SMU Becoming Independent

[PonyUp]

Any thoughts on SMU becoming Independent like Notre Dame? The teams in the WAC are pretty weak. I miss Southwest Conference Football, and really envy the teams that got a chance to move to the Big 12. What would be some of the upsides to becoming Independent? Other than not being given a Bowl Bid if your team has a good season, what would be some of the downsides to becoming Independent?

[Grider]

There is no upside for us to be independent.

We would have no lobby. At least the WAC provides that for us in TV deals, bowl connections and the NCAA. That's huge. You can't really compare us to Notre Dame on that point, because they already have all of the above.

[PerunaPunch]

Concur. The difference between SMU and Notre Dame is leverage. They have it, we don't (and probably never will).

There's a world of difference between their fans and ours. Both schools benefit from large numbers of affluent alumni. But Notre Dame's alumni seem to all be raving football fans.

Somewhere along the line we lost that (even before the death penalty). Notre Dame has enough followers that they'll always be on TV and always get good ratings. And since they'd fill up a bowl all by themselves, they'll get bowl bid over people with better records.

We're too small and too unattractive right now to have the clout to be independent. Our best hope is that through consistent, quality play and winning WAC championships, we'll have the opportunity to join a more lucrative conference. But that's way off. First we have to win...

[NavyCrimson]

one thing to consider also...

if you look @ ND's schedule....6-8 of those schools are the same schools every yr....if we can arrange that...then its a different story & something to consider - but of course we need a bowl tie-in.

[This message has been edited by Navy&Crimson (edited 12-13-2001).]

[PK]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Navy&Crimson:
<B>if you look @ ND's schedule....6-8 of those schools are the same schools every yr....</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sort of sounds/looks like a defacto conference (same rivals every year)....except they don't have to share their bowl money. And people wonder why ND doesn't join a conference...DUH.

[NavyCrimson]

u got it big-guy!!

exactly!

[Kiper]

The chance of SMU going independent is about as likely as the chance of Notre Dame joining the Sunbelt Conference, or some other gang of D-I wannabes