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North Texas is on the waiting list on the ESPN Bottom 10 this week. And if the Mean Green lose to Florida Atlantic Saturday in Miami, then look for them in the standings.
Serisouly, not being prepared as tehy were for the Troy game was a big blow to the program, and they are really going to need to find more than one guy who can catch, plus a few jars of stickum, if they are going to survive in the Conference USA next year.
Well, the Alma Mater pulled out a win last night against Lousiniana L..........
Too bad I fell asleep after the first quarter and missed it. The game was wrought with some big mistakes early on, alternated with a few big plays, which is the hallmark of Sunbelt football. At times, even the best teams can appear inconsistent from play to play. Seemed like a great cure for my insomnia.
I am also noticing the size of the players. North Texas appeared undersized vs the Ragin Cajuns and if the team wants to compete in the Conference USA agaisnt programs like Houston and Rice then they are really going to have to start bringing in the 300 pound linemen nad looking for some size on the defensive line as well.
Just an observation.
So will the jump to C-USA help with recruiting this spring?
I htink some players may be more inclined to come to a C-USA team after getting passed over by Texas Tech or Oklahoma State.
Only drawback is that as near as I can tell, UNT is still the red-head step child of the state and The school is still run like a teacher's college (aka ON THE CHEAP)
On drawback is when a recruit visits Tech or OSU and he sees the atheltic dorm, comlete with rec center, private cafeteria, etc then goes to UNT where there is a makeshift renovated army barrack for housing. Well, maybe not that bad, but not that faar off either.
USA Today has already come out with hte 2013 preseason rankings and the (not so?) Mean Green rank in at 115 out of 125. (At least we are not Georgia Southern) College football countdown | No. 113: North Texas
The Problem remains, in a state with wealthy alumni of Texas, Texas Tech, SMU, TCU, A&M etc, the alumni of North Texas far and away will not give millions to the football program. And while the jump to Conference USA is a step in the right direction, blue chip players don't dream of attending a school that is run like a teacher's college, and have a "no frills" Program and lifestyle compared to what they can get at one of the aforementioned schools, or across the border in Oklahoma. Hard to recruit when the schools unofficial motto is "We run this place on the cheap"
And Schools like Texas and Tech play in front of 70000 or so fans at home, while the Mean Green play host in a stadium that seats about 32000. Not exactly the big time program.
They either need to spend some money and buy a good program (I am sure there are many people who had experience with SMU in the early 80s who could offer suggestions) , OR they need to just drop back to Division whatever it is called now and play against schools like Welsley college and the Missouri school for the Blind.
JUST To note, the Alma Mater is a win from being bowl eligible. And with UTSA, UTEP and Tulsa on the schedule, looks pretty good that the Mean Green will play in one of the hundred's of bowl games that are on for the post season.
They are being predicted by ESPN to probably play in the heart of Dallas bowl. This is a good choice, since most of their alumni live in the Dallas area (the rest in Malaysia or the middle east) and the bus fare to go from Denton to Dallas is affordable even for a teachers college
Also, the some of the older hotels in the cotton bowl area have good rates, so if the school wants to splurge for some rooms at the "in and Out Motor Motel" Then that should be within the UNT shoestring budget.
And it sounds prestigious to play in a New Years Day bowl game. I know, there are dozens of games that day, and the local press won;t even admit that North Texas even has a football team. I am sure it will be blacked out locally. But just getting to a Bowl game, for a program that has been plagued by financial limitations and inept management through the years is a momentous event.
Turned out to be a good season. The program did some things right, mainly taking up the MEAN style of play on defense. Joe Greene looked proud on the sidelines.
Stone cold Steve Austin was not around, but they could copy his attitude too
If the Defense can play with the same level of intensity that they brought together at the end of the season, then it may be a good year.
I like the defensive style. They are mean, they hit hard and they rotate out so that they keep fresh players coming in. The only way to stop this is to run a no huddle offense, and if a team wants to try this, they they are going to get beat up pretty fast by the hard hitting line and over zealous backs.
I do not ever advocate dirty play, but Football is a rough game, a contact sport, and playing an aggressive hard hitting game is not the same as playing a dirty game.
The schedule is in their favor.
I am still understanding that the program gets little to no recognition from the local media. That does not surprise me. DFW media has always been about jumping on the bandwagon of whoever is doing best, and the Texas mentality of bigger is better does not help either.
Still makes it fun to watch for me, and I enjoy it even if I am the only one. .
Then home against a division 2 school that is undefeated, even against division 1
Lose that one, and the program can be the laughing stock of the conference.
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2015 off to a not so mean start
