I wish it were the 2007 NC schedule

[deepellumfrog]

SMU turned down our offer to play this year . . . I guess the athletic department wanted that skillet one more year.

When did they offer it? After we already had our Non Conference schedule filled up?

No, before you scheduled Sam Houston. It would have taken some finessing arky state though, would have had to play them the week before, which they had open, so I am surprised you didn't try to make it happen.

[MrMustang1965]

SMU turned down our offer to play this year . . . I guess the athletic department wanted that skillet one more year.

When did they offer it? After we already had our Non Conference schedule filled up?

No, before you scheduled Sam Houston. It would have taken some finessing arky state though, would have had to play them the week before, which they had open, so I am surprised you didn't try to make it happen.

The contract to schedule SMU v SHSU was signed on May 10, 2005.

[deepellumfrog]

SMU turned down our offer to play this year . . . I guess the athletic department wanted that skillet one more year.

When did they offer it? After we already had our Non Conference schedule filled up?

No, before you scheduled Sam Houston. It would have taken some finessing arky state though, would have had to play them the week before, which they had open, so I am surprised you didn't try to make it happen.

The contract to schedule SMU v SHSU was signed on May 10, 2005.

Are you sure? Have a link for that? I would be amazed that you would sign a I-AA contract that early.

[MrMustang1965]

SMU turned down our offer to play this year . . . I guess the athletic department wanted that skillet one more year.

When did they offer it? After we already had our Non Conference schedule filled up?

No, before you scheduled Sam Houston. It would have taken some finessing arky state though, would have had to play them the week before, which they had open, so I am surprised you didn't try to make it happen.

The contract to schedule SMU v SHSU was signed on May 10, 2005.

Are you sure? Have a link for that? I would be amazed that you would sign a I-AA contract that early.

Go back on www.ponyfans.com on the Football forum to May 11, 2005. Posted by me "SMU Schedules Sam Houston State". I got the word first-hand from Coach Bennett himself the day after the contract was signed.

[PK]

SMU turned down our offer to play this year . . . I guess the athletic department wanted that skillet one more year.

When did they offer it? After we already had our Non Conference schedule filled up?

No, before you scheduled Sam Houston. It would have taken some finessing arky state though, would have had to play them the week before, which they had open, so I am surprised you didn't try to make it happen.

The contract to schedule SMU v SHSU was signed on May 10, 2005.

Are you sure? Have a link for that? I would be amazed that you would sign a I-AA contract that early.

Remember, the schedules are usually made several years in advance. I very well could be wrong, but I believe that before the 12th game became available for every year, TCU and SMU had conflicting schedules and it was not possible to schedule our game in 2006 (we have known that we didn't play TCU in 2006 for quite some time). At some point we had to fill out our OC schedule and a decision was made to add Sam Houston to the schedule for 2006.

[deepellumfrog]

I know we approached you guys in the spring, well before we scheduled UC Davis. We needed another home game, and maybe you did as well, and we moved on the 1-AA team as late as we could. We were really shooting for you guys or West Virginia, but that would have been a real longshot.

[Stallion]

OK let's be honest. Teams drop teams all the time. If SMU wanted to play TCU the money could have been arranged to make that happen. SMU is ducking its chief rival. TCU this year so it can beat up on the Southland Conference Division 2 wannabes. Its a sorry day in this program's history when they too frightened to play their chief rival in a game that has been played every damn year for 90 years. SMU never wanted to play TCU this year in the first place.

[PK]

OK let's be honest. Teams drop teams all the time. If SMU wanted to play TCU the money could have been arranged to make that happen. SMU is ducking its chief rival. TCU this year so it can beat up on the Southland Conference Division 2 wannabes. Its a sorry day in this program's history when they too frightened to play their chief rival in a game that has been played every damn year for 90 years. SMU never wanted to play TCU this year in the first place.

Perhaps it is all a little more complicated than that. TCU's game with UC Davis is on Sept. 9th which is when we play UNT. SHSU is scheduled for Sept. 16th and TCU plays Tech that weekend. Now perhaps we could have gotten UNT to switch to the 16th, but they are scheduled to play Tulsa on the 16th which would mean Tulsa would have to switch their schedule and the trickle down affect would go on and on, but if you prefer to believe your version...feel free to do so. I'm sure you are much happier that way.

[Stallion]

I do chose to believe that and I also chose to believe Phil Bennett has sheduled the sorriest group of opponents in a desperate attempt to save his job.

[MrMustang1965]

I do chose to believe that and I also chose to believe Phil Bennett has sheduled the sorriest group of opponents in a desperate attempt to save his job.

