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There were a lot of posts about the new turf, but I never heard that it was official. Is Ford getting new turf and has Copeland signed off on this expediture? Last I heard was that it APPEARED that Ford was getting new turf, but they hadn't decided which turf.

Further,if it is official, where is the $ coming from? When will the installation be complete?

I had the pleasure of meeting the Ford Stadium groundskeepers last week (and by the way, the existing turf is back in absolute pristine condition – excellent job guys!).

They indicated that getting the new turf was a done deal. They said, "Whatever Bennett wants, Bennett gets" – and I think I'd have to agree with them. If Bennett thinks it's going to help the program, I'm all for it. Although again, the grass looks so fine now I hate to see it go.

They thought an alumni donated the needed money.

I'll never be convinced grass isn't better than turf, no matter what technological advances they've made in turf, in terms of water drainage, injury prevention, etc. But if turf holds up better, and allows SMU to host HS playoff games - thereby getting more recruits on campus - then maybe that is the way to go.

The NFL Players Association has rated it as their favorite turf-that should end any concerns.

The new artificial grass is great stuff and looks even better. I hope that SMU can get this put in our already fabulous stadium.

Kurt

Ok so if we're getting the new turf...when will it be on the field? Next year?

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The Red And Blue Is Back! Let the Pony Pride Ride On The Hilltop!

The fake grass is a terrible idea.

Football was meant to be played on natural grass, and from what I understand, the grass on the field is back in excellent shape.

Well get over cause we really dont have any say in anything they do at Ford Staduim! I totally agree with PerunaPunch! Whatever Bennett wants he should get!

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The Red And Blue Is Back! Let the Pony Pride Ride On The Hilltop!

I heard somewhere it would be installed after spring practice, and before the summer campers arrive.

One good thing about the new turf is that it can be marked in a high quality design such as red or blue endzones and lettering/markings which will make the field look sharper. From my understanding the costs of remarking the old field for every game was astronomical so SMU's field didn't have that polished design look. Any word on how it will be marked. Boise St did something interesting when redesigning their BB court. They had 8-9 computer graphics drafts made of the court with different markings and lettering and let their fans have input on which design would be chosen via their fan forum with hundreds of comments registered. It was a great idea-guess we won't be so lucky? Maybe the webmaster could check on getting access to a computer graphics.

Well, even though I am opposed to artificiall turf, I would love to see us go back to the blue endzones like we had that first game against Kansas. I was told we haven't been doing that since, because all the paint kills the grass below.