7 Wins - You heard it here

[PonyTime]

This is the first time in a long time that I can look at our schedule and honestly say that we have 10 games that should be VERY competitive football games:

Here is why . . .

Texas Tech - Very Competitive game last year
Baylor - Should be close (we beat Kansas didn't we?)
Oklahoma St. -won't be close
Nevada - we beat these guys in 2000
UTEP - Beat them in 2002, 2001
San Jose St. - Beat them in 2001
Boise St. - won't be close
Tulsa - Beat them in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
Fresno St. - Beat them in 1999 - played tough - could be competitive
Louisiana Tech - Beat them last year
Rice - Beat them in 2001, 1999
TCU - Very competitive game last year

There are 6 teams on this schedule that we have beaten in the last three years.

Not trying to make excuses - but a new coach and offense in 2001, followed by no QB, WR, or passing game in 2002 was tough on these guys.

This is the year they start to put it together.

7 Wins - I'm not telling you which ones (Other than it won'e be Boise or OK State) but wait and see . . .

[SmooBoy]

I have us with 6 wins:

We start off the season with three straight losses although we COULD be close in the Baylor game (0 and 3)

We then rattle off three wins in a row over Nevada, UTEP, and San Jose St (now 3 and 3)

Now we get in a "lose one, win one" scenario for the next four games, L to Boise, W @ Tulsa, L to Fresno, W @ LaTech (now we're 5 and 5)

We finish by beating Rice and by losing a close one to the froggies. (finish 6 and 6)

**If things play out like this, I actually could see us with 7 wins with the seventh coming in an emotional, future-recuit winning victory over TCU

[GoRedGoBlue]

7-5 is possible, 5-7 probable

6-6 would be positive

4-8 would be very disappointing

[PonyFan]

I agree with GoRedGoBlue .... 7-5 is possible, 5-7 is likely.

And a note on PonyTime's analysis - we were less talented when we beat Kansas than we are now.

[Diehard Pony]

I don't see us losing to Baylor. They have very few non-conference wins (let alone conference wins) over the last three years, and their recruiting has been abysmal.

[gostangs]

Baylor will be very tough - put yourself in that teams shoes - what team do they think they CAN beat? Probably only us - they will be up HUGE, and will be at home. Their fans will actualy show up to see "the win" and they will want to do something to stop the feeling that they suck at everything.

[KnuckleStang]

Well put, Gostangs. We can beat Baylor, but we're gonna have to bring the A-game. They will be an ornery bunch. They are accustomed to being beaten silly by Big 12 jocks all year long. To them, we look kind of like the skinny kid in back of class who always raises his hand, begging to be body-slammed. Are we their home opener?

[NO WAY!]

Forget 7 wins. Give coach Bennet some credit. He's so tuff he could beat some of these teams by himself.
Listen up I got the inside track on next season. Here is what will happen.

Tech- Lubbock stinks and so do the raiders. This is the best chance we got to upset.
Baylor- Those cubbies got no chance. Mustangs roll easy. Our OL will dominate.
OSU- We got no chance, sorry fellas.
Neveda- C'mon do we even have to show up for this one. Easy, Easy win.
UTEP- Starters will be out of the game at half time. Make it 3 in a row.
San Jose- We should of won last year, this year we owe'em!
Bosie- Bosie's d-line can't handle zone blocking. This will be our highest rushing total of year.
Tulsa- Its too hard to beat a team 5 years in a row. I hate to say it but we could lose.
Frenso- The guards and center for Fresno are too good for us. Lose a heartbreaker at home. This prediction breaks my heart now.
La. Tech- We are going to knock the gumbo out of them.
Rice- We lost to those nerds last year in the rain. This year the weather can't stop this stampede.
TCU- Those toads won't be very horny after this one. Our LB's will take it over, Bischoff returns an int for the win.

There yall have it. I know some might think I'm crazy but I have been doing a lot of research on the team.

[The PonyGrad]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by KnuckleStang:
<B>Well put, Gostangs. We can beat Baylor, but we're gonna have to bring the A-game. They will be an ornery bunch. They are accustomed to being beaten silly by Big 12 jocks all year long. To them, we look kind of like the skinny kid in back of class who always raises his hand, begging to be body-slammed. Are we their home opener?</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I believe we are the home opener and it will be parents week-end. The previous week they will travel to NTSU. Should we hope they win or lose to NTSU?