There's just no pleasing you, is there? Alright...since this thread's headline is 'wishing it were the 2007 schedule' who would YOU schedule as the OOC opponents for next year? Seriously.

And since SMU has scheduled a 'sorry group of opponents' does that mean you won't be in attendance at the games?

[Buckethead]

After reading those very positive post from stallion, I say that we just forfeit. I hope that I can still use my parking space on the boulevard on those Saturdays that we forfeit. I got a new grill for this year and I am working on getting a generatetor for some tv's. I try and upgrade our tailgating each year. Maybe I should save my money and do something else with it. I guess that I am a sunshiner because I try and find something positive in everything that I am involved in.

[SMU Football Blog]

Stallion, get your head out of your proverbial @ss.

One, TCU was looking for a home game. No good SMU fan should be willing to dump a home game for a road game, regardless of the opponent. Unless a school is not interested in success, it should never have more road games than home games in a 12 game season. Most of the schools that have seven road games in 2006 are perrenial losers, like Temple, Utah State and Rice (I am sure your buddy Graham is thrilled about that).

Second, try and move the dates around. Keep in mind that TCU didn't want to schedule a game on Saturday, 9/23 because they have to play BYU on TV on 9/28 (5 days later, though BYU is doing it on the road, BTW).

Third, all Bennett is doing is softening the schedule in accordance with the "models" of many previous coaches that rebuilt programs and the advice of coaches quoted in publications such as the DMN. All have been well documented on this site and on my blog. Stallion (and anybody else) has frequently been invited to identify any program that rebuilt itself without scheduling I-AA or bottom wrung opponents and turned down the opportunity. I looked and found none.

TCU's scheduling problem was entirely their own creation. They were unwilling to schedule a road game for the same reasons I would have decried seven road games in a twelve game season- it is dumb. They probably could have grabbed a low level 1-A team early but they were reaching for a name program to play them, which all turned down the opportunity to play TCU on the road. TCU is a victim of its own success in that regard.

Oh, and Stallion is already on record that he is OK with scheduling soft this year.

[ThadFilms]

This is rapidly becoming the most absurd thread I have seen in a long time... You guys all remember that DMN article from a few years back - on what SMU needs to do to regain competitiveness, and too a T they all suggested we schedule patsies at the beginning of the year.

The only game I am absolutely sure that we will win is against SHSU (but stranger things have happened) - UNT is on their turf and they probably will be more jacked up to play that game then we will. Arkansas State won their (albeit weaker) conference and went to a bowl game.

These are not marquee match ups, BUT they are games that we should - on paper - win. I am increasingly of the opinion that our tougher non-conference competition has been more of a detriment than anything else. Sure you pack the stadium for one or two big games at the beginning of the year - but if all your doing is losing those games, well - who's going to be there at the end of the year?

Sure our home opener looks like a yawner. But everybody on this board will be there. It being the home opener the students will be there. All the season ticket holders will be there. Ford will be pretty well packed. Then, the following week with a chance at a winning OOC record, and an early season three game win streak on the line, people will come out again.

And then FINALLY we will (if all goes to plan) not be limping in to conference play. All of this early season fluff means that we must beat a Tulane team that will be super pumped.

For years I agreed whole heartedly with the posters here that we shouldn't play fluff teams, that we should have challenging games against name teams. I'm sorry folks it isn't working. And you might say it's a recruiting thing. Well it's a two way street, we're not going to get the players (consistently) it takes to beat the big boys until we put together winning records and bowl appearances.

My dream OOC schedule would be UT, Notre Dame, Michigan, Oklahoma - but where would we end up after that? 0-4 and half the team seeking medical redshirts.

But we can get there with forward thinking. Put ourselves in a position to be successful in conference. With a schedule like we have.

If we can go into our conference schedule with a winning record, not too many injuries to speak of, and an heir of confidence, I like our chances.

The main thing that scares me is our players. They aren't used to playing in games they are supposed to win. And in recent years they have stunk up the joint in those games. It's natural they are young guys. It's going to take PB and the staff to remind them that these games still need to played and won. I think that that is the challenge of the beginning of this season.

[Stallion]

I'm so glad that so many of you young PonyLites are so willing to flush 90 years of tradition down the drain to save Coach Phil.

[ThadFilms]

I'm so glad that so many of you young PonyLites are so willing to flush 90 years of tradition down the drain the save Coach Phil.

I am upset we aren't playing TCU this year... but I'm talking about the schedule as a whole. I'd rather play a softer schedule in the begining if that means a chance at a conference championship and a bowl game. Then a few years down the line, we will play the tougher competition in begining of they year and actually go in with confidence.

That's what I am saying. And I'll hang on to my pony ears thank you very much.