It just boggles my mind how ULL and La Tech love to belittle ULM to the point that they would want to exclude ULM from SBC play. Of course it all comes down to both schools wanting to the be the "next best thing" in a state (Louisiana) where LSU takes up both the "best thing" and the "next best thing" slots. No matter how much La Tech, ULL or any other school tries to belittle ULM, the fact still remains that ULM is a very competitive program within the SBC. Do we spend as much money as ULL or La Tech? No, but do we win in spite of that...yes.

In any event, ULM is currently in the process of handling its own business. We will allow ULL and Tech to fight for the supposed right to be the "next best thing" in a state where its either LSU or nothing. Heck, La Tech wants to be the "next best thing" so bad that it is willing to become LSU-Ruston to get there. Both of these schools are jokes. What it comes down to is building from within, stabilizing your alumni base and then growing. This is ULM's objective after years of regressive attitudes ruining and jeopardizing our stability. If you all want to judge us for our past and allow that to formulate your perception as to how and what we will be in the future, then so be it. Just do not be surprised or suicidal when ULM is SBC champs within the next 2 years in football.

(07-09-2011 11:06 PM)bluephi1914 Wrote:  It just boggles my mind how ULL and La Tech love to belittle ULM to the point that they would want to exclude ULM from SBC play. Of course it all comes down to both schools wanting to the be the "next best thing" in a state (Louisiana) where LSU takes up both the "best thing" and the "next best thing" slots. No matter how much La Tech, ULL or any other school tries to belittle ULM, the fact still remains that ULM is a very competitive program within the SBC. Do we spend as much money as ULL or La Tech? No, but do we win in spite of that...yes.

In any event, ULM is currently in the process of handling its own business. We will allow ULL and Tech to fight for the supposed right to be the "next best thing" in a state where its either LSU or nothing. Heck, La Tech wants to be the "next best thing" so bad that it is willing to become LSU-Ruston to get there. Both of these schools are jokes. What it comes down to is building from within, stabilizing your alumni base and then growing. This is ULM's objective after years of regressive attitudes ruining and jeopardizing our stability. If you all want to judge us for our past and allow that to formulate your perception as to how and what we will be in the future, then so be it. Just do not be surprised or suicidal when ULM is SBC champs within the next 2 years in football.

OK--lets see how Monroe is doing-----Enrollment is not going up----the N'East area economy is terrible----Don't think that B-ball team has 10 scholarships per their horrible academic standards---Maybe the lowest athletic budget in college Sports----A local newspaper that gives more ink to Tech than to Monroe---I think I will let the Tech folks that are more familiar with your problems list them!!!!!

(07-09-2011 11:06 PM)bluephi1914 Wrote:  It just boggles my mind how ULL and La Tech love to belittle ULM to the point that they would want to exclude ULM from SBC play. Of course it all comes down to both schools wanting to the be the "next best thing" in a state (Louisiana) where LSU takes up both the "best thing" and the "next best thing" slots. No matter how much La Tech, ULL or any other school tries to belittle ULM, the fact still remains that ULM is a very competitive program within the SBC. Do we spend as much money as ULL or La Tech? No, but do we win in spite of that...yes.

In any event, ULM is currently in the process of handling its own business. We will allow ULL and Tech to fight for the supposed right to be the "next best thing" in a state where its either LSU or nothing. Heck, La Tech wants to be the "next best thing" so bad that it is willing to become LSU-Ruston to get there. Both of these schools are jokes. What it comes down to is building from within, stabilizing your alumni base and then growing. This is ULM's objective after years of regressive attitudes ruining and jeopardizing our stability. If you all want to judge us for our past and allow that to formulate your perception as to how and what we will be in the future, then so be it. Just do not be surprised or suicidal when ULM is SBC champs within the next 2 years in football.

OK--lets see how Monroe is doing-----Enrollment is not going up----the N'East area economy is terrible----Don't think that B-ball team has 10 scholarships per their horrible academic standards---Maybe the lowest athletic budget in college Sports----A local newspaper that gives more ink to Tech than to Monroe---I think I will let the Tech folks that are more familiar with your problems list them!!!!!

