First Five Games

[HorsePower]

Why will New Orleans be such a hostile crowd? I would expect that their fans will be grateful to have a city, a school and a team, and be grateful for the hospitality SMU and other schools extended to the Tulane community. They might be loud, but I just don't foresee a lot of hostility, unless there's an element here that I don't know about.

[McClown27]

Sunbelt has a 15% winning percentage in nonconference games. Sunbelt's record against I-AA is under 50% over the last five years. Overall, I-AA teams lose to I-A teams 87% of the time.

If SMU were to lose one of those three games it would be a disaster, but SMU won't lose those games.

Since I graduated, I just haven't heard anything about UNT. Back in the 99-2003 years, I would have thought that UNT was probably better than SMU. If I remember right, they played in a couple of bowls. All of this might just be inflated because of all the Ticket UNT guys like Jub Jub.

[jtstang]

If SMU were to lose one of those three games it would be a disaster, but SMU won't lose those games.

I'm guessing that last year, before the Tulane game, you were equally confident SMU would win.

[SMU Football Blog]

SMU is going to face extremely hostile crowds at Denton and New Orleans(first home game since Katrina) not to mention Lubbock. Through the last 20 years we have rarely even competed well in New Orleans. They are much better than they showed last year as they proved to us. 2-3 is a very possible scenario for those that don't drink the Cool-Aid. Hopefully, we can pull out those games and go 4-1 but I'll say 3-2. But those thinking Denton and New Orleans will be a cakewalk are way off base. As for the Sub-Belt record against Division 1A most of those games were money games against the BCS-care to take a gander at SMU's record against BCS sc hools since the DP-not much better than the Sun Belt and that is reality. SMU is much closer to the Sun Belt than a BCS conference.

Sigh. I love "Through the last 20 years we have rarely even competed well in New Orleans." We've played there 3 times since the DP and went 1-2: 1999, 1991 and 1990. In those three seasons, SMU won six games total; we didn't compete well with anybody those seasons.

Tulane attendance vs. SMU won't be significantly different than their season average for 2004. That is being optimistic, IMO. Recall, the New Orleans population is 1/3 what it was two years ago. The overall student population at Tulane is down 2k; undergraduate is down 1k. Maybe they get some of that back by next season, but not all.

Talk about Sunbelt teams playing money games all you want, but the record is what it is and some of those losses were to teams in our conference and our old conference, too. And you ignore the 50-50 record against I-AA. Look at the Sagarin rankings, the Sunbelt was ranked behind the flippin' Gateway conference; one more nonconference loss and it would have likely been behind the Big Sky as well. The Sunbelt sucks.

[SMU Football Blog]

If SMU were to lose one of those three games it would be a disaster, but SMU won't lose those games.

I'm guessing that last year, before the Tulane game, you were equally confident SMU would win.

Probably not at the time as Tulane had played one game and lost to Mississippi State by a TD. That being said, it was a winnable game and SMU should have won if not for an absolutely pitiful effort. It is Tulane's record after the SMU game is what makes that loss such a freaking embarassment (eight straing I-A losses by an average 17 points).

[mrydel]

My comment was that if we went 3-1 with the loss to TT or 4-0 ( which I do not believe), we would beat Tulane due to momentum and confidence. If we lose to any of the weaker first 3 teams all bets are off for the entire season.

[McClown27]

I stick with my earlier prediction of 4-6 victories. After the first five (I would say 3-2), I am only marking Rice as a probable victory. They don't have any skill players and are moving Joel Armstrong (Mr. SMU Killer) to another position. That game may make us bowl eligible.

I would be happy with 6-6.

[Stallion]

we also had some pretty disheartening performances in New Orleans in the late 70s early 80s. I can still remember Tulane getting about 600 yards on a team SMU fans thought was about to turn the corner. Hell Tulane has even embarrassed us in Dallas on several occasions. This will be an extremely emotional game for Tulane-the first real opportunity for the Tulane community to come together since Katrina-if you can't see the potential for that to be a trap game then you ain't been following football too long. Despite last year-Tulane's program is on par with the SMU program. Watch.

[McClown27]

I think we will be 3-5 or 4-4 in conference.

[SMU Football Blog]

we also had some pretty disheartening performances in New Orleans in the late 70s early 80s. I can still remember Tulane getting about 600 yards on a team SMU fans thought was about to turn the corner. Hell Tulane has even embarrassed us in Dallas on several occasions. This will be an extremely emotional game for Tulane-the first real opportunity for the Tulane community to come together since Katrina-if you can't see the potential for that to be a trap game then you ain't been following football too long. Despite last year-Tulane's program is on par with the SMU program. Watch.

Like mrydel, I think SMU beats UNT, SHSU and Ark. State. I think that momentum propels them into a victory over Tulane. That is my opinion. I am no more worried about the Tulane crowd/team being jacked up than I am UNT; UNT has wanted to play SMU for years and SMU has dodged them. I would have preferred playing UNT at SMU first and I would have preferred not to be Tulane's first game in New Orleans, but Copeland couldn't figure out a way to make either happen. I know the risks involved. I just think SMU comes out on top. Man for man, I think SMU is better than UNT and I have been saying the scheduling for SMU has been killing this team for years, and I think it helps SMU against Tulane.

[jtstang]

That being said, it was a winnable game and SMU should have won if not for an absolutely pitiful effort.

And that is my point exactly. This football team is capable of laying an egg at any minute and has been for as far back as most of us care to remember. An egg or two or three in the first five games is not beyond reality.

[SMU Football Blog]

That being said, it was a winnable game and SMU should have won if not for an absolutely pitiful effort.

And that is my point exactly. This football team is capable of laying an egg at any minute and has been for as far back as most of us care to remember. An egg or two or three in the first five games is not beyond reality.

That is why they play the games.

[GoRedGoBlue]

SMU is going to face extremely hostile crowds at Denton and New Orleans(first home game since Katrina) not to mention Lubbock. Through the last 20 years we have rarely even competed well in New Orleans. They are much better than they showed last year as they proved to us. 2-3 is a very possible scenario for those that don't drink the Cool-Aid. Hopefully, we can pull out those games and go 4-1 but I'll say 3-2. But those thinking Denton and New Orleans will be a cakewalk are way off base. As for the Sub-Belt record against Division 1A most of those games were money games against the BCS-care to take a gander at SMU's record against BCS sc hools since the DP-not much better than the Sun Belt and that is reality. SMU is much closer to the Sun Belt than a BCS conference.

The uncertainty of Tulane and the potential upset by NT make 3-2 an honest prediction.

4-1 is possible, 3-2 probably, 2-3 less likely but possible

[jtstang]

That is why they play the games.

Damn you Blogster, leave me room to argue!

[mrydel]

That is why they play the games.

Damn you Blogster, leave me room to argue!

You are married now. You have given up the right to argue.