The Destruction of the SWC

[Stallion]

BTW apparently the San Antonio Express News has a multiple article account of the break-up of the SWC. Several of the articles are posted on the TCU board. It has a funny excerpt about Forrest Gregg telling Kenneth Pye of the imminent breakup of the SWC 2 days before it occurred and Pye refusing to believe him because it wasn't discussed on the agenda of the last conference meeting. What an idiot-the breakup of the SWC was a run away train for at least 5 years before it finally occurred but there was Pye having SMU play in poor quality high school stadium where UT and A&M players were expected to cross the street and dress in the Basketball Locker room. There was Pye forcing SMU to play under Ivy League restrictions in a major football conference and not only that but in his role as Chairman of the SWC Presidents attempting to enforce restrictive, higher academic standards on the schools holding all the playing cards. What a complete moron.

[Mickey]

You are absolutely right. Pye was a total disaster!

[GoRedGoBlue]

If TEXAS didn't suck all those years, the SWC would never have crapped out...

You would have had 2 good teams...and would easily have been better than the ACC at that time or the Big East...but texas SUCKED with McWilliams and Mac.

[AusTxPony]

I think Texas and A$M would have left the SWC at any rate. But why, when they did join the BIG 8 bringing TT and Baylor, was there no attempt to keep the SWC going. What league were Memphis, Tulsa, So. Miss. and Tulane in at that time? Was the name SWC sullied too badly? Just seems we could have created the league we are in now C-USA, back then and remained the SWC, with whatever NCAA perks we had at the time.

[BUTitan]

Totally off topic but anyways, I wish there was a TFC(Texas Football Conference)

You could have:

1.SMU
2.TCU
3.UNT
4.UTEP
5.Baylor
6.Rice
7.Houston
8.New Mexico

Since that is where BU belongs(in football only really) and yes that is
where TCU belongs too.




It would never happen, but i would love for it too.



If it was to happen this season it would end like this:

1.UTEP
2.UNM
3.TCU
4.Baylor
5.Houston
6.SMU
7.UNT
8.Rice


what does everyone else think?

[SMU Football Blog]

If TEXAS didn't suck all those years, the SWC would never have crapped out...

You would have had 2 good teams...and would easily have been better than the ACC at that time or the Big East...but texas SUCKED with McWilliams and Mac.

I think the notion that the collapse of the SWC is UT's fault in ludicrous. They left; TT left; A&M left. Why? Because they had a better opportunity. That opportunity existed because there were some schools that viewed being competitive as a foreign concept. For TCU, it at least served as a wakeup call. Wish I could say the same thing for SMU. I really do. I really, really do.

[Stallion]

SMU, TCU, Rice and UH got everything they deserved. Not one of those schools had any concept of the value of SWC membership and were simply piggybacking off the state schools. Extremely poor leadership at Rice, TCU and SMU(both before and after the Death Penalty) are to blame for not understanding the very real economic forces which caused the realignment. No school that isn't willing to pay the price for having a Division 1A program has any right to [deleted] about it. At least TCU realized their mistake and quickly redirected resources to ensure its future competitiveness. SMU is still tinkering with its Model 19 years after the DP and 11 years after the breakup of the SWC.

[SoCal_Pony]

Pye represents those myopic, inflexible academicians, who, if placed in the real world of business, would be complete abject failures. They simply can’t think on their feet. He obviously either didn’t understand or care about the ‘business' aspect of college football, especially in Texas. I have no respect for people of his ilk.

A reasonable person would trust someone with the integrity of Forrest Gregg to run a clean program without burdening him with ridiculously stifling rules, Pye of course, did not.

You are right Stallion, for all his degrees, achievements and recognition, in the end, the man was simply a MORON.

[SMU Football Blog]

"academicians?"

[SMUstang]

Totally off topic but anyways, I wish there was a TFC(Texas Football Conference)

You could have:

1.SMU
2.TCU
3.UNT
4.UTEP
5.Baylor
6.Rice
7.Houston
8.New Mexico

Since that is where BU belongs(in football only really) and yes that is
where TCU belongs too.




It would never happen, but i would love for it too.



If it was to happen this season it would end like this:

1.UTEP
2.UNM
3.TCU
4.Baylor
5.Houston
6.SMU
7.UNT
8.Rice


what does everyone else think?

Why include New Mexico and leave off Tulsa? I think Tulsa is more of a SWC candidate than UNM.

[BUTitan]

Because I dont like Tulsa

[PK]

Why not Tulane...rather go to the big easy than Albuquerque.

[davish75]

I think one of the SWC's problems was having too many private schools. That said, I think it is healthy for all conferences to have several private schools. State schools already have an unfair advantage. College football has to have a more fair distribution system - that's why the BCS and breakup of the SWC is such a disaster.

[PlanoStang]

Why not Tulane...rather go to the big easy than Albuquerque.

You're right, and UNM probably wouldn't have left the WAC back then
for the weakened SWC. If TT, and Baylor hadn't left maybe they would
have. Back then just before we joined the WAC, I was thinking of UTEP,
Tulane (an independent back then?), and LA Tech replentishing the SWC
instead of UNM. I think UNT had dropped to Div. IAA back then.

If it weren't for the almighty buck, Baylor, and TT would still probably
want to be BIG dogs in a replentished SWC than permanent also ran
middle to bottom of the pack schools in the major 2 sports in the Big
Smelve.

[PlanoStang]

I think one of the SWC's problems was having too many private schools. That said, I think it is healthy for all conferences to have several private schools. State schools already have an unfair advantage. College football has to have a more fair distribution system - that's why the BCS and breakup of the SWC is such a disaster.

The REAL problem was MONEY. Already strapped to the bone athletic departments had to provide = number of opportunities for women when a constitutional ammendent was passed.

My solution would've been to say NO athletic scholarships for NOBODY. Then college athletics would've become more academic like Pye dreamed.
The truly gifted football, basketball, baseball, soccer, etc. players would go to the pros out of HS. Try for a few years of fame, and MONEY if you think you can make it want to GAMBLE your life by not going to college. Leave us colleges, and universities out of SEMI-PRO athletics without pay.

The SWC would probably be still around, and possibly a playoff system for NCAA Div IA football. It would be more like Texas HS football. Especially during the state championship PLAYOFFS:!: