SMU Football does not have a bright future

[SMU Football Blog]

At this point I'm not sure anything will make SMU Football Blog happy

I want people to be realistic about our schedule as it relates to everyone else's.

I want people to recognize that at the end of the season, the only thing people really look at is your overall record. Nobody really gives an S if you played Michigan close when you win 5 games and sit at home in December.

I want people to recognize that being able to practice in December is incredibly valuable to the development of a program.

I want people to recognize that playing way over your strength multiple weeks at the beginning of the season has rarely, if ever, benefitted any college program. I want people to stop suggesting that as it were an obvious point.

I want people to recognize that scheduling a team now because of some hypothetical day in the future when our Nonconference schedule will help us get into a P5 bowl is nonsense. If that ever becomes a likely problem, we will buy out of a game and replace it LIKE EVERY OTHER TEAM.

I want to defend our schedule rather than have to defend our record.

This is not a new position for me. I have been looking at this since Bennett started. I can pull up 75 years of football and Nonconference records for any team in the country in 90 seconds.

[RGV Pony]

Kind of like the ice cream guys in city slickers who can pair the perfect ice cream to any meal. I like it.

[SMU Football Blog]

We haven't consistently scheduled I-AA teams.

8 in 15 years is consistent, but 7 in 15 years isn't. Got it.

Post-SWC breakup IAA/FCS teams on Schedule:
SMU 8 (not 7)
TCU 10
Tulsa 11
Houston 11
Fresno State 13
Memphis 14

[mrydel]

And to correct Stallion on the Rice game, it was 8 tries inside the 1, but who is counting.

[SMU Football Blog]

Stallion, how many qualifiers do want to put in that post?

[SMU Football Blog]

I have the same goals as TCU has had since 1997.

We don't schedule like they do.

[CalallenStang]

Look at how TCU scheduled as they built their program. Do that. End thread.

Look at how TCU recruited as they built their program. Do that. End thread.

And hire plenty of lawyers to get them out of jail.

Agree, but to ignore how a scheduling philosophy can affect recruiting would not be productive.

A lot of these recruits are winners in high school, even if they didn't go to a mega-large high school. They would rather win than get their heads beat in.

Crawl before you walk.

[Stallion]

Your theory is flawed-no SMU teams have deserved to go to the Toilet Bowl that didn't because of schedule. Those weren't bowl caliber teams.

[PerunasHoof]

At this point I'm not sure anything will make SMU Football Blog happy

I want people to be realistic about our schedule as it relates to everyone else's.

I want people to recognize that at the end of the season, the only thing people really look at is your overall record. Nobody really gives an S if you played Michigan close when you win 5 games and sit at home in December.

I want people to recognize that being able to practice in December is incredibly valuable to the development of a program.

I want people to recognize that playing way over your strength multiple weeks at the beginning of the season has rarely, if ever, benefitted any college program. I want people to stop suggesting that as it were an obvious point.

I want people to recognize that scheduling a team now because of some hypothetical day in the future when our Nonconference schedule will help us get into a P5 bowl is nonsense. If that ever becomes a likely problem, we will buy out of a game and replace it LIKE EVERY OTHER TEAM.

I want to defend our schedule rather than have to defend our record.

This is not a new position for me. I have been looking at this since Bennett started. I can pull up 75 years of football and Nonconference records for any team in the country in 90 seconds.

There are two ways we can get to the 9/10/11/12 win seasons that EVERY poster on here wants (that went to SMU).

1). Build a roster that can compete with any school in the country
2). Build a schedule that allows any roster to achieve that win total.

Or maybe some combination of the two. The way I see it, we are finally dedicating ourselves to building a competitive roster. If we almost beat TCU this year with the current roster, imagine what we can do in a year or two. I don't think anyone on here wants to open up with Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech, and Baylor. But yes, I do think we should play TCU and another Big 12 school every season so we can keep historical rivalries alive, sell tickets, and eventually win them. Fill the other two games how they see fit. Do an FCS and a Sun Belt/CUSA team.

[CalallenStang]

I give up. There is no point in continuing this since we have different goals for SMU football. There is no way we will ever be on the same page.

Not sure about you, but I'd rather be TCU than Fresno State

[sbsmith]

1). Build a roster that can compete with any school in the country

That's what we should have been doing all along. Before the JJ era went to hell everyone was excited about our 2012-2014 OOC schedules because they assumed June would have the talent necessary to compete/win those games.

[StallionsModelT]

There is no excuse for paying a G5 head coach $2M a year and in his seventh year at the helm we look like a D2 program against Baylor, TCU, and A&M. That is abysmal ROI.

[SMU_Alumni11]

In regards to scheduling, if you are going to put a FCS team (which I'm against) then pick the worst one you can possibly get. It needs to be an auto win to get closer to bowl, but there is no reason to find a competitive team. There is no benefit really either way: 1) Win - as expected 2) Lose- become laughing stock of FBS. I think we should schedule (as other numerously said) Baylor and TCU for the rivalry, and tickets. The other two should be against a low rank FBS school (e.g. Kansas) and a average to below average G5 (e.g. UNT). Thats a schedule we should expect every year and to test our coach who is earning one of the top salaries in the G5 pool. Just my opinion in terms of scheduling.

[Stallion]

And to correct Stallion on the Rice game, it was 8 tries inside the 1, but who is counting.

Ha! I thought it might be 8-but I've got to watch my backside sometimes. I first wrote 7 but changed to 6. It was one of the most frustrated games in SMU history

[Charleston Pony]

In regards to scheduling, if you are going to put a FCS team (which I'm against) then pick the worst one you can possibly get. It needs to be an auto win to get closer to bowl, but there is no reason to find a competitive team. There is no benefit really either way: 1) Win - as expected 2) Lose- become laughing stock of FBS. I think we should schedule (as other numerously said) Baylor and TCU for the rivalry, and tickets. The other two should be against a low rank FBS school (e.g. Kansas) and a average to below average G5 (e.g. UNT). Thats a schedule we should expect every year and to test our coach who is earning one of the top salaries in the G5 pool. Just my opinion in terms of scheduling.

You may get your wish next year as we have road games with UNT & Baylor and are at Ford against TCU but need to find another home game. If we do a home/home with someone, the return trip would have to be in 2019 as we have only one road game scheduled that year (at Ark State). Problem is that I think our current TCU series is only firmed up through 2018 and I hope we play them in Ft Worth in 2019 in what would be the 1st year of a new series. So...we are probably looking for a "low level" FCS opponent to come to Ford next year with no home/home arrangement. I suspect we will look to Southland Conference teams.

Those wanting a softer schedule should like 2017 with 3 home games against SFA, UNT & Ark State and a road game at TCU. That should be the year we look for a bowl game from this team. Not saying it's not possible next year, but it will be more of a challenge to find 6 wins and we will probably have to do better than .500 in AAC play to have any chance.