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I was listening to college gameday on the ESPN radio on Saturday and Gerry DiNardo (gasp) actually had a good perspective. The topic was NC State, and their coach's performance. DiNardo said that NC State, much like Michigan State, should be happy where there are. Why? Because when you run down the list of the other schools in their conference, ask yourself if each of those schools is doing their job, would NC State be superior to, on a par, or below those schools? For instance, with Michigan State, they would be below Michigan, Iowa, Penn State, Ohio State, above Indiana and Northwestern and perhaps on par with Illinois. That's assuming all those schools are doing their jobs (recruiting, coaching etc.) That means 6-5, 7-5 etc. is about all they could expect (and all that even Nick Saban did at Michigan State).

So let's look at the same thing with SMU. What do you guys think? All things considered, given the city, recruiting base, admissions (a red flag for us), fan support, facilities, where is SMU vs. Conference USA...assuming SMU did everything it was supposed to, and the other schools did everything they were supposed to..

My take:
vs. Tulsa: SMU should be superior to (at least on par with)
vs. Rice: SMU should be superior to
vs. ECU: SMU should be superior to
vs. USM: inferior to
vs. UH: inferior to
vs. Memphis: inferior to
vs. UTEP: inferior to (on basis of ease of transfers; state $$; fan base)
vs. UCF: inferior to (45,000 tickets sold to champ. game in 1 week)
vs. Tulane: on a par with
vs. Marshall: on a par with
vs. UAB: on a par with (facilities at SMU better)

So that's should be superior to 3, on a par with 3, at a disadvantage to 5. That would mean to expect best case just beyond top 5 finish to worse case just out of bottom 5, if everyone (including SMU) does their job. Thoughts?

I follow your comparison except for UH. Even though they are a state school, they don't have a fan base any better than SMU. The locations are both in large cities with good recruiting prospects. I rate them even.

Other schools have broken that code and were not historical winners with built-in advantages:

- Kansas State
- U. of Miami
- Navy
- California
- Oregon
- Louisville
- and, of course, TCU

In a non-BCS conference, which is not necessarily dominated by rich, BCS state schools, SMU can break through, if not dominate, with the right program. We should not be looking for excuses.

I have to bring some thoughts in from Ft. Worth on this subject:

Plain and simple. If SMU is doing everything right, as you say, and clicking they are the best program in CUSA. There are only 4 programs that come anywhere close to being at SMU's level if all things are done right and clicking. They are...

Southern Miss. But, they're clicking every year and I know SMU would be better than them if things were right.

Houston. Because they're in Texas. But, they're a commuter school with an alumni base that will never care because their alumni did not live the experience for 4 years. They just went to classes there.

Rice. Because they're in Texas. But, they're just too small to ever compete.

UTEP. Are they really in Texas? Never mind.


Bottom line. If SMU uses its resources to their full potential and starts clicking, no one in CUSA can stop them.

Sam I Am wrote:I follow your comparison except for UH. Even though they are a state school, they don't have a fan base any better than SMU. The locations are both in large cities with good recruiting prospects. I rate them even.

UH is not a state school.

The University of Houston System is the state's only metropolitan higher education system, encompassing four universities and two multi-institution teaching centers.

The universities include the University of Houston, a nationally recognized doctoral degree-granting, comprehensive research university; the University of Houston-Downtown, a four-year undergraduate university beginning limited expansion into graduate programs; and the University of Houston-Clear Lake and the University of Houston-Victoria, both upper division and master's-level institutions.

The centers include the UH System at Sugar Land in Fort Bend and the UH System at Cinco Ranch. In addition, the UH System includes KUHF-FM, Houston's National Public Radio and classical radio station, and KUHT-TV, the nation's first educational television station.

http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/uhs_info/