Did some clicking around to see what legit outlets are talking about us, also.
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ear ... _blog.html
It’s been a long road back for SMU which was crushed by the NCAA’s infamous “death penalty†for massive and extensive NCAA rules violations in the 1970s and 80s. The sanctions nearly wiped the Mustangs off the college football map and it wasn’t until 2009 that they finally returned to a bowl game — 20 years after the penalties were levied against them.
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For a program on the rise whose claim to fame is scandal — and currently serves as an example of the stiff punishment Miami could soon face — a little BCS conference chatter can only be seen as a positive.
CBS Sports
http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs.cbs ... 8/31540333
Now, generally, any school that might have some interest in joining the Big 12 would go about things quietly. Schools would perform their due diligence under the cover of darkness, and through meetings at undisclosed locations.
Then there's SMU. SMU wouldn't mind being in the Big 12, and it's even willing to go to the Dallas Morning News to let the world know.
College Football Talk/NBC Sports
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... th-big-12/
The officials laid out several reasons for SMU’s inclusion in the Big 12 or another BcS conference — the Pac-12? — including a resurgent football program under head coach June Jones; historical ties to one of the predecessors to the Big 12, the SWC; and what the paper describes as leaps in academic rankings and research status.
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Regardless of the pros and cons, SMU appears to be hellbent on going all in on a move up in conference stature, with the public airing of their desires no doubt pleasing the ears of their current conference home.
Houston Chronicle (with predictably snippy comments from the UH crowd)
http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2011 ... in-big-12/
And not really national, but an Oklahoma tv station's take:
http://www.news9.com/story/15335479/smu ... oin-big-12
But the program has been on the rise since the hiring of head coach June Jones. Jones directed the Mustangs to 7-5 regular season records and bowl bids in each of the last two seasons. They won the 2009 Hawaii Bowl to secure their first bowl win in 25 years and played in the Conference-USA title game last year.
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The very public proclamations by both Texas A&M and SMU could turn the competition for the Big 12's eventual opening into a circus. Usually schools remain quiet about such desires until there is something concrete, but A&M and SMU both have made their desires abundantly clear.
