Article -UNT putting heat on SMU

[JayM]

This article was on the North Texas board. Interesting.

Article by Denton Record-Chronicle columnist Matthew Postins on UNT-SMU-CUSA.

Matthew Postins / C-USA Choices

UNT putting heat on SMU


09:23 AM CDT on Sunday, April 11, 2004

If conference realignment were foreign diplomacy, North Texas Athletic Director Rick Villarreal would have SMU at the top of his list of rogue nations.

SMU President Gerald Turner’s comments about his school’s preference for Louisiana Tech to join Conference USA don’t make him the equivalent of an evil dictator. They just show he and his school’s desire to maintain its already precarious footing in the Dallas area. UNT is a threat to that, and Mustang Nation knows it.

Turner’s comments Thursday are timely political rhetoric. The C-USA meetings start Monday in Dallas. When the discussion turns to new members, Turner and SMU — which won’t be a conference member until 2005 — will gerrymander harder than Texas Republicans did last year during redistricting.

Why? If C-USA adds UNT, SMU’s job would get much tougher.

Life isn’t swell on the Hilltop right now. The football team is coming off an 0-12 season. The men’s basketball team is in flux with new coach Jimmy Tubbs. And Athletic Director Jim Copeland took a credibility hit when the school decided to dismantle the men’s track and field program after this season. But, hey, the Mustangs rule in the pool (two conference championships) and on the pitch (women’s soccer won the conference title last fall).

Meanwhile, the old "North Texas Normal College" is gathering steam. The football team is a three-time conference champion and bowl participant. The women’s soccer team is a perennial conference finalist. Both men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones and women’s coach Tina Slinker have found some recruiting gems this season. Plus, men’s golf is a conference title contender again.

In the battle for the electorate (read recruits), the Mustangs are having a harder time corralling supporters than Dennis Kucinich. The Mean Green certainly isn’t in John Kerry’s league, but Howard Dean’s grass-roots campaign — before the yelling — would be a good parallel.

From a financial sense, adding UNT is perfect for C-USA’s grand vision of a same time-zone conference. Adding UNT would give the league four Texas teams — Rice and Houston are the others. Plus, with Tulsa and Tulane in the same division, it would cut travel expenses for all of those schools and guarantee each of the Texas schools at least two home games against one another.

In return, UNT would get the credibility of being in a larger conference, plus in-state rivals. A game between the Mean Green and the Mustangs would be an big draw, whether it is at Fouts Field or Ford Stadium.

I don’t think C-USA officials should worry about support for UNT if it were to add the Mean Green. Alumni support grows each year. I’ve seen it at the New Orleans Bowl and other UNT events. It won’t be an issue.

SMU, however, has several hang-ups. Aside from SMU having to be in a conference with "North Texas State," the Mustangs are losing the battle for recruits with UNT. The Mean Green had a better recruiting class this year — ranked No. 72 by Rivals.com — than SMU, which was No. 76.

Put them in the same conference, where the Mustangs could lose to UNT every year — and right now they would — that gap would widen. Would an 18-year-old offensive lineman go to 0-12 SMU or 9-4 UNT right now? That’s a silly question.

SMU would also lose footing in the Dallas-Fort Worth media market. Currently, the Mustangs would have it to themselves in C-USA. Add UNT, and the competition for coverage becomes cutthroat.

Hopefully, C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky will take all of that to heart during this week’s meetings. UNT may not be the No. 1 candidate, but take it from someone who’s been to Ruston, La., the home of Louisiana Tech. They have nothing more than what UNT has right now. If you look at the intangibles — geographic location, growth potential and alumni base — I think UNT is a stronger candidate than La. Tech.

And if SMU doesn’t like it, there might just be an open spot in the Sun Belt Conference if it wants to do something about it.

MATTHEW POSTINS can be reached at 940-566-6874.

