If anyone hasnt understood lately that our AD has A LOT to say...and isn't one to mince words, he turned an interview about our new facility progress and somehow got it turned around to a rant about CUSA again. Took a few swipes at the AAC as well. It started with a question about the Tulsa series in which he guaranteed we'd bring more fans to Tulsa than they would Jonesboro.

Q: In your conversations with other G5 AD's, are more coming around to the idea that we have to stick together if there is going to be any chance to battle the Power 5 conferences

TM: "A few more are starting to come around to it, but not all. There's a school about 50 miles down the road who seems to think that the opposite is true, as we all know, and some other AAC schools share that opinion. It has made scheduling a far more difficult task than I ever thought it would be.

TM: "Some schools seem to think they need to play Big 10 and ACC schools regularly, rather than scheduling games they can win. With as strong as that league is, one would think they want to schedule wins, but they have not all come around to that yet." We schedule games because we think we can win the game. The Utah State series is a great example of that. It was a good win for us, it's a good series for them, it helps both schools"

TM: I tell you where we've really had trouble is scheduling CUSA schools"

Q: And why do you think that may be?

TM: "Many of those schools have been in a league with us before, and I don't think they want to schedule any of us again. The Power Rankings are also a factor. No one wants to take a loss to a Sun Belt School feeling it would hurt them in those rankings. Which doesnt make any sense because outside of Marshall in football, the leagues were very even. The SBC is better than CUSA in basketball and baseball, we were better than football last year, were not this year after a down year, but we might have been had Georgia Southern been bowl eligible, and we'll be better than them again soon"

TM: "North Texas, WKU, Old Dominion, Charlotte, FAU where I used to work, we've tried to get on their schedules and have not been able too,: I think the real surprise to me has been the lack of professional courtesy in several CUSA Athletic Departments. If they don't want to play, I understand, but at least have the courtesy to call us back."

TM: "The Good news is the Mountain West and the MAC have been real amenable to playing is, Utah State, UNLV, Bowling Green, Ball State, Toledo, Kent State, Northern Illinois are all open to scheduling us, so I expect more of those games in the future. "You know they are fighting the same battle we are, so there is more openness when it comes to scheduling games"

I like him...

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(04-06-2015 08:35 PM)Georgia_Power_Company Wrote:  I like him...

Posted from my mobile device using the CSNbbs App

He's great for football. Jury is still out on the Olympic Sports...but he's improved fundraising drastically (Not that there is anywhere to go but up)

If you haven't figured it out yet, the mentality of our role in the G5 is very different here. I think our administration understands very well that the current way the G5 is working will not last

I really like your AD. It is very refreshing to hear his candidness.

I like that my school is in a league with him.

The UNTs do not want to schedule stAte in football? Why?

The only difference between CUSA and the Sun Belt right now is that CUSA's TV contract is apparently a little better. I think that will work itself out over the next 2-3 years. The other difference was that CUSA had more bowl tie-ins. We now have 5 so I would argue the Belt is in good shape there now. With 5 bowls it seems very unlikely that any Belt team 7-5 or better will get left out of a bowl at this point. And frankly with CUSA having 7 bowl slots (which it is very doubtful that they can fill) it is very probable the Belt is going to be looked at to fill those that CUSA can't fill.

So the bowl issue has pretty much been resolved.

We do need to try to get a better TV deal when the contract comes us.

In basketball and baseball I agree with Ark. St.'s AD that CUSA is not substantially better. I have been impressed with Belt baseball (what I have seen so far this year) in that the league is a very deep league. Sun Belt basketball does need to improve but I can see some signs of that happening.

Ideally the Belt and CUSA should just merge and divide into a Eastern league and a Western league. One could be call the Sun Belt and the other called CUSA. But we know that will NOT happen, in part because of CUSA arrogance.

Like what he has to say...except CUSA is better than us in all those sports he mentioned...

(04-06-2015 09:42 PM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  The UNTs do not want to schedule stAte in football? Why?

The UNTs have an overinflated sense of themselves. . . . . .

.. . . When you have that goin' on, you can't possibly schedule those you view as inferior . . . . .

. . . . After all, how would you hamdle it when you got your Azzzzzzz handed to you . . . . .

I have very high regard for Terry. When a guy looks over the job and says "we've got to get to $20 million in five years to position for what we need to do" and hits the target in three years, you respect what he's doing.

Gus Malzahn rolled out his vision for facilities and the prior AD rubber stamped it (and then got canned because the new chancellor had a problem with him and Gus had gone sideways with him as well) and the first thing Terry did was toss the Gus plan because it doesn't make sense to start with an expensive project that won't generate money. Instead we went with the cheaper indoor facility and the revenue generating press box. Gus was golden and Terry didn't scrape and bow.

