Risk/Reward

[Phxfan]

I've been thinking about this for awhile. SMU should do the Alabama thing and put up big $. This whole coaching thing is a big deal as we all know.
If you take all the $ SMU has paid to failed coaches, a new stadium, new training facilities and promotions over the last 20 years whats the total. $50-75-100-150 million. I don't know but I'm sure it must be in that range.
What has SMU gotten from this? One winning season? Now looking for a coach that you would not leave your mom or kids alone with. If SMU takes one of these guy's and that guy screws up the consequences could/would be irreparable. The nation would say, there they go again. If SMU were to spend $2 million, $3 million or more to a proven clean guy that has a 90% chance of making this an elite program, would that be worth it? I would say yes from both a practical and financial point of view. Hire Steve Mariucci or someone of that caliber. If this is going to be a turning point then turn. Don't just kinda turn but turn.

[MiMiguys]

I agree with You a 100%. Plus one that Knows how to utilize Talent. Bennett has never known how to do that . If SMU is serious about their Football Team, they will pony-up the money. Get serious about the program.

[jtstang]

Now looking for a coach that you would not leave your mom or kids alone with.

Get off your moral high horse. That's all you talk about. Get the best football coach-recruiting and Xs and Os-and get him to the hilltop. I don't care if he brings a truckload of baggage with him.

[Phxfan]

Now looking for a coach that you would not leave your mom or kids alone with.

Get off your moral high horse. That's all you talk about. Get the best football coach-recruiting and Xs and Os-and get him to the hilltop. I don't care if he brings a truckload of baggage with him.

I'm not on any "Moral" high horse. If you think for a second that SMU could never become a "joke" in college football for another 20 yr.s you are very mistaken. I don't want to see your team end up on CNN, CBS News etc. for some sleazy football scandal. Like I said, I would bet SMU has spent well over $100,000,000.00 on this program and has received nothing but grief in return. So sign someone who won't get us there but will get SMU to start breaking the top ten without people getting nervous about how they did it. A relatively small amount of $ spent now could/would get this train wreck on track. If you don't see that then your blind. (maybe naive)

[jtstang]

If you think for a second that SMU could never become a "joke" in college football for another 20 yr.s you are very mistaken.

Nobody around here would know the difference, and if you don't hire a proven coach, then you've sealed your fate as a joke for the next twenty years!

[Phxfan]

If you think for a second that SMU could never become a "joke" in college football for another 20 yr.s you are very mistaken.

Nobody around here would know the difference, and if you don't hire a proven coach, then you've sealed your fate as a joke for the next twenty years!

I think for 2-3 million you could hire a coach with a proven record but without all the baggage. There is nothing that says SMU must confine it's coaching salary to what the average CUSA coach gets. In the long run it would payback many times over. It does sound kind of outlandish, but SMU is in a unique position. Different from any job in the US. Given the task I would say if you could get Mariucci or someone of that class, SMU would make CBS news, CNN and the rest, for all good reasons.

[George S. Patton]

It's one thing to throw money at a situation. But there better be a plan to compliment this. And this hire better be very detailed oriented about how everything is run from an infrastructure point of view.

Pretty clear the Bennett regime was very poor in that department.

[mrydel]

Lets just do this.

"SMU is considering hiring Coach Gary Barnett. A proven Coach who turned around a losing program at educationally highly regarded Northwestern and had great success at Colorado found himself out of work after scandals occured at Colorado in which Barnett was ultimately found to have no responsiblity personally. Barnett, a disciple of Bill McCartney, founder of Promise Keepers , a highly respected Christian organization, has always earned and held the respect of his players and peers."

Does this marketing statement do better for you or do I need to dig up some scandal, true or not, on Mariuchi to show you that anyone can be accused of anything at any time. What SMU needs is a proven coach, in a similar situation to where they find themself now. Barnett is one that fits that mold. So does Fran.

You can continue to act holier than thou and state everything bad you can read or dig up on a person or you can realize we need to hire the best person for the job that is willing to take it.

[jtstang]

Mariucci already failed miserably trying to turn around Detroit, aka the SMU of the NFL.

