NO "Beirut Bowl". Please.....

[Stallion]

I would suggest you change that hypothetical to-If SMU beats UAB AND East Carolina then SMU likely would have a great chance to go bowling at 6-6. Just winning 6 games may not cut it because both East Carolina and UAB could likely get back into the bowl race provided they get past SMU. Winning those games will not only help SMU but hurt the chances of the only 2 teams with a realistic, decent chances to get to 6 wins. With losses to SMU ECU goes to 2-5 and UAB goes to 3-5(not including this weeks Marshall game). Of course, Rice, Tulane, Marshall, Memphis UCF could win out but they sure haven't shown that is likely.

[SMUltimedia]

Is it not possible that the fact we ARE the SMU mustangs of DP fame could help us earn a bowl bid? What television sports producer wouldn't love to work with that story line? The return of the Mustangs!

[perunapower]

I said this before. If we end up 7-5 that is no sure thing. I believe back in 1999 or 2000 Kim Helton of UofH Cougars went 7-4 and Ken Hatfield's Rice Owls went 7-4 in the same year and neither got a bowl bid. I could be wrong on the records, but I am pretty sure they both had seven wins. The field must have been pretty good that year.

I think we have to win four of the next five to end up at 8-4 and get a bowl game. Our two toughest games are going to be against Houston and Tulsa. I just hope we beat Rice in Houston. It would be the first time we have won at Rice since 1986. Before last year's victory over UofH in Houston, we had not won on Houston soil since 1986. SMU has to take care of business and that means 8 wins.

Also, SMU is very unique in the fact that it is tied in with the business community of Dallas. Other schools in our conference can't say that about themselves. Couldn't our close relationship with airlines headquartered in Dallas (American Airlines and Southwest) bring about some cost savings on air travel to a bowl game so the athletic department can be in the black on a bowl game.

We have to get to a bowl game first. Eight wins is the only way to get to a bowl game. Don't count on it at seven.

Ok here's the deal. It only matters how many teams in our conference having winning records. C-USA has 5 bowl bids for this year. With the East having to dig themselves out of a big hole to come up with more than 2 bowl eligible teams and the West with 4 potential bowl eligible teams, we may have trouble at 6-6. But I find it very hard to believe that if we finish 8-4 that we would have ANY trouble whatsoever getting a bid. At 8-4 that would put us ahead of the 7-5 and 6-6 teams for a bid.

If I'm not mistaken, the 8-4 teams must get bids before 7-5 and the pattern continues down the line. Even at 7-5, I don't think the East could conjure up another team that could take it, nor do I see Tulane or Rice making a run up in the standings. Now that's just my opinion, but I find it extremely hard to believe that we wouldn't get a bid at 7-5.

[Mustang98]

Perhaps you are right and the bowl system is different now. That being the case, I still think we need to win eight games for the sake of the program's future. I think we need to send a robust message to recruits that we are serious about winning. If we finish with six or seven wins, it's too easy to fall back into mediocrity. At eight wins we are telling blue chip recruits that we have to tools in place to keep winning for many years.

I will gladly take a bowl game at 6-6, but that is short term thinking. You have to look at the long term. Finishing this season with authority is the only way to insure long term success.

[J.T.supporta]

In my opinion, LONG TERM success for us is to practice weeks past Thanksgiving, thats long term because that means we will have done something we have not done in 2 decades, play in a bowl game.

Getting a bowl bid is long term success. 7 wins will get us a bowl, I dont think 6 will do it.

Lets wait until Halloween to talk about bowl games and possibilites. Its only the half way point in football and it is still too early to talk about bowls.

[perunapower]

Perhaps you are right and the bowl system is different now. That being the case, I still think we need to win eight games for the sake of the program's future. I think we need to send a robust message to recruits that we are serious about winning. If we finish with six or seven wins, it's too easy to fall back into mediocrity. At eight wins we are telling blue chip recruits that we have to tools in place to keep winning for many years.

I will gladly take a bowl game at 6-6, but that is short term thinking. You have to look at the long term. Finishing this season with authority is the only way to insure long term success.

No doubt. I'm pulling for a 9-3 season. I think that is entirely within our reach.

[abezontar]

I believe that RIce was 8-4 that year and the reason they didn't get a bid was because the WAC did not have enough tie-ins. Had they been a member of CUSA with the current bowl tie-ins they would have gone to a bowl, and Stallion could have lorded it over all of us about how even the Rice model has allowed them to go to a bowl game more recently than SMU.

[PlanoStang]

Just an hour or 2 after the 63 season ended when SMU beat eventually
#2 NAVY with Staubach in the Cotton Bowl, my Dad told me he heard on
the radio that SMU was going to the Sun Bowl.

What's a Sun Bowl I said as a fifth grader? We only won 4 games all
year!. Thought you had to be a GREAT team to go to a bowl? My Dad
said something like they said we beat #2 Navy, played #1 Texas close
12- 17, and didn't get blown out by anybody.

We lost to Oregon 21 -14 in the Sun Bowl that year with a 4 - 6 record.

[Stallion]

yep that's right-they went 8-4 playing Sleepy, Copeland, and the rest of the 7 Dwarfs. They didn't deserve nuthin because they didn't beat nuthin'. Rice has had a combined 81 years to win something tangible in Football and Basketball as in championships and they are 0-81

[PlanoStang]

Is it not possible that the fact we ARE the SMU mustangs of DP fame could help us earn a bowl bid? What television sports producer wouldn't love to work with that story line? The return of the Mustangs!

Yeah, either that, or Stallion can find us a way to still sue the NCAA out
of existance for discrimination against SMU while levying probation
penalties since the late 50s.

[hunters]

any bowl where the school gets a little cash is fine with me

[EastStang]

I agree that any bowl invite is worth it to us if for no other reason than the extra practice time. The one thing that I've long called for is in fact a Toilet Bowl between the worst two teams in Division 1-A. If any two teams needed some extra practice it would be the worst two teams in the country.

[BRStang]

I don't see us going 8-4. I think 7-5 is more realistic. And 6-6 is right in line with what is now the SMU Football stereotype.

Again, I don't think there is any 100% certainty that at 7-5 we go to a bowl. I hope we would, and I think we should. But, there is no certainty in it...(YES, even with the 5 bowl tie-ins for CUSA.)

[SMU Football Blog]

any bowl where the school gets a little cash is fine with me

SMU will likely lose money on any bowl bid.

[mrydel]

Is it not possible that the fact we ARE the SMU mustangs of DP fame could help us earn a bowl bid? What television sports producer wouldn't love to work with that story line? The return of the Mustangs!

The problem with this theory is that although a good story line, bowls live and die on attendance figures. If they do not draw they are cancelled. If I am a bowl selection official and all other things are equal (i.e records, tie ins, etc.) I choose the team that has the fans that travel best.