Baylor at Ford

[Mike Damone]

Wait so if we face A&M in 05...we would have a CHANCE! not a big one but a chance to beat 3 Big 12 teams?

We had that chance last year. Tech, Baylor, and OSU.

[GoRedGoBlue]

2 fer 1's placate that issue. Bennett is getting aTm on board for recruiting, money, and rivalry reasons.

The economics of hosting someone like A$M are challenging. I would expect the Aggie$ to comand a payout of something in the $4-500k area, meaning SMU will have to charge a premium ticket price for that game. I would also expect SMU might have to agree to a two for one, meaning two visits to Kyle Field (and I would not expect a payday anywhere near what the Aggie$ get to come here). I know a lot of programs that attract 80k crowds and a $2 mil + gate are paying anywhere from $250-500k for visitors. We simply don't have equal bargaining power.

Until SMU can sellout at normal ticket rates for games with Louisiana-Monroe, Copeland hasn't much choice but to schedule this way. Ponysnob would like us to schedule I-AA programs and find more wins, but you'd still have to pay a minimum of $100k for those teams and what gate do you think they'd generate?

Games with UNT, TCU & Baylor make sense because we can get home/home series and hopefully we are able to negotiate favorable terms. Games with A$M are great because there is always a chance you pull off a shocking win. I don't look for Fran to be voluntarily playing TCU, so SMU and UNT are their best bets for metroplex visits.

[GoRedGoBlue]

Wait so if we face A&M in 05...we would have a CHANCE! not a big one but a chance to beat 3 Big 12 teams?

We had that chance last year. Tech, Baylor, and OSU.

Not much chance in 04 since we appearantly didn't have a QB or any WRs.

05 and 06 will be much better...hopefully, that is.

[Charleston Pony]

Let's assume A$M will only agree to play SMU in Dallas if the game is at Texas Stadium. As long as we have 5 other home games scheduled at Ford, I still like the idea.

We need to be able to schedule 2 non-conference games as home/home series and we have that going with TCU. We can do the same with UNT and Baylor easily enough, and I assume we may have an opportunity to do so with Army & Navy if the join CUSA as "associate members" as has been rumored.

The question is what to do with the 11th game. Do you prefer scheduling a "Goliath"? Whether we call it a home game and play at Texas Stadium and let them bring more fans than we will and possibly collect a bigger paycheck...or whether we go on the road to play in an 80k seat stadium for a healthy paycheck...would you rather do that or schedule a I-AA opponent to pad your record? The latter is only a good idea for SMU if we could draw 30,000 to Ford no matter who the opponent and I don't see that happening anytime soon. There's also the issue of needing 6 wins against I-A opponents to be bowl eligible. In our case (because of our poor following), we realistically need AT LEAST 7 wins before we are likely to be considered for any bowl.

[PlanoStang]

Do you think their band still uses whistle signals to know when to turn right and left? The stunt we pulled against the Aggies back in the 70's to blow whistles and turn their block "T" into a lopsided "y" was one of my SMU favorite moments.

So you helped actually cause that? Were you in the Mustang Band?

That was the best SMU game I went to as a student. Louie Kelcher beat a top 10 aggie team practically by himself, the aggie band screwed up at halftime, and the Cotton Bowl announcer gives updates of Baylor's first victory over UT in about 20 years enroute to the SWC championship. Priceless.

[GoRedGoBlue]

Let's assume A$M will only agree to play SMU in Dallas if the game is at Texas Stadium. As long as we have 5 other home games scheduled at Ford, I still like the idea.

We need to be able to schedule 2 non-conference games as home/home series and we have that going with TCU. We can do the same with UNT and Baylor easily enough, and I assume we may have an opportunity to do so with Army & Navy if the join CUSA as "associate members" as has been rumored.

The question is what to do with the 11th game. Do you prefer scheduling a "Goliath"? Whether we call it a home game and play at Texas Stadium and let them bring more fans than we will and possibly collect a bigger paycheck...or whether we go on the road to play in an 80k seat stadium for a healthy paycheck...would you rather do that or schedule a I-AA opponent to pad your record? The latter is only a good idea for SMU if we could draw 30,000 to Ford no matter who the opponent and I don't see that happening anytime soon. There's also the issue of needing 6 wins against I-A opponents to be bowl eligible. In our case (because of our poor following), we realistically need AT LEAST 7 wins before we are likely to be considered for any bowl.

Nope, then we have to RENT Texas Stadium = lost money. We already have a stadium. It will prob be a 2fer1 and aTm gets their money in CS.

Houston did this 2 years ago with UT.