(07-09-2011 11:41 PM)exflash Wrote:  

(07-09-2011 11:06 PM)bluephi1914 Wrote:  It just boggles my mind how ULL and La Tech love to belittle ULM to the point that they would want to exclude ULM from SBC play. Of course it all comes down to both schools wanting to the be the "next best thing" in a state (Louisiana) where LSU takes up both the "best thing" and the "next best thing" slots. No matter how much La Tech, ULL or any other school tries to belittle ULM, the fact still remains that ULM is a very competitive program within the SBC. Do we spend as much money as ULL or La Tech? No, but do we win in spite of that...yes.

In any event, ULM is currently in the process of handling its own business. We will allow ULL and Tech to fight for the supposed right to be the "next best thing" in a state where its either LSU or nothing. Heck, La Tech wants to be the "next best thing" so bad that it is willing to become LSU-Ruston to get there. Both of these schools are jokes. What it comes down to is building from within, stabilizing your alumni base and then growing. This is ULM's objective after years of regressive attitudes ruining and jeopardizing our stability. If you all want to judge us for our past and allow that to formulate your perception as to how and what we will be in the future, then so be it. Just do not be surprised or suicidal when ULM is SBC champs within the next 2 years in football.

OK--lets see how Monroe is doing-----Enrollment is not going up----the N'East area economy is terrible----Don't think that B-ball team has 10 scholarships per their horrible academic standards---Maybe the lowest athletic budget in college Sports----A local newspaper that gives more ink to Tech than to Monroe---I think I will let the Tech folks that are more familiar with your problems list them!!!!!

Again, harping on things that are being addressed by the new administration. And one thing we will admit is that we have the lowest athletic budget, but with that budget we get the most value than any school in the SBC when it comes to football. As for the economy of the NE Louisiana area, this is going to change very soon. Monroe is home to CenturyLink, which is one of the few Fortune 500 companies housed in Louisiana. CenturyLink has recently announced expansion plans in Monroe, which of course brings about increased affiliated jobs. Also, CenturyLink is rumored to be in line to purchase Sprint, which will add even more jobs to Monroe. Those new jobs and population growth will spur enrollment growth at ULM and also allow ULM to benefit from increases in entertainment dollar spending. This will be even more increased once DOT gives V-Vehicle its funding. So, ULM and Monroe is going to be quite alright...and in case you have asked, yes CenturyLink provides ULM with quite a bit of money, and we have some of their senior excutives on our various Boards.

(07-09-2011 11:06 PM)bluephi1914 Wrote:  It just boggles my mind how ULL and La Tech love to belittle ULM to the point that they would want to exclude ULM from SBC play. Of course it all comes down to both schools wanting to the be the "next best thing" in a state (Louisiana) where LSU takes up both the "best thing" and the "next best thing" slots. No matter how much La Tech, ULL or any other school tries to belittle ULM, the fact still remains that ULM is a very competitive program within the SBC. Do we spend as much money as ULL or La Tech? No, but do we win in spite of that...yes.

In any event, ULM is currently in the process of handling its own business. We will allow ULL and Tech to fight for the supposed right to be the "next best thing" in a state where its either LSU or nothing. Heck, La Tech wants to be the "next best thing" so bad that it is willing to become LSU-Ruston to get there. Both of these schools are jokes. What it comes down to is building from within, stabilizing your alumni base and then growing. This is ULM's objective after years of regressive attitudes ruining and jeopardizing our stability. If you all want to judge us for our past and allow that to formulate your perception as to how and what we will be in the future, then so be it. Just do not be surprised or suicidal when ULM is SBC champs within the next 2 years in football.

There are many things that can be called a joke in Louisiana, but for a supporter of a program that can’t get fans to show up to a sporting event giving away four wheelers during squirrel season to call UL or Louisiana Tech a joke, now that’s a funny post!

