Unfortunate QB Club?

[jettison]

I definitely was not looking for SMU stuff in the San Antonio paper, but I stumbled across it. Not too interesting, but relevant I guess.

<A HREF="http://news.mysanantonio.com/story.cfm?xla=saen&xlb=200&xlc=437817" TARGET=_blank>http://news.mysanantonio.com/story.cfm?xla=saen&xlb=200&xlc=437817</A>

[PerunaPunch]

What an imbecile. Yeah, that's what being a good ambassador for our football program and conference is all about. Don't you think that somebody should come up with a bobbin' head Mike Cavan doll.

[PK]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by PerunaPunch:
<B>Don't you think that somebody should come up with a bobbin' head Mike Cavan doll.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

We already have one. Do we really want more??!!??

[This message has been edited by PK (edited 10-24-2001).]

[PerunaPunch]

Sure, but don't you think that would be appropriate? Heck, if the coach needed to take a week off, he could use the bobbin' head Mike as a substitute... Who'd know the difference?

[PonyFan]

"There's some really good football being played in our league, but our fans just don't relate to it," Cavan said. "It's hard. I don't know what to do about it."

-----------------

Does this quote bother anyone but me? Sounds like a guy who's feeling sorry for himself. If we were out there winning each week, he wouldn't be answering these questions. (Quick: name the last game SMU won because of superior coaching -- maybe the win over Houston with Freiburger at the helm?)

[stangaholic]

I think that Big Mike has a valid point here. SMU could have rebounded from the death penalty much faster had the SWC still been intact. I think that it is true that there is good football in the WAC but Texans don't care about some team from Fresno or Hawaii...
If SMU played Texas, A&M etc., I believe it would improve recruiting, attendance, and the quality of new coaches that they could attract.
Like it or not Mike opened up an extremely important topic. Regardless wins and losses the WAC is a sinking ship and SMU needs to get off before they go down with it. The WAC lost most of its credibility when the likes of BYU, SDSU, CS ect. exited.

[PK]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by stangaholic:
<B>I think that Big Mike has a valid point here. SMU could have rebounded from the death penalty much faster had the SWC still been intact. I think that it is true that there is good football in the WAC but Texans don't care about some team from Fresno or Hawaii...
If SMU played Texas, A&M etc., I believe it would improve recruiting, attendance, and the quality of new coaches that they could attract. </B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I commented along those same lines just recently and basically made the same points, but the reality is that we don't have any options conference wise right now. I'm not sure CUSA is any better than the WAC although the perception might be that it is, but their situation is such that we will not be invited to join anytime soon anyway. You're right that most people in this area don't care about the west coast schools we play, but that is only a part of the attendance problem....NOT WINNING GAMES is the biggest part of the problem. People in this area are not going to support a program that continues to have losing season after losing season regardless of who they play.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2"><B> Like it or not Mike opened up an extremely important topic. Regardless wins and losses the WAC is a sinking ship and SMU needs to get off before they go down with it. The WAC lost most of its credibility when the likes of BYU, SDSU, CS ect. exited. </B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

What you are saying is that SMU, TCU and Rice did not add any credibility to the remaining WAC.....right? What exactly has the Mountain West group done since the split to give them any credibility. They still suck wind just like the WAC. Where exactly are we suppose to go to leave this "sinking ship?"

There is only one answer right now that I can see and that is to do what is necessary to make this a WINNING program. Go out and get the highest ranked OOC teams we can to play us and then beat them every time. That's how we will increase our credibility as well as the WAC's credibility. Then maybe at some future date in time some more desirable conference will ask us to join them. Anyone got a better idea?? Tell me about it.

[PerunaPunch]

Amen. If SMU started kicking butt, in and out of the conference, THAT would be the difference maker.

There's some decent ball clubs in the WAC. Not sure what happened to Fresno State last week, but between them and LA State... Get everyone playing to a level where Rice is the floor mat again, and you've got a conference.

I think if SMU was in the Big XII, we'd be getting wiped out every weekend. Of course we'd have a full house more often, but the games would be at least as depressing as they were this year prior to SJSU.

The key is not the conference, it's winning. If you don't believe me, let's talk Notre Dame, Miami and the rest of the independents. O.K., O.K., yes a better conference would certainly help -- no dispute, but Cavan blaming the conference is just another cop out. Recruit. Coach. Make better decisions on the field. Win games. And the Mustang's current athletic woes, as well as their conference situation, will all work out. And for all you skeptics, how long do you think it would take for CUSA to approve membership for Notre Dame or Miami if they applied?

It's all about winning.

[NavyCrimson]

pk - you're exactly RIGHT!!!!!

[jettison]

Miami is in a conference - the Big East -with Virginia Tech, Pitt, etc.

Notre Dame has never joined a conference as they would not be able to maintain rivalries with USC, Michigan, etc while playing a conference schedule each year.

[stang-aholic]

PREFACE: I totally agree that winning is the solution to most of SMU's problems.

"What you are saying is that SMU, TCU and Rice did not add any credibility to the remaining WAC.....right? What exactly has the Mountain West group done since the split to give them any credibility. They still suck wind just like the WAC. Where exactly are we suppose to go to leave this "sinking ship?"

