Franchione to the Hilltop?

[mr. pony]

Looks like Franchione could be available if things continue downhill in Aggieland.

Do we need that former Frog here to turn things around?

[PonySnob]

I don't care who the coach is.....as long as he can win more than 2-4 games per year!

[MrMustang1965]

One Aggie for another? No thanks.

[mr. pony]

Franchione is a pseudo-Aggie at best.

[PonySnob]

One Aggie for another? No thanks.

He has had much more success as a head coach than our aggie has had!

[Corso]

Not so fast, my friends!

Or, in the discussion of Franocchio to the Hilltop: Hell no!

First of all, there's no coaching vacancy. Secondly, he has lied to every school that has employed him, telling UNM, TCU, Bama and A&M all that he wants to retire there (overlooking the follow-up statement: "until someone else offers me more money.") Thirdly, he has won some games. But he was at some of those schools when they recruited everyone, regardless of academic performance (remember, he's the one who tried to slide Tyson Thompson in to TCU). I want the Ponies to win every game they play in every sport in which we compete. But I'm also proud of the academic reputation of the school, something about which I have yet to see any evidence that Franocchio cares at all.

BEAT RICE!

[MrMustang1965]

Franchione is a pseudo-Aggie at best.

Aren't all Aggies 'pseudo'?

[DiamondM75]

Bennett ain't leaving.

Francione ain't leaving.

End of thread......

[ponyboy]

Stallion, where's your lecture? Have you backed off your insistence that coaching isn't as important as talent?

Here. I'll do it for you: "Here we go again! Let's just fire the coach and all will be fixed. I've forgotten more about SMU football than any one of you fools ever knew."

Having said that, for the record we do NOT need to run off Bennett. He ain't the problem.

[Dopey Doowrong]

How about Phil Bennett for head coach next year? Because that's who I plan to have fill the job.

Perhaps if the football team loses to Rice and the remaining games, my man Bennett will look like a HERO if he manages to win 4 games next year. Here's to hoping my plan's successful!

[Stallion]

1) I already said 80% of the restrictions that Gregg, Rossley and Cavan have worked under have been removed-most of which were removed the year prior to Cavan's dismissal-Bennett really has no comparable excuse for this poor a performance;
2) Bennett is something like 8-36 and hasn't even beaten Rice and has been passed by schools like UTEP and Tulsa during his tenure. Don't think he has really earned ANY respect;
3) I have not called for his dismissal and think he deserves to play out the season to analyze his progress. I think that is bending over backwards for a guy who could finish 8-39. BTW I don't think 2-9 is acceptable in the 4th year of a tenure playing this weak a schedule.
4) I am troubled by his failure to build the program based on the long term interests of the program and that includes getting young athletes on the field and yes sitting marginal upperclassmen who really are short term answers hindering the development ofg the long term solutions.

[Hoop Fan]

Bennett has really frustrated me at times, especially the Baylor game go for it on 4th down move, and what Stallion pointed in #4. DeMyron, Phillips, Henderson, Givens, Turner, all should be emphasized more and allowed to make mistakes.

Having said all that, I still think Bennett is the right type fit for this job. It doesnt really matter what his overall record here is. What matters is this years record, quality wins, recruiting ability and our alternatives frankly. As we sit here right now, does he have a good chance to turn this thing around or not? If the anwser is no, then you gotta change. If the anwser is yes, then what his record was in 2003 and how many times he lost to Rice doesnt matter at this point. We all know he had nothing to work with when he got here. Beating Rice tomorrow is a must, but as easy as this years schedule is relative to the BCS, its still harder than previous years by quite a bit. No San Jose and Nevadas on the schedule this year, and no Tulsa at home. We blew the ECU game, but thats probably the only game on the schedule that Stallion or anyone else really looked at and expected to win based on ability.

[SMU Football Blog]

A lot of good points in this thread. Regarding the schedule, this season has been pretty easy. Yeah, UAB won last week, but after losing to us, they went into a tailspin and lost three straight. ECU is not very good. Tulane has beaten SMU and a I-AA team and that is it. Those are two games we absolutely should have won. Say what you want about Baylor, but they really have one good win against a .500 Iowa State team. Any talk that C-USA is a harder schedule than the WAC goes out the window when you realize SMU doesn't play the three best teams in the East. The more you look at the schedule, the more you see the TCU game for what it was: an aberation.

As for Fran, I hate Fran and will go on hating him until the day he dies or becomes the HC of SMU, whichever comes first. I stand by my waffling convictions.

[PonySoprano]

I would add the Tulane game to those that we should have expected to win - especially at home.

[couch 'em]

But I'm also proud of the academic reputation of the school, something about which I have yet to see any evidence that Franocchio cares at all.

BEAT RICE!

Blah blah blah. A few football players are not going change the academic reputation of the university as a whole - if anything the increase in interest due to a winning team will INCREASE the academics here. I say we get the best football players we can get. I don't how dumb they are, as long as they can play football and stay out of jail I'm all for it. They don't expect math majors to be stellar in their Wellness 2: Running class.... why expect athletes to be stellar in math?