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Now this is an interesting article for all followers of Mustang football:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20894499/site/newsweek/

The end of the article quotes the great W. C. Fields:

[quote]“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,â€

Why would SMU ever quit football. This school could provide one of the great stories in college football history. Even though I never attended the school I supported it since I was a kid. I guess my family did too by putting $ in the tray. SMU just needs to get it's confidence back. They need to play hardball again. I do think they have the players. PB is a good man. I think he has had some horrific times in his life. But he is also a coach. Coaches know that they have to win to keep their job. Just like everyone else. I think this team has problems, mostly due to coaching. But I do think, strangely, they will get their act together and start winning. A win at TCU could be a good start. I do think they will win.

I never said to quit football. Posting ths link as many of other Darth's failed bits is an attempt to handle the situation through humor. After 20 years of wandering in the wilderness, most people have given up, gone away, gone mad, or have chosen to be indifferent. I chose to support the team, but have fun with our situation.

As far as PB, I have always sad that he has a compellng personal story and has always been cordial to me when I have met him. With that said, my signature quote applies, "man's got to know his limitations." -- Dirty Harry.

To those who get upset both on the pro-PB side and anti-PB, remember, we wouldn't be on this forum, if we didn't all care about the Mustangs. (Well most of us). Remember, the future of SMU football is in the hands of a few powerful rich alumns, Steve-O and El Presdente Turner. This forum provides a release valve so we can vent, but the ultimate decisions are way out of hands.

Remember, "you don't know the power of the dark side."

[i]"If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,â€

[quote="Special_Delivery_Smu_Fans"][i]"If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,â€

That's fine, I don't think any body either believes we need to quit or thinks that we ever will, especially given that we just built a new stadium.

As for the numbers, I'm not going to look for them, I'm just going to assume that they favor Rutgers heavily, unless somebody cares to demonstrate otherwise.

Ah, what the hell...I haven't got anything else to do this morning.

Rutgers:
1996-2000
Lost: 44
Won: 11

2007
Rutgers #11 in country

SMU:
1996-2000
Lost: 33
Won: 23

2007
SMU - not ranked in the Top 25

Well, we are the best-worst pass defense in the country. So we're number one. Maybe Orsini's genius is playing out. We'll be such an attractive team for folks to schedule that they'll pay us a lot of money to not only beat us but to have record-shattering performances against us. Heck, if LSU is willing to pay NTSU 700k, and NTSU is giving up a 400k payday at Miami to get shellacked by LSU (seems to be a rational economic decision), think of all the $$$ we could make.

I'm sure we could schedule LSU and Miami, make a cool 1.1 million in two weeks, and ease the athletic budget pain.

Aren't we more attractive than NTSU?

jtstang wrote:That's fine, I don't think any body either believes we need to quit or thinks that we ever will, especially given that we just built a new stadium.

As for the numbers, I'm not going to look for them, I'm just going to assume that they favor Rutgers heavily, unless somebody cares to demonstrate otherwise.

I don't think a "body" believes or thinks...

I guess we get so frustrated by hopes being crushed every yr. Sometimes it's hard to be a fan of SMU. Kind of like the Cubs I guess. I think Orsini has the right mindset. Top 25 in all sports. Having gone to SFSU and lived in San Francisco for many yr.s, the 49ers had the same problem. Then came Walsh and Montana everything changed. Now in Phx. the Cardinals are even in worse shape than either SMU or the 49er's. I doubt the Cardinals will ever change. Being in Phx. I can see how a major college team operates. A team that wins. AZ. St. Univ. wins because they put $ into the program and do not accept anything other than winning. SMU has a better history than ASU. Put the $ in the program, do not accept moral victories, do not accept excuses, do not accept the New Orleans Bowl as a success. It's time to return to the national scene. SMU can do it. I think they will, but not because they accept low standards of success. Willis is tremendous, but needs to have a team around him and a coach that knows how to win. I hope PB can rise to the challenge. If he can't then move on with a new coaching staff.

It's an interesting article. I'd give it a bit more credibility if it had been published in a peer-reviewed journal, which 'Psychological Science' isn't. And whatever happened to the little engine that could? That was one of my favorite stories when I was growing up. You need to believe in yourself and believe you can do it and do everything you can to make it happen. Quitters are just lazy. I don't care if their health is better.

Special_Delivery_Smu_Fans wrote:jtstang I equate moving down from Div 1A or boycotting our team as quitting. But I agree with you, in reality not very many people really want to drop football all together or move down. And many that say they do, are just looking to vent and don't want that to happen anyway.

You are a wise man.

Phxfan wrote:I guess we get so frustrated by hopes being crushed every yr. Sometimes it's hard to be a fan of SMU. Kind of like the Cubs I guess. I think Orsini has the right mindset. Top 25 in all sports. Having gone to SFSU and lived in San Francisco for many yr.s, the 49ers had the same problem. Then came Walsh and Montana everything changed. Now in Phx. the Cardinals are even in worse shape than either SMU or the 49er's. I doubt the Cardinals will ever change. Being in Phx. I can see how a major college team operates. A team that wins. AZ. St. Univ. wins because they put $ into the program and do not accept anything other than winning. SMU has a better history than ASU. Put the $ in the program, do not accept moral victories, do not accept excuses, do not accept the New Orleans Bowl as a success. It's time to return to the national scene. SMU can do it. I think they will, but not because they accept low standards of success. Willis is tremendous, but needs to have a team around him and a coach that knows how to win. I hope PB can rise to the challenge. If he can't then move on with a new coaching staff.

The Cardinals will be good again. They get draft picks, get to attempt to get players from the same pool as everyone else, and have a slary cap. SMU doesn't get any of those things to put it on par with it's peers. Comparing an NFL team to an NCAA team, especially SMU, is apples and oranges.