[Ikus]

Sounds like they're reaching. I'll be the first to commend UNT for the athletic growth its shown in recent years, especially in football. But it's still a commuter school that's looked at as an afterthought by athletes (other than football). I do not intend to come off as an elitist here, because frankly, with the records put up in recent years by our football team and theirs, we have no room to do so. But I'd still rather have our overall athletic program. I wish UNT well and would like to see them in the same conference, but LaTech remains the better choice.

[Diehard Pony]

Gerald Turner is supporting La Tech because Tulane's President, Scott Cowen, wants another Louisiana team in C-USA. As everyone knows Scott Cowen is the Chairman of the Non-BCS Committee negotiating with the BCS. What many people might not know is that Gerald Turner is the Vice Chair of that Committee. As such, he is supporting Cowen's desire.

Further, Dr. Turner was quoted as having no problem with North Texas being a part of the league if expansion went beyond one.

Finally, for my own part, I would rather have UTEP than either of the above mentioned. Both football and basketball are on the rise and they travel extremely well. Home attendance in football averages in excess of 40k.

[Sam I Am]

If SMU is a mid-level football school, then UNT is third tier. They have been wannabes ever since Hayden Fry tried to elevate their membership status. They are on the outside looking in, just like the rest of the non-BCS schools - only farther outside than SMU. Conference memberships are like dating: you can't make somebody love you. UNT should be seeking WAC membership, not C-USA.

[Water Pony]

Two points:

If the Denton article was accurate, then they make the point that SMU would be stupid to support them for membership. Talk about making the wrong case.

Second, SMU is not orchestrating the selection process. Tulane, USM, Memphis are Houston are power brokers in this process and UCF, Marshall and ECU deserve serious consideration for help in the eastern time zone. The goal is not a single time zone conference. That would drive off those school. It wouldn't be Conference USA anymore.

UNT is a great school but La Tech and UTEP can make better cases if one is added in the SW. Although adding in the East/Midwest makes the most sense, that may not be the outcome. Temple apparently only wants to offer FB, which is not a good idea, and MAC candidates have not surfaced over the last two months.

[gostangs]

SMU has no pull at CUSA right now - the conference has to make Memphis and SoMiss happy much more then us - they will be the ones with the pull - which is probably not good for UNT. And if we did have pull, UNT has no ability to put any pressure on us - they are not in our league academically or athletically - our schools basically have different missions -

In football I don't think we would lose at all against them right now (maybe this time last year - but not now). The athletic comparison is a joke anyway - nobody cares about either school beyond the core faithful at either school - but if SMU had the success UNT has the last few years alot of people would care - even with their wins in their junior college league UNT remains undesirable because the school is average and has no tradition or history in anything except the nerd programs - education and music. They are a their all time high and we are at our all time low - and they have basically the same amount of support that we have - not a good sign for them.

I would be interested in getting Stallions overview of recruiting - they do not seem to be near us if you average the last three years - and I would love to hear his view on last year SMU vs UNT as a stand alone.

Nothing against UNT - I hope we schedule them personally - we could use the win - I wish UNT well - just don't care to have them in CUSA when we have so much more to gain - and not with La Tech, but with something eastern.

[ALEX LIFESON]

Wow!!!!!! If that article was intended for SMU supporters to push for NTSU in CUSA....... IT DID THE OPPOSITE! ! ! If that information is correct, we would be insane to want that! (tongue planted firmly in cheek) For a school that is so superior, why are their fans always over here, with there nose up SMU's ARSE! LOL!!!!

[WildHorse]

I'm with Ikus on this. For all the progress NTSU has made as an athletic program - and it's been significant - it's still a school players go to when they didn't get an offer (or didn't get in) where they wanted.
If Coach Bennett is really serious about trying to pull in Louisiana players, then LaTech makes much more sense as a conference opponent.