[QuikSStang]

Mariucci already failed miserably trying to turn around Detroit, aka the SMU of the NFL.

that's pretty harsh. at least we dont have a genius like millen running the show here

[PhirePhilBennett]

Mariucci already failed miserably trying to turn around Detroit, aka the SMU of the NFL.

Did pretty good in college as I recall

[jtstang]

Ahh, yes the token Italian of the Pac 10. By all means let's bring him on.

[Longtime]

I keep hearing "SMU needs to get serious about football and spend the money...."

There are coaches with million dollar contracts who are fired every year. You don't think A&M is serious about football? They're about to fire their 2 million dollar coach. I'm sure Nebraska's coach makes some serious change. Think Nebraska is serious about football? Baylor (over)paid Guy Morriss a million a year to leave Kentucky. How has that worked out for them?

And there are programs every year that win and go to bowl games that pay much, much less for their coaches. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Phil Bennett one of the highest-paid coaches in C-USA? We're paying serious football money already. Maybe not UT or OU money, but this ain't no community college program, either.

Just wanted to tap the brakes on the money=seriousness philosophy. Spending more money doesn't guarantee the right coach or a winning program. It just gets us to a hire level of applicants. But by overpaying for a C-USA job, we risk hiring someone who will say all the right things just to get that paycheck.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want a program that tries to nickel-and-dime everything. I think it's great if we can offer a salary close to Big 12 South levels. While I'm in favor of paying whatever it takes to get the best coach we can, I don't hold any false illusions that paying a coach a million a year is the answer to all SMU's problems. Let's make a smart hire, not just an expensive one.

[Phxfan]

Lets just do this.

"SMU is considering hiring Coach Gary Barnett. A proven Coach who turned around a losing program at educationally highly regarded Northwestern and had great success at Colorado found himself out of work after scandals occurred at Colorado in which Barnett was ultimately found to have no responsiblity personally. Barnett, a disciple of Bill McCartney, founder of Promise Keepers , a highly respected Christian organization, has always earned and held the respect of his players and peers."

Does this marketing statement do better for you or do I need to dig up some scandal, true or not, on Mariuchi to show you that anyone can be accused of anything at any time. What SMU needs is a proven coach, in a similar situation to where they find themself now. Barnett is one that fits that mold. So does Fran.

You can continue to act holier than thou and state everything bad you can read or dig up on a person or you can realize we need to hire the best person for the job that is willing to take it.

If SMU goes down the Barnett, Fran, road and SMU wins that would be great. If they end in some scandal there is no excuse. Barnett probably got a bad hand dealt to him. But why take a chance? Hell, Hire Jimmy Johnson. He would probably want 10 million or more so that would be going to far. We all have stuff in our closets, but we aren't trying to revive a schools football program. That few million spent now would bring everything this school needs. I honestly think this would be one of the best coaching jobs out here for a guy that knows he can coach and wants another chance. Reviving this program would be huge. Mariucci did great at SF, couldn't get Detroit on the right track and may want to prove something to the world. I have no idea if he would even consider the job, but someone of his caliber would. I just don't think SMU football can survive another scandal.

[EastStang]

I love how people here spend other people's money. Also, many of those big $$$$$ coaches have no clue how to recruit for a school like SMU with its incumbent academic handicaps. If Clemson fired Tommy Bowden for instance, he would be a great choice given what he did at Tulane. Barnett clearly would get it. Willingham with his experiences at Stanford and Notre Dame would understand. Fran would work within the system. But someone like Pat Hill would not have a clue how to recruit for SMU given his historical reliance upon JUCO's and partial to non-qualifiers. And salary is not the sole ingredient of money going to a coach. There are endorsement deals, shoe deals, television deals and the bigger the school and the more exposure they have, the more $$$$ he's going to get. Also, the BCS schools can pay more. If they want someone, they can outbid us without blinking an eye because they have bowl and TV money which is 25 times as large as what we get. So, dream on. Unless you have $15-20 Million sitting in money market to throw at a coach for a five year deal, don't tell other people how to spend their donations.