Texas A&M Officially Out.....

[sacklunch]

According to ESPN and a New York Times article just posted......I'm still skeptical and I'll believe it when I see it

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... conference

*Sorry if this has been posted already. Hard to keep track of what has and what hasn't

[Big Hoss]

Fingers crossed....

[shadowman]

Funny that the Associated Press mentions that SMU is only team to express public interest about joining, in fact they are really the only team mentioned in this AP article.

Am I crazy or does all this seem a bit orchestrated? SMU, uncharactalistically, starts laying the seeds that they want to join the BIG 12. There are even big stories and interviews with Orsini and Turner about what SMU has to offer. Whole thing just seems a bit strange.

Is it possible that the Horns are setting SMU up to be plan B? If they cannot land the big fish they want, they may just say "screw it, lets take SMU, its quick its easy, they will take less money, pay a big entrance fee, have good academics, based in Dallas, like Baylor..would not be a threat on the field, long history with many teams in the Big 12...." Then they tell Orsini and Turner to start building the case for SMU, get out in the media, build momentum, and that way if they need to turn to us, the groundwork has already been set.

To me, this is starting to make sense, our name is being thrown around more and more every day and I could actually see this happening, for the reasons I mentioned above.

[skyscraper]

A&M is gone. So go ahead and believe it.
As for SMU, it all comes down to BYU. If they wanna join, then I can see Big XII stopping at 10 teams.
If they rebuff Beebe, then it gets REAL interesting for SMU.

[Big Hoss]

Even if we DON'T get in at this point, I am digging all the press. Our name needs to be mentioned in the regional and national media as often as possible (assuming all those mentions don't include anything that would damage our reputation).

[Topper]

I think it is very doubtful that the Big 12 has long term plans that include SMU. If anything, we would be a stop-gap member that could hold the thing together until other dominoes start falling and more permanent re-alignment takes place. UT controls the big 12 and they do not want to increase the number of BCS programs in Texas thereby cutting up the recruiting pie into smaller pieces. Neither does anyone else as far as that goes. All of the Big 12 schools improved their recruiting pools when the SWC broke up.

[SMU89]

We will find out Dan's definition of "aggressively"

[Alaric]

Funny that the Associated Press mentions that SMU is only team to express public interest about joining, in fact they are really the only team mentioned in this AP article.

Am I crazy or does all this seem a bit orchestrated? SMU, uncharactalistically, starts laying the seeds that they want to join the BIG 12. There are even big stories and interviews with Orsini and Turner about what SMU has to offer. Whole thing just seems a bit strange.

Is it possible that the Horns are setting SMU up to be plan B? If they cannot land the big fish they want, they may just say "screw it, lets take SMU, its quick its easy, they will take less money, pay a big entrance fee, have good academics, based in Dallas, like Baylor..would not be a threat on the field, long history with many teams in the Big 12...." Then they tell Orsini and Turner to start building the case for SMU, get out in the media, build momentum, and that way if they need to turn to us, the groundwork has already been set.

To me, this is starting to make sense, our name is being thrown around more and more every day and I could actually see this happening, for the reasons I mentioned above.

Very strange for SMU to go public about anything before it happens...a typical SMU press release usually says what's been done, not what we hope to do

[ponyinNC]

as much as I like all the posters on this board, NONE of us know what is going to happen or what other schools or league commissioners are thinking, so I wish these blanket statements like "UT does not want other teams from Texas" would stop.

How do you know that? Do you have Deloss Dodds on your speed dial? Has anyone from UT said that, ever? If so, I'll eat crow, but I'd at least like to see a link or something.

[couch 'em]

I can't imagine R. Gerald Turner sticking himself and the university out like this unless it was either 1. a done deal and this is just prep work, or 2. it's a real possibility of happening and we are trying a last desperate push to get in, or 3. We have no chance, but another conference wants us and this is prep work for that conference (BE, PAC, who knows)

Turner for all his anti-athletics faults, is NOT one to make SMU look like a fool.

[RGV Pony]

I can't imagine R. Gerald Turner sticking himself and the university out like this unless it was either 1. a done deal and this is just prep work, or 2. it's a real possibility of happening and we are trying a last desperate push to get in, or 3. We have no chance, but another conference wants us and this is prep work for that conference (BE, PAC, who knows)

Turner for all his anti-athletics faults, is NOT one to make SMU look like a fool.

agree 100%. Had it been Steve-O only, I wouldnt have given it much thought. But for RGT to be front and center as he has been, not to mention doing a follow-up Q&A for Sunday, gives me more reason to be optimistic.

and, I might add that RGT is not one to make SMU look like a fool...perhaps more important to note, he's not one to make RGT look like a fool in the public eye

[PonyKai]

I think couch 'em and RGV are right.

[leopold]

I don't know what the Big XII is thinking.
But in GT and SO's case, their public statemtents are probably along the lines of acknowledging a common-sense belief amongst their alumni and the public as to where SMU stangs on this issue; i.e. we think we're ready, and we want in.
No doubt many people went to both of them as soon as people found out A&M was trying to leave, and they had to stay in front of the issue. They are out nothing by publically saying so, even if we don't get in, because now we all "know" we are doing something about conference realignment.
Not saying anything about our chances, just saying our admin's stating the obvious doesn't mean much.

[redpony]

leo- tend to agree with you. I have often wondered if the GT-SO announcements was just sort of window dressing to please some of the alums. I have no idea what our chances are but feel they are just as good as a cougar high.

GO PONIES!!!

[smupony94]

I wish they would not specifically mentioned the Big 12, and just stated our ultimate goal was BCS inclusion and we would do what it takes to make it so.