SMU buying out OSU

[wanderso17]

You all may have heard about this, but while listening to the OKC radio station WWLS the Sport Animal, I heard that OSU's athletic director Birdwell and Gerald Turner are good friends. Due to their friendship a buy out had been agreed upon between the schools. SMU will supposedly buy out OSU for the remaining two football games in order to allow OSU to find a cupcake to play at home before they travel to play UCLA. I don't know if you all had heard about this. I found it rather interesting. Furthermore, the radio hosts were talking about how, if given more time, Phil will be able to turn things around at S.M.U. The person that had said all of this was Robert Allen, the O.S.U. beat reporter.

[abezontar]

Let me see if I understand what you are saying....OSU wants out of the contract so that they can play an easier team at home, so we are going to pay them for the remaining two games of the contract? I may have misunderstood your comments but that doesn't seem to make too much sense. Do they play UCLA next year or is that game in the last year of the contract? If it is next year don't we play OSU at Stillwater next year? IF OSU is trying to get out of the contract wouldn't they be required to pay us, not the other way around? Someone please clarify.

[The Brown Hornet]

For a program that seems to be in need of money, I find this a bit strange. If this is true, I hope we already have another game lined up, and a home game at that.

[EastStang]

Why would SMU pay OSU to allow OSU the opportunity to schedule a cupcake especially since we have been Cupcakes for OSU the past two years? Now, if buying out OSU allows SMU home game with say Navy, Army or T A&M this year, then I would not have a problem. This year could be a tough year attendance wise since our home schedule would be against TT, La. Tech, Tulsa, SJS, and Nevada. The last three teams don't draw very well. This could also mean that we will be moving to CUSA this year, and Copeland had to open a date for a conference game.

[Dooby]

This was an OSU show, the money we pay OSU will allow OSU to pay ANOTHER cupcake for the privilege of getting waxed by OSU in Stillwater.

If we are buying out the game, we clearly plan to fill that date with a home game. Hopefully, we can find our own cupcake to play.

[PonySnob]

Not sure there are any "cupcake" teams for SMU.

[Dooby]

Originally posted by PonySnob:
Not sure there are any "cupcake" teams for SMU.

Don't disagree at all. Eaststang says, "Navy, Army or T A&M this year." I will point out that Navy killed us last year and went to a bowlgame this year and T A&M would spot 60 on us like they did Baylor-as we all know, the aggies and Coach Fran love to run it up.

I'll take Army, or just about anybody else in the ESPN bottom 10. I'll take Grambling or Sam Houston or some other Div 1-AA team, as has been suggested. I do not want any team from a BCS conference save maybe (and I do mean maybe) Baylor or Vandy. No matter who we schedule, any team we look at as a "chance to win" will look at us the same way.

<small>[ 01-08-2004, 07:37 AM: Message edited by: Dooby ]</small>

[ponyte]

Yes, I can see where OSU would not want to play in Dallas. I can see OSU wanting to get out of a game in a hotbed-recruiting city like Dallas. OSU doesn't need any pub in the DFW area.

And there is only one bigger cupcake in the land than us and that is Army. Is OSU scheduling Army?

I would think that Turner would have the good sense (perhaps too much of a benefit of the doubt) to let Copeland run the athletic department.

Of course Turner and his crew did shut down a Republican cupcake sell so maybe Turner thinks he has enough experiences with cupcakes to make a decision about which cupcake OSU plays.

[Eddie P]

Quick questions:

Do you enjoy starting the season 0-4 or 0-5 every year? Do you see some benefit to perhaps playing a weaker opponent rather than getting pounded by OKstate in Stillwater? How does that benefit this team?

[Dooby]

Originally posted by ponyte:
Yes, I can see where OSU would not want to play in Dallas. I can see OSU wanting to get out of a game in a hotbed-recruiting city like Dallas. OSU doesn't need any pub in the DFW area.

And there is only one bigger cupcake in the land than us and that is Army. Is OSU scheduling Army?

I would think that Turner would have the good sense (perhaps too much of a benefit of the doubt) to let Copeland run the athletic department.

Of course Turner and his crew did shut down a Republican cupcake sell so maybe Turner thinks he has enough experiences with cupcakes to make a decision about which cupcake OSU plays.

You are high. This isn't about OSU, this is about SMU. If we can get out of playing OSU on the road and can schedule a more competitive game at home, then we need to do it.