[ponyte]

1978 SMU went 1-1-1 against Florida, Penn State and Ohio State. All these games were on the road. And a made last play field goal could have made the record 2-1. This was a SMU team prior to the Pony Express class. SMU had some talent (Ford at QB, Tolbert at WR, Choate at LB) but overall it was not the most talented team in SMU history. The team was under 3rd year coach Ron Meyer who was rebuilding SMU football.

This is a long-winded example of the possibility that SMU can do well this year. TT, Baylor and OSU are not the most talented teams in the country. Yes good teams but teams we can play with and beat.

I am ready for some football. It’s Stang Time!

[In Tate We Trust]

Hey NO WAY! -- you have us beating Boise and losing to Tulsa? I'd gladly take the win over BSU, but a loss to Tulsa would be depressing - they're coming off a 1-11 year, they have a new coach .... their rebuilding will take longer than ours.

And as much as I hope SMU whips Baylor, I'm afraid it will be harder than you predict. They've lost a lot of games in recent years, but they're also playing the Nebraskas and Oklahomas and Kansas States of the world. They'll be tough, they have us circled on their calendars and they're big - very big.

Hope your predictions come true. But I'm not betting the rent on them.

[Troup32]

I'll say 6 wins - Baylor, UTEP, San Jose, Tulsa, LaTech and Rice. And if we can knock off TCU in the last game, that would make this a season to remember.
Go SMU!

[LATech]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Troup32:
I'll say 6 wins - Baylor, UTEP, San Jose, Tulsa, LaTech and Rice...</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Better bring your A-game to Ruston, LA this year. Louisiana Tech is 8-1 over the past 2 seasons in Shreveport/Ruston games; 7-1 vs WAC opponents. The 8th win was over Oklahoma State.

See ya on Nov. 8.

[Mustangs35SMU]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by gostangs:
<B>Their fans will actualy show up</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Their fans might show up but dont forget us!! We're bringing a lot of people *from what I hear* so it could be even in numbers of fans there!! I mean if Im making the travel to go see us on the road which Ive only done once in my whole life then I better be pretty confident in the Stangs!! *if ya didnt know Im only a Fresh in HS so Ive only been cheerin on the Mustangs since around uh...93 when I moved to Texas to where my mom was born* But I also can see us getting 7 victories this year!!

Tech- Hopefully can make the game! But I mean No Matter who you are its VERY hard to win in Lubbock and I truely dont see us winning here! Hope for a close game

Baylor-Will be a close game no way about it! We Just better not go in their over confident! and I hope they're not over confident!

OSU- Dont got a very good chance at all but hey theres always a possiblity

Neveda- Should be an SMU win
UTEP- Unless something screws up big time we'll win

San Jose- Better win I dont know what I would do if I had to go through what happened last year again!

Bosie- BSU should kill us just to tell the facts!

Tulsa- BETTER WIN! Or OMG I dont know what Ill do!

La. Tech- Should be a good game. Gonna be a tough one in Ruston! I just gotta remember if I come not to wear my Lobo Hat Ack they'd kill me if I did! Perdicting another SMU Victory!

Rice- Home Team Always Wins Baby!

TCU- Hoping the SMU losing streaks break this year and we go back on top of the series!

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The Pride and Winning Tradition of the SMU Mustangs Will Not Be Untrusted to the Weak Nor the Timid

[OldPony]

I hope all of you optimists are right but 5 wins will be good for this team. Everyone seems to think that our QB is a proven player. We are better off than last year when neither Bartel nor Wallis had ever taken a snap but neither really distinguished himself last year. Bartel has 4 starts under him against some very poor teams (the only good win was LaTech) but the other 3 couldn't get out of their own way and were ranked in the bottom 10. We BARELY beat them. Our DLine is either young or small or both. The only proven performer position is at running back as far as I can see. We have a few others who have distinguished themselves at their position but we can't say that our DEs will be good or our OTs or our LBs or our DBs. With Cunningham back, recievers should be much better but they almost have to be. If this team is better than a 5 win team it will because some freshmen step up big BUT when you rely on freshmen, you're in trouble. Bennett has this going the right way as far as recruiting goes but patience and continuing improvement will be the key for the next 2 years. Lets keep the faith and not go nuts if we get run off the field a few times this year. Baylor is more talented than us and is not a projected win. Funny things happen in football games so don't lose faith but don't be disappointed if we win 5 either.