SMU’s June Jones ranked behind Larry Coker and Dan McCarney

[SMUer]

TCU (pre-B12): Oklahoma, Baylor, Oregon State, Stanford, Clemson, Virginia...

[mrydel]

How many people on this site actually believe we have 10 years to build on these 10 wins seasons of which you speak? Raise your hands. Didn't think so. We need to compete now. We need to recruit now. We need to play up to our competition now. You guys that want to join in with the Sunbelt and new CUSA go cheer for NTSU. I want my team to compete with real football teams. It amazes me that Arkansas State can play the big guys and play them close and beat them every now and then. They have done it while changing coaches 4 times in the past 4 years. But we, in the middle of the top recruiting area in the country need to play a high school schedule to get somewhere. Please go to your games on Friday nights. I want real football on Saturdays.

We do not need to change our schedule for 10 years. We need to change our method of recruiting now. And if that means new blood, which I personally think it does, then lets do it now rather than waiting 10 years to see if your version works and being left behind by everyone else.

[Big12Mustang]

How many people on this site actually believe we have 10 years to build on these 10 wins seasons of which you speak? Raise your hands. Didn't think so. We need to compete now. We need to recruit now. We need to play up to our competition now. You guys that want to join in with the Sunbelt and new CUSA go cheer for NTSU. I want my team to compete with real football teams. It amazes me that Arkansas State can play the big guys and play them close and beat them every now and then. They have done it while changing coaches 4 times in the past 4 years. But we, in the middle of the top recruiting area in the country need to play a high school schedule to get somewhere. Please go to your games on Friday nights. I want real football on Saturdays.

We do not need to change our schedule for 10 years. We need to change our method of recruiting now. And if that means new blood, which I personally think it does, then lets do it now rather than waiting 10 years to see if your version works and being left behind by everyone else.

I am not suggesting 10 years of building up. We do need to recruit now and we do need a new coach, but we are stuck with a coach who just got extended and an OOC schedule that seems like suicide for how we have been performing. At least if we could have worked with the conference so we could arrange some of those games like BU or A&M later in the season like the SEC does, then we might have a slightly better chance of starting off better.

And I do get the feeling that part of the reason we don't beat some of these teams is because of the team's mentality going into the games...being in awe and afraid of A&M/BU and making it a self fulfilling profecy. The kids need to believe we can beat these teams and quit penciling in losses.

[sbsmith]

I am not suggesting 10 years of building up. We do need to recruit now and we do need a new coach, but we are stuck with a coach who just got extended and an OOC schedule that seems like suicide for how we have been performing. At least if we could have worked with the conference so we could arrange some of those games like BU or A&M later in the season like the SEC does, then we might have a slightly better chance of starting off better.

And I do get the feeling that part of the reason we don't beat some of these teams is because of the team's mentality going into the games...being in awe and afraid of A&M/BU and making it a self fulfilling profecy. The kids need to believe we can beat these teams and quit penciling in losses.

We're only "stuck" with June for eight more months. So there's really no need to destroy our OOC schedule to provide cover for a lazy-ass coach that won't even be here next year. With the way we're recruiting this weak OOC scheduling boondoggle has some serious backfire potential. You think losing to Baylor and A&M is bad just wait until you find out that we can't handle random G5 teams either.

[Treadway21]

Baylor isn't SMU
K-State is not SMU
SMU has to play a decent schedule to remain relevant in Texas
SMU averaged 18,000 this year-less than 15,000 of their own fans
We don't have UT, OU, OSU, Tech, K-State, West Virginia on our schedule to strengthen our schedule and fill our seats
We don't sellout our season like TCU
Too many people prescribe remedies for SMU based upon what they think they learned from disparate schools
Nobody gives a damn about playing a [deleted] schedule
a healthy percentage of the increase in interest in SMU Basketball was the national profile of the AAC teams we played this year-then we beat their [deleted] and the momentum was rolling-that's what sbsmith is describing

Yes. The sell outs came after we beat UConn then memphis.