I sometimes jokingly refer to him as The Riddler. He shoots straight when he can. Sometimes he won't answer but often if he can't answer he will throw you clues. A friend and I visited with Terry one day and he made a couple comments without saying anything you could hang your hat on. My buddy and I were rehashing everything he said trying to work out what the heck he was talking about. Finally at the same time we both said "Miami!" we'd managed to piece it together.

Sometimes it can be like an episode of Arrested Development. There will be an odd or out of place piece of information given and only late in the episode do you realize they had laid the foundation for a great joke 20 minutes or 2 episodes earlier. Sometimes you may think you know what the heck he is talking about and only later realize when you get a few more clues what the riddle is really about.

I think something is brewing among the G5 but it hasn't coalesced into anything yet. But I know that east west tensions in multiple conferences is a factor and I think realignment/reorganization is too complicated to be the new thing.

I like him.

But really... I like every other AD that is not our AD.

The measuring stick for good AD's is low when the mark is set by Larry Teis.

(04-06-2015 09:47 PM)GeauxUL Wrote:  Like what he has to say...except CUSA is better than us in all those sports he mentioned...

Which is why you aren't responsible for selling your program.

The AFL preached it was better than the NFL from Day 1. It was around day 3,000 when it was arguably as good.

(04-06-2015 09:51 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-06-2015 09:47 PM)GeauxUL Wrote:  Like what he has to say...except CUSA is better than us in all those sports he mentioned...

Which is why you aren't responsible for selling your program.

The AFL preached it was better than the NFL from Day 1. It was around day 3,000 when it was arguably as good.

Ok? But the rankings literally show cusa ahead in football, basketball and baseball.

I said substantially better. In baseball right now CUSA is at #8, Sun Belt at #12. In basketball CUSA was #16, Sun Belt was #19.

So yes CUSA was marginally better in basketball and is marginally better in baseball right now.

I would argue that 8/12 and 16/19 is basically about the same.

Any I still argue if you give it another year or two the Sun Belt is going to be substantially better than CUSA in football. There are 4 teams in the Sun Belt who are going to be very good in football (or already are) and 2 others who are going to be pretty close to the top 4.

(04-06-2015 08:32 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  TM: "North Texas, WKU, Old Dominion, Charlotte, FAU where I used to work, we've tried to get on their schedules and have not been able too,: I think the real surprise to me has been the lack of professional courtesy in several CUSA Athletic Departments. If they don't want to play, I understand, but at least have the courtesy to call us back."

North Texas screwed us in basketball a couple of years ago in basketball. We had a home and home deal and we had already played at the Super Pit. When it was time to come to our place, they backed out and canceled the contract and had to pay us the breaking fee. Their reason was they wanted to schedule another home game and wanted to add a non-D1. Couldn't have been that UTA had won seven of the last nine between the schools (including a win against the North Texas fightin' Mitchell's). They signed a 2-1 and should play us at our place this year.

(04-06-2015 09:54 PM)GeauxUL Wrote:  

(04-06-2015 09:51 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-06-2015 09:47 PM)GeauxUL Wrote:  Like what he has to say...except CUSA is better than us in all those sports he mentioned...

Which is why you aren't responsible for selling your program.

The AFL preached it was better than the NFL from Day 1. It was around day 3,000 when it was arguably as good.

Ok? But the rankings literally show cusa ahead in football, basketball and baseball.

The numbers were marginal, and that's not taking into account that Marshall dominated the CUSA rankings in football, and Rice dominates them in baseball.

There's such a little statistical difference, why do anything but preach we are better. We've been preaching that in Jonesboro since that fateful day in 2012 when MTSU and FAU left.

(04-06-2015 09:51 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-06-2015 09:47 PM)GeauxUL Wrote:  Like what he has to say...except CUSA is better than us in all those sports he mentioned...

Which is why you aren't responsible for selling your program.

The AFL preached it was better than the NFL from Day 1. It was around day 3,000 when it was arguably as good.

lol....Im going to use that line next time someone asks why on earth Aresco is talking up his conference in the way he does.

(04-06-2015 09:42 PM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  The UNTs do not want to schedule stAte in football? Why?

I'm sure every 5th grader in Denton, Texas owes their very existence to the day UNT last beat us in football.

We will be better in football going forward if the membership stays the same in both conferences. I told people when App. St. and Ga. Southern entered this conference that it would not take long before both of us were competing for championships. The fanbases of both schools will simply not allow a football program that is not winning.

Last year the Belt had a down year in non-conference games. I see that improving alot this year.

(04-06-2015 09:48 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  I think something is brewing among the G5 but it hasn't coalesced into anything yet. But I know that east west tensions in multiple conferences is a factor and I think realignment/reorganization is too complicated to be the new thing.

The high costs of travel, poor attendance, and lack of regional rivalries coming to a conference near you.