As for the Turner letting Copeland run the athletic department, I give Turner a bulk of the credit for the Boulevard, any rumored academic changes to improve athletics and bring in jucos. I also give him credit for raising the rest of the money to build Ford, considering Copeland can't seem to meet his personal quota for donations to SMU athletics year after year. Copeland said he wanted to go play UT. If Turner gets out of a road game against a perennial bowl team and schedules a beatable opponent at home, I'll suggest he take over both jobs.

As for the "Republican bake sale" comment-Trust me, my republican credentials are better than anybody on this board, including yours (wanna see my resume?). First, it wasn't a Republican bake sale, but part of a national effort by a conservative club to get publicity; they've been holding the things allover the country. Second, they stopped the one at the liberal hotbed of Texas A&M, too. Third, I don't recall Turner being involved in that mess in any way.

[OldPony]

Dooby- You are running out of D-1 teams. What do we do after they beat us? What would it mean if we beat them?
Play good competition. OSU isn't a Top 10 team. Don't we aspire to be Top 25? There is no way that I would pay not to play OSU in order to schedule Army or Navy. We'll make more money on the OSU game. Navy won't draw 20,000 and Army would be worse. Schedule schools with big alum presences in Dallas like any of the old SWC Texas schools or Ark or OSU, OU, KU etc. I would rather be 0-5 playing decent schools than 3-2 playing 2 Armys.

[Dooby]

Originally posted by OldPony:
Dooby- You are running out of D-1 teams. What do we do after they beat us? What would it mean if we beat them?
Play good competition. OSU isn't a Top 10 team. Don't we aspire to be Top 25? There is no way that I would pay not to play OSU in order to schedule Army or Navy. We'll make more money on the OSU game. Navy won't draw 20,000 and Army would be worse. Schedule schools with big alum presences in Dallas like any of the old SWC Texas schools or Ark or OSU, OU, KU etc. I would rather be 0-5 playing decent schools than 3-2 playing 2 Armys.

You question what would it mean if we beat Army and at the same time you are worried about being embarassed by losing to them? Haven't you answered your own question?

Baby steps. You have to be able to beat the bad teams to beat the good ones. Right now we can't beat either. This team forgot how to win. They pressed or played on their heels at the end of winnable games. This team needs to know how to win. This team needs to know what it feels like to win. This team needs confidence. Like Hayden Fry said, you have to establish confidence.

I'll end by quoting Bill Snyder (Kansas State) in the November 13, 2003 Dallas Morning News:

"Schedule soft. Build confidence as a result while new techniques are taught."

<small>[ 01-08-2004, 08:57 AM: Message edited by: Dooby ]</small>

[ponyte]

Dooby, my apologies for any offensive you have felt from my post. And I apologize for offending your sensibilities and affection for Turner. I understand the concern and pain this may cause one and I feel their pain.
I also apologies for any misunderstanding concerning your overwhelming resume for Republicans. It was not my intent to offend your political affiliation or dedication.

And I apologize for upsetting one's sense of meaningful victories. For some the victory is more important than the competition. I accept that and admit that I was insensitive to others that desire a win and abhor competition. I shall endeavor to be more sensitive to others that desire wins regardless of the level of competition.

Please accept my apologies.

*This is a dripping with sarcasm post. Apparently, some are unable to recognize sarcasm or cynicism. And before a poster gives his/her journalism credentials, I will admit that I am not a journalist and apologize for that as well.

[youngalumpony]

Well, I hope this rumor is true, we really need to drop OSU as quickly as possible, that game does nothing for us except earn us some of the gates from the 50,000 they'll draw. Copeland has to start scheduling teams that we can at least compete against, so this team doesn't lose every game in september every year. I know TCU contantly has to put up with being criticized for their easy schedule, but I wouldnt mind being where they are right now....

[JasonB]

This is done by SMU for several reasons:

- Why get waxed away at the start of the season to ruin our confidence and any optimism for the season.

- You saw what scheduling SMU and a 1-AA school did for Baylor this year - they went out the next week and beat Colorado. Confidence does a lot for a team, especially a young team.

- OK St. has gotten quite a number of recruits out of the dallas area the last two years. Several recruits who were at the Ok St. - SMU game this year had both teams on their interest list. Why help them out by increasing their presence in Dallas? I would rather bring a team in that we do not compete against for recruits.

- As for the attendance issue, we add another home game against a lower scool, get a good win, and that will help us boost attendance for the rest of the season and enhance alumni excitement about the new season.

I think it is a very good move and I give Copelan, Turner, or whomever props for having the guts to pull it off.