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I saw a story about UAB Football being in danger of folding after 2016 today (http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... m-growing/), and the reference to the University of the Pacific got me to do a little Google research on other schools that have reached a point of no return. The link below is to an article from 2005 that looks back on when the program dropped football completely from the D-1 level 10 years prior.

I realize that there is supposedly a "commitment" to the program here, but read this article and take a look at the similarities in the situation at SMU right now and what Pacific faced in 1995. Lack of faculty support, a major deficit, dependence on a few major (older) boosters to support the program, reliance on beatdown games for extra cash, and a general dismissal of the importance of the sport around the administration.

I do not know if football is in danger at SMU, and I hope that there is nothing to worry about. It is ridiculous to assume that everything will work out, however, given how little attention our program gets overall, the apathy toward the program from our alumni base, students, and administration, and the fact that we are essentially out of the mix for a P5 spot at this point. If we get it wrong on this hire and cannot bring back the support of the younger alumni and the community at large within the next few years, I do not think that it is farfetched to see how this might be our ultimate fate.

http://www.recordnet.com/article/200512 ... /512180337

This would be a nightmare if it happened here. We would get no respect in Texas, worse than having the 128th team after the June debacle.

It would be a shame but we could always go the Georgetown route with hoops

Fan apathy is never going to improve until we start a) beating teams people care about and b) are nationally relevant and really until we are in a real conference.

Marshall is undefeated right now. No one cares. Conference affiliation is king.

If we are going to stay in a second tier of d1 football we might as well close up shop. Our only hope is somehow cracking the p5 and we have a LONG way to any prayer of that happening.

Georgetown is 2-7 with their fcs football team. If we played them now it would be an epic battle.

SMU2007 wrote:Fan apathy is never going to improve until we start a) beating teams people care about and b) are nationally relevant and really until we are in a real conference.

Marshall is undefeated right now. No one cares. Conference affiliation is king.

If we are going to stay in a second tier of d1 football we might as well close up shop. Our only hope is somehow cracking the p5 and we have a LONG way to any prayer of that happening.

Truth here. Even if we win out and dominate, we'll still be locked out of any good bowl & still have a 0% chance of making the football playoff. And right now we're nowhere near dominating anything.

The faculty was routed long ago.

Marshall will make an access bowl and get devastated by a top 10 team.

covok48 wrote:

SMU2007 wrote:Fan apathy is never going to improve until we start a) beating teams people care about and b) are nationally relevant and really until we are in a real conference.

Marshall is undefeated right now. No one cares. Conference affiliation is king.

If we are going to stay in a second tier of d1 football we might as well close up shop. Our only hope is somehow cracking the p5 and we have a LONG way to any prayer of that happening.

Truth here. Even if we win out and dominate, we'll still be locked out of any good bowl & still have a 0% chance of making the football playoff. And right now we're nowhere near dominating anything.

Not true. With our schedule this year, winning out would have gotten us the access bowl (aka a big bowl) and if we do it for several years it gets us respect and higher rankings which could result in getting in the playoff, especially if the AAC keeps improving within itself and raising its profile as the best conference. Don't say we are out until we try, let's get to 13-0 before giving up, in which case if that were to happen we would be in the conversation for one of the 4 spots.

fifty wrote:Marshall will make an access bowl and get devastated by a top 10 team.

And show one more time why teams from the lesser conferences don't belong in those games.


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PonySnob wrote:

fifty wrote:Marshall will make an access bowl and get devastated by a top 10 team.

And show one more time why teams from the lesser conferences don't belong in those games.


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Yep just like TCU, UCF, Boise, Utah and others have shown

fifty wrote:Georgetown is 2-7 with their fcs football team. If we played them now it would be an epic battle.

Plus, if we played at Georgetown, the stands would be full. Check out their stadium.

[url:http://upload.wikimedia.org][/url]

I feel like we wouldn't be adding suites to the stadium, expanding alcohol sales, publicly committing to full cost of attendance scholarships, and being one of, if not the first schools to expand student athlete amenities (food/training table) if there weren't a viable, sustained push in store to try and make the jump, or at least survive.

http://www.herdzone.com/sports/m-footbl ... sched.html

marshall has played a pathetic schedule hence the lack of respect.

i think this is our last chance. if we make the wrong hire we are done.

Is being the highest rated g5 school respect?