2005-2006 Schedules

[jtstang]

As for 06 - I will happily exchange a few fans for a few wins. Then the fans that shart showing up will be our fans instead of borrowing everyone elses.

Don't forget the requirement of averaging 15k per home game to remain in Div-1, starting this year.

[Hoop Fan]

I think we better schedule with the 15,000 butts in seats requirement foremost in our minds rather than short term wins. I know it sounds strange, but I think its truly better to go 5-7 by playing A&M and OK State and averaging 17,000, than it would be to go 7-5 playing Grambling and Wake Forest while averaging 14,999.

[gostangs]

Point is - if you go 7-5 you don't have to worry about less then 15,000 in attendence - it builds on itself. We have tried borrowing the fans of the big school who will stomp us, and it is a miserable short term fix - we need to get our own scheduling foot off of our throat so we can get some air. Everyone looks at TCU as a model for geting out of the gutter -look at their schedule when they were building their program -they understood you have to scheudle some wins - I know that mean we have to dig deep to find them , but Ark St., Grambling, and directional Louisiana's need love too.

[Mexmustang]

Why isn't Baylor a regularily scheduled series? The Baylor game used to be one of the best games of the old SWC. And an easy drive for the fans. Is there a problem?

[93Mustang]

I generally don't have a problem scheduling schools like Oklahoma St., Texas A&M, Tech. and others who will likely pound us, but who generate local interest and fill the stadium. The games I have a problem with are OOC games against teams like Wake and Northwestern who despite being from BCS conferences will generate little local interest and will draw like San Jose St. Making the situation worse, both of these teams will likely beat us - unlike Baylor who we narrowly lost to last season, these two BCS privates routinely win a few conference games making them vastly superior to us. As long as we play in a weak conference (which apparently will be forever), we need to schedule good, regional teams from the Big 12. The only exceptions to this rule should be ongoing series with TCU and potentially adding UNT.

[Hoop Fan]

Point is - if you go 7-5 you don't have to worry about less then 15,000 in attendence - it builds on itself. We have tried borrowing the fans of the big school who will stomp us, and it is a miserable short term fix - we need to get our own scheduling foot off of our throat so we can get some air. Everyone looks at TCU as a model for geting out of the gutter -look at their schedule when they were building their program -they understood you have to scheudle some wins - I know that mean we have to dig deep to find them , but Ark St., Grambling, and directional Louisiana's need love too.

Problem is timing. I would agree that 7-5 will help somewhat in building fans for the following year, but it isnt that much different from 5-7 during the course of the season. People dont start coming out of the woodwork for a 3-2 team as a opposed to a 2-3 team in October. In the meantime, if you average under 15K in that theoretical 7-5 season, your back is to the wall with the NCAA. Its a risk either way, but I personally think its better to play the strong schedule and get some athletes that can compete.

[jtstang]

I think we better schedule with the 15,000 butts in seats requirement foremost in our minds rather than short term wins. I know it sounds strange, but I think its truly better to go 5-7 by playing A&M and OK State and averaging 17,000, than it would be to go 7-5 playing Grambling and Wake Forest while averaging 14,999.

It may be counterintuitive but you are right on the mark--plus if you can get good enough to go 5-7 playing a tougher schedule, you are on your way to making your own fans anyway.

Anybody heard anything on efforts to step up attendance this year, which Copeland alluded to in his column on the official site? I hope there is more to it than his plea to "give SMU another chance." We need some creative marketing ideas and its getting a little late to start brainstorming now.

[Charleston Pony]

As much as I've complained about our attendance woes, I really don't think we are going to have any problem compying with the D-IA requirements. This year, the TTech game alone will practically guarantee that average (assuming 30k for Tech, we need only 45k for the other 4 games). They ran some nice group promotions last year that resulted in decent crowds (I was at the UTEP/Boy Scouts night that drew close to 20k).

As far as future schedules go, the DMN reported not long ago that SMU and UNT were talking about reviving their series. Until things are finalized, we still need to find another game in 2006. I wouldn't be surprised to see UNT replace either Wake or Northwestern or BC on those future schedules. I agree with those who feel a UNT game would be much better attended than any of those other 3 BCS programs. I also agree with comments that we should be pursuing Baylor. Given that TCU will be on the schedule every year after 2006, we should aim to have either Naylor or UNT every year as well. That would still leave one (or two in 12 game years) other non-conference games and if Army/Navy become "affiliate" members of the new CUSA, we may see them on the schedule again in future years. All those games will be well attended and games with Houston, Rice, UTEP, Tulane and even Tulsa should draw 15k or better once we put a competitive product on the field.

[SWC2010]

Speaking of schedules, what's the latest on the rumor of a game with A&M in 05 or 06?

[Mustangs35SMU]

Speaking of schedules, what's the latest on the rumor of a game with A&M in 05 or 06?

Look on the 1st page of this thread

[bubba pony]

keep the boston college game, SMU needs to come up to the North East once in a while. last time I recall was 25 or so years ago when we played Penn State at PS. Navy game wasn't far enough North.
I'm going to the Boston College game. Boston is a great city.
shouldn't BS return the favor and play in Dallas?

[westexSMU]

If Texas A&M is coming here in 2008, will they be willing to play us at Ford or will we have to play them at a larger area stadium like Rice did last year playing Texas at Reliant in Houston?

[Hoop Fan]

If Texas A&M is coming here in 2008, will they be willing to play us at Ford or will we have to play them at a larger area stadium like Rice did last year playing Texas at Reliant in Houston?

Just guessing, but it sounds likes its a 2 for 1, so they probably would not have a say in where the Dallas game is played. I think it has to be played at Ford for it to count for our attendance. I dont think the NCAA is counting neutral site games in attendance averages. Plus, it would nice to have a reason to open the grass overflow seating in the south endzone.

[gostangs]

Plus - we could charge those aggies 35 bucks a ticket and get some of our hard earned tax money back.

[Water Pony]

If we schedule home and away for A&M, why not expand capacity to the 45K projected by enclosing the horseshoe. Think big. We will be a future force and need to plan for it. At some point, we might even become permanent site for CUSA Championship Game in a great city. With the Cowboys going to Arlington, why not?

As Daniel Burnham, the famous architect and city planner, said:

"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir mens' blood."