People nitch about our fans didn't fill the stadium against UCF after the TCU game yet think that we will fill the stadium going 4-0 against the Montana States of the world. That is rich.

Work hard, work hard locally, build a team that can compete and is fun to watch and play teams people care about then fans will start to show up. See SMU basketball.

[Big12Mustang]

I'm sure that our conference schedule can generate interest for our fans. I can't wait for Cincinnati and Houston to come play us here so we can avenge our losses and of course USF will be interesting to watch. For away, UCF and ECU will be cool games to watch.

The focus should be on the SMU Mustangs Football Team, not whoever comes and plays us. Yeah we might sell out vs. Big 12 opponents but it will be their fans because people could care less about our team. People are excited about basketball but we played a crap OOC and we lost some games we shouldn't have lost. In 2012 people give crap to our football team for losing to Tulane but I don't hear that for our losses to USF, Houston and Temple...
In 2013 (football) we didn't lose to anyone we were supposed to beat...

[sbsmith]

I'm sure that our conference schedule can generate interest for our fans. I can't wait for Cincinnati and Houston to come play us here so we can avenge our losses and of course USF will be interesting to watch. For away, UCF and ECU will be cool games to watch.

The focus should be on the SMU Mustangs Football Team, not whoever comes and plays us. Yeah we might sell out vs. Big 12 opponents but it will be their fans because people could care less about our team. People are excited about basketball but we played a crap OOC and we lost some games we shouldn't have lost. In 2012 people give crap to our football team for losing to Tulane but I don't hear that for our losses to USF, Houston and Temple...
In 2013 (football) we didn't lose to anyone we were supposed to beat...

I'm 100 percent sure (from over a decade of attending of conference games at Ford) that our conference schedule will generate no interest from any fans that we don't already have. You're right that the focus should be on SMU Football not the opponent but the only way we're ever going to have that kind of brand loyalty is to build a program that can beat relevant opponents. Beating a bunch of junk isn't going to fool anyone in this town and with the changing CFB climate we don't have 5-10 years to [deleted] away on some cowardly scheduling boondoggle.



People are excited about basketball because we're recruiting well (we got two 5 stars coming off of a 15-17 season with horrible attendance) and we beat some legit opponents at home. Enough goodwill has been fostered that people are going to want to come to Moody no matter who we play. You think we'd have that if recruiting sucked and we hid behind a crap OOC schedule only to get exposed in conference play? BTW our basketball OOC schedule is currently being upgraded because we took on a few too many junk teams and that kept us out of the NCAA Tournament.

[Big12Mustang]

I'm sure that our conference schedule can generate interest for our fans. I can't wait for Cincinnati and Houston to come play us here so we can avenge our losses and of course USF will be interesting to watch. For away, UCF and ECU will be cool games to watch.

The focus should be on the SMU Mustangs Football Team, not whoever comes and plays us. Yeah we might sell out vs. Big 12 opponents but it will be their fans because people could care less about our team. People are excited about basketball but we played a crap OOC and we lost some games we shouldn't have lost. In 2012 people give crap to our football team for losing to Tulane but I don't hear that for our losses to USF, Houston and Temple...
In 2013 (football) we didn't lose to anyone we were supposed to beat...

I'm 100 percent sure (from over a decade of attending of conference games at Ford) that our conference schedule will generate no interest from any fans that we don't already have. You're right that the focus should be on SMU Football not the opponent but the only way we're ever going to have that kind of brand loyalty is to build a program that can beat relevant opponents. Beating a bunch of junk isn't going to fool anyone in this town and with the changing CFB climate we don't have 5-10 years to [deleted] away on some cowardly scheduling boondoggle.



People are excited about basketball because we're recruiting well (we got two 5 stars coming off of a 15-17 season with horrible attendance) and we beat some legit opponents at home. Enough goodwill has been fostered that people are going to want to come to Moody no matter who we play. You think we'd have that if recruiting sucked and we hid behind a crap OOC schedule only to get exposed in conference play? BTW our basketball OOC schedule is currently being upgraded because we took on a few too many junk teams and that kept us out of the NCAA Tournament.