[EastStang]

SMU got into CUSA by the skin of its teeth. It is going to go with the flow on this one. It will not do anything to upset the apple cart. Remember TCU bolted in part because we were added (despite assertions to the contrary). If Tulane wants La. Tech, or Marshall and USM want Temple, great. I hope that it doesn't come down to Marshall, ECU and Memphis wanting one school and USM, Tulane and UH wanting a different school. That would put ECU, Rice, Tulsa and SMU in a very uncomfortable position which could mean no addition for make up for the loss of TCU. There are some who believe that CUSA may stay at 11 and add no one. Which might be a good move. I give TCU three years in the MWC before they get tired of travel and before the MWC starts dumping on them. Once we start beating them again, they will become a footnote in this area.

[NavyCrimson]

if nothing else - & it is a nothing article for sure - we now know the author's political affiliation.

[MeanGreenGem]

In football I don't think we would lose at all against them right now (maybe this time last year - but not now).
.........................................................................................................

Sir, I know of a great drug rehabilitation center not far from your campus. Would you like its address right now?:)

[Hoop Fan]

UNTs run through the Sun Belt the past few years doesnt exactly strike fear into peoples heart. We've had problems but what strikes me is that even coming off two straight bowl games UNT can only manage to recruit a basically equal class to SMU according to your Denton Chronicle homeboy? (Pathetic article by the way, more like a campus rags garbage) I like Darrell Dickey, wouldn't mind having him at SMU, who knows maybe someday we will.

[The PonyGrad]

I agree with the general response to the article. First the headline is that UNT puts the heat on SMU and NOWHERE in the article does it back that up. Then, all the garbage about why SMU should not want them in the same conference.

So much for putting the heat on.

[MeanGreenGem]

UNTs run through the Sun Belt the past few years doesnt exactly strike fear into peoples heart. We've had problems but what strikes me is that even coming off two straight bowl games UNT can only manage to recruit a basically equal class to SMU according to your Denton Chronicle homeboy? (Pathetic article by the way, more like a campus rags garbage) I like Darrell Dickey, wouldn't mind having him at SMU, who knows maybe someday we will.

Uh, that's "3" straight bowl games which gives me a subtle clue on how much you know about the University of North Texas, ie, the commuter school that cannot build enough dorms to keep up with the growing enrollment of students who want to stick around campus? I'm also sure they are all going to be education majors, too. Yeppers, SMU'ers! Yall have been right all the time as we are a commuter school/teacher's college. (Just don't tell our Chancellor and President that because they might give you some figures that would show otherwise).

But concerning our run thru the SBC which produced a bowl winning team in 2002 over even a (get this, shorty) a CUSA co-champion--simply amazing I know.

Even you would have to admit that our run through the 'Belt has still invoked maybe a few more anxieties than SMU's has in the WAC. Just think, too, yall have 1 more of those WAC runs this Fall to show your true worth to CUSA.

Don't even know what you are talking about on the statement you made about our recruiting. Dave Campbell once coined the phrase many years ago that recruiting was at best an uncertain science.

Most schools have to see how well they recruited by playing a real live football game on the field of battle with those recruits. You can't do those kind of things while sleuthing around playing under the table politics. In my heart of hearts, I really do believe the NCAA fore-fathers had inter-collegiate competition among student athletes more in mind than college administrations playing "buddy-buddy" while mounting their own self-serving personal agendas. I may be wrong about that, but deep down I don't think I am.

BUT ON RECRUITING? We are pleased enough to think this was one of Dickey's best classes (if not his best) because of the size and speed he recruited. Now all of DD's recruits who have those traits will have to do something with them when they arrive for 2-a-days because what they did in high school will be left behind in August when they go through that Denton city limits sign on their way to campus.

[Hoop Fan]

keep rambling Skippy. You must have an inferiority complex or something, I didnt say anything disparaging about your school and I dont think anyone else on this thread did either, other than there might be better choices for CUSA than UNT. The WAC isn't so bad, would be a good step up in competition. Might be a rude awakening though too. Boise, Fresno, and Hawaii are all pretty good. Nevada and Utep won't roll over either. You must want out of that Sun Belt pretty bad too as much time as you spend over here blaming us for your problems.