Another one gets away...

[me@smu]

Actually USC has two verbal commitments, however that aside and bearing in mind I have already admitted that I was a little jumpy on that day...

I would be shocked to hear that Bob Stoops didn't sit up and take notice when Texas started getting verbals from all these players.

However we are off topic...Texas Tech stole a player out from under our noses and we have got to start winning those battles if we expect to ever get better.

[MrMustang1965]

For the life of me, I have *yet* to figure out what the attraction is to Lubbock and TT! I guess if you want to swallow dust all the time, it's a nice place to live and go to school.

[DallasDiehard]

Clearly Coach Bennett's son needs to start recruiting harder!

[Dutch]

For the life of me, I have *yet* to figure out what the attraction is to Lubbock and TT! I guess if you want to swallow dust all the time, it's a nice place to live and go to school.

i'm guessing you're referring to the attraction to Lubbock & TT for a football player versus SMU.

1. Televised games (at least 4 UT, OU, A&M, Neb)
2. big numbers if on the offense (and let's face it they obviously don't recruit defense)
3. winning games/winning program

purely from a high school senior's point of view as a competative athlete, which would you rather do, go to SMU or Texas Tech? (and try, as hard as that is, to remove your alumni bias) it's a no brainer.

[PK]

This quote says it all: “I’m really excited about going to Tech and playing in the Big 12 South,” Olson explained. “When you have a chance to step on the field, against arguably the best in the country, you get to test your skills against the best.”

This is why the BCS has made the rest of us second tier. If a high school kid from HP has that attitude, with no thought about getting a great education, think about what the high school kid from any other area in Dallas is thinking. The fact we are even on some of these kid's list is amazing, but the fact that they wind up going somewhere else is not surprising. Even if we were on Stallion's level playing field, we still wouldn't be on the same level field as the BCS schools.

At least we aren't afraid to go head to head with them, but it must be damn frustrating for our coaches.

[Stallion]

what's even more frustrating is getting outrecruited by TCU-BADLY- for 15 out of 16 years. Spin that! 45% of the Rivals' Texas Top 100 and at least 75 high school seniors have already committed before SMU gets its first commitment ain't good news.

[SoCal_Pony]

PK, you are absolutely correct about the power of the BCS.

My problem is that we aren’t even competitive with non-BCS schools.

We were 2-9 all-time versus Fresno State and Hawaii.

Heck, we even have all-time losing records versus San Jose State and Nevada….that you cannot blame on the BCS.

[PK]

SoCal_Pony, I was just stating what should be obvious to everyone, that most of the highly rated HS kids are going to want to go to a BCS school and probably will.

Stallion, for at least the first half of those 16 years we were handicapped by the Pye model as you should know better than anyone. The results of those years spun us so far down into the ground that most of today's recruits know us only as a losing program. That situation is not going to turn around over night.

[DiamondM75]

SoCal_Pony, I was just stating what should be obvious to everyone, that most of the highly rated HS kids are going to want to go to a BCS school and probably will.

Stallion, for at least the first half of those 16 years we were handicapped by the Pye model as you should know better than anyone. The results of those years spun us so far down into the ground that most of today's recruits know us only as a losing program. That situation is not going to turn around over night.

PK, so true. We are trying to climb out of a very deep hole.

[jtstang]

Stallion, for at least the first half of those 16 years we were handicapped by the Pye model as you should know better than anyone. The results of those years spun us so far down into the ground that most of today's recruits know us only as a losing program. That situation is not going to turn around over night.

What about the second half of those 16 years? That ain't exactly overnight.

You're right about one thing--we are seen by top recruits as losers. How do you come back from that reputation?

[DiamondM75]

You're right about one thing--we are seen by top recruits as losers. How do you come back from that reputation?

WIN!!!!!!

[PK]

What about the second half of those 16 years? That ain't exactly overnight.

The second half of that would be Cavan and Bennett and having to recruit to the WAC.

Cavan's experience in recruiting D-1 players was limited to early on in his career. The majority of his experience was in recruiting 1-aa players...the D-1 leftovers. Couple that with his lack of experience in recruiting Texas and that after the Malin incident he never attempted recruiting any more DISD players...the slow deteriation of w/l record is not hard to imagine.

Bennett has had to start from scratch in a way, but he has had the most leeway of any post dp coach in recruiting. He has improved the quality of athlete's we have recruited in general, but the results of that on the w/l record is only now getting to the point it should show improvement due to the experience and depth we will now have. So the jury is still out.

The main problem is that we still are not getting any of the very top rate HS athletes and that relates back to what I said in my original post .

[jtstang]

That's swell, PK. But I've heard that before and I for one am about sick of the same old excuses, explanations, and prognostications of improvement year after year after year, with nothing to show for it except renewed optomism from the same folks for next year.

It really sucks being an SMU fan, and for those who would say begone, SMU doesn't need you as a fan--screw off in advance, bacause I've been following SMU football since the '70s and I am a fan. I know there are folks like yourself, PK, who've been around longer, but I've also got some tenure.

We are in a true vicious circle--cannot shed the loser image without winning, cannot win without better talent, cannot get better talent without shedding the loser image.

[PK]

That's swell, PK. But I've heard that before and I for one am about sick of the same old excuses, explanations, and prognostications of improvement year after year after year, with nothing to show for it except renewed optomism from the same folks for next year.

Sorry jt, we all feel that way as there is absolutely no one who is happy with the past 15 years...but what has happened is fact...not excuses. I'm not so sunshiney as to promise that Bennett is going to be able to change anything. He has I think improved recruiting...whether that impovement is enough or if his coaching ability is enough to get any momentum going in the right direction is anyone's guess. I don't personally have any way to change things, so I am going to support Bennett as best I can until he shows that he is not the one or he gets canned. I refuse to give up on there being better days ahead.

[Crong]

Why do people only hold the head coaches' feet to the fire? There needs to be more focus higher up the ladder. More accountability should be at the ad level and higher.

Some changes were made, but why has it taken so long? When will the athletic dept. feel the effects of these changes? Is it going to be another 15 yrs.?