Scheduling 101 Update: 0-48-1

[covok48]

Why not keep TCU, and add UTEP, NMSU, UNM, SO Miss, La-Monroe, Rice, and after rebuilding add teams like Kansas or Wake Forest? We will not be ready for an access bowl for a few years, unless the new coach can work miracles. Plus, many of the teams I mentioned have alums working in DFW. We need W's, experience, and confidence.

those are good suggestions and we need to keep playing TCU for sure. I have no problem with the long term deal with UNT (those who believe we are vastly superior and that it is beneath us to play UNT might have had their eyes opened recently) and while we might want to consider adding a game with someone we can be competitive with as you suggest (I would add La Tech, Texas State and UTSA to that list)), I want to continue playing our old SWC mates because these are measuring stick games. If we EVER want to compete at the highest level in football again, we have to keep scheduling, and eventually beating those teams. Everyone has to remember this year's schedule is loaded because it was designed for SMU to prove it was worthy of a BCS game in the 7th year of JJ's regime.

Playing UNT is a no win situation. If we win we are suppose to win and if we lose it is am embarrassment that hurts local recruiting.

TCU says the exact same thing about us. So we should be careful what we wish for.

College football needs for rivalry games nowadays, even if they are minor ones.

[SMU 86]

UNT is not a rivalry .

[ReedFrawg]

UNT is not a rivalry .

Same thing many tcu fans say about smu. Not being a jerk its the reality. SMU should dumb down the schedule in the short term in order to be unbeaten heading into october. Better for the casual fan to wonder if smu is really any good at 3-0 or 4-0 than to remove all doubt by getting hammered by baylor, aggie, etc....

[sbsmith]

Same thing many tcu fans say about smu. Not being a jerk its the reality. SMU should dumb down the schedule in the short term in order to be unbeaten heading into october. Better for the casual fan to wonder if smu is really any good at 3-0 or 4-0 than to remove all doubt by getting hammered by baylor, aggie, etc....

Dumbing down the schedule will just make our attendance worse with no guarantee of starting 4-0 (unless we schedule a bunch of class 3A teams). Talent is our issue, not the schedule.

[PonySnob]

I will probably get my head bitten off for saying this, but I don't think the defense is that bad. No defense can stand up to having to play 45 minutes a game. We actually looked ok on defense at the beginning against aggie. We are really suffering in the recruiting of o lineman, and that hurts the defense from a practice perspective. We need to be using walkons at wide out like aggie.

Per ESPN, our defense was only on the field for 24 minutes against Aggie.

[dirtysouthpony]

Lies, dammed lies, and statistics. How many plays did our defense play in the first half? How many three and outs. Didn't we actually stop A&M in the first few possessions? I'm not saying our defense is good. I'm saying that against the offenses in the American, our defense will be serviceable against most of the teams. But they need a little help from the offense. These same kids held their own against Cincy and UCF last season. You generally have to run the ball to give your defense any chance. Boston College worked USC with kids that are on the same level as our kids. They accomplished this by running the ball. We need a zone read or pistol installed pronto.

[SMU 86]

UNT is not a rivalry .

Same thing many tcu fans say about smu. Not being a jerk its the reality. SMU should dumb down the schedule in the short term in order to be unbeaten heading into october. Better for the casual fan to wonder if smu is really any good at 3-0 or 4-0 than to remove all doubt by getting hammered by baylor, aggie, etc....

We lost to UNT and UNT is a bad team. How can we dumb down our schedule any worse than UNT? We can't play 4 D1AA teams in non conference.

[sbsmith]

You generally have to run the ball to give your defense any chance. Boston College worked USC with kids that are on the same level as our kids. They accomplished this by running the ball. We need a zone read or pistol installed pronto.

Actually Boston College worked USC with kids that are much better than our kids (OL with nothing but 5th year seniors, QB with track speed, and huge WRs/TEs that block well). Changing the scheme isn't going to suddenly make our limited offensive talent more productive.

