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SMU has done a terrific job - through marketing and joint work with the City of Dallas - branding SMU as Dallas's Team. Credit where credit is due to past Coach Sonny Dykes for his part in driving this. Very happy to see Coach Lashlee and SMU have hit the accelerator on this effort to maintain and grow this.

Dykes and TCU are now actively branding TCU as 'DFW's Big12 Team.' Makes sense that, while based in Ft. Worth, that they would try to make a claim to the broader DFW market, given the much smaller stature of Ft. Worth compared with Dallas. (https://theathletic.com/3080795/2022/01 ... the-logos/)

Meanwhile, I like SMU and Coach Lashlee's intentional efforts to consolidate their connection with Dallas. That includes the Dallas Mayor actively promoting the connection and brand. The recent activity regarding the stadium expansion project announcement has given this a nice bump. (https://mobile.twitter.com/rhettlashlee)

It's been reported that historically UT was active in trying to keep SMU out of the Big 12 to preserve what they felt was a hold on the Dallas market. I've not heard of TCU's historical posture on that. It wouldn't surprise me if they were similarly actively resistant. I expect that any resistance would only grow with their attempt to brand themselves as 'DFW's Big12 Team.'

All that said, I think we have enough to build on to influence our destiny vis-a-vis conference affiliation (well-regarded school, based in Dallas, active influential alumni, program momentum, etc.). And, that could mean either future affiliation with the Big 12, or affialiation with another conference (e.g., PAC12 or ACC) and providing that conference with improved access to the Dallas market (which would be damaging to the Big12).

When I was in school, word was that TCU recruited in West Texas. The claim was that when TTU joined the old SWC, TCU fell to the bottom of the standings as the lost their West Texas monopoly. Looking back, most of their legends did indeed come from West Texas, but no one knows the real truth.

Texas Tech joined the SWC with SMU's support. The story was that there was pressure on SMU to support them because at the time a lot of rich oil people from West Texas flew to Dallas to shop but threatened to go to Chicagor or elsewhere. Tech rose to the middle and TCU dropped to the bottom for years. TCU's resurgence correlates fairly closely to SMU's decline. During the years since the DP feel like TCU was getting several kids that normally would have played for us. Of course TCU has no interest in having SMU in the Big 12. It will be interesting to see if the diminished Big 12 can maintain much luster when their current contracts expire. I doubt it. BYU has the biggest TV audience once UT and OU are gone. Not saying that much.

Sadly, the AAC didn’t stick together. Little 12 would been 8 teams without a following. Their TV contract will look like current AAC. They won’t be P5 for long.