Hey folks - is the NT/La Tech game in Shreveport or Ruston?

[stebo]

I am headed to Shreve to gamble this weekend and I wanted to check out Indy Stadium for the first time because I believe that we have a game with you guys next year. Does anyone know if the game is in Shreve or in Ruston?

BTW, I am looking forward to the game, I think we were scheduled to play back in the late 90's but we backed out because we got a contract with TCU for a 2-1 deal and it conflisted with the date that were going to play Tech. I know that last contract was for Shreveport, is the new contract for Shreve as well? Just wondering. Look forward to the game there this year and hosting you guys in 2006. You seem to be scheduling quite a few Sun Belt teams now. Do you guys think the Belt has improved at all? Would it be a consideration from the fans after you have collected the money from the WAC that is being split between the 5 remaining schools?

I know perception is everything and the Belt has a very bad perception; but so did CUSA just a few years ago... and now we all want in it. Just a quick note, we passed the MAC in rankings this year when you factor next year's teams with this year's final Howell and Sagarin rankings - the Belt will not have only passed the MAC, they will pass the new CUSA as well and be less then a decimal point from passin the WAC. If you were to jump sides we would pass the WAC. I know most of you guys have no interest in the Belt, we all want better things for our University... so don't jump down my throat about this... but do you think it is looking toward a return to the Belt considering that you have scheduled 3 or 4 of out teams now? That is what Troy did right before they joined the Belt, started scheduling our teams in OOC... so I am just wondering if Tech is doing the same thing. Adding USU, Idaho, and NMSU makes it even harder for your fans I would imagine. There are now not any road games that you can drive to and that has to suck for a fan.

[faninmonroe]

it better be in Ruston on our "new" field turf....................

[killerdawg]

I know perception is everything and the Belt has a very bad perception; but so did CUSA just a few years ago...

You must have just barely survived Sri Lanka. It's obvious your brain didn't though.

C-USA had a better rep than the MAC and WAC the day it was founded.

You could have saved your credibility if you had stopped after "...Belt has a very bad perception..."

[stebo]

Geez, you sure display some serious southern Hospitality, don't you. Look, I am not trying to pick a fight with you, just trying to talk about our game and our future (possibility) of being a conference mate...

As for perception, the Belt is generally looked at as the worse IA conference; but we are no longer ranked last - we passed the MAC this year and are above them in every single ranking service. When we get to unload USU, NMSU, and Idaho next y ear we replace them with two unknowns and a very good Troy team (actually Troy started play this year in the Belt and went to a WAC bowl because the WAC did not have enough teams to fill their slots).

Now - As for CUSA - when CUSA was formed it was a big gamble to many schools. They were never seen as the worst conference but they were definitely a conference that was made of "basketball first" schools that happened to have IA football as well. They were never dead last, the MAC was the worst football conference back then, playing and losing to the Big West Champ in the Vegas Bowl every year. The Big West was the second worst conference (talent wise) but the least stable and the least travel friendly. But CUSA was just a smidgen better (in football) - The Big West Champ beat the CUSA champ in the Boise Bowl for its first year of existence.

As for perception - it can change - In fact, when the Southwest Conference was dissolved leaving TCU, SMU, Houston, and Rice looking for a new home - Houston was the only school that was "left out" of the WAC expansion and was basically "stuck" with going to CUSA. 6 years later, TCU would be paying over a million bucks to join them. Around these parts it was looked upon as a major move down for Houston when they went to CUSA while the 16 team WAC was at least intriguing because it had all the Mountain West schools in it. Then the WAC started to go downhill. They have mirrored the Big West in their moves right down to their future membership being all former Big West members. So things change over time. 5 years ago we (North Texas) were begging the WAC to give us a spot, yet we were turned down so that they could take you guys... now we have turned them down. In fact, we turned them down along with ULL and ASU when the WAC was looking for a travel partner for your school. In the end the WAC had to "settle" on Idaho. Things are not looking good for Idaho or San Jose, I doubt either program will even exist in the next 5 years.

Maybe you don't see it because we don't like to admit that our conferences suck but the WAC is now looked upon as a league with some very good "top heavy" teams (Fresno, Boise, and sometimes La Tech as well as Hawaii) and then some really bad lower teams... those lower teams are perennial losers, they have jumped around from conference to conference and even tried indy land and just have never been able to string together any type of consistency at the IA level. Kind of like the Belt... but the Belt lacks the top heavy teams that the WAC has. I am attempting to pay you guys a compliment but the reaction I got from that poster was just very standoffish, is there some sort of feud going on that I don't know about? I don't post on this board so I don't see the reason to be arguementative... it is just looking (to me and many other Belt mambers) that La Tech is waiting one more year to collect the big check from the WAC because the pie will only be split 5 ways and then they are getting ready to move on to the Belt if the Belt continues to improve... if the Belt does not continue to imprive then I could see you giong Indy again... I just can't see you staying in the sinking ship that is the Big West... errr... WAC. You guys don't really think you will stay in that conference, do you?

