Reality Check

[Pugilistic Pony]

Here is SMU's all-time bowl record:

Season Year Bowl Game Opponent W/L PF PA
1924 1925 Dixie Classic West Virginia Wesleyan L 7 9
1935 1936 Rose Bowl Stanford L 0 7
1947 1948 Cotton Bowl Classic Penn State T 13 13
1948 1949 Cotton Bowl Classic Oregon W 21 13
1963 1963 Sun Bowl Oregon L 14 21
1966 1966 Cotton Bowl Classic Georgia L 9 24
1968 1968 Bluebonnet Bowl Oklahoma W 28 27
1980 1980 Holiday Bowl BYU L 45 46
1982 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic Pittsburgh W 7 3
1983 1983 Sun Bowl Alabama L 7 28
1984 1984 Aloha Bowl Notre Dame W 27 20
2009 2009 Hawaiʻi Bowl Nevada W 45 10
2010 2010 Armed Forces Bowl Army L 14 16
2011 2012 BBVA Compass Bowl Pittsburgh W 28 6
2012 2012 Hawaiʻi Bowl Fresno State W 43 10


If my math is correct, 26.67% of SMU's bowl appearances have been under June Jones! Now, remind me again about what a big, bad football power SMU has been, historically speaking. I just don't see it.

My point is that some people's present-day expectations for SMU football seem delusional to me, given our historical record in football. As further evidence, check out our all-time records against our former SWC foes. Where are all these alleged "glory days"? Occasionally, we had a great team, and now and then, we pulled a big upset (or came close). SMU has never been a traditional, consistent football power.

[blackoutpony]

Um, yeah, back in the day, over half of the teams didn't go to bowl games. There were only a few and they mattered

And all those teams we played, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Stanford, Alabama, and Notre Dame seem to matter a lot more today than, Nevada, Army, and Fresno State.

[SMUPhil]

See if you can go ahead and post the end of season rankings for the years you listed above. A bowl game is a bowl game, right?

[SMUer]

More than half of the teams go to bowl games now. That was not even remotely true pre-90s. Only 10 of the current 35 bowl existed before 1990. So Top 20 teams bowled. Only 5 bowls existed before 1960. It'd be interesting to see the number of bowl games per year. Now, basically if you don't horribly suck, you go to a bowl and get a try for a win. Nice try, June-relative.

[Statler]

1968 bowl results
http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1968-bowls.html

1948 bowl results:

http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1948-bowls.html

[Stallion]

there were like 8 bowls when I was young

Cotton
Rose
Sugar
Orange
Gator
Sun
Liberty
Bluebonnett

Tangerine?

[mrydel]

How old is/was the Independence Bowl? That was a bottom of the barrel bowl sometime in yore.

But Stallion and others are right. There used to be a bowl game tied to conference champions and very few others available.

[Pugilistic Pony]

I grant you the point about the current bowl situation. However, you fail to address my main quesion; when was SMU ever a consistent world-beater in football?

P.S. I'm not a June supporter. We sucked so badly this year we didn't even make one of those too-many bowls.

[rlm1951]

It seems you had to win your conference or be in the top 20 to get a bowl invitation back then. Even the lesser bowls, like the Bluebonnet, could be picky.

It was nothing like today where if you win 6 games you get invited .... somewhere.

[Statler]

119 Div I teams in 1968

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_college_football_season

[mr. pony]

disregard

[Treadway21]

Here is SMU's all-time bowl record:

Season Year Bowl Game Opponent W/L PF PA
1924 1925 Dixie Classic West Virginia Wesleyan L 7 9
1935 1936 Rose Bowl Stanford L 0 7
1947 1948 Cotton Bowl Classic Penn State T 13 13
1948 1949 Cotton Bowl Classic Oregon W 21 13
1963 1963 Sun Bowl Oregon L 14 21
1966 1966 Cotton Bowl Classic Georgia L 9 24
1968 1968 Bluebonnet Bowl Oklahoma W 28 27
1980 1980 Holiday Bowl BYU L 45 46
1982 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic Pittsburgh W 7 3
1983 1983 Sun Bowl Alabama L 7 28
1984 1984 Aloha Bowl Notre Dame W 27 20
2009 2009 Hawaiʻi Bowl Nevada W 45 10
2010 2010 Armed Forces Bowl Army L 14 16
2011 2012 BBVA Compass Bowl Pittsburgh W 28 6
2012 2012 Hawaiʻi Bowl Fresno State W 43 10


If my math is correct, 26.67% of SMU's bowl appearances have been under June Jones! Now, remind me again about what a big, bad football power SMU has been, historically speaking. I just don't see it.

