If you are Orsini, what options are you considering?

[Pony_Fan]

Stay put. We don't have enough clout or program right now to do anything. We need a fanbase.

[Nacho]

just as in the big 12 it looks like espn will decide.

[Hoss]

Hopefully, he is being proactive and is already trying to get a grasp on the situation.

Yeah. That worked out well for us a few months ago.

[mrydel]

The last time it was the big boys. This time it involves our tier. We need to be ready to do something.

[SMU 86]

just as in the big 12 it looks like espn will decide.

We will see how everything pans out.

[shadowman]

Go to TCU and make a strong pitch for inclusion of SMU

Didn't TCU encourage us to join CUSA right before the bolted?

Surpised this is really not mentioned much any more. The way it went down back in our WAC days was that SMU and TCU were going to go together to C-USA, this was in the works for a couple of years. This is really where we shot ourselves in the foot, we went about 1-23 over those seasons and they ended up only inviting TCU. The TCU AD said that once they were in C-USA they would work hard to include SMU as well and could do more from the inside.

Somewhere along the way though, they decided we were dead weight and no longer wanted to be associated with us in any way.

[ponydawg]

Go to TCU and make a strong pitch for inclusion of SMU

Didn't TCU encourage us to join CUSA right before the bolted?

Surpised this is really not mentioned much any more. The way it went down back in our WAC days was that SMU and TCU were going to go together to C-USA, this was in the works for a couple of years. This is really where we shot ourselves in the foot, we went about 1-23 over those seasons and they ended up only inviting TCU. The TCU AD said that once they were in C-USA they would work hard to include SMU as well and could do more from the inside.

Somewhere along the way though, they decided we were dead weight and no longer wanted to be associated with us in any way.

being 1-23, I can't imagine why they thought we were dead weight....... they are so high and mighty

[ponyte]

With enough bowl tie ends (6-6 gets us into a bowl most years) do we want to leave C-USA right now? We have the best post season chance of bowling than most non BSC conference schools. IS an option to stay where we have a decent chance at post season play, build our fan base, national exposure and program with the eye to move back into a major conference in a few years?

In many ways, we are not that bad off where we are at this point in our program.

[shadowman]

definitely our own fault. but when TCU first went to C-USA they vowed to work hard to get us in because SMU and TCU should always be in the same conference. Guess thats easy to say though when both teams were cruddy for so long. Can't really hold it against them.

[East Coast Mustang]

I know for a fact (via some inside sources) that we pushed very hard (ala the Baylor route) to use our political clout to get into the Big XII, as well as engage in discussions with the Pac (12?).

I can't tell if you're trying to make a joke or outright lying. Any discussions we had with the Pac 10/12 would have consisted of us making a phone call, leaving a voicemail, and no call ever being returned. To try and allude to anything else is ridiculous. And Tech's president said explicitly that if the Big 12 added more teams after CU and Nebraska left, they would try to expand their TV base and not add schools in Texas. I'm not a geography whiz, but I'm fairly certain that includes us.

Did we have talks with Slive and the SEC as well? Did Pony One make any impromptu flights to Birmingham? Perhaps your inside sources can fill us in...

[smupony94]

I know for a fact (via some inside sources) that we pushed very hard (ala the Baylor route) to use our political clout to get into the Big XII, as well as engage in discussions with the Pac (12?).

I can't tell if you're trying to make a joke or outright lying. Any discussions we had with the Pac 10/12 would have consisted of us making a phone call, leaving a voicemail, and no call ever being returned. To try and allude to anything else is ridiculous. And Tech's president said explicitly that if the Big 12 added more teams after CU and Nebraska left, they would try to expand their TV base and not add schools in Texas. I'm not a geography whiz, but I'm fairly certain that includes us.

Did we have talks with Slive and the SEC as well? Did Pony One make any impromptu flights to Birmingham? Perhaps your inside sources can fill us in...

Weird to say, it is true although TCU was included in discussions but only for Big 12. Heard from a former UT football coach. Of course he laughed his [deleted] off.

[East Coast Mustang]

Weird to say, it is true although TCU was included in discussions but only for Big 12. Heard from a former UT football coach. Of course he laughed his [deleted] off.

Given their success in the last decade, TCU would have at least merited a courtesy phone call from the Big 12. Although they still would have been nothing more than another mouth to feed and would have added little where it really counts- $$$

Pretty sure the Big 12 wasn't exactly salivating at our 8-5 record last year (after 20+ losing seasons) and consistently half full 32,000 seat stadium. It's fun to dream, though.

[Longtime]

Here's how the SMU-TCU to C-USA thing went down: SMU and TCU were considered a package deal and the frontrunners to be added to C-USA together.

Then East Carolina entered the picture, and some of the eastern members of C-USA supported ECU to balance the league. ECU also had a decent football program back then.

So that meant it was either SMU or TCU getting into C-USA. TCU's fangs came out then, and the Horny Toads have never looked upon SMU as an equal ever since. Any statements made back then that TCU would work to get SMU into C-USA were completely false. The moment we got into C-USA, TCU was off to the MWC.

Although it might benefit TCU in some ways to align with SMU, their stance is to maintain the appearance of being a step above SMU. They want recruits to think of TCU being on another level, they want the Metroplex media to think of TCU being above SMU. They want to be the Metroplex darlings and let SMU and UNT fight for scraps.

You can't blame them. It's the same way SMU looks upon UNT, but there is a vast difference between SMU and UNT in almost every measure. Not so much SMU-TCU, although the Frogs want everyone to think there is.

Looking at the whole picture, the major difference between SMU and TCU, athletically, is that SMU received the Death Penalty which weakened our commitment to athletics over the last 25 years. TCU also received a severe NCAA penalty in the 1980s, but without the Death Penalty label and resulting stigma it was able to strengthen its commitment to athletics about 10 years ahead of SMU.

[Topper]

At this point it seems that going to an MWC without Utah and Brigham Young is a lateral move. TCU and Boise have been successful in recent years, but I don't think you build a conference around either of them. Especially after we start undercutting TCU's recruiting base and make it our own.

[PonySnob]

Here's how the SMU-TCU to C-USA thing went down: SMU and TCU were considered a package deal and the frontrunners to be added to C-USA together.

Looking at the whole picture, the major difference between SMU and TCU, athletically, is that SMU received the Death Penalty which weakened our commitment to athletics over the last 25 years. TCU also received a severe NCAA penalty in the 1980s, but without the Death Penalty label and resulting stigma it was able to strengthen its commitment to athletics about 10 years ahead of SMU.

Didn't we also have an ongoing investigation at that time due to test taking regarding some of our recruits?