Common Sense

[GoRedGoBlue]

With our fan base, I agree that 6-6 will not get us into a bowl. However, I disagree that record would get Bennett fired. I think we would have to go below 4 for there even to be a discussion.

Then I you don't know how close he was LAST year to getting fired.

[MustangIcon]

Not only will 6-6 not get us into a bowl, but I agree that it would have to be considerd a less succesfull season than last year. Will PB get fired for a 6-6 season- no way. I think we will win 7. If we do, we will have a shot at going bowling and I hope to see all of you in the stands with me for it if it comes true.

[Swamp Gas]

With our fan base, I agree that 6-6 will not get us into a bowl. However, I disagree that record would get Bennett fired. I think we would have to go below 4 for there even to be a discussion.

I disagree. If we get six wins, and therefore become bowl-eligible, some bowl someplace will extend a bid with the theory that the "SMU is finally back" story will draw an extra element of attention from fans and media.

[EastStang]

6-6 won't get us a bowl. I do want to address one thing jt said. The ref's call did kill us in the 4th Quarter. I was there. The offense stunk all day. The defense kept us in the game and were on the field almost all day and were fighting. When that ball came loose and we recovered, you could see the defense ecstatic. The minute the ref took it away, the defense ran out of gas, like they had collectively been kicked in the doodads. So, we did show up in the 4th quarter we just ran out of gas in the last 5 minutes of the game after that call. And the offense never showed up all day.

[GoRedGoBlue]

With our fan base, I agree that 6-6 will not get us into a bowl. However, I disagree that record would get Bennett fired. I think we would have to go below 4 for there even to be a discussion.

I disagree. If we get six wins, and therefore become bowl-eligible, some bowl someplace will extend a bid with the theory that the "SMU is finally back" story will draw an extra element of attention from fans and media.

3-5 in CUSA (6-6 overall) is not going to get us a CUSA bowl bid

[jtstang]

6-6 won't get us a bowl. I do want to address one thing jt said. The ref's call did kill us in the 4th Quarter. I was there. The offense stunk all day. The defense kept us in the game and were on the field almost all day and were fighting. When that ball came loose and we recovered, you could see the defense ecstatic. The minute the ref took it away, the defense ran out of gas, like they had collectively been kicked in the doodads. So, we did show up in the 4th quarter we just ran out of gas in the last 5 minutes of the game after that call. And the offense never showed up all day.

Well, I'll defer to somebody that was there. But a team that is in the "former" category would have been good enough not to let the referees influence a game with MARSHALL for godsake. But then again, this team was not in the "former" category last year, and frankly needed help from the referees. So they lost that game by virtue of the refs, and they weren't good enough on offense to take the refs out of the equation. Now we have a QB with a grand total of ZERO snaps in college to pick up that offense and carry it for 2006. So sad.

[expony18]

With our fan base, I agree that 6-6 will not get us into a bowl. However, I disagree that record would get Bennett fired. I think we would have to go below 4 for there even to be a discussion.

I disagree. If we get six wins, and therefore become bowl-eligible, some bowl someplace will extend a bid with the theory that the "SMU is finally back" story will draw an extra element of attention from fans and media.

Great point

[mrydel]

Bowl tie ins could very well let a 6-6 SMU team go to a bowl. It will depend on whether or not more than the tie amount of teams are eligible. Usually these things work out but I would wager that if SMU only gets 6 wins and if CUSA has more eligible teams than tie ins, we will be left out due to fan base. The dollars will out weigh the " they are back" story line. I personally am counting on 7 wins which should set us up for a bowl. But a loss in games 2,3, or 4 and kiss it all goodbye.

[GoRedGoBlue]

6-6 won't get us a bowl. I do want to address one thing jt said. The ref's call did kill us in the 4th Quarter. I was there. The offense stunk all day. The defense kept us in the game and were on the field almost all day and were fighting. When that ball came loose and we recovered, you could see the defense ecstatic. The minute the ref took it away, the defense ran out of gas, like they had collectively been kicked in the doodads. So, we did show up in the 4th quarter we just ran out of gas in the last 5 minutes of the game after that call. And the offense never showed up all day.