[stebo]

I don't think you will have to play nearly as many games in Shreveport anymore. The new rules do not require you to play two games at a second site in order to count the game for attendance or for a IA home game.. I think that was why you had to play more than one game in Shreve some years with teams that probably had no business playing there. I just didn't know if you were contractually obligated to play on game a year there in order to keep exclusivity. I saw that we were your only OOC game scheduled at home so far so I wasn't sure if you would put our game there or put a WAC game there. At least with us, if you put the game in Shreve, you are likely to get more travelling fans as it will only be 3 hours and then there are the casinos to go to afterwards - with a WAC team you are probably not going to get a lot of visiting fans now that the closest school is a 14 hour drive away. So I guess I didn't phrase my question correctly - which was - in order to keep the exclusive rights to playing in Shreve (from what I hear, they do not let ULM play there because you guys have a contract with them - that might be incorrect - but that is what I have read on the chat boards) - but in order to keep that exclusivity, do you know which one of your games will be in Shreve next year? The reason I am asking - and the whole reason I registered to post on this board - is because I am in an alumni booster group called the Greenbackers and we are going to foot the bill for 1,000 students to travel to and attend the game this year... so we are in the initial planning stages of it and I am just gathering information. If it is in Shreve than we will probably have to contact Indy Stadium to try and get the tickets comped or at a reduced price (just cheapo end zone seats) - but if it is in Ruston then I need to contact your AD and see if he would like the extra people in the stands. We are definitely taking the 1,000 students to a game - we are just trying to decide which one. We have ULM in Monroe next year and that would be a game that we could afford to bus them into as well. What we want to do is just be able to pay for their busses and then try to work with the stadium to get them in. Since we are going to bring a 1,000 kids, they will likely spend a lot of money on concessions and stuff; so we just need some cheapo seats for them in the endzone. Any chance that you guys think your AD would comp the seats for the kids if they are going to be empty anyways? What about if it is in Shreve? Who does the ticketing for that place - your department or the Indy Bowl?

[atobulldog]

Thats cool that yall are treating your students to an away game and I understand that yall want to get the ball moving. My understanding is that many people hate the annual or otherwise Shreveport game. We have a hard enough time getting students down the street to the stadium let alone an hour down I-20. In Shreveport, we can't get rowdy or heckle the opposing team like we do. The only good thing is that we can pay $10 for 4 beers. I would much rather welcome yall to Ruston then to drive to Shreveport and sit 25-40 yards away from the field and cops staring us down if we say "that play sucked." The atomsphere in Ruston is alot better than in Shreveport.

[aubunique]

Weird thread!

[nadB]

..........What we want to do is just be able to pay for their busses and then try to work with the stadium to get them in. Since we are going to bring a 1,000 kids, they will likely spend a lot of money on concessions and stuff; so we just need some cheapo seats for them in the endzone. Any chance that you guys think your AD would comp the seats for the kids if they are going to be empty anyways?......

stebo, if you folks would bring 1,000 folding chairs for those 1,000 kids (or, maybe bring lots of blankets for them to sit on ??), I'm betting you could work a deal for some "cheapo seats" for them in the North endzone section of our stadium in Ruston.

PS- those seats are usually "empty anyways".

[Bossdawg]

If its about economy, you better hope the game is in Ruston, becasue even the discounted tickets at the I-Bowl will be twice that of what you will pay for a seat in Ruston, even for a large group, and I will bet you will get a better deal at Tech anyway. Let me remind you that this is a money making business, yes business. So while I am grateful that you may or may not bring 1000 students, they will not get in for free, but I bet you can get some general seating for a discounted price.

The I-bowl will be less likely to negotiate, they have standard prices for discounted tickets already at a group rate.

[champion110]

I wouldn't say that the reason that we have played in Shreveport is because of anything except the fact that we were trying hard to re-grow a good fan base, there. See UofA and Little Rock. Problem is that we have not marketed the game well enough and last year, our fan base was weary due to our record.

As for the Belt, NO I hope we have enough sense to never go back. However, UNT should have considered the WAC and not signed a pact that they wouldn't leave the belt. That was not a smart move. You would have been our traveling partner and a rivalry would have developed. Saying all of that, I hope we continue to seek out CUSA. Those are teams that I want as rivals.

[HogDawg]

Then the WAC started to go downhill. They have mirrored the Big West in their moves right down to their future membership being all former Big West members. So things change over time. 5 years ago we (North Texas) were begging the WAC to give us a spot, yet we were turned down so that they could take you guys... now we have turned them down.

Two Points:

1) When was Hawaii ever in the Big West?

