The state of SMU Football...

[Blue Horseshoe]

When our athletic department speaks of being top 25, is this the picture that they have in their heads?:

More people will travel to this game than all the fans we will have for our entire remaining home games. Crazy fans dressed in their school colors, hard hitting (and tackling) at a level that gives the average spectator a need for a couple of advil, big plays, long passes and acrobatic catches, goal line stands and last minute heroics!

I know this is a rivalry game and the comparisons may be a bit unfair. But, consider this, look at our "rivalry game" against TCU. It doesn't even compare!!!

It's been a bit embarrassing having my friends from TX and OU talk about their programs. They've been kind to go to two games and the boulevard with me this year. The boulevard was great but the games reminded them high school. One of which was TCU!

Our coaches are being paid to compete at the TX/OU levels and we can't even compete in CUSA. I know its the first year (again) for this new staff, but let's just say they get us to finally being competitive in CUSA...is this what we are really paying for?

All one has to do is watch the TX/OU game this Saturday to realize just how far we have to go!

Oh yeah…I forgot to mention that the winner will have a great chance at being crowned the king of the top 25…so much for the iron skillet.

I'm afraid our economy will turn around far quicker than we will.

[CalallenStang]

I'm afraid our economy will turn around far quicker than we will.

On this point, I hope you are right.

[PonyLove]

It's been a bit embarrassing having my friends from TX and OU talk about their programs.

Get some new friends.

[Warbow]

When our athletic department speaks of being top 25, is this the picture that they have in their heads?:

More people will travel to this game than all the fans we will have for our entire remaining home games. Crazy fans dressed in their school colors, hard hitting (and tackling) at a level that gives the average spectator a need for a couple of advil, big plays, long passes and acrobatic catches, goal line stands and last minute heroics!

I know this is a rivalry game and the comparisons may be a bit unfair. But, consider this, look at our "rivalry game" against TCU. It doesn't even compare!!!

It's been a bit embarrassing having my friends from TX and OU talk about their programs. They've been kind to go to two games and the boulevard with me this year. The boulevard was great but the games reminded them high school. One of which was TCU!

Our coaches are being paid to compete at the TX/OU levels and we can't even compete in CUSA. I know its the first year (again) for this new staff, but let's just say they get us to finally being competitive in CUSA...is this what we are really paying for?

All one has to do is watch the TX/OU game this Saturday to realize just how far we have to go!

Oh yeah…I forgot to mention that the winner will have a great chance at being crowned the king of the top 25…so much for the iron skillet.

I'm afraid our economy will turn around far quicker than we will.

From an outsider looking in: I watched most of your games on TV or the internet and have noted a huge improvement on both sides of the football. As painfull as it will be for me to say this, I believe that JJ is taking your program in the right direction. Things will only get better for SMU and it's fans if JJ stays there. It took JJ 9 years at Hawaii with no resources to achieve greatness but with your resources it should take him half the time, only time will tell.

As always the case with JJ, as soon as he gets a decent defensive coordinator, his teams W-L records improves. You guys really need to look at making Coach Reinebold in charge of the D.

[Cadillac]

Blue Horseshoe,

If I were you, I'd find the guy who told you we'd be good this season and beat his [deleted] for lying to you.

Then you should punch yourself in the face for believing him.

Then you should probably just sit and cry for a while, because somehow, you got it into your head that we would be able to compete with the Red River Rivalry on some level or another. Really man... what on earth would have made you think that? Even if we WERE top 25, and TCU were to STAY in the top 25, we wouldn't approach the hype and excitement of the RRR with two top 5 teams playing in it.

-CoS

[LA_Mustang]

It took JJ 9 years at Hawaii with no resources to achieve greatness but with your resources it should take him half the time, only time will tell.

Nope....he went 9-4 in his first year at UH...and UH was coming off a winless season. We would consider 9-4 greatness

[SoCal_Pony]

It's been a bit embarrassing having my friends from TX and OU talk about their programs. They've been kind to go to two games and the boulevard with me this year. The boulevard was great but the games reminded them high school. One of which was TCU!

Our coaches are being paid to compete at the TX/OU levels and we can't even compete in CUSA.

