Morning News article

[giacfsp]

If anyone didn't see the DMN today, here's a story about a possible scneario for the future of SMU:




SMU, other schools discuss new league

Meeting called amid talk of other conferences expanding
By KEITH WHITMIRE / The Dallas Morning News

Officials from SMU, Rice and Tulsa met last week with representatives from Army and Navy to discuss forming a new league in the wake of expansion by either the Atlantic Coast Conference or Mountain West Conference.

The meeting took place last Thursday at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Although forming a new league was discussed, officials at SMU, Rice and Tulsa characterized it as more of a get-acquainted session between like-minded schools.

"It was more information sharing than anything, to see what kind of things were out there, generally speaking," SMU athletic director Jim Copeland said. "There was a commonality of people in the room of people who approach their academic/athletic programs in the same way."

Tulane athletic director Rick Dickson was also invited to the meeting, but he declined after concluding an exhaustive effort last week to convince the school's board of directors to remain a Division I-A program.

SMU, Rice and Tulsa are members of the Western Athletic Conference. Tulane is a member of Conference USA, as is Army in football. Navy is a football independent and, like Army, a member of the Patriot League in other sports.

Much of the talk centered on what would happen if the ACC carries out its proposed expansion by adding Miami, Boston College and Syracuse from the Big East.

If that happens, the Big East could look to add teams from Conference USA, creating a domino effect in conference alignments.

The WAC schools perceive another threat from the Mountain West, whose presidents voted recently to repeal their moratorium on expansion. Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson has said likely candidates for expansion would come from the WAC.

"We're very happy in the WAC and pleased to be a member," Rice athletic director Bobby May said. "But at the same time, as things change and we could be impacted, we have to be as prepared as possible for any actuality."

A league formed by the schools at last week's meeting is one possibility. The league would offer competitive balance among private school and service academy programs, as well as potentially reduced travel costs in a more regionalized league.

The service academies would bring national appeal and potential television revenue, as well as the option of forming a football division of the Patriot League.

"That group by itself would need more than just that to have a league," Tulsa athletic director Judy MacLeod said. "I just think those schools have a lot in common as far as their academic missions for their athletic programs."

MacLeod and Copeland said they would be in favor of the WAC expanding from 10 to 12 teams to create an eastern division.

"Anything in the WAC that gives us a more regional flavor would help SMU," Copeland said.

Another possibility would have the eastern WAC schools forming the core of their own conference.

"That's one of the scenarios that people talk about, something regional between Texas, Lousiana and Oklahoma," Copeland said. "That certainly has some attractiveness, but there's a lot of hurdles when you form a league from the get-go."

Staff writer Brian Davis contributed to this story.
E-mail kwhitmire@dallasnews.com

[Sam I Am]

I love this development. SMU has played Navy through the years and Army would be a good matchup too. It's nice to know that Rice and Tulsa are allies in the coming conference realignments. Service acadmies and private schools are a natural. I actually could get interested in the SMU schedule if this happens.

[Stallion]

Why? because the other teams maybe more pathetic than SMU. This conference means Division 1-AA to all its members. Gee what a Commitment!

[Nacho]

According to the Tulsa paper Houston, TCU, Southern Miss, UTEP, La Tech and either Cincy or NMSU would also be included. Army and Navy would be football only. The others would play all sports. Sounds like a workable conference to me.

[INFINITYRR]

This will be an absolute disaster for recruiting if we go to a private and service school conference. We need to step up to a conference where it would be exciting for the recruits to play and fans would want to come.

[bhop]

Well, regardless of whether this league idea is good or not, or how things end up, I am just pleased to see our athletic department being somewhat proactive. After our debacles with the SWC/Big 12, WAC, and C-USA, I just want to see our school out there and creating options, rather than sitting on our hands and being left out in the cold once again.