2) UNT didn't accept the WAC's invitation in 2004 becasue they knew the Mean Green couldn't compete. That's a fact. There's a difference between playing Arkansas State, ULM and MTSU every week versus playing Boise State, Hawaii, Fresno State and Louisiana Tech. You know it, I know it and everbody knows it.

The problem now for UNT is "where do you go from here?" The Mean Green are stuck in a crappy conference and in all likelyhood will never go anywhere further than a local bowl game trip to New Orleans. After 4 or 5 trips to the N.O. Bowl, even that will get old and the crowds will get small.

No emotion here. Just facts.

HD

[HogDawg]

You guys don't really think you will stay in that conference, do you?

Either Louisiana Tech makes it to CUSA or we STAY in the WAC. Under no circumstances will Louisiana Tech join the Sunbelt.

Your analysis of the WAC puzzles me. The WAC is an EXTREMELY good football conference. We had two "future WAC" teams in the Top 20 this year (BSU & FSU), with one finishing in the Top 10 (BSU). Furthermore, Hawaii and Louisiana Tech are ALWAYS solid programs that can beat almost anybody, anytime, anywhere. (I think Hawaii beat 2 BCS teams this year.)

The WAC also played in 4 of the Top 10 Bowl games in 2004-2005, including the 2nd best bowl game of the year --the Liberty Bowl showdown between Louisville and Boise State-- in front of 59,000 fans. The Sunbelt conference can't touch that.

In fact, I would rank all four of those WAC programs (BSU, FSU, Hawai, and Tech) CONSISTENTLY above EVERY Sunbelt team, UNT included. The next tier, SJSU and Nevada, are probably on the same level as UNT, but above the rest of the Sunbelt as SJSU proved against Arkansas State in 2003.

As for the new WAC members (Idaho, Utah State and NMSU), there's no question that these guys are our weak link. But hopefully their recruiting will improve as members of the WAC and I suspect they will eventually elevate their programs ton at least 2nd tier status (joining SJSU and Nevada).

HD

[DeepGreen]

Either Louisiana Tech makes it to CUSA or we STAY in the WAC. Under no circumstances will Louisiana Tech join the Sunbelt.

Your analysis of the WAC puzzles me. The WAC is an EXTREMELY good football conference. We had two "future WAC" teams in the Top 20 this year (BSU & FSU), with one finishing in the Top 10 (BSU). Furthermore, Hawaii and Louisiana Tech are ALWAYS solid programs that can beat almost anybody, anytime, anywhere. (I think Hawaii beat 2 BCS teams this year.)

The WAC also played in 4 of the Top 10 Bowl games in 2004-2005, including the 2nd best bowl game of the year --the Liberty Bowl showdown between Louisville and Boise State-- in front of 59,000 fans. The Sunbelt conference can't touch that.

In fact, I would rank all four of those WAC programs (BSU, FSU, Hawai, and Tech) CONSISTENTLY above EVERY Sunbelt team, UNT included. The next tier, SJSU and Nevada, are probably on the same level as UNT, but above the rest of the Sunbelt as SJSU proved against Arkansas State in 2003.

As for the new WAC members (Idaho, Utah State and NMSU), there's no question that these guys are our weak link. But hopefully their recruiting will improve as members of the WAC and I suspect they will eventually elevate their programs ton at least 2nd tier status (joining SJSU and Nevada).

HD

What? UNT didn't join the WAC because they new they couldn't compete. Are you on drugs? Or, just full of shit all the time!!! HogDawg, NT probably could not compete with BSU, FSU, Hawaii - right off - but the rest of the league? Gimme a break!

NT didn't accept the WAC invitation because "IT'S TOO DAMN EXPENSIVE TO TRAVEL ALL THE ATHLETIC TEAMS OUT WEST". That has nothing to do with which conference is better. Of course the WAC is a better conference, I know that. It's just not the right conference for North Texas travel wise!!! Can't you understand that? :rolleyes4

[oledawg66]

stebo - To answer your question, you had better contact the AD at Tech to see what kind of deal he might be able to work out with you. He may not see the benefits of an extra 1000 bodies in the seats but hopefully he will. I think that we are the ones who initiate negotiations with the Indy Bowl from year to year to try to market ourselves in Shreveport. I am pretty sure there is no contract that requires us to play there every year. I would like to see the NT game in Shreveport but I don't think that is going to happen. I would also like to see us develop a rivalry with a school within less than a days driving distance. It would be fun to still be able to go to Dallas every other year for a football game. Good luck with your negotiations.

[killerdawg]

As for the new WAC members (Idaho, Utah State and NMSU), there's no question that these guys are our weak link. But hopefully their recruiting will improve as members of the WAC and I suspect they will eventually elevate their programs ton at least 2nd tier status (joining SJSU and Nevada).

HD

Nail on head.

The weak sisters of the belch will become better just because they are in the WAC.

UNT and ULL missed out on any chance of becoming better when they turned the WAC invite down.