2011

[Phxfan]

This looks to me to be the year SMU really can do it. We play, A&M, Baylor, Navy, TCU + CUSA. Could sweep.

If the BCS is still here, looks to be good for SMU. I doubt JJ will settle for any non BCS team.

SMU is young and will get better. SMU should make it into the top 25 next yr.

[indianmustang]

looks good

[expony18]

wow top 25 next year? thats a little ambitious... Even if we won all of our CUSA games, we would need to win two of our OOC games to be top 25. Realistically we need to win 3 (WSU has to be a win if top 25 is a goal). If somehow we manage to win AT TECH, beat TCU at home (who should be preseason top 20), and beat washington state we will probably get some top 25 votes. But I find this highly unlikely.

As for 2011

Have you looked at any of A&M's Recruits? Not to mention Robert Griffin will be a senior for Baylor (that should be fun to watch), and we play @ TCU... Not saying we can't beat these three teams, but we need some major upgrades on the OLINE and DLINE if we want to compete in these games

[expony18]

Also note that Houston was top 25 because they had success early against Tech and an overrated Okie State team

[smupony94]

looks good

Nice Sophie Dee avatar

[Phxfan]

wow top 25 next year? thats a little ambitious... Even if we won all of our CUSA games, we would need to win two of our OOC games to be top 25. Realistically we need to win 3 (WSU has to be a win if top 25 is a goal). If somehow we manage to win AT TECH, beat TCU at home (who should be preseason top 20), and beat washington state we will probably get some top 25 votes. But I find this highly unlikely.

As for 2011

Have you looked at any of A&M's Recruits? Not to mention Robert Griffin will be a senior for Baylor (that should be fun to watch), and we play @ TCU... Not saying we can't beat these three teams, but we need some major upgrades on the OLINE and DLINE if we want to compete in these games

This is something I have wanted to say but for whatever reason never said it.
SMU was so close to being 9 wins, this season. Not far away from 10-2.
There have been HUGE surprises for SMU, Padron. A running game. These are just kids.
Even surpised JJ. Freshmen and sophmores, now.
I guess I am buying into the JJ thing, big time, he has things right.

[expony18]

the only thing that concerns me is the size difference we will see facing Tech, AM, and Baylor. Not sure we are that close to top 25. yes we had a good season, and there have been a number of surprises, but you dont go from bottom 10 to top 25 after one season

[ponyscott]

the only thing that concerns me is the size difference we will see facing Tech, AM, and Baylor. Not sure we are that close to top 25. yes we had a good season, and there have been a number of surprises, but you dont go from bottom 10 to top 25 after one season

We wish, but it ain't gonna happen that fast and maybe we can see someTop 25 votes in 2012 when these guys are seniors.

[Phxfan]

the only thing that concerns me is the size difference we will see facing Tech, AM, and Baylor. Not sure we are that close to top 25. yes we had a good season, and there have been a number of surprises, but you dont go from bottom 10 to top 25 after one season

Well we are far from the bottom 110 this year. I watched as TT's huge linemen got cramps, got tired, felt down, etc. It was Houston. They were agile and young. So is SMU.

[mustangdm]

you dont go from bottom 10 to top 25 after one season

It's heartbreaking to think how close we were to 10-2 though

[expony18]

the only thing that concerns me is the size difference we will see facing Tech, AM, and Baylor. Not sure we are that close to top 25. yes we had a good season, and there have been a number of surprises, but you dont go from bottom 10 to top 25 after one season

Well we are far from the bottom 110 this year. I watched as TT's huge linemen got cramps, got tired, felt down, etc. It was Houston. They were agile and young. So is SMU.

bottom 10 last two years... one turn around season like we're experiencing, does not mean we will be top 25 next year

[GoRedGoBlue]

SMU was so close to being 9 wins, this season. Not far away from 10-2.
There have been HUGE surprises for SMU, Padron. A running game. These are just kids.
Even surpised JJ. Freshmen and sophmores, now.
I guess I am buying into the JJ thing, big time, he has things right.
Phxfan
Varsity

 
Yeah and we should have lost to uab, rice could have eAsily beat us, and we had no business beating ecu - key turnovers run back for tds.

7-5 is now 4-8.

You have to play it both ways.

They key difference is that this team has confidence, but we were never a 10-2 team.

Tcu won 5-6 years ago bc they believed they would, even in years they had lesser talent. With wins comes better recruits, more confidence and MORE practice time as they went to 10 bowls in 11 years.

[i phone money]

looks good

Nice Sophie Dee avatar

I miss the old one.

[RednBlue11]

watch A&M back out if we win the CUSA next year

[Big Hoss]

Let's concentrate on cracking the top 50 before we start talking top 25.

Regarding our O line, all of our starters return with the exception of Enright. We should see improvement from what I thought was a solid performance that got better as this season progressed.

As far as size goes, here are our starters (all sophomores):

LT Beachum, 6'3", 270 lbs
LG LeRibeus, 6'2", 330 lbs
RG Tennison, 6'3", 285 lbs
RT Brooks, 6'5", 311 lbs

McJunkin is likely the favorite to start at center next year, and he's 6'2", 262 lbs (basically the same size as Enright). I know he had a tough game earlier this year when Mitch got hurt, but he's played better in the past, so hopefully he can step up.

Above were the weights listed on the website, but Tennison and Beachum seemed bigger than this by the end of the season (just comparing the guys standing nexst to Brooks on the sidelines). This is a bigger average than the last few years, and hopefully we'll continue to see bigger guys coming in. If you look down the list of backups, the sizes are usually 6'3" or better, and high 200s. Most of them are pretty young, so that should give some hope that our O line is on the right track.

D line certainly could use more size in the middle, but my hope is that Thompson and Hunt are the starting ends next year. Could you imagine if Margus continues to improve his game skills, and our starting ends are 6'7" and 6'9"?

My biggest concern for next year is by FAR our secondary. Dennis, McCann and Hudman all graduate, and Bell's career could be done with those unfortunate concussions earlier this year.