UT failure in '84 caused SWC breakup??

[mr. pony]

So the DMN thinks UT blowing the national championship in '84 is what caused the SWC to breakup?
What a load of crap.
Giving SMU the death penalty caused the breakup.

That DMN sports department is eaten up with UT.
'Oh, yeah. Just let us win national championships and it will be good for everyone.'

[LonghornFan68]

Yeah, we also caused the tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and Bush administration.

[mr. pony]

Hey, no politics.
GO BUSH!

[LonghornFan68]

/\ Well, you and I no longer have anything to talk about.

[PhirePhilBennett]

/\ Well, you and I no longer have anything to talk about.

The simple fact is: if UT didn't suck throughout the late 80s and 90s, the SWC wouldn't have broken up.

It was aTm and the 7 little sisters for many of those years.

If the SWC would have had 2 marque teams, ARK prob doesn't leave either... that would have been competitive with the Big8, the ACC, and the old SEC, no doubts.

But, when you have the 1+7, it was doomed.

Now, the reason for the 7 is another story (that is, probation, etc).

[Buddha]

Yeah, we also caused the tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and Bush administration.

Your best post since joining the board!
(I mean .... no politics. )

[mr. pony]

You guys do know that the Big 8 initially asked to take on all 8 SWC teams, but UT and A&M said no way.

[EastStang]

There was also the fact that Ken Pye was asleep at the switch when it happened. He believe it was going to happen until it happened despite the fact that Arkansas had already left. I do agree with the premise that had UT been strong in the 80's and 90's Arkansas would not have left. Had SMU not gotten the DP and been able to stay strong, the conference would not have disintegrated. Losing Arkansas was the chink in the armor that gave UT and A&M the will to leave. Lastly, I always heard that UT and A&M were the only schools offered by the Big XII. Ann Richards and Bob Bullock made sure that Baylor and Tech got added to the list.

[SMU Football Blog]

I think it is funny that there was a newspaper article linked to on this board that went into all of this in great detail and interviewed so many people, but no one even refers to it, instead relying on the same BS crap they have heard for ten years and believed because it fits their world view.

The Big Eight never asked about all eight SWC schools. The Big Eight only wanted Texas, and then A&M. Texas originally had dreams about joining the PAC 10). Tech was added and Bullock and Richards strongarmed Baylor into getting an invite (It wasn't that hard; people forget that Baylor was pretty good then, too).

If you want to know what killed the SWC:
1. A&M being real good and really on probation; when they could be in bowls, they lost;
2. Four schools that made no effort to be competitive: SMU, TCU, Rice and Houston (they were the bottom for for years);
3. A general "every man for himself" mentality among the schools that still permeates through the schools today and is not generally shared by other conferences. The other conferences didn't go around turning each other into the NCAA for violations left and right the way the SWC did;
4. Money;
5. Money.

[mr. pony]

A documentary film was presented at the 2002 Dallas Video Festival on the SMU Death Penalty. It was researched and produced by an SMU student, Ochs I think was his name.

He's the one that told me the Big 8 initially asked all 8 SWC schools, but UT and A&M refused that deal.
He did extensive research, and I doubt he made it up.

[EastStang]

Your source's information pretty much goes against every statement that I've ever heard in the last decade about that period from numerous sources in the know. If every SWC team was offered, Bullock and Richards wouldn't have had to strong arm their way into the Big VIII. There was a news story recently that Pye didn't even know that those four schools were leaving until they announced it, despite being warned by the AD that he might want to make a few calls. I do agree that a weak UT was a contributing factor because the SWC was not getting televised as often because the Horns were not winning. If UT had kept strong, Arkansas might never have been tempted by the SEC, and OU and Nebraska might have been lured to the SWC.

[tmustangp]

That DMN sports department is eaten up with UT.
'Oh, yeah. Just let us win national championships and it will be good for everyone.'

well you have to remember that WFAA and DMN is owned by the Belo family and guess what school they back heavily .. thats right
The University of Texas...

thats another reason why they (Dale Hansen) put our guys on live tv when he handed them the letter showing how guilty we were.. I dont' blame Hansen one bit for that, if you were in his shoes you would do the same.. I can guarantee you someone high up at Belo was pushing Hansen to do that.

If yall don't believe me read .. A Payroll to Meet... great book

[Stallion]

Conspiracy theorists unite. Then explain why they did an even more embarrassing live shot of Gerry Oher showing cancelled checks to Kevin Murray showing payoffs he had received from Aggie supporters. They ambushed SMU because they were a bunch of crooks who deserved to be run out of college football. SMU, TCU, Rice and UH deserved exactly what they got.

[mr. pony]

The filmmaker Ochs was saying that INITIALLY the offer was made for all eight SWC teams to join the Big 8 during talks with UT and A&M. They refused to discuss it.

He didn't say Pye or anyone at SMU, TCU, Rice or Houston ever knew about it.

Not sure where he got the info.[/i]

[Stallion]

Hatchell the SWC Commissioner who has a fiduciary duty to all 8 schools was the only one suggesting all 8 schools should join. Remember he always argued this position. The record is clear that the Little 4 were never considered.