Solution to Low Thanksgiving Attendance??

[Pony94]

How hard would it be to set up TCU for Thanksgiving weekend games? The inability to pull in visiting fans from out of state for this weekend is going to remain an issue for a long time. Plus, who else would you consider to be our top rival?

[ontheedgeofmyseat]

It is typically rivals weekend..makes sense.

[pwnyxpress]

That is a good idea, but I think it can be solved with consistent winning. I think Dallas will support a winning program--I saw it in the past and know they will in the future.

[Charleston Pony]

I expect that if TCU remains strong and we become worthy, our game with them will be moved to that time frame and become part of rivalry week. TV will make sure of that

[Statler]

How hard would it be to set up TCU for Thanksgiving weekend games? The inability to pull in visiting fans from out of state for this weekend is going to remain an issue for a long time. Plus, who else would you consider to be our top rival?

You are absolutely dead on. Several of us were taking about this very thing over the weekend. In the "olden times" of the SWC...SMU played TCU on the last game of the season.

[KnuckleStang]

This is what I have always wanted. Remember Bennett emphatically stating this to the press (around the same time he said if the frogs go to the MWC, we might as well not play them anymore...man sometimes you gotta love Bennett), then Patterson in an interview shooting the idea down? Presumably because the frogs at the time did not think us worthy of a Thanksgiving matchup. Maybe if our improvement continues, they'll like the idea better

[Charleston Pony]

we didn't always play TCU the last game of the season. We did during my years at SMU (1970-1973) and the game was usually attended by less than 20k. We got away from playing them at the end of the year and played them opening day a few years, then a little later and I even recall playing them during the State Fair once or twice...but our games with TCU have never been very well attended. Of course, the main reason for that is that we have for the most part been irrelevant in the world of college football. Now that TCU has found big time success, it's up to SMU to accomplish the same level of success. If we can do that, maybe this rivalry can be reborn

[Dutch]

even recently (w/n last 10 years) we played them over thanksgiving weekend. it's a difficult time for this game given that the student body of both schools is typically home for the holiday. i know it's not a big factor, but you isolate your students from the game, and the idea of a rivalry disappears.

[Mexmustang]

We used to play them on Thanksgiving weekend during the SWC days, and attendance was poor. Both schools need to play around the students schedules, no fall break games and no holiday games, until we can both regularily count on large attendance numbers.

[KnuckleStang]

The problem with this rivalry is that our teams have never been good simultaneously in modern history. If TCU stays good, and we continue to get better, it will start to mean more

[ponyscott]

If we could get away from even playing on Thanksgiving weekend, which probably won't happen because of Bowl game planning nationwide, what about playing the last weekend of the State Fair at Fair Park which may attract large crowds for the whole treatment of the fair, the game etc.. ....it may be a good payout for both teams if its planned out well by both schools and the City of Dallas. Just a thought........

[RGV Pony]

The last Thanksgiving weekend game vs TCU I recall was one at Ford broadcast by ESPN2 I think...what was it, sixty something to not very much? I think it was in 2000.

[smupony94]

Have them play at halftime

http://www.lflus.com/dallasdesire/

[KnuckleStang]

The last Thanksgiving weekend game vs TCU I recall was one at Ford broadcast by ESPN2 I think...what was it, sixty something to not very much? I think it was in 2000.

All I remember is, their total was 62, and LT ran all over us like a freak

[San Antonio Mustang]

It is interesting that TCU is now considered our rival. When I was at SMU in the sixties our rivals were Texas and Texas A&M. TCU, Baylor, & Rice were about the same. Of course, through most of that time we were beating TCU. And as MexMustang states the attendance at TCU games was poor. As we get better I think Houston and Tulsa will take on more importance as they will impact the conference standings.