In todays DMN Sports Section...

[PK]

...there is an article about Army leaving C-USA and the C-USA commish still thinks SMU is a possibility to join C-USA.

<A HREF="http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/colleges/national/stories/071103dnspocolcusa.b0835.html" TARGET=_blank>www.dallasnews.com/sports/colleges/national/stories/071103dnspocolcusa.b0835.html</A>

[Nacho]

Little hints.

[Nacho]

Another mention.

<A HREF="http://www.dailymail.com/news/Sports/2003071116" TARGET=_blank>http://www.dailymail.com/news/Sports/2003071116</A>

[Stampede]

Good job, Nacho. Very interesting.

Rest assured Jim Copeland and President Turner are in on and are involved in the discussions... as SMU and is highly respected and continues to be highly thought of in each conference talk.

[Stallion]

well if we get anymore "Highly Respected" by conferences in realignment talks we might be in the Sunbelt. That's the kind of suck up post that really chaffes my [deleted]. SMU is not Highly Respected in conference realignment talks. We may get lucky and slide in through the back door because of the Heritage of the Program Pre-1989-but conferences certainly are not giddy with excitement at the prospect of adding SMU.

[PonyTime]

Stallion - am I wrong - or was SMU about to get an invite to CUSA a few years ago.

Steve Malin made it almost impossible for that to happen, as his "incident" surfaced at the worst possible time.

I know all about the other issues that were on the table - but inviting SMU at that time would have been a PR nightmare for CUSA - the only school that ever received the DP was back in the NCAA crosshairs - there was no way that CUSA would invite SMU at that particular time.

But - contrary to your belief - there was definite and serious interest in SMU. I honestly believe that had the Malin incident not surfaced - SMU would have been in CUSA a couple of years ago.

just my 2Cents

[Stampede]

Stallion -

Get a grip, hold on and enjoy the ride.
Do not lose sight of the Heritage of which you speak. That "Heritage" and the fact we are fortunate to be locateedd in Dallas is a fact which makes SMU very enticing to any conference.

SMU has a great deal to offer and is on the rise....so get out the baby powder and get rid of that chapped [deleted]!!!

[Nacho]

Giddy they may not be but there are a heck of a lot of teams that never get mentioned and never will. I don't know if we will go to C-USA and sometimes I'm not even sure I want to but anyone who knows anything about college football knows Phil Bennett. Every college and practically every hs coach in the country knows him. He gives this program credence. People believe he is going to turn it around. It will take some time. Clearly he is not playing on a level field.

There are other reasons for the mentions, not least of which is Dallas itself and the school. Don't pay too much attention to idiots on other boards. Everybody has their own agenda. Reputable sources include us in the C-USA scenarios. It may not work out. Who Knows? After seeing what happened to BC and Cuse it all has to be taken with a great deal of caution.

[This message has been edited by Nacho (edited 07-11-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Nacho (edited 07-11-2003).]

[FloridaMustang]

I would be so unbelievably happy if UCF and SMU made it into the same conference. I'm praying I'll one day be able to see my Mustangs in FL

[RE Tycoon]

I'm with Stallion on this one. To say we are highly respected is a joke. I believe, as most other SMU fans believe, that our program is turning around. But outside of the bubble we are just another 3 win program that is not an attractive addition to a conference. If we end up in C-USA the presidents and AD'S are going to have to explain to their alumni why it's a good idea to have us in their conference. Think how pissed off we would all be if we admitted a UNT type program in our conference...same type of situation.
I think it's a smart move for a conference to admitt us because we are getting better and we offer a strong "all sports" package. But to make a comment saying we are "respected" is naive. Some people on this board need to take off their red and blue glasses and face reality.

I find it odd that in the Dallas Morning News they said Copeland was on vacation...WTF! That is not right! Reschedule the damn thing, we have an important couple of weeks ahead and he's on a beach somewhere...inexcusable.

GO 'STANGS!

[Charleston Pony]

I'm sure Copeland can be reached if necessary...and this is supposed to be the "off season". Give the guy a break!

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

I just hope any conference that wants us extends their invitation before the season opener because there's no way any conference will take us seriously as a I-A school after they see the new uniforms...

[MeanGreenGem]

Think how pissed off we would all be if we admitted a UNT type program in our conference...same type of situation.

<>*<> Yeah, pretty pathetic football program up there at UNT alright! That 2003 UNT consensus All American "Booger" fella must be some sort of fluke just like the Mean Green's last 2 bowl appearances (the last one of which UNT kicked the CUSA "Co-Champions" butt in a nationally televised game--did you watch it)?


I find it odd that in the Dallas Morning News they said Copeland was on vacation...WTF!

<>*<> You probably found it even more odd that the Dallas Morning News editorial staff include that pretty pathetic athletic program up in Denton in their version of an SWC II, right?

????? BTW, you wouldn't be a "current student" at some little college in Louisiana now would you?

[PonyTales]

Once again, I think Nacho might have the best grip on realignment of all of us. I highly doubt conferences are working up elaborate schemes to convince SMU to join, but for some reason there have been countless mentions from members of other conferences about wanting to tap in to the Dallas TV market (not realizing that SMU is not on TV too often and that the local TV media all but ignores us.) Of course, they also want to recruit DFW kids, but ConferenceUSA already does that, since they come into FW to play TCU.

But as Nacho said, anyone who knows college football knows Coach Bennett. Before taking over at SMU, he was considered among the very best assistant coaches in the nation, and even with his first-season record, I've never heard or read of another coach who anything but the highest praise for Coach Bennett.

Whether or not he saw realignment looming on the horizon at the time, Jim Copeland might have made the best move of his AD career when he hired Coach Bennett, whose reputation and enthusiasm for the future of SMU football will be vital to the future of our program.