Like it or not the Moutain West is a better division than the WAC. Like it or not SMU, TCU, RICE did not add any credibility to the remaining WAC. I think that the fans perception of the quality of team in the WAC is very poor. I personally think that many of the teams in the WAC can compete with more popular conferences. However, Tulsa has a crap program, San Jose State has a crap program, Nevada has a crap program...and the list goes on. This lack of competition in the WAC reflects on the rest of the schools in the conference, right or wrong. This is not to say that these schools don't pull one out every now and but as a whole, they are not top programs.

My sole point was the WAC sucks as a conference and if SMU wants to be the big time football program that it should be...it needs to get out of the WAC. Winning will solve this problem. SMU should leave the WAC (aka "sinking ship") Competing against the likes of Texas and A&M will only bolster the SMU program.

Furthermore it is a simple numbers game. The WAC can't draw enough people into the stands to watch a game. Even if SMU was undefeated they would not sell out all of their games (home/away). No fans in the stands = no TV = no money. Simple equation.

I agree that conference choices for SMU are limited now. But that is not to say that nothing can be done to improve the quality of football competition that SMU has. Look at UNLV...were they accepted into the MW b/c they play good football...I don't think so. If it takes money to get in the conference .... replace the coach, win some games and the money will come pouring in. Lack of money at SMU is only a cheap excuse.

"Then maybe at some future date in time some more desirable conference will ask us to join them. "

I believe that your thinking is flawed. I agree that winning is the number one thing SMU needs to do but at the same time waiting to be asked in to a new conference is crap. SMU needs to be proactive in it approach to getting into a new conference. There are things that SMU can offer that are out side winning (new stadium, Dallas, good school) (NO i an NOT saying that winning isn't' the most important thing)

[PerunaPunch]

Good point about the television revenue. I hadn't thought about that.

I think we need to be PREPARED to jump ship, but I don't want to see us pull an Arkansas (i.e. first SWC defector) either. Of course whoever posted that story about the NCAA redefining Div 1A qualifications... that has to be considered as the wildcard in this situation, which might force a decision.

We committed to the WAC, and therefore, should be honor-bound to stick with them. Adding teams like Boise St. and LA Tech have improved the conference. Maybe we can afford to drop a UTEP, SJSU or Nevada if/when NCAA changes their guidelines.

But as lon as we're WAC celler dwellers, we can't [deleted] about the conference too much. We certainly don't have any room to talk about the quality of play in the conference.

[PK]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by stang-aholic:
<B>PREFACE: I totally agree that winning is the solution to most of SMU's problems.

Like it or not the Mountain West is a better division than the WAC. Like it or not SMU, TCU, RICE did not add any credibility to the remaining WAC. I think that the fans perception of the quality of team in the WAC is very poor. I personally think that many of the teams in the WAC can compete with more popular conferences. However, Tulsa has a crap program, San Jose State has a crap program, Nevada has a crap program...and the list goes on. This lack of competition in the WAC reflects on the rest of the schools in the conference, right or wrong. This is not to say that these schools don't pull one out every now and but as a whole, they are not top programs.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The Mountain West probably is the better conference, but only marginally....considering all the "crap programs" you list above, Rice, TCU and SMU if for no other reason than their history has to give some credibility to the conference although at this point you could probably add us to your "crap" list.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2"><B>My sole point was the WAC sucks as a conference and if SMU wants to be the big time football program that it should be...it needs to get out of the WAC. Winning will solve this problem. SMU should leave the WAC (aka "sinking ship") Competing against the likes of Texas and A&M will only bolster the SMU program.

Furthermore it is a simple numbers game. The WAC can't draw enough people into the stands to watch a game. Even if SMU was undefeated they would not sell out all of their games (home/away). No fans in the stands = no TV = no money. Simple equation.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

1. I still don't know where you think we should go to leave this "sinking ship".
2. Yes it would be great to play Texas or A&M....think we haven't tried to get them to play us? As I mentioned in one of my earlier post....we need to play old rivals with a large fan base in the Dallas area and it sounds like that may happen next year with Texas Tech. I hope so.
3. Television is controlled more by the conferences than the individual teams, but yes it is important to be a desirable commodity

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2"><B>I agree that conference choices for SMU are limited now. But that is not to say that nothing can be done to improve the quality of football competition that SMU has. Look at UNLV...were they accepted into the MW b/c they play good football...I don't think so. If it takes money to get in the conference .... replace the coach, win some games and the money will come pouring in. Lack of money at SMU is only a cheap excuse.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Agreed.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2"><B>I believe that your thinking is flawed. I agree that winning is the number one thing SMU needs to do but at the same time waiting to be asked in to a new conference is crap. SMU needs to be proactive in it approach to getting into a new conference. There are things that SMU can offer that are out side winning (new stadium, Dallas, good school) (NO i an NOT saying that winning isn't' the most important thing)</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Never meant that we shouldn't try to be proactive, but you still have to be asked to join a conference and it is not just a matter of buying your way in....we have to meet certain criteria such as attendance and fielding a competitive team, etc. We aren't there yet which is what I meant when I said some time in the future maybe we will be asked to join a more desirable conference. That is why it is so important that we do what ever is necessary to get this program in a winning mode on a consistent basis.