Expectations

[ASDF]

I really, really like the coach, not so sure I like the price tag.

According to coacheshotseat.com (I do not know if the numbers are legit) SMU has the 15th highest paid coach in America. Ahead of Butch Davis, Les Miles, Steve Spurrier, and Bobby Bowden.

What kind of expectations should we expect/demand over time? My opinion is that by year 3 we need to be in the top 25 for that salary.

Is it wrong to think that for 2 mil. going to the GMAC bowl should be on the low end of expectations.

Just wanted to get other thoughts

[mrydel]

The money has been put up by dedicated boosters to try and get the program turned around. I see no problem with this. Some times rehabs cost a lot more than new construction because of the crap you have to tear down before building back. If the school was having to sacrifice services because of this there could possible be room to argue, but these are very dedicated boosters that are doing this and I am thankful for them. If this gets turned around, and 5 years from now Jones leaves or retires, I would bet in today's dollars we do not have to pay as much for our next coach. If it does not turn around, there will not be enough money for a new coach.

[FWMustangGirl]

The money has been put up by dedicated boosters to try and get the program turned around. I see no problem with this. Some times rehabs cost a lot more than new construction because of the crap you have to tear down before building back. If the school was having to sacrifice services because of this there could possible be room to argue, but these are very dedicated boosters that are doing this and I am thankful for them. If this gets turned around, and 5 years from now Jones leaves or retires, I would bet in today's dollars we do not have to pay as much for our next coach. If it does not turn around, there will not be enough money for a new coach.

What he said.

[huskerpony]

I really, really like the coach, not so sure I like the price tag.

According to coacheshotseat.com (I do not know if the numbers are legit) SMU has the 15th highest paid coach in America. Ahead of Butch Davis, Les Miles, Steve Spurrier, and Bobby Bowden.

What kind of expectations should we expect/demand over time? My opinion is that by year 3 we need to be in the top 25 for that salary.

Is it wrong to think that for 2 mil. going to the GMAC bowl should be on the low end of expectations.

Just wanted to get other thoughts

Les Miles makes well over 2 mil and will get bumped to 3.2 mil if he wins tonight.

Still, I think the price tag was what was needed to get a proven head coach to even talk to us. Over-paying, sure. But we wouldn't have even been talking to Jones, Johnson, Fran, Coker, Neuheisel, etc. if we were paying CUSA level contracts. Isn't O'Leary the only coach making over a million?

[Alaric]

why should we care unless we're in the Circle of Champs?

[ThadFilms]

I really, really like the coach, not so sure I like the price tag.

According to coacheshotseat.com (I do not know if the numbers are legit) SMU has the 15th highest paid coach in America. Ahead of Butch Davis, Les Miles, Steve Spurrier, and Bobby Bowden.

What kind of expectations should we expect/demand over time? My opinion is that by year 3 we need to be in the top 25 for that salary.

Is it wrong to think that for 2 mil. going to the GMAC bowl should be on the low end of expectations.

Just wanted to get other thoughts

Les Miles makes well over 2 mil and will get bumped to 3.2 mil if he wins tonight.

Still, I think the price tag was what was needed to get a proven head coach to even talk to us. Over-paying, sure. But we wouldn't have even been talking to Jones, Johnson, Fran, Coker, Neuheisel, etc. if we were paying CUSA level contracts. Isn't O'Leary the only coach making over a million?

Not anymore

[huskerpony]

I really, really like the coach, not so sure I like the price tag.

According to coacheshotseat.com (I do not know if the numbers are legit) SMU has the 15th highest paid coach in America. Ahead of Butch Davis, Les Miles, Steve Spurrier, and Bobby Bowden.

What kind of expectations should we expect/demand over time? My opinion is that by year 3 we need to be in the top 25 for that salary.

Is it wrong to think that for 2 mil. going to the GMAC bowl should be on the low end of expectations.

Just wanted to get other thoughts

Les Miles makes well over 2 mil and will get bumped to 3.2 mil if he wins tonight.