And for those who think this conference idea is totally unacceptable, what exactly do you propose SMU do in the short term if the chips start to fall? Its not like we're in a position to write our own ticket into the Big-12 or the SEC right now. We may get there in the future, but for right now we just need to make sure we don't end up totally iced out of every conference should the WAC collapse. Where are we going to go, the MWC? For those who don't remember, we were briefly in a conference with those schools. I certainly don't remember a lot of television or fan interest or big crowds when we played New Mexico or Wyoming. I don't see the MWC being a good fit for SMU.


[This message has been edited by bhop (edited 06-17-2003).]

[Sam I Am]

Get real people. Just what kind of options do you think that SMU has right now. Pray tell, what upscale conference wants us right now except other non-BCS schools. We have to get out of the spread out WAC, and this is our best chance for now. I like the appeal of Army & Navy. It gets exposure in the media that we can't get now. Sure they are weak programs now, but then so are we.

[EastStang]

Let's see you could travel to most of the games if it had a SW flavor. The Service Academies always bring a crowd. Are you telling me that fewer fans would come to see SMU/Army, SMU/Navy, SMU/Rice, or SMU/Tulane, than SMU/SJS, SMU/FSU, SMU/Nevada? Also that would free up five OOC games to allow for more body bag games (or upset potential). Just think of the schedule as trading Army for SJS, Navy for FSU, and Tulane for Nevada. That would in my view be a far better situation that our current one. I guess you'd prefer Arkansas State, La. Laf., La. Mon. and Middle Tennessee State and Utah State. Is it closer to 1-AA? No, because all these schools are 1-A eligible and with such an alignment would probably remain so. Would it get any television contract? Absolutely. It obviously depends on who the other schools are admitted. If TCU came on board along with a few selected institutions willing to live with some graduation rate requirements, you might have a decent conference. You are right about the RPI ratings, there are no world beaters here, but it would in my view be more fun to watch.

[INFINITYRR]

I personaly do not remember much press about who Army and Navy played last year, and I do not believe that they will put butts in the seats. I understand we need to be proactive but lets talk to CUSA first.

[EastStang]

Army brought 50,000 to TCU last year. Navy brought 25,000 to SMU last year. They bring butts in seats. Funny enough, when SMU travelled to Navy they had a pretty good SMU contingent there. There are over 600 SMU alums in the Washington DC area, many of whom came to the game with their children.

[Stallion]

Please keep academicians out of the running of our athletic program because they have run it into the ground. Either commit to the standards by which Division 1A is played or have the balls to drop down to Division 3. Don't go hide and play in a Private School conference because they "play by different rules"-that merely a de facto Division 2. That noise in the background is the flush of SMU Athletic program down the drain. Commitment? HaHaHa! And there is no way in Hell TCU joins this ridiculous idea.

[Sam I Am]

I wish Stallion knew how to salvage our deteriorating conference situation, but SMU has to act now and C-USA will not be much of an option after the dominoes all fall down. We are not going to get into a BCS conference. Without a lawsuit to force a Div. 1-A playoff system, we will never get back into the BIG time. As for dropping our athletic admission standards, that might help winning but it doesn't get us into the BCS. Look at the MWC for proof of that. At this point anytning that gets us out of the WAC West schedule will be an improvement.

[INFINITYRR]

Blue chip recruits from Dallas/Ft. Worth area are not interested in playing Army or Navy, they want to play big time college football.

[EastStang]

Really, and Roger Staubach's/David Thompson's names mean nothing to a potential DFW recruit. Remember, there will be plenty of OOC games with those big names that recruits will jump for. I have yet to see your suggestion for a conference. Let's see it. We'll just put in a telephone call to the Big 12 and I'm sure they'll jump and immediately put us in the conference.

[gostangs]

The point is be proactive. TCU I agree is ahead of us significantly, but if their options are to join this with a couple of other CUSA refugees or go to the sprawling MWC, they will join this. I personally think we should be careful not to buddy our way into too big a group - CUSA may only need three replacements - and if we hook up with a crowd of cast offs we may not get the invite. Oh and thanks for your omnipresent ray of sunshine, Stallion