60 plays this week

[CenTXpony]

Why not just schedule some really bad teams pre-conference instead of the P5 teams you schedule now? Get some easy wins and some live "practice" as well.

Put an FCS team week 1, Sun Belt week 2, etc. Thoughts?

We do that and Ford would be much emptier than it usually is. Plus those wins wouldn't be as easy to come by as you might think. Talent is our problem not the schedule.

See Montana State.

[malonish]

Then again, UT also has a slew of redshirts and walk-ons who are willing to get the crap knocked out of them every day.

I could walk on and take a couple hits if you like. I'm sure they'd love to hit some ponyfans members

[Krieg]

Why not just schedule some really bad teams pre-conference instead of the P5 teams you schedule now? Get some easy wins and some live "practice" as well.

Put an FCS team week 1, Sun Belt week 2, etc. Thoughts?

We do that and Ford would be much emptier than it usually is. Plus those wins wouldn't be as easy to come by as you might think. Talent is our problem not the schedule.

Yeah, I know what you mean, but the real question is how full the stadium would be if that strategy adds 2-3 wins per year. Say you win 5 this year while losing to the 3 P5s, but you could've win 7 by switching those 3 for easier games. Wouldn't a 7 win team that beat nobody special sell more recruits on the program, thus leading to more wins and better teams, which in turn would lead to more fans in the stadium long term?

Just a thought that I'm not certain of myself, but I've been wondering if that strategy would work. The other benefit is that it teaches your team to win. Teams that know how to win can beat anybody in something like a bowl game.

[JoeKidd]

There were never tackle to the ground practices in fall camp when I played. Lots of hitting, but we never were supposed to go to the ground. Only time full tackle to the ground was allowed was in Spring ball.

You can have a really physical, full-speed, get-you-ready for-game-day practice without bringing people to the ground. Its not only the ball carriers that get hurt when you go to the ground, but also defenders and so even against scout teams in camp and during the season it was just hit, wrap up, drive back and let go.

Early on in the season the last few years we have been outclassed. With that being said last year against Tech we had them, just got screwed by the refs.

[Rebel10]

Gotcha, but then there is also this point:

Then again, UT also has a slew of redshirts and walk-ons who are willing to get the crap knocked out of them every day. We are burning 17 redshirts this year (I know, recruiting), and don't have a ton of walk-ons, so we have to come to terms with that reality as well.

Other thoughts on the subject... apparently we aren't the only ones, for what it is worth:
http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle. ... =209262948
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1706 ... fall-camps
http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/11/15 ... oming.html
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... -a-new-age

One article said that Lane Kiffin eliminated full hitting and now I believe he was eventually fired. Also, I believe Rice and Vandy also hit in practice and they have the same walk on issues as SMU. I think David Baliff has a pretty decent record again June Jones. Some of those articles talk about scaling back on full hitting not stopping it.

[Rebel10]

Why not just schedule some really bad teams pre-conference instead of the P5 teams you schedule now? Get some easy wins and some live "practice" as well.

Put an FCS team week 1, Sun Belt week 2, etc. Thoughts?

We do that and Ford would be much emptier than it usually is. Plus those wins wouldn't be as easy to come by as you might think. Talent is our problem not the schedule.

Yeah, I know what you mean, but the real question is how full the stadium would be if that strategy adds 2-3 wins per year. Say you win 5 this year while losing to the 3 P5s, but you could've win 7 by switching those 3 for easier games. Wouldn't a 7 win team that beat nobody special sell more recruits on the program, thus leading to more wins and better teams, which in turn would lead to more fans in the stadium long term?

Just a thought that I'm not certain of myself, but I've been wondering if that strategy would work. The other benefit is that it teaches your team to win. Teams that know how to win can beat anybody in something like a bowl game.

Well we tried that with Montana St and it was a near disaster.

[ponyte]

Anybody that has participated in an inside drill, which doesn't include tackling to the ground, knows that it is full tilt Bozo hitting. One can hit and hit very hard without tackling. I had two surgeries from one of Bus' "not football" drill (Inside drill).

Seem pretty intense to me even though there wasn't any tackling.

[sbsmith]

Yeah, I know what you mean, but the real question is how full the stadium would be if that strategy adds 2-3 wins per year. Say you win 5 this year while losing to the 3 P5s, but you could've win 7 by switching those 3 for easier games. Wouldn't a 7 win team that beat nobody special sell more recruits on the program, thus leading to more wins and better teams, which in turn would lead to more fans in the stadium long term?

We already know from the last few years that winning 7 games against junk won't sell any fans/recruits on the program. In this city you sell people by beating teams they care about not avoiding them.

[gostangs]

Kreig and I found something to agree on.

I have always said lightening that schedule is a key to our future. would rather be more empty early than totally empty later when we are carrying around 4 losses in the first 5 games and are off the list for everyone to even think about. Then its just a party for the 2,000 who care.

Build the schedule as you build the team. We have seen it the other way for 15 years and it doesn't work. Baylor, TCU, and two stiffs should be as hard as it gets.

[CA Mustang]

Why not just schedule some really bad teams pre-conference instead of the P5 teams you schedule now? Get some easy wins and some live "practice" as well.

Put an FCS team week 1, Sun Belt week 2, etc. Thoughts?

We do that and Ford would be much emptier than it usually is. Plus those wins wouldn't be as easy to come by as you might think. Talent is our problem not the schedule.

See Montana State.

The original point was a "bad" FCS school, not a top 25 school. If you look at the bottom of the Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, Southland and SWAC, there are plenty of bad teams to choose from.

[ojaipony]

Kreig and I found something to agree on.

I have always said lightening that schedule is a key to our future. would rather be more empty early than totally empty later when we are carrying around 4 losses in the first 5 games and are off the list for everyone to even think about. Then its just a party for the 2,000 who care.

Build the schedule as you build the team. We have seen it the other way for 15 years and it doesn't work. Baylor, TCU, and two stiffs should be as hard as it gets.

That's what I have argued, but we go in circles on here.

[mrydel]

The circles are because those of us that promote playing the better teams are not against a couple of lower level games but we want to be able to compete against the big boys. If we could play an A&M or a Baylor and compete, fans might not mind seeing a no name as an opponent. But when you get blown out against the big guys and struggle against the little guys, then butts in the stands are a problem.

[RGV Pony]

The circles are because those of us that promote playing the better teams are not against a couple of lower level games but we want to be able to compete against the big boys. If we could play an A&M or a Baylor and compete, fans might not mind seeing a no name as an opponent. But when you get blown out against the big guys and struggle against the little guys, then butts in the stands are a problem.

Exactly.

As we've said... Things were headed the right way for awhile. Pre-ASU, we still played some no names..and beat TCU, and went out to Lubbock and competed the season before.

[GiddyUp]

In the NFL, tackling has gotten worse. typically they just shoulder some guy like roy williams used to do. It is pretty bad these days.

Kreig, schedules are made sometimes 5-7 yrs ahead. a&m, baylor were not very good back then and they were trying to get attendance up. It backfired. Ideally you play TCU, another decent team and 2 pansies. Now its a diff between a bowl or not and our conference is a little better than Cusa. With all that said, we should be winning the conf or at least runner up every yr with tx talent. There should not be such a disparity in talent level as we have all said 2* vs 4 and 5* with our old conf mates.

[SMUer]

I'd have a hard time supporting SMU if we purposely avoided in-state, former rivals. Self-inflicted irrelevancy...it would be sad.