Another conference considering SMU?

[RGV Pony]

Well there's the Tenn people Orsini met when he was trying to land that job

[BRStang]

And don't forget, we did play an SEC team in like 1998...

[NickSMU17]

That hiring firm is not a fan of orsini...

[mrydel]

Isn't that Razorback's team going to be there every year now? Or was Hawgs/Aggies a one-time deal?

It is a 10 year contract, but now that they are west division conference mates, it makes them sacrifice a home field game every other year. In the case of Arkansas, they still play 2 games in Little Rock so it could be they lose a Fayettville game every other year and that bothers them. If they could go to a home and home with A&M and still have a way to play in Dallas every so often, it would be a win win for them.

[Comet]

Man, I'm the extreme oddball here (for many reasons). I hate this idea. I get that going to the SEC beats any mid-major assignment (at any level), but I just have a hard time getting up for a doormat assignment. The “well, at least we’re in the SEC” means very little to me.

Well then it's a good thing that there's no bloody chance of this ever happening.

[kull]

if this ever happened.

SMU would only be the doormat of the SEC for a short period of time...with the corporate backing in Dallas, administrations commitment to winning, leverage in recruiting as an SEC member...it would be a less worse than the post-DP win drought.

[RGV Pony]

Well...here is a typical SEC West schedule (Miss St). Plug and play as you please. Auburn, LSU, George, Alabama are ones I would consider basically automatic L's. Arkansas and South Carolina almost as tough. Kentucky, Ole Miss, and 4 non-cons must wins to be bowl eligible I guess

Memphis
Auburn
LSU
Louisiana Tech
Georgia
UAB
South Carolina *
Kentucky *
Tennessee Martin [HC]
Alabama *
Arkansas *
Ole Miss *

[ponyinNC]

Even if this was a remote possibility before, I have to think with Mizzou voting to explore new conferences, SEC is taking them by the end of this week and will stop there.

Now, the real fear is that Big 12 takes TCU, Louisville, WVU, and Cincy and we are invited to a big east with USF, Temple, UCF, Army, Navy, Villanova, and the BB schools. For b-ball, this would be great and a huge step up. For football, I would guess Big East will raid CUSA for UH, ECU, USM, Marshall, ect and we will be an AQ school for a year or two.

Conference food chain====> SEC>Big12>Big East>C-USA>SunBelt

[ericdickerson4life]

UConn is only gone if the ACC comes calling. The only way the ACC comes calling is if the SEC raids them for their 14th. Otherwise, I do not see the ACC going to 16 at this point. The only way that happens is if, say the SEC, goes to 16 or ND grants the ACC a miracle and joins.

[Wuba]

Man, I'm the extreme oddball here (for many reasons). I hate this idea. I get that going to the SEC beats any mid-major assignment (at any level), but I just have a hard time getting up for a doormat assignment. The “well, at least we’re in the SEC” means very little to me.

I understand that sentiment, but it seems contradictory. Isn't the idea to get a chance to be the best possible team and play the best possible opponents? Is your feeling that the teams SMU could produce as a lower tier SEC team would not be as good as the teams SMU could produce as a upper tier Big East or MWC-CUSA merged team? I would think that even if the record on the field was not as good in the SEC, the teams SMU could produce would be better than any other alternative due to improved recruiting resulting from being in the SEC.

It sounds like your would opt for SMU's team being worse, but getting better results due to playing against inferior competition. Am I misunderstanding your position?

And by the way, I am drinking the kool-aid so I do not believe SMU would be doormat of the SEC forever, I think recruiting would jump up dramitcally and narrow the gap.

[ponyinNC]

We will get smoked in bball in the Big East, but at least I could make more away games. Doh will love the recruiting angle though!! Texas kids playing against Nova, G-town, ND, UCONN (if huskies stay), etc.

We can definitely compete in football in this new conference, however, and would probably be the favorite to win. AQ, even if for only a year or two, provides a steep boost in BCS$ and will have us better positioned for the next go-round of realignment.

Your Big East Conference Champion SMU Mustangs. Has a nice ring to it.

[EastStang]

You know when I joked for the last few months about SMU to the SEC, I really believed I was joking, but with every good joke there is an ounce of truth. My premise was and may now be coming true that South Carolina does not want Clemson to join, but may be forced to vote for them. Kentucky would not want Louisville but would be forced to vote for them. Florida may not want FSU, but may be forced to vote for them and so on down the road. UGA/GT, TN/Memphis. Then there's Vandy sitting there and saying, hey, we really want another private school in the league and why not pick one in the DFW market. And LSU, Ole Miss, MSU, Alabama and Auburn who have no kid brothers to worry about, go yeah that makes sense. The powers that be go SMU or TCU? They go, we know that Turner guy, wasn't he at Ole Miss? And Arkansas goes, yeah we like going to Dallas to recruit and Jerry Jones would like us to come more often and SMU is more beatable than TCU. The Aggies go yeah, let's pick a school that we can beat and are in Dallas so we can recruit they and screw over the Whorns at the same time. Suddenly, the idea picks up steam. Also, SMU to the SEC gives them some leverage with Missouri who is playing with their food right now and playing the diva. I agree with others that this is a huge longshot, but there are geopolitical politics and money involved here and our ineptitude of the past may be a selling point. LSU, Arky, A&M, Ole Miss, Auburn, and Alabama would love to not have another meat grinder opponent on their schedule in the SEC. This gives them entree into the DFW market with a school that will be a doormat for a good five years. And if this happens, DeLoss Dodds and Gary Patterson will be in the cardiac ward.

[NavyCrimson]

I think we're all getting a little bit ahead of ourselves with this thread. Time to come back down & let Orsini continue to work behind the scenes & see what happens. We've got UCF coming up & it ain't going to be easy.

[ponyte]

Big X (+II) is looking like it needs a solid market in TX. Makes the most sense for SMU. Adds a huge new market for the Big X (+II) network and access to fertile recruiting grounds. With the recent migration of folks from the rust belt to the Sun belt, the need to go outside the Big X (+II) region is increasing. SEC has a TX connection now. Big East will respect Patterson’s veto and the ACC makes no sense now. Plus the late season trips from snow and cold to Big D has to be an attraction to fans.

[Harry0569]

Think of the money (alums and the ridiculous SEC TV contract) that would roll in.

RGT might blow it all on 100 new fountains on campus.