Still, I think the price tag was what was needed to get a proven head coach to even talk to us. Over-paying, sure. But we wouldn't have even been talking to Jones, Johnson, Fran, Coker, Neuheisel, etc. if we were paying CUSA level contracts. Isn't O'Leary the only coach making over a million?

Not anymore

[TheJumpShooter]

Good topic to bring up.

SMU obviously overpaid but they needed to because the thought among those in the college coaching profession is that the program is a graveyard and dead end.

You are correct, $2 million a year is a helluva lot to pay to go to the GMAC Bowl.

I wouldn't expect a huge turnaround next year. The defense really looks like it will be poorous and SMU has huge holes on the OL. The good news is that Conference USA is terrible, I mean almost as bad as the Sun Belt.

Absolute positive best case for me next year would be 6-6. Gotta get to a bowl year year two and to justify that price, Top 25 in year three.

Another question, how much do you think Jones' hire will help with season ticket sales. After the 2000 season when 10K were sold, sales have been between 4000-4700. Is it realistic to expect to sell 6500 next year? 7500? 10K?

[Techsan]

Wow, those are pretty absurd and lofty goals. Especially the Top 25 bit. It will take a couple of years of conisistent winning to convert voters. There's a lot of history to overcome. Hawaii went 12-0 in the regular season and barely cracked the top 10.

A bowl game in season two is probably realistic. But keep this in mind...Jones took Hawaii from 0-11 to 9-4 in one year. But in year two they were back to 3-9. Optimism is deserved, but don't be delusional.

SMU would have had to pay the money they paid Jones for ANYONE to take that job. While it's a step up facility wise from Hawaii, it's not any better than any other major D-I school.

[TheJumpShooter]

I'm not saying top 25 in three years is realistic at all, just that it would be hard to justify paying a guy $2M a year if he is going 7-5 and taking you to the GMAC Bowl to play Bowling Green or the New Orleans Bowl to take on Florida Atlantic.

[jtstang]

I'm not saying top 25 in three years is realistic at all, just that it would be hard to justify paying a guy $2M a year if he is going 7-5 and taking you to the GMAC Bowl to play Bowling Green or the New Orleans Bowl to take on Florida Atlantic.

There is an air of desparation about all of this and your point is well taken. Hopefully the expenditure will pay off.

[TheJumpShooter]

Understand what you are saying jt, although I'm not sure if I would use the word desparation.

To attract any kind of coach that would make a splash, SMU was going to have to extermely overpay. That it did by paying Jones $1.8-$2 M annually.

Along with that salary will come very lofty expectations for Jones.

[jtstang]

Understand what you are saying jt, although I'm not sure if I would use the word desparation.

To attract any kind of coach that would make a splash, SMU was going to have to extermely overpay. That it did by paying Jones $1.8-$2 M annually.

Along with that salary will come very lofty expectations for Jones.

Well, I guess desperation (I think we both spelled it wrong before) may have a negative connotation, but I don't mean it as such here and I think it is accurate in this instance. The entire manner in which the search was conducted demonstrated it. Orsini took a huge personal gamble to get Jones, and had to spend an extraordinary amount of money in the end to accomplish it. The desperation to become relevant in athletics again has been palpable since Orsini came in, and although I questioned the method to his search stratagy, I am pleased that his desperation led to this result.

[Get_Some_Ponies]

I agree that it isn't anyone's business except the Circle of Champions. Someone asked Turner at the press conference if he thought 2m could have been better spent somewhere else. I say look at the page today and compare the outpouring of support with what you would have if we were announcing a cheaper Coker or Fran today.

[mrydel]

In perspective as an analogy, I am sure that there are still plenty of people in the University Park area that rather than buying a $2,000,000 house and living in it as is, buy the $2,000,000 house, tear it down, and build a $4,000,000 house in its place. At least they were doing that when I was there. So, we have bought the house, are tearing it down, and building it back, but it will appreciate in value as the years pass, and our investment will hopefull reap returns.