The Commitment

[Mickey]

Congratuations to TCU for making the Commitment to Excellence. They have executed it as planned. SMU made a commitment several years ago. The time frame must be 25 years, but we are making steady progress. 20 more years to go.

I remember that week vividly. I heard from several sources about the town hall meeting at Moody. BS spewing from Copeland and endorsed by Turner. Not a word about it after everybody walked out that night other than the invitation I got to attend the meeting 3 days after the meeting occured. Sadly, this was endorsed and supported by Turner. Literally, no futher refernce or accountability after that night. If I were Turner I would truly be embarrassed about our abysmal record and for not holding somone accountable for the promises made that night.

Congrats to TCU. SMU is bush league when it comes to athletics and the Athletic Department is run by buffoons. None of them, especially Copeland, has a passion for SMU. Until that changes, we will continue to have 5 or 6 wins in football as our "goal." And we will be happy with steady progress over the next 20 years until we go to a bowl in maybe 2015.

Way to show us how it is done TCU!

[Pony_Fan]

Congratuations to TCU for making the Commitment to Excellence. They have executed it as planned. SMU made a commitment several years ago. The time frame must be 25 years, but we are making steady progress. 20 more years to go.

I remember that week vividly. I heard from several sources about the town hall meeting at Moody. BS spewing from Copeland and endorsed by Turner. Not a word about it after everybody walked out that night other than the invitation I got to attend the meeting 3 days after the meeting occured. Sadly, this was endorsed and supported by Turner. Literally, no futher refernce or accountability after that night. If I were Turner I would truly be embarrassed about our abysmal record and for not holding somone accountable for the promises made that night.

Congrats to TCU. SMU is bush league when it comes to athletics and the Athletic Department is run by buffoons. None of them, especially Copeland, has a passion for SMU. Until that changes, we will continue to have 5 or 6 wins in football as our "goal." And we will be happy with steady progress over the next 20 years until we go to a bowl in maybe 2015.

Way to show us how it is done TCU!

AMEN!! ~ it is amazing how they got away with the "Committment" and lied to everyone at SMU.

TCU has "committed" to football but after watching their sorry bball team last night, they haven't made steps in that area.

[DallasDiehard]

Happy New Year to you, too, Mickey.

[Stallion]

TCU will soon have almost as many bowl games in one decade as SMU has had in its entire history. Pretty much tells you what you need to know.

[BUTitan]

TCU will soon have almost as many bowl games in one decade as SMU has had in its entire history. Pretty much tells you what you need to know.

What,that their in a crappy conference and don't have a death penalty in their history?

[MustangSally]

Stallion,
That tells me two things:

1) TCU has been much better than us in the past decade

2) Almost HALF of all Div 1a teams went to bowls this year, I'm sure that SMU would have a higher total if they had 28 bowl games each year in the 20's-80's.

[Charleston Pony]

What I remember about the announcement was that the university would contribute $4 mil to the athletics operating budget over a 4 yr period but that our athletic programs (basically football and bball) would be expected to generate revenues from ticket sales to offset that figure going forward. Pretty short sighted of this administration to NOT allow our coaches to recruit from the TOTAL pool of college eligible players that others do if they really expect to field championship teams that might attract more than our forever loyal 1500 fans to buy those available tickets. WQe've all been reading FAR too long about SMU's not accepting certain credits from other schools and not having "athlete friendly" majors.

One of the main reasons we were left behind when the SWC broke up and the BCS was formed is that SMU has struggled to attract a large fan following. I wonder if this administration understands that they have basically lost the last 15 years in terms of building a potential fan base that could help to make SMU relevant again in the world of college athletics? The negative impact of our athletic struggles since the death penalty goes far beyond athletics. As others have said...Just look 30 miles to the west to see what's happened at TCU over this same time frame. It's npt too late to rescue this train wreck, but it's time for a TRUE commitment.

[Hoop Fan]

I must admit it was frustrating watching Tulsa and TCU win bowl games yesterday, each having multiple bowl wins in recent seasons now. I'm definitely jealous, but I dont know if it really should be encouraging or discouraging to us. Apparently, schools like ours can do it at least.

[PlanoStang]

TCU will soon have almost as many bowl games in one decade as SMU has had in its entire history. Pretty much tells you what you need to know.

What,that their in a crappy conference and don't have a death penalty in their history?

Yup, I'm sure UNT will be passing us in bowl game appearances in the
next few years too.

The honor of being in a REAL bowl game has been turned into B.S. like
the UIL has 3, or now maybe upcoming 4 teams from each district
making the playoffs, and banned a true STATE football champion. The
froggies barely beat ISU in a nice stadium in Houston. BFD

The real bowls, and the predecessor to the BCS destroyed another REAL
bowl known as the Cotton Bowl, and created the BCS, or what is really
semi-pro football. We know its semi-pro ball because even Coach
Bennett recently hints from a first hand knowlege that the penalties
levied against SMU, and TCU in the early 80s were VERY BIASED
against private schools. He also hints from first hand knowledge that
EVERYBODY (except RICE who got beat 62-0 regulary) was doing the
CHEATING during the same time.

