Everybody's Gut feeling about us making a P5 Conference?

[Ponymon]

Arkansas to Florida is just about as far as Missouri to Florida. And 5000 grad and undergrad students would be almost 50% of the total student population. No school has that percentages of students going to games. As far as 5000 tshirt fans, that is possible if we win and market properly.

I'd like to know how SMU can add all these new buildings and new disciplines (education) and still be stuck at 12,000 students (grad and undergrad)? The University still has approximately the same number of students that it had my freshman year in 1972! I realize that the administration wants to keep individual class sizes small, but actual class size must be dropping relatively as the physical campus keeps expanding. Not that I am against improvement in academics, but the lack of growth in the student population makes it more difficult to generate future butts in the seats of our football stadium.

[Stallion]

you know I've been wondering that too-there's got to be twice as many classrooms-or should be

[Oldmins]

Arkansas to Florida is just about as far as Missouri to Florida. And 5000 grad and undergrad students would be almost 50% of the total student population. No school has that percentages of students going to games. As far as 5000 tshirt fans, that is possible if we win and market properly.

I'd like to know how SMU can add all these new buildings and new disciplines (education) and still be stuck at 12,000 students (grad and undergrad)? The University still has approximately the same number of students that it had my freshman year in 1972! I realize that the administration wants to keep individual class sizes small, but actual class size must be dropping relatively as the physical campus keeps expanding. Not that I am against improvement in academics, but the lack of growth in the student population makes it more difficult to generate future butts in the seats of our football stadium.

Rice, 3,600 students. Ohio State, 60,000 students. Both football teams are limited to 11 on offense, 11 on defense. Size of school affects football production? Don't think so.

[Rayburn]

Rice, 3,600 students. Ohio State, 60,000 students. Both football teams are limited to 11 on offense, 11 on defense. Size of school affects football production? Don't think so.

There was a time when Rice --and SMU -- could compete with Ohio State on the gridiron. That was when the NCAA game rules were different. I don't expect we will ever go back to that kind of football again.

[Ponymon]

Arkansas to Florida is just about as far as Missouri to Florida. And 5000 grad and undergrad students would be almost 50% of the total student population. No school has that percentages of students going to games. As far as 5000 tshirt fans, that is possible if we win and market properly.

I'd like to know how SMU can add all these new buildings and new disciplines (education) and still be stuck at 12,000 students (grad and undergrad)? The University still has approximately the same number of students that it had my freshman year in 1972! I realize that the administration wants to keep individual class sizes small, but actual class size must be dropping relatively as the physical campus keeps expanding. Not that I am against improvement in academics, but the lack of growth in the student population makes it more difficult to generate future butts in the seats of our football stadium.

Rice, 3,600 students. Ohio State, 60,000 students. Both football teams are limited to 11 on offense, 11 on defense. Size of school affects football production? Don't think so.

Obviously, you are too OLD to understand what is being referenced.

[Oldmins]

Rice, 3,600 students. Ohio State, 60,000 students. Both football teams are limited to 11 on offense, 11 on defense. Size of school affects football production? Don't think so.[/quote]

Obviously, you are too OLD to understand what is being referenced. [/quote]


Ageisms?

[biffula]

0% chance

Must show consistent big bucks, I mean big bucks spending on football and athletics first. Ford stadium ain't gonna get it done either. TCU spends $77 million per year on athletics, $35 mil. of that on football. Baylor spends $86 million a year on athletics. Not sure how much on football. SMU spends what what $40million a year on athletics? Baylor and TCU also built shiny new, modern stadiums. SMU has to up their game big time before even being considered for a legitimate conference.

A couple of 10 win seasons might get notice, but it will take a much bigger commitment and undertaking than just winning some football and basketball games. First step? raise about a quarter billion. That will be enough to get started. Otherwise its all sweet dreams. Just look at Boise St. They've had all kinds of football success yet no P5 even mentions them in expansion conversations. Puny stadium, no spending on the rest of athletics, etc.

[SMUer]

SMU has a top-tier program in almost every sport...basketball, swimming, golf, soccer, volleyball...Need to add baseball and men's track? Sure. We'd be relevant there in no time also. Busy waiting on football.

[PonySnob]

SMU to PAC12?

[Pony Boss]

0

Massive troll

[Glenn Sosbee]

Not making a P5 conference anytime soon. Fixing attendance issues through winning is first priority. Showing some consistency with what we have is important.

Plenty of opportunity to excel and gain national exposure in the AAC if SMU can field a winner.

Fixing attendance issues? That will never happen unless we are playing regional rivals again. SMU was selling out Texas Stadium every home game when we were in the SWC. Look, with all due respect to the Temples, Tulanes and USFs of the world, very few people are even mildly interested in watching us play those schools and I'm sure they probably feel the same about us. It's just forced chemistry man and I would suggest to anyone who thinks attendance will ever improve while we are in this conference to not bet on it.

I was kind of excited about joining the Big East but it's not even that anymore. It's just a collection of schools that missed the boat. The bottom line is, the reason we are in this situation is because the NCAA put us here through selective enforcement. When those jerks singled us out and levied the death penalty, it was meant to harm us long term. They succeeded.

[gostangs]

No - we almost never sold out Texas stadium. Yes - we are too small to add us as a P-5. The only schools even close to our size in the P-5 is Vandy and Wake - and they are both incumbents or they would have been passed over also. TCU delivered just the right thing at the right time - so they got a pass. We will have to be good for awhile and get that lucky.

I do think we need to get at least 8-9k undergrads. That is increase of about 1,500 -2k. It would help a TON as far as share of mind and would help activate our stadium.

RGT doesn't want to drop our academic standing and we would be basically TCU if we grow - so don't count on it until he retires. He is determined to get us top 50 - and you cant grow a private school and go up in the academic ranks - its impossible.

[Stallion]

Yeah I don't really even think the SMU v Arkansas game in 1982 was 100% sold out. It was very close. If that game wasn't we never sold out Texas Stadium-especially when 30-40,000 free tickets were given away for several over 60,000 in earlier years

[Glenn Sosbee]

I understand a lot of those Texas Stadium tickets were Russ Potts giveaways but the place was still packed most the time and that's a fact.

[mrydel]

I remember the Texas Stadium game against A&M when the A&M QB, Kubiac I think broke his ankle. We absolutely demolished them early. It was close to, if not a sellout. In the 2nd half there were still 45,000 there. All of them were in maroon and white or military uniforms.

WE never sold out Texas Stadium but some of our games may have been sell outs.