Cuse Fan Here

[TexanMark]

We are currently debating your fine university on one of our mega threads.

We are split on you guys

Some see the value and love the idea of adding you guys. Others do not

If you care to join in our thread, you would be welcomed to join our board and comment. Registration is easy.

Probably start around Monday and read forward

https://syracusefan.com/threads/acc-pac-12-and-big-alliance-conference-realignment.162402/page-170

[PonyME]

Welcome. I’ll certainly check out your site this evening and add any meaningful SMU info or just my two cents. Should be fun.

[mtrout]

We support Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, Csonka, the Missile, Donovan Darius, McNabb, Don McPherson, Coach Mac, Eric Dungey, Moose Johnston, and all the Syracuse greats.

We would enjoy coming to the Carrier Dome and grab lunch at Dinosaur BBQ. LFG!

Our major concern is... how did Doug Marrone land an NFL head coaching job?

[EastStang]

Our one downside is that we don't have lacrosse which is a Syracuse area of pride. Some don't realize that Jim Brown was probably the greatest lacrosse player in history. But otherwise, rich history, good academics, and we were about 50 years ahead of our time with NIL.

[mtrout]

We do have a beautiful lacrosse facility about 100 yards from the football stadium though.

[TexanMark]

We really need another lacrosse team. A lot of talent in TX. SMU would do well in LAX...lots of of them get into finance after graduating.

Add both w/m teams and you'll have another sport in the Spring to watch

[Webmaster]

Welcome Cuse Fan!!

For those Orange individuals who are less familiar with the the SMU Mustangs, here are some of the hightlights, Pros and Cons of our program.

Pros
• Perennially amongst the top recruiting hotbeds in the country
• For the last decade or more, DFW has been among the fastest growing areas in the country
• #5 Media Market in the U.S., which BTW would be the largest in the ACC
• The Mustangs have been ranked in the Top 25 in four of the last five seasons.
• 5 bowl invites in the last 6 years
• #13 transfer class in the county this year (which is also the #1 G5 transfer class). The same ‘active’ alumni that got the program into trouble in the ‘80s is now an asset.
• SMU (#72 US News rank) is an elite private university similar to Syracuse (#62), and also with comparable tuition. At this time, SMU is not an R1 research institution, but they are pursuing that, so within the next few years, look for SMU rank to jump into the Top 50.
• Endowment is reported at $2 billion. It is actually larger than that, or so I have heard.
• According to the Forbes List, of all the ACC schools, only Duke has more billionaires (5) than SMU (3). None of the other ACC schools made the list. The only other school in Texas with as many billionaires is uT.
• Like Syracuse, SMU has a storied football history:
• 5 players in the NFL Halll of Fame (8 from Syracuse) including Doak Walker (Heisman award winner and inspiration for the Doak Walker award for best college RB), Forrest Gregg (who Vince Lombardi called the greatest player he ever coached), Eric Dickerson and Lamar Hunt (whose family owns the Chiefs) and Raymond Berry
• SMU's mascot, a miniature stallion name Peruna, is the only mascot to have killed another school's mascot. Perhaps the most infamous incident involving Peruna is the football game where he killed the Fordham Ram.
• $50 million stadium renovation and expansion to complete in 2024
• Quality athletic programs in equestrian (current national champs), soccer, swimming and diving, rowing, tennis, golf (Payne Stewart, Bryson DeChambeau and many others have been on the pro circuit)
• Two airports: DFW is one of the country’s largest airports, and Dallas Love Field, which is in the city itself and only about 10 minutes from the Gerald J. Ford stadium


Cons
Lots of competition for entertainment dollars between Cowboys, Mavs, Rangers, Stars, pro soccer, minor league baseball, etc.

Dallas fans are notoriously fickle, but they are also quick to jump on the bandwagon. For example, the Cotton Bowl is called “The House the Doak Built”. How many college team are popular enough to cause an expansion for 45k seats to 67k seats … back in 1948? See also the “Moody Magic” years under Larry Brown, where tickets to an SMU game were harder to come by than an invite to the Oscars

Attendance. Regrettably this is something of a self-fulfilling prophesy. Dallas T-shirt fans are fickle, and the old-timers still feel entitled. The aforementioned fans want to see the traditional rivalries from the Southwest Conference Days and don’t really care to see the matchups between SMU and no-name U. An ACC opponent would instantly correct this.

Only program to receive the NCAA Death Penalty. In all seriousness, had the NCAA and subsequently SMU itself not imposed decades of self-flagellation, nobody on Syracusefan.com would be asking these questions.

[dalpony]

$100,000,000 football stadium renovations not $50,O00,000

[ROCKNEPONY]

also

* SMU Athletics has recently invested over $250 million in championship-caliber facilities.

&

* The stadium renovations are expanding future seating capacity from 32,000 to 45,000.

[PNW_Stang]

Make sure to tell the that SMU is the second winningest program in Texas since 2018. It’s only looking up too. I think we would be the winningest if rumors didn’t start that our coach was going to our rival when we were 7-0, leading us to an 8-4 finish.

But, with NIL, we have a whole new roster this year equivalent to many middle P5 rosters, in a bad conference, and have a second year HC. I think this trend will continue, as the portal is great to SMU being in the best recruiting metroplex by numbers In The country.

This is the year you’ll start seeing NIL really take off for SMU. The biggest football publication in Texas has us picked to finish 10-2, for instance.

[PNW_Stang]

I should add that the last few years, SMU had been in the top 5 of a bunch of blue chip players. I think once we are in a P4, and even more NiL dollars come in as a result, we start grabbing those guys. They all just don’t want to play in a G5.

[PerunaPunch]

This is a little bit of a stretch, but hang in there with me. If you look at the USA Today Top 25, and include those universities receiving votes....

Of the 15 teams (including Notre Dame) who are in or affiliated with the ACC, 7 ACC teams are ranked higher on the Top 25 (+ receiving votes) than SMU, and 8 ACC teams are ranked lower. So, it seems to me that from a competitive standpoint, SMU slots in to the conference nicely, but I would say with more upside with the bump in talent and prestige that would come from joining a P5 conference.

I should also point out that Syracuse is not on that list.

[PerunaPunch]

Sharpest uniforms in D1 ball.

[BaylorHistory]

Sharpest uniforms in D1 ball.

How did you steal Colorado's uniforms and how will people know you're SMU if you have a Buffalo on the helmet and Colorado on your chest?

[Bergermeister]

Back off, Highlighter.