My point is that some people's present-day expectations for SMU football seem delusional to me, given our historical record in football. As further evidence, check out our all-time records against our former SWC foes. Where are all these alleged "glory days"? Occasionally, we had a great team, and now and then, we pulled a big upset (or came close). SMU has never been a traditional, consistent football power.

Good try. Have you looked at Mack Brown's record. He won them a National championship and UT fans were ready for him to go. He has a .777 and didn't even have a losing record.

It's not about bowls alone, it is about being competitive and not getting shut out by Houston 1 year after you beat them by 30 points.

We have hashed out the bowl thing before. Getting to bowls at 6-6 and 7-6 in a crappy conference isn't that big a deal especially if you have the June Jone Hawaii thing already going. The only bowl team we played of significance is Pitt in Birmingham.

Plus, If all the 6-5 or better SMU teams thru history had gone to a bowl, we would have gone to plenty of bowls.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mrydel]

You cannot compare the past worlds. We used to be part of the greatest conference in the country. Imagine us then as being in the SEC now. And we were the Vanderbilt of the conference. Not always good but middle of the pack and occasionally we would sneak up and pop the big boys in the mouth. Then we had the Pony Express days where we were dominant. We were not the only cheaters but we paid the price and were sentenced to football hell. When we got out parole, the world of football had changed.

You cannot compare yesterday to today. But I can say that the teams of the 60s, 70s, and 80s were a different level than today because the competition demanded you be that way.

To answer your question, no we have not been a consistent world beater. We really were not a sometimes world beater with the exception of about 5 years, but not many teams are and we are not at the level that we were in the past SWC days.

[mr. pony]

Here is SMU's all-time bowl record:

Season Year Bowl Game Opponent W/L PF PA
1924 1925 Dixie Classic West Virginia Wesleyan L 7 9
1935 1936 Rose Bowl Stanford L 0 7
1947 1948 Cotton Bowl Classic Penn State T 13 13
1948 1949 Cotton Bowl Classic Oregon W 21 13
1963 1963 Sun Bowl Oregon L 14 21
1966 1966 Cotton Bowl Classic Georgia L 9 24
1968 1968 Bluebonnet Bowl Oklahoma W 28 27
1980 1980 Holiday Bowl BYU L 45 46
1982 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic Pittsburgh W 7 3
1983 1983 Sun Bowl Alabama L 7 28
1984 1984 Aloha Bowl Notre Dame W 27 20
2009 2009 Hawaiʻi Bowl Nevada W 45 10
2010 2010 Armed Forces Bowl Army L 14 16
2011 2012 BBVA Compass Bowl Pittsburgh W 28 6
2012 2012 Hawaiʻi Bowl Fresno State W 43 10


If my math is correct, 26.67% of SMU's bowl appearances have been under June Jones! Now, remind me again about what a big, bad football power SMU has been, historically speaking. I just don't see it.

My point is that some people's present-day expectations for SMU football seem delusional to me, given our historical record in football. As further evidence, check out our all-time records against our former SWC foes. Where are all these alleged "glory days"? Occasionally, we had a great team, and now and then, we pulled a big upset (or came close). SMU has never been a traditional, consistent football power.

Lucky for JJ there are what a hundred bowl games these days?
And you can get one by winning half your games, including Ws against the likes of Montana State.
Look where Baylor is now, Schmoopie. Compare that with their historical record. Same with TCU.
I think historically SMU stacked up really well in the SWC, probably the best private in the league.

[sbsmith]

My point is that some people's present-day expectations for SMU football seem delusional to me, given our historical record in football.

You mean wanting a coaching staff that can recruit and expecting to occasionally beat teams that matter is delusional?