Is SMU about to be left behind once again?

[Charleston Pony]

I hope we can think of good ideas and fill the stadium. However, winning championships would help too.

Winning consistently and fielding Top 25 teams would help, for sure...but just remember that even in the Pony Express years we struggled to draw respectable crowds. Other than the game vs Grambling at Texas Stadium, we needed the large public schools of the SWC to help draw more than 30k

[SMU_Alum11]

I hope we can think of good ideas and fill the stadium. However, winning championships would help too.

Winning consistently and fielding Top 25 teams would help, for sure...but just remember that even in the Pony Express years we struggled to draw respectable crowds. Other than the game vs Grambling at Texas Stadium, we needed the large public schools of the SWC to help draw more than 30k

Amen. They really need to target more Texas students that have a desire to support sports. Sadly we have way too many Californians that move back and international students. I think if our football recruiting got taken by the admission office, we would be building a stronger alum base.

I wish SMU in plano worked out but it was an obscure place and didn't have much advertisement.

[JasonB]

1) the sports environment today is 100% different from 1982. You can't compare attendance back then to anything today, the sports and entertainment industry absolutely exploded in the 40 years in between. It is just as laughable as comparing attendance in 1940 to 1980.

2) This isn't about giving away free tickets or whatever. This is about establishing the team as a winning program so that it actually does become Dallas' team. You accelerate that by marketing individual players until the SMU Brand itself can carry the load.

[redpony]

This is about establishing the team as a winning program so that it actually does become Dallas' team. You accelerate that by marketing individual players until the SMU Brand itself can carry the load.

Agree- good example was when LB had winning teams and people scrambled to get tickets to our home games. Back then it was the place to see and be seen. Many celebrities attended the games and that drew even more people.

[well travelled pony]

I hope we can think of good ideas and fill the stadium. However, winning championships would help too.

Winning consistently and fielding Top 25 teams would help, for sure...but just remember that even in the Pony Express years we struggled to draw respectable crowds. Other than the game vs Grambling at Texas Stadium, we needed the large public schools of the SWC to help draw more than 30k

Amen. They really need to target more Texas students that have a desire to support sports. Sadly we have way too many Californians that move back and international students. I think if our football recruiting got taken by the admission office, we would be building a stronger alum base.

I wish SMU in plano worked out but it was an obscure place and didn't have much advertisement.

Uhh, I was California born and raised. Yes, I left Dallas , but have always supported SMU. I was the guy flying in for gamesvto get my Dallas friends to actually go to games. In fact, at present live in Denver area. Went to see SMU Women's soccer. Heck, one of my favorite memories was beating unc in Chapel Hill when I lived there.

Gotta build excitement, and continue what Sonny is doing.

[Water Pony]

Time to think small? Let’s not rush into this “solution” for the Group of Five schools and conferences!

https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-aside- ... 04848.html

[SMU_Alum11]

Time to think small? Let’s not rush into this “solution” for the Group of Five schools and conferences!

https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-aside- ... 04848.html

No no a thousand times no. This is the master plan to create a new division two football. The AAC would be incredibly stupid to do such a thing. Poach the few schools left like Boise St, AF and maybe CSU to develop the rockies market.

That writer is clearly a P5 [deleted]. He want us to be in regional divisions like:

1) Tulsa
2) SMU
3) North Texas
4) UTSA
5) Texas State
6) Rice
7) Arkansas State
Memphis

I will seriously cancel my season tickets if they even remotely entertain this garbage. You would be relegating to division 2 forever.

Pete Thamel you are an idiot.

[shadowman]

Time to think small? Let’s not rush into this “solution” for the Group of Five schools and conferences!

https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-aside- ... 04848.html

No no a thousand times no. This is the master plan to create a new division two football. The AAC would be incredibly stupid to do such a thing. Poach the few schools left like Boise St, AF and maybe CSU to develop the rockies market.

That writer is clearly a P5 [deleted]. He want us to be in regional divisions like:

1) Tulsa
2) SMU
3) North Texas
4) UTSA
5) Texas State
6) Rice
7) Arkansas State
Memphis

I will seriously cancel my season tickets if they even remotely entertain this garbage. You would be relegating to division 2 forever.

Pete Thamel you are an idiot.

After UCF, Cincy, and Houston are gone, I like the above conference much better than anything else that is being proposed.

Remember, the end game here is to get in a big boy conference with the best chance being when the Big12 decides to expand again.

What conference we are in or who we play is secondary to just keeping winning. Claim some conference championships, play in a NY6 bowl. That is the goal, we don't need to worry so much on what the conference looks like because we don't plan to be in it in 5 years.

Just keep winning!

[EastStang]

While winning is important, being in the powderpuff division will not help recruiting, nor will it impress our potential suitors. We need to show that we are battle tested and ready for the next "level". If we can't regularly beat SDS, Boise, Memphis, and the like, we shouldn't be moving up. Our problem is winning history, attendance, size and geography. Being in a conference with four other Texas schools is not great for any of the teams. But if we can start winning and flip the switch on the attendance by becoming Dallas' team, we might have a chance.

[Bergermeister]

What conference we are in or who we play is secondary to just keeping winning. Claim some conference championships, play in a NY6 bowl.

Doubt we will keep Sonny Dykes that long. There will be a P5 comin' for him. He'll be out the door.
As the Soup Nazi says: "NEXT!"

[ponyboy]

I’m not going to bet my life savings on it, but I do tend to believe the rumors that the B12 expects to add four more teams sometime in the next year or two. Our leadership need to be on top of that, as I’m sure they are. In the meantime, yes, just win.

By the way, I don’t want to hear about “bringing up” the likes of UTSA or NTSU again.

[SMU_Alum11]

I'm glad most agree that NTCC and UTSA should NOT be added. The whole architecture of Pete's dream is to end realignment and ensure that we are relegated to Division 2. I completely agree that SMU will not be able to get 4* or above in that mega conference of powderpuffs. We would most likely lose Sonny as well because good coaches want good competition.

Winning is great so long as it's meaningful. Beating up NTCC and similar is not going to attract the Big 12, recruits nor fans and believe it or not we would lose more that have a similar view that if we are Div 2, why bother.

[SMUstang]

Never fear. Thamel’s dream is just that. The traditional top down philosophy/poaching will prevail. There are good teams out there and we won’t have to downgrade. We have good leadership that will insure that. It is possible that the American will eventually come out better off than the Big XII.

[Dark Horse]

My dream scenario is that football has one of those years in which everything goes our way ... and we get a call from the Pac-12

[SMU_Alum11]

My dream scenario is that football has one of those years in which everything goes our way ... and we get a call from the Pac-12

I really truly believe the PAC will never call a Texas team for their political reasons. Most of the time they have their travel banned and would be a nightmare.

Big 12 makes the most sense for us and next best is Big 10 but they won't call. All of our marbles are in the Big12 or bust.