(07-09-2011 10:45 PM)MG61 Wrote:  

(07-09-2011 10:31 PM)theATLDawg Wrote:  really you guys are just adding one team that never played a down of football and upgraded on from FCS. hmmmmm. sounds pretty familiar to me. And the reason I say that UNT is going to suffer from this is now this is turning into the new southwest conference. How do you see the media coverage playing out. Let's see. Big 12, CUSA and Big East, WAC(four state schools), oh yeah and UNT playing in the belt. UTA is a gamble but it sits in the middle of Jerry World with alot of resources. Might be a risk worth taking, especially if football starts up again. If this conference does take off and these Texas schools start building rivalries, Unt fans are going to be having all this happening right in there back yard and wondering "now why are we playing ULM again?

Yawn. Another UNT better watch out, etc,etc,etc. interesting that so many WAC and Tech folks are concerned about the Mean Green. UTA is a 1AAA school that I doubt will restart football. Attendance-wise in basketball they are at the bottom of the DFW pecking order. Their new area will cause an attendance uptick, but it's doubtful that moving to the WAC will have any type of dynamic affect.

Basketball attendance averages. Pitched in Tech's for a WAC comparison.
TCU 4,285
UNT 3,552
Tech 2.168
SMU 1970
UTA 811

The typo makes this even funnier, 2 people per game

(07-10-2011 12:01 AM)Fresno St. Alum Wrote:  

(07-09-2011 10:45 PM)MG61 Wrote:  

(07-09-2011 10:31 PM)theATLDawg Wrote:  really you guys are just adding one team that never played a down of football and upgraded on from FCS. hmmmmm. sounds pretty familiar to me. And the reason I say that UNT is going to suffer from this is now this is turning into the new southwest conference. How do you see the media coverage playing out. Let's see. Big 12, CUSA and Big East, WAC(four state schools), oh yeah and UNT playing in the belt. UTA is a gamble but it sits in the middle of Jerry World with alot of resources. Might be a risk worth taking, especially if football starts up again. If this conference does take off and these Texas schools start building rivalries, Unt fans are going to be having all this happening right in there back yard and wondering "now why are we playing ULM again?

Yawn. Another UNT better watch out, etc,etc,etc. interesting that so many WAC and Tech folks are concerned about the Mean Green. UTA is a 1AAA school that I doubt will restart football. Attendance-wise in basketball they are at the bottom of the DFW pecking order. Their new area will cause an attendance uptick, but it's doubtful that moving to the WAC will have any type of dynamic affect.

Basketball attendance averages. Pitched in Tech's for a WAC comparison.
TCU 4,285
UNT 3,552
Tech 2.168
SMU 1970
UTA 811

The typo makes this even funnier, 2 people per game

Oops, a typo. Their basketball attendance is bad enough without help.

I like how one of LA Tech's former conference brethren gets it.

(07-10-2011 01:19 AM)westcoastwolf Wrote:  I like how one of LA Tech's former conference brethren gets it.

Fresno State won a national championship recently in a major collegiate sport. By rule that makes them way too good for the WAC

And for the record...the only people who dont get it, are current WAC Members

Though I did enjoy ATLdawg's classic line about how they will be the new Southwest Conference. Considering at one time the Southwest Conference was one of the most dominant conferences in America, he is setting a rather lofty standard for a group of programs that have won...well less then nothing.

I mean Texas Arlington and Texas San Antonio are currently undefeated as Football programs...so I guess they have that going for them.

(07-09-2011 07:09 PM)Fresno St. Alum Wrote:  

(07-09-2011 06:25 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  All I know is. If I was LaTech. I'd crawl on my hands and knees,if I had to. To get away from the New WAC. The Sun Belt is a 100 times better than what the WAC has become.

I don't understand why someone would rather be in the SLC of the SBC. They need to get over the ULM hate. Won't La Tech be just as mad when the WAC ends up having to take Northwestern St. down the road

The Tech spinsters would come out of the wood work and immediately begin to praise Northwestern State as a premier national research university with superior academics to anything UL Cajuns or UL Warhawks can put forth . . spinning is the Loser Tech way

(07-09-2011 12:01 AM)TodgeRodge Wrote:  

