Sonny to leave for Tech?

[SMU_Alum11]

I hope you guys are right with regards to Sonny. My hope is they go for UTSA and knock them down pretty good. Given Crumbie is in the interim, I'm assuming we won't know for awhile.

[Dukie]

I’m not so sure that losing UT and OU from the schedule but adding UCF and Houston makes Tech more attractive…

From the perspective of a coach under pressure to win?

Yeah. At least in my opinion. The Tech coach isn't under pressure to win national championships, just be competitive and have a winning record. Easier to recruit kids to play against Texas, and fans to come root against Texas, than the same for UCF or BYU or Cincinnati. And Tech very well might lose those games, too.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

I would rather assume the above than assume the worst; but that is just me.

How did that work for you the last 25 years?

But hey I honestly hope you are right....

[SMUstang07]

Sonny is absolutely the leading candidate for the job.

This is an extreme "one way or the other" scenario.

Sonny and his wife love it here in Dallas. SMU is a better program with more upside than Tech.

If Sonny turns down the Tech job to stay at SMU, it will resonate nationally about where our program is. It means our administration fully supports the program, he has the backing of the alumni, and he is getting paid. It is a very clear endorsement that SMU is headed in the right direction.

If Sonny accepts the gig, it is quite a statement against the administration. They love Dallas. Leaving for Lubbock would mean that he believes their vision over ours, that our administration was caught flat footed by the Big 12 expansion, and that the alumni aren't ponying up for his salary.

Hearing Traylor is first choice actually

[Water Pony]

I would rather assume the above than assume the worst; but that is just me.

How did that work for you the last 25 years?

But hey I honestly hope you are right....

I would hope that all SMU fans want the better outcome. Further, based on our dilemma and the long road back, I am not sure we had the means or the opportunity to dramatically change the path we have followed. Criticism is not a strategy.

15-20 years ago is was hard to imagine any successful approach to return to relevancy. Our past conference choices were out of necessity.

[SMU_Alum11]

Say they go with Traylor, who is to say that he's not in the running for the LSU job? Again this year is going to feel tumultuous with all the possible job openings. I hope there's people on here who are in the know and they're the same people that say he wants to be the Gary Patterson of SMU.

[Water Pony]

Say they go with Traylor, who is to say that he's not in the running for the LSU job? Again this year is going to feel tumultuous with all the possible job openings. I hope there's people on here who are in the know and they're the same people that say he wants to be the Gary Patterson of SMU.

I am hearing that there are members of the Circle of Champions, who understand the situation and are prepared to make sure we retain Sonny and ensure his commitment to the Hilltop.

[SMU_Alum11]

Say they go with Traylor, who is to say that he's not in the running for the LSU job? Again this year is going to feel tumultuous with all the possible job openings. I hope there's people on here who are in the know and they're the same people that say he wants to be the Gary Patterson of SMU.

I am hearing that there are members of the Circle of Champions, who understand the situation and are prepared to make sure we retain Sonny and ensure his commitment to the Hilltop.

A bit disappointing because it sounds like they're being reactionary. I wish they had done the extension earlier so that he was "locked up". Hopefully they did and they're just making sure he's still committed but love to know more details as there's nothing going on right now.

[Terry Webster]

If I recall, Hart responded to a tweet a couple is weeks back that they were already working on the extension.

[Pony4Life]

Sonny is absolutely the leading candidate for the job.

This is an extreme "one way or the other" scenario.

Sonny and his wife love it here in Dallas. SMU is a better program with more upside than Tech.

If Sonny turns down the Tech job to stay at SMU, it will resonate nationally about where our program is. It means our administration fully supports the program, he has the backing of the alumni, and he is getting paid. It is a very clear endorsement that SMU is headed in the right direction.

If Sonny accepts the gig, it is quite a statement against the administration. They love Dallas. Leaving for Lubbock would mean that he believes their vision over ours, that our administration was caught flat footed by the Big 12 expansion, and that the alumni aren't ponying up for his salary.

