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...only way SMU can finance it tenuous hold on maintaining Big Time college athletics. I've pointed out its a longshot and will get multiple times more expensive in the future as SEC/Big 12/Big 10 teams hit 30-40-50 Million a year in conference distributions per team. SMU's alumni and friends are going to have to finance at least some of the gap and a small Moody capacity mandates financial contributions. Absolutely have to fill Ford and Moody too to have any shot at this-its just the Price of Poker. I'm appreciative to those with deep pockets that are willing to finance this-because it doesn't really make much sense

Stallion wrote:...only way SMU can finance it tenuous hold on maintaining Big Time college athletics. I've pointed out its a longshot and will get multiple times more expensive in the future as SEC/Big 12/Big 10 teams hit 30-40-50 Million a year in conference distributions per team. SMU's alumni and friends are going to have to finance at least some of the gap and a small Moody capacity mandates financial contributions. Absolutely have to fill Ford and Moody too to have any shot at this-its just the Price of Poker. I'm appreciative to those with deep pockets that are willing to finance this-because it doesn't really make much sense

thanks to Miller and friends or this thing wouldn't even have a heartbeat...

I certainly do not mean to take anything away from their incredible generosity. And I know that money is needed in order to play with the big boys.
I just have my feelings about sports.

Stallion wrote:...only way SMU can finance it tenuous hold on maintaining Big Time college athletics. I've pointed out its a longshot and will get multiple times more expensive in the future as SEC/Big 12/Big 10 teams hit 30-40-50 Million a year in conference distributions per team. SMU's alumni and friends are going to have to finance at least some of the gap and a small Moody capacity mandates financial contributions. Absolutely have to fill Ford and Moody too to have any shot at this-its just the Price of Poker. I'm appreciative to those with deep pockets that are willing to finance this-because it doesn't really make much sense

Agreed but would add this.

When you factor in alumni giving + the value of the 'free' advertising, the benefits to P5 schools will approach $100M per year soon enough, it's certainly greater than $30/$40M today.

With a clean slate, SMU & Coog High offer as much if not more than TTech, Baylor or TCU. This is as much a function of the crap-holes that Waco & Lubbock are as anything else.

Those are the 2 main reasons we have made this investment. Hopefully the ACC agrees.

Except that in armpits like Lubbock or Waco people are not tempted away by a mass of pro sports. Those towns have college sports as the biggest sporting base. We will always struggle with that.

I understand SMU not wanting to give up on football w/its historic past. That said, Morris should be it. Fund the guy to get competitive or call it off.

Mustangsabu wrote:Except that in armpits like Lubbock or Waco people are not tempted away by a mass of pro sports. Those towns have college sports as the biggest sporting base. We will always struggle with that.

Pro sports are not the reason for 15k fans. TCU gets 45k in DFW. Took em 10 years....fund Morris, get everyone to the games and we can reach those numbers.

Pony Boss wrote:

Mustangsabu wrote:Except that in armpits like Lubbock or Waco people are not tempted away by a mass of pro sports. Those towns have college sports as the biggest sporting base. We will always struggle with that.

Pro sports are not the reason for 15k fans. TCU gets 45k in DFW. Took em 10 years....fund Morris, get everyone to the games and we can reach those numbers.

Based on? Even during the Pony Express days, attendance was helped by playing Texas and Texas A&M.

Fort Worth people are prouder of TCU than Dallas people are of SMU. Bizarre but true. From what I've read even when we were good in the 80s good attendance was still built on the opposition.

I just hope Chad doesn't throw a fit like June did when he realizes the crowds just aren't going to come. We just have to look forward to what we see on the field not in the stands.

hoopmanx wrote:I understand SMU not wanting to give up on football w/its historic past. That said, Morris should be it. Fund the guy to get competitive or call it off.

Football aint going anywhere.

See: new IPF plans

Mustangsabu wrote:I just hope Chad doesn't throw a fit like June did when he realizes the crowds just aren't going to come. We just have to look forward to what we see on the field not in the stands.

That's my one concern. It'll be quite a shock the first time he brings the team into Ford on game day as even with a probable packed house against Baylor, the atmosphere in the stadium pales in comparison to Death Valley at Clemson.

PonySnob wrote:

Pony Boss wrote:

Mustangsabu wrote:Except that in armpits like Lubbock or Waco people are not tempted away by a mass of pro sports. Those towns have college sports as the biggest sporting base. We will always struggle with that.

Pro sports are not the reason for 15k fans. TCU gets 45k in DFW. Took em 10 years....fund Morris, get everyone to the games and we can reach those numbers.

Based on? Even during the Pony Express days, attendance was helped by playing Texas and Texas A&M.

This aint the Pony Express days.

If SMU can't get to 35 to 40 thousand fans per game then why waste money on trying to be power five? No need to do that and just embrace mediocrity and g5 membership. Tcu numbers are very doable in fact even the waco bears did well in their attendance now that they are somewhat relevant.

East Coast Mustang wrote:

hoopmanx wrote:I understand SMU not wanting to give up on football w/its historic past. That said, Morris should be it. Fund the guy to get competitive or call it off.

Football aint going anywhere.

See: new IPF plans

No one said it was, nor do I want it to, but it should if we can't be successful in the next 5-6 years

The death penalty hurt, but the death of the SWC did more to kill SMU football than anything else. It made us vagabonds looking for a solid place to land. The WAC #1, WAC #2, CUSA, BE, AAC. Nothing really resembling the conference we once had. Unless we get a P5 invite, we will be,like it or not, in a form of 1-AA. Sooner or later those non-P5 schools will look to cost containment like 1-AA did. Once you go down that road, football will still be at SMU, but like football is still at VMI. People forget that in the 1960s, the VMI was Virginia Tech's rivalry game. Now, they no longer play each other because VMI can't compete (unless of course for a body bag pay day).