(07-08-2011 10:18 PM)laxtonto Wrote:  poor academics

point of order here Chief

admission requirements

UTA accepts top quarter automatically......second quarter is 1050 SAT or 22 ACT 3rd and 4th are individual review

http://www.uta.edu/admissions/freshmen/a...ements.php

UNT

http://www.unt.edu/vwbk/admission.htm

top 10% automatic like all schools in Texas except UT Austin

next 15% (the rest of the top quarter) is 950 SAT or 20 ACT

second quarter is 1050 SAT or 23 ACT (only one ACT point higher than UTA and the same for the SAT)

third quarter is 1180/26

so I hardly see any difference in admissions standards

http://www.txhighereddata.org/Interactiv...nerate.cfm

Freshman in top 10% of class from 2000-2010

UTA 19.2% 15.8% 16.2% 19.4% 19.3% 18.5% 19.9% 18.1% 22.7% 23.9%

UNT 13.4% 14.1% 14.3% 15.6% 15.3% 15.0% 15.5% 16.4% 16.5% 17.7%

clear advantage UTA and often by a significant %

4 year graduation rate 1999-2009

UTA 11.1% 14.7% 13.3% 13.7% 16.6% 17.5% 17.7% 16.3% 19.9% 19.7% 19.1%

UNT 11.3% 13.4% 14.8% 16.2% 17.2% 20.3% 19.4% 20.4% 21.7% 21.7% 24.3%

clear advantage UNT

5 year

UTA 25.2% 26.6% 33.7% 34.1% 34.5% 38.2% 38.3% 39.6% 38.4% 45.1% 40.6%

UNT 34.1% 35.6% 36.9% 37.3% 38.3% 42.0% 44.8% 43.6% 44.0% 46.3% 47.3%

clear advantage UNT

6 year

UTA 34.3% 37.4% 38.3% 43.6% 43.3% 44.1% 48.5% 49.7% 49.2% 49.6% 55.3%

UNT 48.7% 46.6% 47.5% 48.5% 47.2% 48.3% 52.9% 54.5% 54.3% 53.3% 56.0%

still advantage UNT, but getting very close in numbers and both are less than impressive so trying to claim superior academics based on less than impressive and pretty similar 6 year graduation rates is not a lot to work with

average lower division class size

UTA

The University of Texas at Arlington 36 42 41 39 38 39 41 42
University of North Texas 40 46 49 48 48 46 44 45

successful employment or graduate school 2000-2009

UTA

The University of Texas at Arlington 84.0% 82.3% 80.4% 78.6% 80.3% 78.2% 81.5% 82.0% 80.8% 78.6%
University of North Texas 82.8% 79.4% 79.0% 78.5% 78.6% 77.6% 82.4% 80.8% 79.8% 77.9%

Total Research Expenditures 2001-2009 (a key component of Texas "Tier 1" funding)

The University of Texas at Arlington $19,966,034 $21,072,964 $23,314,938 $22,417,130 $33,826,960 $34,865,068 $39,624,428 $50,338,292 $55,621,050
University of North Texas $17,441,681 $18,875,396 $17,587,767 $15,636,344 $16,801,061 $16,377,501 $14,489,684 $16,798,880 $22,557,512

clear advantage UTA by a mile and a long ways away for UNT from meeting the restricted research (the numbers shown are for total research) dollars needed for Texas "Tier 1 funding"

UTA also offers nursing and architecture which UNT does not offer ans UTA has a much larger and more respected college of engineering

so I am not seeing the "poor academics" unless you are saying that UNT also has poor academics

You are leaving out the UT bridge program. Most kids go to UTA and UTSA specifically to get their basics out of the way, keep the GPA up, and transfer to their first school of choice because they did not get in the first time they applied. Part time jobs get in the way of some of those transfers - but a ton of them use the UT auto-admit status to get the hell out of Arlington as soon as they can. It is like a really expensive JUCO that will guarantee admittance to UT as long as the GPA stays above the mark.

The Southland is getting decimated. I wonder if they'll go hard after UALR. Maybe the Sun Belt would help them make the move in order to get rid of a non-football school.

UALR has been a Belt member for a long, long time. The Presidents of the other members are not going to push them out. Denver was a marriage of convenience but UALR is going to be here for a long, long time.

