Big Televen Issues Official Statement on Expansion

[CalallenStang]

okay i have to ask this question even if its been answered....exactly what "higher" standard do we hold our athletes to? ive never seen any stats about this subject and to be honest it sounds like people on this board are handicapping us like a ND, Stanford, or other institution of higher academics when we don't even sniff them...is it that we are freezing out potential recruits because of HS grades and SATs? or a combination of terrible recruiting for the better part of 20 years and not having the right kind of degree for athletes?

bring back the SWC!

Talk to Stallion. He will fill you in. From what I understand, most of the obstacles that our coaches had to deal with have now been broken down.

[Hoofbeat83]

I've heard Hawaii took 15-20,000 to the Sugar Bowl-don't think they have ever traveled to any other game well though. TCU just sold out their alottment of 17,000 and is getting 2,000 more.

Thanks...do you remember back in the glory days in the 1980's just ballpark how well SMU travelled?...Holiday Bowl?...Sun Bowl?...Aloha Bowl?...Did we travel well back then?

no, we did not travel well.

[Longtime]

If my memory is correct, not many schools "traveled" back in the 1980s unless it was a big-timer with a national following. Bowls back then were geared more to selling to locals. The concept of traveling to bowls, or even selling out stadiums, is a fairly recent phenomenon. Before Mack Brown arrived at Texas, and other schools started copying UT's marketing push, the Longhorns and Aggies only sold out their stadiums for the biggest games, not every game as it is today.

It wouldn't be fair to judge SMU's travel reputation based on the 80's, anyway. But all you need to know about SMU's ability to travel is that our enrollment is that our undergrad enrollment is 6,000. Our total enrollment is only 10,800. We're simply not big enough to ever be a good travel school. We don't generate the amount of alumni necessary to create a large following. The only solution is to become "Dallas' team" and attract more fans without actual ties to SMU, but with so many professional team options in Dallas, and a Dallas media that only focuses on the pros, forget it.

[VarsityShop]

Another individual living in the past. Shameful.

Living in the past? In 1868 Japan's feudal era came to an end, and the samurai class was abolished.

[NickSMU17]

Need to get Irsay, Hunt, and future NFL owner Ford to start politicking....


Also, the rest of the Circle of Champions should be rounding up the troops for another fight...

[ponydawg]

Another individual living in the past. Shameful.

Living in the past? In 1868 Japan's feudal era came to an end, and the samurai class was abolished.

But Samurai's never say die......wait, never mind. That was goonies....goonies never say die.

[Longtime]

Missouri feels like a Big 12 whipping boy right now, boo-hooing about being passed over for the Insight Bowl in favor of Iowa State. Whatever.

Missouri better think long and hard before leaving for the Big Ten. If they do that, they cut off their recruiting ties to Texas. Missouri football has had a huge resurgence thanks to Texas talent. Plus, their longstanding rivalries with the Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, etc. would be in peril. I suppose they could make KU an annual non-conference opponent, but it wouldn't be the same.

On the other hand, Missouri's rivalry with Illinois would be enhanced by conference affiliation.

TV is driving all of this. The Big Ten now has a network of its own that needs more eyeballs. Whatever schools they go after will likely be big TV draws. I'm not sure Missouri fits that profile. I suppose they draw from the Kansas City and Saint Louis markets. Not great, but not bad, either.

[NickSMU17]

Mizzo actually would have an advantage in the big 10 being able to recruit down in Texas...

Not to mention the addition of a lot of capital...

[PonyKai]

Whatever happens in the near future with conference expansions/realignments, I am much more at ease with Mr. Orsini and Turner running the show on our end. I don't think we'll have any incidents like our own President claiming the SWC is not breaking up 48 hours before it actually does. I think the current administration will play whatever cards we have to the best of their ability.

[Ponyx2]

I just can't get rid of this stinkin' suspicion that when things change, they will change so that SMU gets screwed in the worst possible manner.

[MustangStealth]

Mizzo actually would have an advantage in the big 10 being able to recruit down in Texas...

Do you really think more TX kids would be interested in playing in the Big 10 than the Big 12?

[Dooby]

Mizzo actually would have an advantage in the big 10 being able to recruit down in Texas...

Do you really think more TX kids would be interested in playing in the Big 10 than the Big 12?

Exactly. Mizzou will see its Texas recruiting ability diminish.

[NickSMU17]

No more than playing in the big 12 north...

[RednBlue11]

Mizzo actually would have an advantage in the big 10 being able to recruit down in Texas...

Do you really think more TX kids would be interested in playing in the Big 10 than the Big 12?

ummm...ryan mallet was

the highest rated Qb from Texas in the 07 hs grad class

and Nick Foles from Austin Westlake went to Mich St that same year too

[ReedFrawg]

Why would anyone select Colorado State over TCU (or other programs)? (Yes I know I am biased but is there any reason ANY conference would do this?) Colorado State averaged 26K in attendance this year and has capacity of maybe 34K. They went 4-8 in '06, 3-9 in '07, 7-6 in '08 and 3-9 in '09. They have bad basketball teams and no baseball program. I don't think they bring anything as far as TV sets or recruiting, etc. Why are they even a consideration???