Or maybe it has nothing to do with Turner or Hart. He grew up on Tech football, and there's a draw for a lot of people to try to recreate what a parent did.
And SMU might get into the Big 12 one day, but also might not. Tech is there. We have some deep-pocket alums, but so does Tech. And they have Big 12 money.
Maybe he thinks that while he and his family like Dallas, he could do more at Tech.
None of us knows. Too early.

[TwoTimeGrad]

Sonny's family likes it here and the team. They wear the colors and cheer as loud as any of the alumni. He also saw what Patterson has over in FW - he can own this town.

[PonyTime]

I'm sorry but what exactly is the admin supposed to do about a fanbase that refuses to show up to games? That's the #1 reason SMU did not get an invite to the Big 12.

I think on average the alums are showing but we are generating zero interest from non-alums. Dallas folks are spoiled when it comes to sports where they only want to watch P5 and NFL games not Cinderella teams.

When you factor in families and even neighbors/friends, SMU has plenty of nearby alumni to fill a 30k stadium 6 times a year. SMU's attendance problem reflects the general apathy of SMU students and alumni towards athletics. We Ponyfans are the exception rather than the rule. I think the same is true at most schools, i.e., a large percentage of students and alumni not being interested in sports, but with SMU being one of the most expensive schools in the country, we have an elitist image that the average Joe college football fan simply doesn't identify with. I hope the SMU as Dallas' team can change that but as the cost of attending makes SMU even more exclusive than it has been, it's a tall hill to climb. Not sure what effect the Cowboys' success has. At one point, I thought a losing professional team might drive more fans to watch a winning SMU program but I'm not sure those things are mutually exclusive. I think it's true that Dallas loves a winner and as we saw in the hey days of Moody, SMU can be "the place to be and to be seen" if we have a high profile nationally. Let's just hope that starting Saturday vs Houston, our guys can continue making this a magical season because it is sorely needed.

The root causes of what CP is saying go right back to the DP. The alumni who graduated (I am one of them) between 1988 and 2008 - a span of 20 YEARS did not have a legit college football experience that would have occurred at most schools. None of these graduates ever saw a winning team. Many saw teams that won 0-2 games a year. That same group of alums is now the "sweet spot" that should be purchasing season tickets and bringing their kids to games. We are still feeling the impact of the lost generation of SMU fans. And meanwhile the older generation of hardcore SMU fans from the 50s and 60s are passing away and their seats are now empty (sorry to be the debbie downer - but true).

Some of the changing demographics of the student body also come into play. While Baylor and TCU are heavy Texas, SMU has really started to rely on out of state students over the last 20 years - particularly California and Florida. Many of those grads go back home after they graduate.

I have great hope for the alums who graduated post 2008 and saw bowl teams and winning football. We shall see...

[PonyTime]

Say they go with Traylor, who is to say that he's not in the running for the LSU job? Again this year is going to feel tumultuous with all the possible job openings. I hope there's people on here who are in the know and they're the same people that say he wants to be the Gary Patterson of SMU.

Tech should just go after Gary Patterson. Both SMU and TCU fans would be happy

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

I am hearing that there are members of the Circle of Champions, who understand the situation and are prepared to make sure we retain Sonny and ensure his commitment to the Hilltop.

Let's hope so, we know Sonny is the right guy, a perfect fit, life is short, I hate to start-over once again, haven't we saved money while CAL was still paying Sonny? It's now time to over-pay the man!

[SMU_Alum11]

Say they go with Traylor, who is to say that he's not in the running for the LSU job? Again this year is going to feel tumultuous with all the possible job openings. I hope there's people on here who are in the know and they're the same people that say he wants to be the Gary Patterson of SMU.

Tech should just go after Gary Patterson. Both SMU and TCU fans would be happy

I'm happy to have GP at TCU. He doesn't know how to beat us anymore. I agree TCU fans have to be begging someone to take him.