(07-10-2011 11:15 AM)uakronkid Wrote:  The Southland is getting decimated. I wonder if they'll go hard after UALR. Maybe the Sun Belt would help them make the move in order to get rid of a non-football school.

Interesting how outsiders come here with "friendly advice" on who should or shouldn't remain as a conference member.

(07-09-2011 10:45 PM)MG61 Wrote:  

(07-09-2011 10:31 PM)theATLDawg Wrote:  really you guys are just adding one team that never played a down of football and upgraded on from FCS. hmmmmm. sounds pretty familiar to me. And the reason I say that UNT is going to suffer from this is now this is turning into the new southwest conference. How do you see the media coverage playing out. Let's see. Big 12, CUSA and Big East, WAC(four state schools), oh yeah and UNT playing in the belt. UTA is a gamble but it sits in the middle of Jerry World with alot of resources. Might be a risk worth taking, especially if football starts up again. If this conference does take off and these Texas schools start building rivalries, Unt fans are going to be having all this happening right in there back yard and wondering "now why are we playing ULM again?

Yawn. Another UNT better watch out, etc,etc,etc. interesting that so many WAC and Tech folks are concerned about the Mean Green. UTA is a 1AAA school that I doubt will restart football. Attendance-wise in basketball they are at the bottom of the DFW pecking order. Their new area will cause an attendance uptick, but it's doubtful that moving to the WAC will have any type of dynamic affect.

Basketball attendance averages. Pitched in Tech's for a WAC comparison.
TCU 4,285
UNT 3,552
Tech 2,168
SMU 1,970
UTA 811

One thing you're conveniently leaving out about UTA is their attendance was compiled in Texas Hall... a music venue. They played on a stage for crying out loud. Capacity for the place is less than what UNT averages, so it's really apples to oranges. Can you imagine trying to recruit with a stage? The new UTA events center is almost complete and will house their basketball program.

So is UTA selling it out every game?

(07-10-2011 03:13 PM)YouCanUseaMint Wrote:  

(07-09-2011 10:45 PM)MG61 Wrote:  

(07-09-2011 10:31 PM)theATLDawg Wrote:  really you guys are just adding one team that never played a down of football and upgraded on from FCS. hmmmmm. sounds pretty familiar to me. And the reason I say that UNT is going to suffer from this is now this is turning into the new southwest conference. How do you see the media coverage playing out. Let's see. Big 12, CUSA and Big East, WAC(four state schools), oh yeah and UNT playing in the belt. UTA is a gamble but it sits in the middle of Jerry World with alot of resources. Might be a risk worth taking, especially if football starts up again. If this conference does take off and these Texas schools start building rivalries, Unt fans are going to be having all this happening right in there back yard and wondering "now why are we playing ULM again?

Yawn. Another UNT better watch out, etc,etc,etc. interesting that so many WAC and Tech folks are concerned about the Mean Green. UTA is a 1AAA school that I doubt will restart football. Attendance-wise in basketball they are at the bottom of the DFW pecking order. Their new area will cause an attendance uptick, but it's doubtful that moving to the WAC will have any type of dynamic affect.

Basketball attendance averages. Pitched in Tech's for a WAC comparison.
TCU 4,285
UNT 3,552
Tech 2,168
SMU 1,970
UTA 811

One thing you're conveniently leaving out about UTA is their attendance was compiled in Texas Hall... a music venue. They played on a stage for crying out loud. Capacity for the place is less than what UNT averages, so it's really apples to oranges. Can you imagine trying to recruit with a stage? The new UTA events center is almost complete and will house their basketball program.

I didn't "conveniently leave out anything. Attendance figures are attendance figures. UTA will have an uptick in attendance with a new arena, but it's doubtful they will draw as well as TCU, UNT or SMU.

