BCS - Don't need 5 teams for 5 years

[Dooby]

Not so fast my friends. Anybody recall the NCAA rule for maintaining a conference with an automatic bid in the men's and women's basketball tournaments and other tournaments? Isn't that also 5 teams that have played together in the previous year? Hard to have a conference when you can't automatically get a team in March Madness.

with everything that is going on, i would anticipate the NCAA issuing waivers for this.

I was wrong. They have. The link above is an NCAA link; I thought it was BCS. Nevermind.

[goldenstang]

They already issued a waiver for the WAC. This configuration would get one as well.

[ponyinNC]

troubling fact- I am looking on other boards re: realignment and nobody ever mentions SMU...if this is the populist consensus, I really hope we have more PR in the works than just the smu2bcs website.

[Stallion]

I see us mentioned by some but definitely not a majority. In general if the Big East and Big 12 Leftovers unite we may struggle to make it unless they go to 16-then its close. But there would be about 24 schools fighting for those 16 spots and nothing is guaranteed. The best thing that could happen for SMU is for the Big East to survive to the East and Big 12 survive in the Midlands.

[mrydel]

Don't worry about the other boards. Worry about the other board rooms.

[StallionsModelT]

I've said it a thousand times on these threads: If they stop at 64 we are not going to get in. If, indeed the BCS cartel decides to stop at 64 and the other schools go by meekly, I have real doubts about the future of SMU football at the D1A level. Hopefully we can get together with the best of the leftovers but I don't even know that we are in a position to be in the best leftover conference. I'd say its a 50% chance we end up in some kind of CUSA/Big 12 leftovers/MWC collaboration and a 50% chance we end up in a CUSA/Sun Belt/WAC collaboration as well. What if we are in a conference that looks like this?

SMU, Rice, UTEP, UT-San Antonio, North Texas, Arkansas State, Tulane, New Mexico, New Mexico State, San Jose State, UAB, and Middle Tennessee State?

Is that what we really want to do? If this is the case I see that we have two options:

1. Go independent - why the hell not?! As others have said its a last resort to save the program but it might actually generate a little interest from the casual fan if we are able to get legit programs to play us here at Ford. The financial commitment and ramifications of being independent would cripple the entire athletic dept though and would probably be suicide.

2. You don't want to know what option 2 is.

[ponyinNC]

Don't worry about the other boards. Worry about the other board rooms.

good point.

[PK]

troubling fact- I am looking on other boards re: realignment and nobody ever mentions SMU...if this is the populist consensus, I really hope we have more PR in the works than just the smu2bcs website.

Doesn't matter what is said on "fan" boards, it is all speculation and fantasy anyway. What matters is what conference officials think and they aren't posting on "fan" boards. If Orsini is working the phone, and he better be, we won't know the results of that until/if an official announcement is made one way or the other.

[ponyinNC]

I see us mentioned by some but definitely not a majority. In general if we the Big East and Big 12 Leftovers unite we may struggle to make it unless they go to 16-then its close. But there would be about 24 schools fighting for those 16 spots and nothing is guaranteed. The best thing that could happen for SMU is for the Big East to survive to the East and Big 12 survive in the Midlands.

True. I also find it odd that the Big 10 is so quiet right now. They didn't want Mizzou, but they may be forced to take them if the SEC has legit interest. Obviously, their dream scenario is ND, and perhaps they are waiting to see what happens with the Big East. WVU is a puzzle to me also; they want SEC invite but not sure that will be forthcoming. Does ACC take Uconn and Rutgers as a safety net for possibly losing Florida St and/or Clemson? So many moving parts it makes me dizzy.

[ponyinNC]

PK, you are right. Fans no longer matter, and any chatter on msg boards is pure speculation. My only point was that I'd like to see our name brought up more often by the casual fan during this crazy time.

[NickSMU17]

Pretty sure the big 10 isnt going to make moves just b/c everyone else is....the decision to bring in Nebraska was tough for them and that is top 5 program of all time...

Big 10 will count their money and continue to lean on ND.....

[Comet]

troubling fact- I am looking on other boards re: realignment and nobody ever mentions SMU...if this is the populist consensus, I really hope we have more PR in the works than just the smu2bcs website.

We better hope that our SMU alums and allies in political places have some legitimate power.

[StallionsModelT]

Tell Gerald Ford, the Hunt's, the Dedman's, Sewell, etc. that its time to call in any and every favor you have in your back pocket.

[ponyinNC]

Mr. Silve, you have a call from Laura Bush on line 1...

[BrianTinBigD]

I dont expect to see the Big12 or Big East fade away for a while. They have BCS bids no matter what for 3 more years. They can scoop up the strongest players in the MAC/WAC/CUSA/MWC and weaken those conferences enough to prevent them from getting the mythical 7th automatic bid. Plus they have bowl agreements in place to offer up a pretty good deal to the new members all while pocketing the money from the teams that leave. Think about the payments that Baylor/KU/Kstate/ISU are going to pocket. Close to $200million when all is said and done. Next is the TV Contracts that are in place. Fox and ESPN can get out of their Big 12 deal but it will cost them around $400million to get out of that. The other option is keep their contracts in place and keep on paying the Big 12. ESPN and Fox are beholden to the Big 12 for $155million a year for the current tv contracts. Don't expect those contracts to change. Think Baylor was willing to sue the SEC, wait until they go after Fox and ESPN for losing teams to the Pac 12 and the money that was offered to them. Throw in the $35 million in bowl and BCS revenue and I cannot imagine why the Big 12 would ever dissolve.