Well, I'll defer to somebody that was there. But a team that is in the "former" category would have been good enough not to let the referees influence a game with MARSHALL for godsake. But then again, this team was not in the "former" category last year, and frankly needed help from the referees. So they lost that game by virtue of the refs, and they weren't good enough on offense to take the refs out of the equation. Now we have a QB with a grand total of ZERO snaps in college to pick up that offense and carry it for 2006. So sad.

UAB has a new QB, ArkSt has a new QB, RICE has a new Coach, etc...

UTex(Freshman), USC, aTm (Freshman), TECH(Soph) all have new QBs, and they are all rated <#33 (Athlon ratings)

TCU had a new QB last year (NO SNAPS!), and finished #11 (when they benched their 'near' undefeated starter after the SMU loss).

[PonySoprano]

IF, and I mean IF we go 6-6 and there is a bowl out there that is considering us, we could take a page from the book of that school to the west. Back in 1998 when a Sun Bowl spot became open because the Big 12 couldn't fill all of their spots, the TCU Athletic Dept. rallied their fans and got them to raise money so that they could go to the Sun Bowl and guarantee that they would buy their total allotment of tickets. That got them a bid (although I'm sure the fact that UTEP was a conference mate at the time didn't hurt either).

If you remember that game, TCU ended up beating USC for their first bowl win in something like 40+ years, and that really helped to get their program rolling.

As much as I hate to say it, you've got to admire the frogs for that. My point is that if we find ourselves in a similar situation at the end of the 2006 season, we need to open up the wallets and do what it takes to get that bowl bid.

[GoRedGoBlue]

IF, and I mean IF we go 6-6 and there is a bowl out there that is considering us, we could take a page from the book of that school to the west. Back in 1998 when a Sun Bowl spot became open because the Big 12 couldn't fill all of their spots, the TCU Athletic Dept. rallied their fans and got them to raise money so that they could go to the Sun Bowl and guarantee that they would buy their total allotment of tickets. That got them a bid (although I'm sure the fact that UTEP was a conference mate at the time didn't hurt either).

If you remember that game, TCU ended up beating USC for their first bowl win in something like 40+ years, and that really helped to get their program rolling.

As much as I hate to say it, you've got to admire the frogs for that. My point is that if we find ourselves in a similar situation at the end of the 2006 season, we need to open up the wallets and do what it takes to get that bowl bid.

Don't forget that the FROGS also held USC to -35 yards rushing, their all-time lowest output EVER.

That game did two things:
1) establish the frogs as a perennial mid-major power
2) change direction at USC - the rest is National Championship history

[Jim Rome]

.... establish the frogs as a perennial mid-major power ....

Back away from whatever you're drinking. You've had enough.

And I don't have to admire the Frogs for anything, nor will I.

[jtstang]

I really think you guys are jumping the gun a bit when your trying to commit people to buying bowl tickets in July. I really do. What has changed to make last year's marginal 5-6 team (and I mean we needed flukes and miracles to make that record) turn into a bowl contender? Did we get a superstar punter in here who can avoid blocks and nobody told me??

[jtstang]

UAB has a new QB, ArkSt has a new QB, RICE has a new Coach, etc...

UTex(Freshman), USC, aTm (Freshman), TECH(Soph) all have new QBs, and they are all rated <#33 (Athlon ratings)

I don't know anything about all those guys. I do know that SMU's biggest challenge at QB has been to keep the guy at QB rather than moving hiim to TE or bass player. So excuse me if I question the program's recent history of grooming young signal callers.

[PonySoprano]

[quote="jtstang"]I really think you guys are jumping the gun a bit when your trying to commit people to buying bowl tickets in July. I really do./quote]

jt - I agree with you and I am not trying to sign anybody up right now to commit to buying bowl tickets. All that I was saying is IF (and yes, that is a big IF) we end up the season as a 6 win bubble team, we need to do whatever it takes, including committing $$, to make us attractive to a bowl selection committee. If that means guaranteeing that we will sell our entire allotment of tickets, it should be done.