(07-10-2011 03:13 PM)YouCanUseaMint Wrote:  

(07-09-2011 10:45 PM)MG61 Wrote:  

(07-09-2011 10:31 PM)theATLDawg Wrote:  really you guys are just adding one team that never played a down of football and upgraded on from FCS. hmmmmm. sounds pretty familiar to me. And the reason I say that UNT is going to suffer from this is now this is turning into the new southwest conference. How do you see the media coverage playing out. Let's see. Big 12, CUSA and Big East, WAC(four state schools), oh yeah and UNT playing in the belt. UTA is a gamble but it sits in the middle of Jerry World with alot of resources. Might be a risk worth taking, especially if football starts up again. If this conference does take off and these Texas schools start building rivalries, Unt fans are going to be having all this happening right in there back yard and wondering "now why are we playing ULM again?

Yawn. Another UNT better watch out, etc,etc,etc. interesting that so many WAC and Tech folks are concerned about the Mean Green. UTA is a 1AAA school that I doubt will restart football. Attendance-wise in basketball they are at the bottom of the DFW pecking order. Their new area will cause an attendance uptick, but it's doubtful that moving to the WAC will have any type of dynamic affect.

Basketball attendance averages. Pitched in Tech's for a WAC comparison.
TCU 4,285
UNT 3,552
Tech 2,168
SMU 1,970
UTA 811

One thing you're conveniently leaving out about UTA is their attendance was compiled in Texas Hall... a music venue. They played on a stage for crying out loud. Capacity for the place is less than what UNT averages, so it's really apples to oranges. Can you imagine trying to recruit with a stage? The new UTA events center is almost complete and will house their basketball program.

First, they have played on stage for decades and never ever had very good attendance. In 30 years if they were going to get any students interested they would have by now. Second, even IF they could DOUBLE their attendance, it was still be the lowest attendance in the area. Their students want to get into the real UT and couldn't care less.

Back in the late 70s, UTA tried a serious push into athletics and when it failed the university started concentrating on other things. They still have athletics as a tertiary level of importance. When they pasted an increased athletic fee their President assured the faculty that football was NOT coming back. He repeated the same thing this year at the banquet they hold after basketball season. Even the WAC press release states they aren't required to bring football back. It might happen in the future - 5 to 10+ years - but not sooner. They will not be renting Jerry World for games anytime soon.

And by the way, when I looked this afternoon neither the Dallas Morning News nor the Ft Worth Star Telegram had bothered to update their articles from two and three days ago about UTA potentially going WACy. There have been no discussion on sports talk radio. Nothing at all on the Dallas ESPN news site. TSSM gets more publicity in DFW than UTA!

Texas Hall seats over 3,000 for athletics. If there were demand for basketball at UTA more than one-fourth the seats would be filled and it would not have taken 45 years to replace it.

(07-09-2011 09:53 PM)theATLDawg Wrote:  because you are just not getting that Northwestern State would be an improvement over ULM. Tech or anybody else Aheeem ULL wants to be associated with them. At least the schools that are being selected in the Texas WAC are schools with large enrollments and lots of financial resources. Any of the three schools have the potential to be sleeping giants in an economy rich Texas. This really is not good news for UNT. Even some of there fans know it. Benson moved really fast on this one and I think it is to get into the Dallas market and stick it to UNT. It's a huge gamble but it just might pay off. I also think there must be some hidden information with the Montana schools or school coming on. If he can get divisional play for non football sports, he can lure some western football playing schools. This really doesn't look good for Lamar though as the eastern Wac is getting pretty full now. with the resourses of Texas, the WAC will look no worse than the belt in five years. The belt has been around for almost 20 years now and the three teams that went to bowls this year had to wait to the final week to reach 6 wins. It wont be a hard thing to catch up the belt.

Man if you believe that then your spin man is better than the Fox news spin machine.

Neither Montana nor Montana State have the ability to add scholarships and 2 new sports. I don't see either moving up anytime soon. Montana is cutting 1 coach in each sport and 2 in football starting this year. And have cut 200,000 in scholarship monies. The WACsters should move on in the thinking that Montana schools are going to come along and rescue them. I don't think you are going to get any Big Sky football playing member to leave. That includes Sac State and Portland State.

The WAC will most likely have 2 options to get to 8 football playing schools and they both come from the Southland Confrence. Those 2 schools will be Sam Houston State or Lamar. I say do "Inny Menny Minny Moe" and pick one and get it over with.