5th straight bowl game in 2013

[mustangxc]

6-6 will be a good season considering we play the following schools:

Texas Tech
Texas A&M
TCU
Rutgers
Cincinnati
UConn
South Florida
Houston
Central Florida

We will have to win at least a couple of these games in order to go bowling.

So six years into a coaching regime, the expectation is 6-6? Clearly our goal of being top 25 isn't any closer today than it was when JJ started.....and next year there is a very good chance we will be starting a QB with limited college experience.....

Do you realize we are now in a more competitive conference?

[PonySnob]

6-6 will be a good season considering we play the following schools:

Texas Tech
Texas A&M
TCU
Rutgers
Cincinnati
UConn
South Florida
Houston
Central Florida

We will have to win at least a couple of these games in order to go bowling.

So six years into a coaching regime, the expectation is 6-6? Clearly our goal of being top 25 isn't any closer today than it was when JJ started.....and next year there is a very good chance we will be starting a QB with limited college experience.....

Do you realize we are now in a more competitive conference?

Yes I do, but none of those conference teams we are playing are really "heavyweights" in the college football world........perhaps if we has recruited more players that "BCS" teams had wanted, our expectations could be higher in conference.

[StallionsModelT]

I agree that its depressing we are hoping to go 6-6 in the sixth year of the June Jones era. However, to say we are no closer to Top 25 than we were when JJ started is stupid. An argument can be made that when June took over he was inheriting the worst program in all of college football. The state of the program is far better today than it was then.

[PerunaPunch]

Without June are we still 3-9 and mired in the cellar of CUSA? Only the most blind June-basher could honestly believe our program is at the same level it was when June left the islands.

It seems like the general consensus from those in the know who I've talked to think we'll have a better team than last year but will struggle to get the same # of wins especially with the better competition front-loaded into the first 4 weeks of the season.

I think that with a revamped offense, you have to throw all the stats in the trash and just hang on for the ride. I'm hoping for, but not expecting, big things. One thing is for sure, and that's if we want to go bowling again, we can't lay eggs agains teams like Rice and Tulane this year.

[ponyfan777]

I so agree without Coach June Jones SMU Football today would be nothing!

Go Ponies~

[StallionsModelT]

I think there was a major movement made in 2007 by the university to actually make an effort to win at football. Prior to that we were just wasting everybody's time. We didn't have the administrative, instiutional, or financial commitment needed to win. The powers that be got sick of losing in 2007 and decided if we were going to play football then it might be kind of neat if we tried to win doing it. Hiring June Jones was the catalyst for that movement. At the time Jones was coming off a BCS bowl bid and was considered way above coming to a doormat program like SMU. Getting June Jones to come to SMU was the first step to making a statement that SMU was going to be a competitive football program.

To June's credit, in my mind, he has accomplished what he was hired to do here at SMU. He took one of the worst programs in America and elevated it to a certain level of respectability. We are in a better conference, financially we are in a much better position, and our product on the field is vastly superior to what he inherited. Yes we have hit the 6-6 wall with Jones at the helm, but the man has taken SMU to four consecutive bowl games. That alone is quite an accomplishment.

All of that said, I think this season will say a lot about the groundwork laid down by Jones in previous years. We haven't recruited particularly well at all and we haven't risen to the occasion against teams on the road that we should beat (Rice, Tulane, etc.). There were opportunities in previous years to have that 8, 9, or 10 win season but we couldn't get it done. Remember the enthusiasm around the program prior to the Southern Miss game a few years ago? We were 5-1 and on the verge of Top 25 consideration. We went out and got our doors blown off. Those kind of losses shouldn't be happening this far into Jones' tenure at SMU. What is going to happen when we have a road schedule far superior to our C-USA road schedule? Will we be CONSISTENT in our effort and execution? There hasn't been an indication that we can do that under Jones.

If we go 8-4 this season, Jones deserves an extension. Anything less than that and I think we are sending the message that mediocrity is acceptable. However, like I previously stated, there is a zero percent chance SMU fires June Jones if he wins 6 or 7 games. Most likely he doesn't get fired if we win 5 games. For him to get fired SMU would have to endure a disaster season of 3-9 or worse. However, the SMU job is a far more attractive job now than it was when Jones took over.

[ponyinNC]

Without June are we still 3-9 and mired in the cellar of CUSA? Only the most blind June-basher could honestly believe our program is at the same level it was when June left the islands.

It seems like the general consensus from those in the know who I've talked to think we'll have a better team than last year but will struggle to get the same # of wins especially with the better competition front-loaded into the first 4 weeks of the season.

I think that with a revamped offense, you have to throw all the stats in the trash and just hang on for the ride. I'm hoping for, but not expecting, big things. One thing is for sure, and that's if we want to go bowling again, we can't lay eggs agains teams like Rice and Tulane this year.

We don't play Rice and Tulane this year...unfortunately.

If we lay eggs, it will be against Montana St and Memphis/Temple. Those are likely the only games we are favored to win. Maybe Houston if they tank this year.

[PK]

Everyone keeps talking about whether or not June will get fired. Is there not a possibility that he is ready to hang it up, be rid of our lack luster fans, and just go back to Hawaii and enjoy his millions. Having said that, I must say I was totally surprised when it was told that he helped persuade LB to come to SMU. Almost made it seem like he likes it here. Go figure.

[AusTxPony]

" I think we are sending the message that mediocrity is acceptable"
I doubt that ANY fan or player or coach believes that mediocrity is acceptable. The only thing it's better than, is losing and not going bowling. Saying we fans are happy with mediocrity is not acceptable.

[StallionsModelT]

June is being paid like a drunk Saudi sultan to win 6 games a year in a bad conference. He has about two million reasons to put up with our lackluster fans.

[PlanoStang]

Mediocrity (middle of the pack) is very acceptable at this point. We've come from the worst to
nearing the top of non BCS schools. That non BCS status is a major league handicap to
recruiting.

[ponyboy]

Right. Here's how it works for me. JJ has been golden getting us to where we are. Just golden. To think otherwise is to forget just how awful we were, a college football laughingstock for two DECADES

I am thankful for all he's done for this program. He accomplished what we asked him to accomplish -- nothing more, nothing less

But if he doesn't step it up to the next level and compete for an AAC championship and at least get some top 25 votes this year, seems to me we need to move on if at all contractually or otherwise possible

[PlanoStang]

With our early schedule, we probably won't be getting many top 25 votes this year. Texas
Football has us #2 in the AAC, but I don't think we're quite there yet. Strict time schedules
don't work well in the stock market, and college athletics where you granulate all your great
players after 4 or 5 years.

[StallionsModelT]

One thing to consider about this schedule is that we have THREE bye weeks. One prior to the A&M game, another prior to Memphis, and finally another prior to Cincinnati. This could be a tremendous advantage for us in getting guys healthy and keeping guys fresh as we progress through the season. Three bye weeks. Crazy.

[Stallion]

Rossley won 5, Cavan a winning record at 6-5 and Phil Bennett 6-6 all playing with 2 hands tied behind their back. You have to be pretty clueless to not realize that June Jones (and now Larry Brown) are being allowed to enroll a totally different academic type into this school. The only recruits that aren't getting in are ones with NCAA qualificationj issues-not SMU admission issues. Of course, this program should be significantly better now. There are probably 20 starters during June's years that would not have ever been admitted to SMU under the old Model. All prior SMU Coaches since the Death Penalty could get to 7-5 with a bowl opportunity under the present system. This June worship is nauseating. Thank the people who got the Model changed because that's been the difference. The fact is neither Coach would have taken the job in the first place coaching under the prior model.