Probably the CHEATING has increased after our DP since the NCAA can't
levy the DEATH PENALTY to any LARGE school because of the EXPENSE
of the lawsuits they would expect if they gave it too say Ohio State.

The bottom non-BCS-majority almost half of NCAA Div. 1A needs to get
allies from Div. 1AA who want to move up, and convince the rest of the
ALL NCAA schools to vote to kick out the BCS schools. Make playing
a non NCAA school ILLEGAL in ANY sport under ANY circumstances.
Then form a NCAA Division 1A playoff for all national championship
sports that can afford one.

Let the BCS schools get the FB/BB TV money they get now anyway, but
they would be scrambling for NEARBY opponents in all other sports.
They would have to travel in ALL sports to play each other, and become
known as SEMI-PRO athletics.

Guess Copeland's "commitment" doesn't involve raising a little HELL
to bring back COLLEGE football.

[Mickey]

The thought process on this thread is amazing. There are several references to TCU's success being watered down, that they have only been succesful lately, that they barely beat ISU, that all of the BCS schools are cheating, and several references to SMU's past. Very few posts acceptthat SMU has been a loser for the past 20 years, and that it is our own fault.

The bottom line is that, yes, there are more bowls, and we still aren't going. Unfortunately, they keep scores and records TODAY. You don't get invited to a bowl because of your record in 1948.

Down playing TCU's success and criticizing their close win over ISU doesn't make us any better, nor them any worse. This kind of logic is why we don't take action and why we are LOSERS! TCU goes bowling every year and we sit at home denigrating them and making excuses for ourselves. A true sign of a LOSER.

Other schools may be cheating. It is part of the landscape in college football today. Either work with it, work around it, or find a solution like UTEP, TCU, Tulsa, and Central Florida or sit at home during the holdays every year and reminisce about the good old days and the Heisman Trophy of 1948 and the National Championship of 1935. That will sure bring the fans to the stadium.

And then when the top recruits sign elsewhere, rationalize it by thinking that: we are better talent evaluators, we would rather sign lower ranked players with big hearts than the better athletes because they may not have the desire, that the ratings don't mean anything, that the real rankings should be done in five years when the success of the class can truly evaluated. Oh yeah, don't forget to use the standard SMU denial process of listing all of the unranked players that succeeded and all of the ranked players that didn't.

We are like alcoholics. The first step in the cure is to admit that you are one. The first step in to winning, is to admit that you are a LOSER. We have got to get out of this state of denial. Instead we criticize those that are pointing out the reality to the rest of us.

[LakeHighlandsPony]

Copeland is causing Turners legacy to be a good president instead of a great one.

[Metropolis777]

Frog here who posts from time to time.

I want y'all to know this. SMU is on the verge of its triumphant return. I really do believe that the 2006 Iron Skillet game will mean more than it has in 50 years. As I walked with my head hung low from Ford Stadium on September 11, the only shred of hope that I had was that SMU's win would finally trigger their rebirth. Most of the Frog nation has hoped for a long time that SMU football would get good again.

Why? We didn't have a rival anymore. We had a cross town whipping boy. That wasn't any fun and I don't mean that as an insult. It did us no good to have y'all hurting. Honestly, in order for TCU to take our final steps to the top, we need SMU to be good. Your success will help our success and visa versa.

In the weeks following that game, it was depressing to watch SMU constantly snatch defeat from the jaws of certain victory. But, as the season progressed, I watched it really come together. Phil Bennett is building a solid talent base and the team really came together late. Had the team gelled early like it did later, SMU would have gone 9-2 or 8-3, not 5-6. I expect to see SMU dominate CUSA next year. The only team that has the talent to compete with y'all is Tulsa. But, frankly, SMU is from Texas and that's the difference.

The commitment that y'all worry about is finally starting to show up. Congratulations. Y'all are not far away.

[Charleston Pony]

while I appreicate your support, frog...there won't be an Iron Skillet game in 2006 unless we meet in the Ft worth bowl...and to predict SMU will dominate CUSA next year shows you aren't following the teams in CUSA very closely. UCF and Tulsa will field good teams as will USM, UTEP and I expect ECU and Marshall to improve over last year making SMU's challenge every bit of what it was this year. Oh, and I won't even mention we might have to go with a RS FR at QB

[gostangs]

Classic - An opposing fan comes on to point out some positives about the direction of the program and he gets pissed on also.

Part of being a winner is to stop whining about archeology (how long ago was all the cmmittment bs anyway?) and start doing something proactive to be a winner.

He may or may not be successful ultimately, but you have to like Bennett's hardnose attiitude and "just do it" personality. Many on this board whine non stop like a bunch of old women - I will do what I can to help by giving to the mustang club, trying to influence some change in the recruiting area to give us an even playing field, and going to every game I can. I also help by not thowing out negative nonsense about things I don't know anything about, but I guess there would not be much on this board if you cut that out.

[Mickey]

He may or may not be successful ultimately, but you have to like Bennett's hardnose attiitude and "just do it" personality. Many on this board whine non stop like a bunch of old women.

No one on this thread has mentioned Bennett except you. Bennett is not the problem. He is being impeded by others like Turner, Copeland, and the faculty. An example is that it doesn't look like we will sign a JUCO QB. Something Bennett said publicly was one of their top priorities.