Looking at TCU's attendance for the last 10 years, I noticed that they averaged around 20-30k. They only cracked 40K or more in the 2010, Rose Bowl TCU team. 2011 drops back to 35k and only in 2012 with Big 12 teams they rise up to 42k averages. I agree we might see at the best scenario around 23-26k attendance and sellouts vs. P5s. That is a manageable goal that I would like for us to accomplish. It is hard to pack a house with non interesting teams.

Bottom line, attendance will increase once we recruit hard and start bringing in players people want to watch and a team that has a chance to win and compete against the big dogs. Recruiting needs to pick up, but in the meantime we should also not try to schedule Ohio St., Georgia, OU and A&M as our OOC...let's take it down a notch while we recruit and build up a solid squad.

[ponyboy]

As long as we are not in a major conference, we are not going to be able to recruit the DEPTH to compete weekly with those larger conferences. That is why Boise and TCU didn't schedule a lot of hard games. They got to the point where they could compete in an occasional game, but they new they didn't have the depth to compete every week. That is why TCU is getting their [deleted] kicked now that they actually made it into a major conference.

Right. A lack of depth that has exposed them in the Big 12.

[mrydel]

Or maybe the FACT that TCU's team was decimated with drug related suspensions, terminations, and injuries.

[Big12Mustang]

Or maybe the FACT that TCU's team was decimated with drug related suspensions, terminations, and injuries.

You know that was only part of it...TCU did have some depth problems that were exposed with real competition week in week out.

[sbsmith]

Bottom line, attendance will increase once we recruit hard and start bringing in players people want to watch and a team that has a chance to win and compete against the big dogs. Recruiting needs to pick up, but in the meantime we should also not try to schedule Ohio St., Georgia, OU and A&M as our OOC...let's take it down a notch while we recruit and build up a solid squad.

We really can't afford to send the message that we're running away from legit competition. The teams we drop might not want to deal with us in the future and legit recruits will be less likely to sign here. We need to have a legit OOC schedule and build up a solid squad simultaneously. The OOC schedule needs to be used as a recruiting tool to help attract the type of talent we need.

[mrydel]

Well I just wanted to list some fact to go with your speculation.

[JasonB]

TCU (pre-B12): Oklahoma, Baylor, Oregon State, Stanford, Clemson, Virginia...

TCU turned things around at the end of the 90's.

1998 - Iowa State, Oklahoma
1999 - arizona and northwestern
2000 - 1 BCS
2001 - 1 BCS
2002 - 1 BCS
2003 vandy and Arizona
2004 northwestern and Tech
2005 - 1 BCS
2006 Baylor and Tech
2007 Baylor, Texas, Stanford
2008 Stanford, Oklahoma
2009 Clemson, Virginia
2010 Oregon state, Baylor

They realized the mistake in '98. In '99 they chilled it down a little. then went much easier. Once they were firmly established, they started to schedule 2 teams, consisting of a bad team from a major conference (Vandy, NW, Baylor) and a middle of the pack team from a major.

After the program was very well established they upped the ante significantly.

In comparison, this is our non-conference under June:
2008 - 1 BCS
2009 - 1 BCS
2010 - Washington State, Tech
2011 - A&M
2012 - A&M, Baylor, TCU
2013 - Tech, A&M, TCU
2014 - Baylor, A&M, TCU

TCU did not bump to our level of non-conference opposition until they were a very well established program with a decade of winning football.

I'll say it again - in the BCS era, you were competing for an at-large bid. The only way to get ranked high enough to make a major bowl was to have a big non-conference win. Now, that does not apply. If our goal as a program is to get the at large for a major bowl, we just have to be better than the teams in our peer conferences. Playing and probably losing against A&M does us no good if Northern Illinois plays and beats Houston.

[Big12Mustang]

TCU and Utah are the only example of midmajors jumping to the big dog conferences...so I find those examples valid.