I wish it were the 2007 NC schedule

[Sam I Am]

If we already had the 2007 NC schedule, look at how many of the posts on this thread would be irrelevant. We'd be playing TCU and no one would accuse us of ducking a strong opponent. We still are stuck with a beating by Tech, but have winnable games with UNT and maybe Baylor. If Bennet is protecting his job, he only has the 2006 NC schedule as a cushion. As for playing a soft schedule, at this point only the Sun Belt gives us those kind of games in Div. 1-A, but I don't want to go there as I wrote in the beginning.

[SMU Football Blog]

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 so glad you are so obstinate you can't comprehend a simple truth and have to stoop to insults rather than argue any single point that anybody has made.

Tradition got flushed down the drain several years ago when the schedules didn't fit for 2006. Tradition got flushed down the drain when the SWC broke up. Tradition got flushed down the drain when TCU left for C-USA. Tradition got flushed down the drain when TCU left for the Mountain West. I believe we already had a year where SMU didn't play TCU in basketball; nobody shed a tear then.

[Throwback]

I don't like not playing TCU, either. But as mentioned above, it was a decision made at least one year ago, and I'm over it.
This year's schedule fits this team that is still-young at some positions. I'm a huge proponent of better non-conference scheduling, and don't think we've done enough to try to attract schools from the SEC into recruiting-rich Dallas with a home-and-home or 2-for-1 deals (I'm talking about brining in Kentucky, or Mississippi, or Vandy here, not Tennessee and Florida).
We've tried it the other way, playing attractive non-conference opponents (home and road) in the early part of the schedule. For multiple (exponential) reasons, we didn't come out of it well.
I'm glad we're trying it from this direction for once. If things go well, we're 3-1 heading into conference and talking possible bowl games at the start of November. If we played 2007's schedule this year, we'd probably be talking 1-3 and when to fire Bennett before the conference schedule even started.
Let's try for the winning record this year (and bowl game?), and then in 2007 when we do face Tech, Baylor and TCU again, we can feel better about our chances in those games.
Personally, I'd like to see the TCU game end every regular season, but the CUSA title game will prevent that.

[PK]

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.

Actually, I think UT and aTm did the flushing of 90 years of tradition. Had they not chased the almighty dollar...guess what???We would still be playing them every damn year. So go blow in Bevo's ear for awhile.

[jtstang]

Well the schedule is what it is, and no amount of moaning is gonna change that. What folks really need to be worrying about is whether this SMU team can actually beat Ark State Pen., NTSU and that d-2 team we play. Especially that d-2 team. If we cannot beat them we really need to hang it up. These games were presumably desired by the other teams because they see SMU as a patsy, which gives them a legitimate shot to beat a C-USA team, or in the case of the d-2 foe, a d-1 team. SMU should try to prove them wrong on this.

[jtstang]

Had they not chased the almighty dollar...guess what???We would still be playing them every damn year. So go blow in Bevo's ear for awhile.

Hard to argue with that, but SMU did not help the cause by getting the death penalty followed immediatley by moving home games to Ownby.

[originaloverthehilltop1]

thadfilms and smu pony blog are absolutely right on. a few years of kenneth pye fairly demolished 90 years of basketball and football tradition at smu. what we are about now is establishing new traditions, (like winning in september), and ignoring recent history with wishful thinking southwest conference scheduling, calling people ponylites, etc, aint helping.

[BUTitan]

How many years has it been since you didn't play TCU?

[Throwback]

SMU has played TCU every year since 1926 - that doesn't count 1987 and 1988, when SMU didn't field a team.
The series stands with TCU leading, 40-39-7, a statistic that should rankle every breathing SMU alum. I remember well that 15-year win streak from 1972-1986. The TCU game was a GIVEN back then. But again, as stated, that was back then.

[Charleston Pony]

I think we are all disappointed we are not playing TCU, but wasn't it TCU who 1st said they couldn't work us into their 2006 schedule and blamed that on their move to the MWC? After SMU's schedule was set, substituting TCU for UNT would have meant reshuffling more than one game to get 6 home games. Who wants to play 7 road games in a 12 game schedule? There's also the secondary issue of dumping on UNT yet again...at a time when SMU appears ready to re-establish that series

If this turns out to be a fantasy year, it sets the stage for SMU vs TCU in a bowl game

[ThadFilms]

as per the "Fantasy" year. That would be cool, I guess ... but methinks that that bowl would have to be at Amon Carter, because I do not think there is a CUSA v. MWC bowl. Ft. Worth Bowl is a CUSA v. BigXII bowl, but TCU has certain built in rights.

I wouldn't want that. No way... TCU wouldn't want that as they are trying to crash the BCS party, and besides a bowl game for us should come against someone we normally do not play.

All that being said, it would be pretty cool to smakc 'em in the mouth in a bowl game.

[Sam_Houston]

Well the schedule is what it is, and no amount of moaning is gonna change that. What folks really need to be worrying about is whether this SMU team can actually beat Ark State Pen., NTSU and that d-2 team we play. Especially that d-2 team. If we cannot beat them we really need to hang it up. These games were presumably desired by the other teams because they see SMU as a patsy, which gives them a legitimate shot to beat a C-USA team, or in the case of the d-2 foe, a d-1 team. SMU should try to prove them wrong on this.

It's gonna be a GLORIOUS day on September 16 when the Bearkats march into ya'll's stadium and kick ya'll's butt up and down the field.

[Sam I Am]

We know that SHSU will aim for us just like UNT wants to do. SMU has little to gain in these matchups and a lot to lose. I, for one, am not so over confident that I assume that any of our NC games are gimmes - not with our September record under PB. If we are vunerable this year, it will be immediately after playing Tech in Lubbock. If we choke or croak in our second game, then the dam might break. Can you spell tsunami?

[RGV Pony]

.[/quote]It's gonna be a GLORIOUS day on September 16 when the Bearkats march into ya'll's stadium and kick ya'll's butt up and down the field. [/quote]

ummmm okay. That having been said, don't they have people over on the gokats board or whatever it is warning posters like this to not go to pf.com and start shooting off their mouths?

School pride etc. is one thing, but man...I'm not saying it's a for-sure win by SMU, but I'd be surprised if the Ponies were the victims of a blowout loss.

Of course, I'll temper my remarks by saying that SHSU is a snake in the grass, a sleeping giant, an unknown but formidable commodity, and by god right up there next to Texas Tech and NTSU as the most dangerous 0-0 teams in the country at this juncture.

[ThadFilms]

nice

ROFL