "good for a CUSA team".

Is aTm better than UT? Yes. Would they pound them by two touchdowns? Probably. But UT dodges them and ensures that the casual fan never gets proof.

Exactly.

[TIgreen01]

It is way past time to rethink it....like 15 years past time. Boise didn't become Boise getting curb stomped to start every season. They scheduled their way up the ladder.

[GrayEagle]

Yeah....and look where USM football is these days.

It really didn't have anything to do with who they played. They're where they are as a result of a poor coaching hire.

[El Paso Eagle]

Hate money games, but if we must then not against teams from Texas or Oklahoma

[UNT90]

When you strictly play these games on the road without playing any name P5s at home, all you are doing is whoring your program out and telling your alumni that you will never be any better than a doormat for the elite.

That really encourages alumni involvement and donations, doesn't it?

We could play last night s game 100 more times with the same teams at the same stadium and UT would win EVERY time.

We had no shot, and that was apparent after one quarter of football.

Scheduling has been done lazily, almost as a second or third thought. A money game every year to cover expenses and then schedule some games with teams that will do 1 and 1s with us without to much persuasion (Army and SMU. Make no mistake, SMU views us as an easy victory every year, which is why they agreed to play us). Your chances for a program defining win with this type of scheduling is practically zero.

Everyone talks about UT in 1988. That UT team was 4-7 on the year and won 2 games in SWC play. We won't ever see that UT team again.

It's frustrating to no end.

[wardly]

The pay off for a "money game" appears to be between $800,000 and $1,000,000, and until our alumni giving base expands we will need to play at least one per year.It use to be that you scheduled one non conference you should win, one you might win, and one you would need divine intervention to win. That appears to sum up this years schedule, with SMU and Indiana as "mights".

[meangreanmick]

Scheduling has been done lazily, almost as a second or third thought. A money game every year to cover expenses and then schedule some games with teams that will do 1 and 1s with us without to much persuasion (Army and SMU. Make no mistake, SMU views us as an easy victory every year, which is why they agreed to play us). Your chances for a program defining win with this type of scheduling is practically zero.

You might not like it, but what proof do you have that it was "lazily". Are you saying another person in that role at North Texas would definitely have done better, because every predecessor I can think of in that role has been infinitely worse.

And, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PROGRAM DEFINING WIN. Ask Louisiana Monroe. Put together strings of winning seasons and that defines a program.

[JesseMartin]

This, I've been saying this forever. Spot on Ben. I'd rather get a home and home with a Colorado and Iowa State OR hell, go ahead and have them pay both pay us 450k each. That equals what we get for the body bag game and these are games we could win.

Exactly this. And the Boise remark too. Home-and-home, or "small paycheck" games against the Iowa/Tennessee/Kentucky/etc types would be way better. A 10-point loss to a moderate P5 team is easier to swallow (and bounce back from) than a soul-crushing loss every friggin' year, and won't cause fans and alumni to run for the hills every few seasons when it's exceptionally bad.

Keep the team's morale high, keep any "paycheck losses" mitigated as much as possible, and keep the fan momentum on an upswing, and you won't need the extra money because it'll be showing up over time in the ticket sales and MGC donations that you AREN'T losing from having disgusted fans say, "screw this."

[Ben Gooding]

You might not like it, but what proof do you have that it was "lazily". Are you saying another person in that role at North Texas would definitely have done better, because every predecessor I can think of in that role has been infinitely worse.

And, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PROGRAM DEFINING WIN. Ask Louisiana Monroe. Put together strings of winning seasons and that defines a program.

Yeah, winning seasons defines a program. Getting your ass throttled once a year for a couple bucks is not a good thing.

[Got5onIt]

If we need them, don't do it in week 1.

[UNT90]

You might not like it, but what proof do you have that it was "lazily". Are you saying another person in that role at North Texas would definitely have done better, because every predecessor I can think of in that role has been infinitely worse.

.

Because we should never compare ourselves to other universities like ourselves, just that terrible crappy athletic program that we have been, correct?

Other ADs didn't have Apogee to work with. RV does, and has done piss with it. Remember how we were told how bigger named opponents would finally come here when Apogee was built? Year 4 and still waiting with nada on the horizon and an AD that said in a podcast he would rather play money games than bring a name opponent to Apogee.

Why don't we look around at our peers and at least expect our AD to schedule as competently as them?

Or maybe we should just keep doing things the same terrible way we have been that has led to no home sell outs at Apogee.

Oh, and the fact that we have only 4 home games scheduled for next season because our AD didn't have the foresight to anticipate Tulsa's departure from the conference and amend the contract for home and homes with them accordingly leads me to believe it's laziness. Or naive. Or whatever you want to call it. I also think RV schedules at Apogee like he scheduled at Fouts. And that is lazy.

As far as whether a program defining win exists, I think it is specific to the particular university. I don't know how it would affect UNT, but I sure would like to find out sometime before 2025.

Edited August 31, 2014 by UNT90

[Ben Gooding]

Oh God, UNT90 is on another scheduling rant.

[UNT90]

Oh God, UNT90 is on another scheduling rant.

And will be until something changes. You a season ticket holder? Hope you like that 5 hone game season headed your way next year.