SMU Football "Playoffs" 2006 - "Road to Relevancy"

[ThadFilms]

Okay for all of you, like me, clamoring for Division 1 playoff system, I offer a quasi-playoff scenario... it doesn't end in a national championship, it ends with SMU Football being relevant again. In the vein of last years end of the season push to the humorous Texas Div. 1A-II State Championship, this end of the season ride on the Pony Express is about putting us back on the football map. This is for never having to hear "they still have a team" when earing SMU football paraphernalia. It's the playoffs baby, and we're playing for everything.... yes, even a national championship. You can't one day win it all unless you move yourself up the charts.

Western Division Quarter-Finals -

Houston @ SMU - November 11

Houston marches into SMU on the 11th knowing full well that they are in the driver seat for CUSA West (and frankly CUSA as a whole) supremacy. Flying high off their big win against Tulsa - Kolb and Houston looks to be a formidable foe. SMU of course needs a W to "advance". No moral victories on the "Road to Relevancy".


Western Division Semi-Finals -

Tulsa @ SMU - November 18

Assuming a Tulsa victory over Rice and our getting a W over Houston. Tulsa will come in on the 18th in the exact same position that Houston rolled in with - in the driver seat for CUSA West/CUSA supremacy. This win will more than likely be tougher than the Houston win. Houston could be looking past us, thinking that they have the west sewn up.... whereas Houston blew their opportunity at the west crown once (Houston) they will likely be out for blood. Kragthorpe has his stock as a head coach to look out for as well, with his name be bandied about at several major vacancies. A hellaciously tough game.


The Relevancy Bowl
Western Division Finals

SMU @ Rice - November 25

First of all this game isn't the end of the line for our Ponies by any means.... secondly how can this be the "Finals"? Obviously the proceeding weeks games are much sexier than the Rice game (and hats off to Kragthorpe and Briles for making Houston and Tulsa "sexy" opponents.... okay "somewhat sexy"), but no team can be relevant in college football if they haven't beat Rice at Rice in 20 years. Esp. if you're a team that plays Rice at Rice every other year. Plus, beyond anything else, this is the Relevancy Bowl, because a victory here sends the Ponies to their first ever Conference Championship game (yeah I know that's overstating things a tiny bit seeing as conference championship games are a relatively new thing). Rice is heading in a great direction, and this game could quite possibly have a bowl birth for Rice riding on the game, though that will be a tough road to hoe for them as they have Tulsa and ECU leading up to this one. Again, a win is a must.... the streak of losses at Rice must fall, and the win streak must continue.

But wait.... the Road to Relevancy Playoff run continues!!!!

CUSA Championship Game

SMU vs. CUSA East Champ
December 1st 2006

Okay this is where more than mere relevance comes to play. Should we get here I do not need to tell you folks the significance of this one.

Relevance Super Bowl
AutoZone Liberty Bowl

SMU vs. SEC
December 29th 2006

Should SMU go undefeated all the way along their "Road to Relevance" they will be playing an SEC opponent. A win here might even mean a Top 25 ranking.... It would be hard to imagine a conference champion with a bowl win over and SEC team wouldn't be in the Top 25. However, you could make argument that it wouldn't definitely mean a Top 25 ranking, as we are still so low and what with 32 total bowls.... and one would imagine that all of the top 15 would remain in the Top 25 even with a bowl loss.... but at the very least SMU, would be in that "others receiving consideration" category.

A Top 25 finish would mean that this year's Ponies are beyond relevant. And it would be a heck of an accomplishment for the Freshman who started their careers with an 0-12 campaign. And it would mean great things for next year - as has been noted by some pundits "this team is still a year away from being contenders".... if that's true, then next year.... watch out. Obviously we wouldn't start in Top 25 - but wouldn't it be sweet to march into Lubbock riding a six game win streak, with a Top 25 spot on the line. Yes, that would be sweet. Yes, that would be relevant, friends.


.........

And now that I have taken that little trip into a hopeful future - I will bring it all back around. The points I wanted to bring up in this are -

- obviously a win against Houston or Tulsa, coupled with a win over Rice, and regardless of what happens in our bowl game this season can be considered a success.
- this is fun. Three games left and we still have everything to play for.
- to end last season, we had the "State Championship" push.... this year it's something more.
- it's exciting to look at the last three regular games as playoff.... they are all must wins and they are all going to be exciting.

Now with all that being said..... I'm going to step out of the time machine, and return to what Coach Bennett has been preaching all season. I am going to turn all of my focus on Houston. We must win this game.

Go Ponies!
Beat the Coogs!
(It's the first marker on the Road to Relevancy.)