SMU announces home-and-home games with Missouri State

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

SMU And Missouri State Announce 2025-26 Contests

DALLAS (SMU) – SMU Football has added a pair non-conference contests with Missouri State for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, it was announced on Thursday.

The Mustangs will head to Robert W. Plaster Stadium in Springfield on Sept. 13, 2025, while the Bears will come to Ford Stadium on Sept. 26, 2026.

This will be the first meeting between the two teams.

[ALEX LIFESON]

Why would SMU do a home & home?

[EastStang]

They did it so that they wouldn't have to pay the huge Body Bag fee for these types of games. We are P4 but not making silly P4 money yet.

[Dukie]

They did it so that they wouldn't have to pay the huge Body Bag fee for these types of games. We are P4 but not making silly P4 money yet.

Still seems it should be at least a 2-for-1.

[CA Mustang]

Why would SMU do a home & home?

That's my exact question. A H&H with a new CUSA school?

They did it so that they wouldn't have to pay the huge Body Bag fee for these types of games. We are P4 but not making silly P4 money yet.

Still seems it should be at least a 2-for-1.

No, we should have called Rice or UTEP to see if they wanted to play a game in Dallas. Playing Missouri State on the road makes no sense.

[MDJenkins]

The footbakk program needs a smart donor with a great business mind to stop Hart from making bonehead moves like this. Does David Miller only direct the basketball program and not football?

[Bergermeister]

The footbakk program needs a smart donor with a great business mind to stop Hart from making bonehead moves like this. Does David Miller only direct the basketball program and not football?

Rick Hart is so adept at his job, I am surprised he has not been scooped up by an elite, big time program.

[BUS]

Agree with the above comments.

Hart sending out UT orange parking passes was really smart last year. Boulevard yearly parking pass.
That guy is brilliant.

[Dukie]

No, we should have called Rice or UTEP to see if they wanted to play a game in Dallas. Playing Missouri State on the road makes no sense.

You either pay Rice or UTEP big $ for that Dallas game or you also go to Houston/El Paso. Same with Missouri State. For any of the three schools you can make a case it should be a 2-in-Dallas-and-1-on-the-road bargain; that case is easily the strongest with Missouri State, and I’d have been ok with a 1:1 deal for the Texas schools you mention—especially so with Rice.

[MDJenkins]

The football program needs a smart donor with a great business mind to stop Hart from making bonehead moves like this. Does David Miller only direct the basketball program and not football?

[giacfsp]

Hart sending out UT orange parking passes was really smart last year. Boulevard yearly parking pass.
That guy is brilliant.

You really think the AD has anything to do with parking passes? That kind of decision is made far down the pecking order. Also, my parking passes were green -- was that ...Michigan State green? UNT green?

Does David Miller only direct the basketball program and not football?

He's the chair of the Board of Trustees, but yes, he runs basketball. Other alums are the big donors for football.

[MDJenkins]

Hilarious comment Burgermeister. Hmmm…let me think why our AD hasn’t been poached by a larger school. Could it be that his reputation in the AD community is that of a clown? Please someone make him an offer and take him away. Thank goodness for solid fundraising by RGT and David Miller.

[CA Mustang]

No, we should have called Rice or UTEP to see if they wanted to play a game in Dallas. Playing Missouri State on the road makes no sense.

You either pay Rice or UTEP big $ for that Dallas game or you also go to Houston/El Paso. Same with Missouri State. For any of the three schools you can make a case it should be a 2-in-Dallas-and-1-on-the-road bargain; that case is easily the strongest with Missouri State, and I’d have been ok with a 1:1 deal for the Texas schools you mention—especially so with Rice.

Are you sure it would be big money? UTEP and UTSA have openings in their schedules in '25 & '26 (Rice '26 only). Don't you think they would take a couple of hundred grand to play a game in-state vs. a familiar opponent in a major city where many of their alums reside? Heck, UNT or SHU would jump at the opportunity. But playing a bottom-of-the-barrel CUSA school on the road? If you want to be a big boy, first you must start acting like it.

[orguy]

While UTEP would be a high probability win, not so sure UTSA would be.
Rice definitely would be competitive if not a thriller like last season.
Understand we are recruiting at a high level but its always nice to have a
guaranteed W in back to back years. Have not studied future schedules.
Pointing out a plausable "why". Hart may also be dealing with other internal
constraints that are not public. Too much over reaction in this thread that
rips our AD with limited data.

[Dukie]

Are you sure it would be big money? UTEP and UTSA have openings in their schedules in '25 & '26 (Rice '26 only). Don't you think they would take a couple of hundred grand to play a game in-state vs. a familiar opponent in a major city where many of their alums reside? Heck, UNT or SHU would jump at the opportunity. But playing a bottom-of-the-barrel CUSA school on the road? If you want to be a big boy, first you must start acting like it.

Yes, I’m sure. SMU is now more or less where Duke is. No one is coming to them for a one-off for almost no money. You either pay or you agree to go to their place as well. There is some room to negotiate a 2:1 but not a 1:0 without a paycheck. You also keep saying we’re playing them “on the road.” No, it’s a home-and-home.