Everybody Loves the Big D

[Stallion]

If you drew a circle 35 miles wide with Center being Cowboys Stadium, then this is the unquestioned No. 1 Recruiting Hotbed in the Country right now.

http://www.newsok.com/mike-holder-still ... tory_title

[PK]

Is that a circle with a 35 mile diameter or radius..."wide" is not usually a term used to describe a circle unless you are talking about your "circle" of friends...or enemies as the case maybe.

[Paladin]

It's really a simple solution for OSU or any other school that wants increased exposure in Dallas--schedule SMU at Ford Stadium, which of course could be expanded in the future to accommodate more butts in seats. And Dallas actually has public transportation unlike Arlington.

[NickSMU17]

" Dallas actually has public transportation "

That is a joke right??

[CalallenStang]

" Dallas actually has public transportation "

That is a joke right??

When compared to Chicago, yes, but when compared to Arlington, no.

[Mickey]

Amazing! At least 7 teams are playing at a neutral site in Dallas the next few years. Maybe more to come- like TCU. SMU is clearly the only D-1 team that has this many teams to compete with and it is our own fault.

This is one of many reasons the Big 12 athletic departments wanted SMU in the conference over Baylor. Besides recruiting, other reasons are:

1. Dallas TV market.

2. Along with KC, centrally located for the football championship game as well as the Big 12 basketball tourney.

3. Week end in Dallas for a game, sightseeing, and partying. Sure beats Wacko. Now the fans stay the weekend in Dallas and drive to Wacko for the game and then drive back to Dallas.. A lot easier to stay in Dallas and watch your team play SMU. If you are from Lincoln, Columbia, Ames, Boulder, Manhattan, Lawrence, Norman, Stillwater, College Station, Austin, Lubbock, or even Wacko, would you rather travel to Dallas or Wacko?

Than you Dr. Pye!!

[ChrisFowler]

I think SMU is better off not in the Big 12, quite frankly. If I'm a Baylor guy, I'd rather have a chance in C-USA or the MWC than looking up at Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska every year.

[orguy]

Totally agree with that. I have always wondered what it must be like to suffer as a Baylor fan in the Big 12. Especially since Baylor had those great teams under Grant T. Its doubtful they ever will have success in the Big 12.

At least SMU plays in a weak conference. Its our only hope to get out of this quagmire. If we had been the Big 12 we would have been asked to leave by now.

[SMU2007]

baylor's main problem is that they are having to recruit people to waco......gross

[couch 'em]

Wow, you guys are right. I'd sure hate to be having 1-3 win seasons in the Big 12 playing UT and getting media coverage and tons of conference money. I much prefer our current 1-3 wins playing teams nobody cares about getting zero media coverage and tiny conference money.

[EastStang]

Note that Baylor spends that conference money wisely. They have been lights out good in men's and women's track and field, tennis, women's soccer,men's and women's basketball, baseball and so on. That's the part we don't see. The fact that they are getting millions of dollars of BCS money for stinking in the bottom of a BCS conference and that funds many of their other sports. Duke has the same experience being able to fund sports like soccer, lacrosse and golf.

[smupony94]

I thought everybody loved Raymond

[Topper]

Totally agree with that. I have always wondered what it must be like to suffer as a Baylor fan in the Big 12. Especially since Baylor had those great teams under Grant T. Its doubtful they ever will have success in the Big 12.

At least SMU plays in a weak conference. Its our only hope to get out of this quagmire. If we had been the Big 12 we would have been asked to leave by now.

I totally disagree. I think you want to be in the highest caliber conference possible. From a recruiting standpoint, it makes a world of difference. Those recruits that didnt get bids from Texas or OU are going to the second tier Big 12 schools, including Baylor. We get none of them. And those guys have a huge incentive to play well against the teams that woudlnt take them. Oh, and dont forget the money. Baylor is getting rich off of their Big 12 alliance. Vanderbilt is the same way in the SEC. People say they don't belong in that league, but guess what? They love the MONEY AND THE NATIONAL PRESS ATTENTION>

[orguy]

Vanderbilt may have a 500 season every ten years or so but they would be better off in a lesser conference if their alumni wanted to win. However, Vandy is an academic school more like Rice and football is of less concern at these type institutions unlike Baylor or even SMU.

It is not true that Baylor/Vandy etc. get all the recruits that are rejected by the top tier big 12/SEC programs. Programs like Southern Miss, BSU, TCU etc all do pretty well. Heck, TCU is a superior program to Vanderbilt anyway you slice it.

SMU does not attract recruits for obvious reasons and they have little to do with the conference we play in. We could play in any conference and we would still lose. That is how pathetic we have been since 86 or so.

Baylor may use the proceeds towards other sports like subsidizing womens programs and basketball. However, in TEXAS all the alumni care about is Football.

It may have been a good move for Baylor to enter the Big 12 from a financial perspective but from a fan perspective it has been a nightmare and will continue to be so.

Also: one thing not mentioned here. Baylor is quite a bit larger school than SMU. Their fan support is statewide drawing students mainly from in state of Texas. They have many more hardcore "fans" than SMU. Their fans are also willing to travel to whacko to see games. Its not like Dallas is any great shakes. Its about the most culturally dead major city in north america.

[Topper]

Baylor is a larger school, but until the death penalty, we dominated them in football with the exception of part of the Grant Teaff era. Baylor never won a Cotton Bowl, and didnt play in one until sometime in the 70s.

It is my feeling that SMU has not been committed to winning football since the death penalty until recently. Put us back in a major conference, let our coaches recruit, offer majors that athletes look for at the big schools, re-instate baseball, and we will start taking back all of that talent that TCU has been hogging the past few years.

Unfortunately I think the discussion is moot. We are probably lucky, given our history over the last 20 years, to even be in CUSA. The other unfortunate thing is that I dont think our fans will fill Ford stadium to see the likes of Marshall and ECU. I bet most people in Dallas don't even know what state Marshall is in. Texas, A&M, Tech, OU, OSU, Arkansas will all be playing in JerryWorld or the Cotton Bowl on a regular basis. That is real big time college ball and that is what most people in Dallas want to see.