I'm afraid our economy will turn around far quicker than we will.

BH,

The day SMU and UT ended their conference affiliation was the day SMU football died....died in the sense that we will never ever compete with the big state schools on a consistent basis.

That's why I've always held the belief SMU should allocate more resources to BB. In that sport we can compete with UT and OU. Memphis, Gonzaga, DePaul and others have proven that point.

As for SMU versus the economy, unfortunately both are multi-year reclamation projects.

[EastStang]

When we had the Pony Express and the best team money could buy, our games with Texas and Arkansas were not huge "gotta have them" tickets. On the other hand SMU - TCU games in the 40's filled the Cotton Bowl (which is how it got its nickname the House that Doak Built). I don't think the days of SMU-TCU being a top 5 match-up will occur again any time soon.

[SoCal_Pony]

ES,

Maybe they were not 'gotta have' tickets, but we still drew over 50k to Texas Stadium.

Seem to remember a night game against TCU and Jim Wacker that had closer to 60k fans.

[EastStang]

So Cal, 50K isn't a sell out a Texas Stadium. Good crowd, but OU/TX always a sellout every year since they started playing each other.

[SMU 86]

When our athletic department speaks of being top 25, is this the picture that they have in their heads?:

More people will travel to this game than all the fans we will have for our entire remaining home games. Crazy fans dressed in their school colors, hard hitting (and tackling) at a level that gives the average spectator a need for a couple of advil, big plays, long passes and acrobatic catches, goal line stands and last minute heroics!

I know this is a rivalry game and the comparisons may be a bit unfair. But, consider this, look at our "rivalry game" against TCU. It doesn't even compare!!!

It's been a bit embarrassing having my friends from TX and OU talk about their programs. They've been kind to go to two games and the boulevard with me this year. The boulevard was great but the games reminded them high school. One of which was TCU!

Our coaches are being paid to compete at the TX/OU levels and we can't even compete in CUSA. I know its the first year (again) for this new staff, but let's just say they get us to finally being competitive in CUSA...is this what we are really paying for?

All one has to do is watch the TX/OU game this Saturday to realize just how far we have to go!

Oh yeah…I forgot to mention that the winner will have a great chance at being crowned the king of the top 25…so much for the iron skillet.

I'm afraid our economy will turn around far quicker than we will.

From an outsider looking in: I watched most of your games on TV or the internet and have noted a huge improvement on both sides of the football. As painfull as it will be for me to say this, I believe that JJ is taking your program in the right direction. Things will only get better for SMU and it's fans if JJ stays there. It took JJ 9 years at Hawaii with no resources to achieve greatness but with your resources it should take him half the time, only time will tell.

As always the case with JJ, as soon as he gets a decent defensive coordinator, his teams W-L records improves. You guys really need to look at making Coach Reinebold in charge of the D.

Warbow said something encouraging. I am almost in a state of shock.
Thanks for the kind words, we need them.

[PK]

We may...maybe...someday field teams competitive with the big state schools, but we will never have the fan base that they do. UT graduates more kids every year than SMU's entire enrollment. Add to that all the wanabe a UT student types and it is no wonder that they can fill those stadiums. And for all practical purposes, UT is Austin's NFL team.

[Mustangsabu]

It took JJ 9 years at Hawaii with no resources to achieve greatness but with your resources it should take him half the time, only time will tell.

Nope....he went 9-4 in his first year at UH...and UH was coming off a winless season. We would consider 9-4 greatness

I think the problem is that he went 9-4 his first year and everyone says "he turned it around in a year." In fact in 2000 they were 3-9, some more rebuilding obviously required, and then in 2001 they went 9-3.

I am not concerned, though I would like to win a couple more games this year. It bothers me that we competed against Tulane and UCF but went 0-2 on that road trip.

[ponyboy]

we will never ever compete with the big state schools on a consistent basis.

We will if we reach the stated Top 25 goal. TCU's doing it.

[03Mustang]

You'd have to be blind to see NO improvement from the first game until now. With little talent it's hard to win unless you have NTSU and a bunch of other I-AA quality teams on your schedule. We'll get there...it's just slow and painful, as always.