[1983 Cotton Bowl]

I have to agree re. getting these Big-12 and SEC schools off the schedule for awhile. The annual September beatdowns are exhausting for both the team and the dwindling number of fans. By the time October 1 rolls around, we usually have to be about perfect for the rest of the year just to make a little bowl.

If SMU is going to build this program, its going to have to cultivate a new generation of fans. With all due respect to people like myself who remember the SWC, that era is now two decades in the rearview mirror and counting. It means nothing to younger fans/players. Getting our asses handed to us week after week just so that we can play our "traditional" rivals and fill our stadium with opposing fans is just no fun. . .and its not going to get this program to the next level. We've tried this approach for years with nothing to show for it. Time for a new approach.

[dirtysouthpony]

You generally have to run the ball to give your defense any chance. Boston College worked USC with kids that are on the same level as our kids. They accomplished this by running the ball. We need a zone read or pistol installed pronto.

Actually Boston College worked USC with kids that are much better than our kids (OL with nothing but 5th year seniors, QB with track speed, and huge WRs/TEs that block well). Changing the scheme isn't going to suddenly make our limited offensive talent more productive.

I guess I missed it. When did BC start signing all of these 4 and 5 star players? They generally sign 2 stars and the occasional 3 star. USC had way more talented kids on their roster. Scheme won this game. Scheme can help this team win a couple of games in the American. Put Davis in. Zone read. Move Naboshoshie and Gentry to TE. Be creative. What could it hurt at this juncture?

[sbsmith]

I guess I missed it. When did BC start signing all of these 4 and 5 star players? They generally sign 2 stars and the occasional 3 star. USC had way more talented kids on their roster. Scheme won this game. Scheme can help this team win a couple of games in the American. Put Davis in. Zone read. Move Naboshoshie and Gentry to TE. Be creative. What could it hurt at this juncture?

You might want to go back and look at BCs actual recruiting classes (transfers too), there's more talent there than you think. Talent won that game just as much as scheme. The zone read isn't some silver bullet that will have us winning games all of a sudden because we don't have the personnel to run it (or any other scheme for that matter).

[sbsmith]

I have to agree re. getting these Big-12 and SEC schools off the schedule for awhile. The annual September beatdowns are exhausting for both the team and the dwindling number of fans. By the time October 1 rolls around, we usually have to be about perfect for the rest of the year just to make a little bowl.

If SMU is going to build this program, its going to have to cultivate a new generation of fans. With all due respect to people like myself who remember the SWC, that era is now two decades in the rearview mirror and counting. It means nothing to younger fans/players. Getting our asses handed to us week after week just so that we can play our "traditional" rivals and fill our stadium with opposing fans is just no fun. . .and its not going to get this program to the next level. We've tried this approach for years with nothing to show for it. Time for a new approach.

Yes it is time for a new approach, we need to start landing legit talent so we can beat legit competition. We're not going to cultivate a new generation of fans by having slap fights with Western Michigan in front of 10K people at Ford.

[Stallion]

Bottom Line: We are never going to be a P5 program unless we can beat a P5 program. Got it? All this crying about getting left behind by the P5 when a bunch of the same crybabies are too acared to play at that level. We have a bunch of Sun Belt level fans who get their kicks from beating the hell out of Montana State and drinking beer on the Boulevard-but Football actually just isn't too terribly important-especially if you can sell your season tickets on StubHub for $150

[floridianstang]

Bottom Line: We are never going to be a P5 program unless we can beat a P5 program. Got it? All this crying about getting left behind by the P5 when a bunch of the same crybabies are too acared to play at that level. We have a bunch of Sun Belt level fans who get their kicks from beating the hell out of Montana State and drinking beer on the Boulevard-but Football actually just isn't too terribly important-especially if you can sell your season tickets on StubHub for $150

Sad but true. Have to agree with Stallion on this.

[1983 Cotton Bowl]

[quote][/quote]Yes it is time for a new approach, we need to start landing legit talent so we can beat legit competition. We're not going to cultivate a new generation of fans by having slap fights with Western Michigan in front of 10K people at Ford.[/quote]

The visual this one conjures up makes me laugh. But I do see your point.