Dallas Business Journal article

[jtstang]

actually Russ Potts proved you wrong EastStang. We captured Dallas' attention with Mustang Mania several years before we had anthing close to a winning football team-in fact 3 years to be exact. Mustang Mania fueled a return to recruiting success.

This past weekend I found a bunch of old Mustang Mania bumper stickers. Most had KAFM inside the pony, but two of them were the original with SMU inside the pony. Those were the days.

I'm not sure the youth of America in this day and age care enough about college sports to go even if you did flood the high schools with tix a la Russ Potts.

[NavyCrimson]

do really want to change the plane we're on? i do too...

however...

get rid of the bcs-bs - which, unfortunately, we don't have anyone with the balls to lead the charge & then things will begin to happen - truly happen...

then the pressure will be on the administration to make things really happen...now all they have is 'excuses'...

my gosh folks, if u really love football, where do u think that kid whose being recruited really wants to go play with? a bcs-bs school or 'someone' else (non-bcs-bs one)...folks - u can still get a good education from those other schools & excel in life...

its a zero-sum system for all div. 1 schools that creates an environment where u have a wall that separates 50+ schools from competing in div. 1 athletics...face it - WE, NOR TCU, DO!!!!

as long as we're on the outside along with the other 50+ schools, it WILL ALWAYS BE CATCH-UP with financial losses to match!!! plus it gives the marxist faculty senate the ammo to get rid of football or div 1 sports again in 5-10 yrs after this 'commitment' has ended....

so - let's really address the 'real problem' which is the bcs-bs & fight it!!!!

because until that happens, save your money & your worry about SMU football b/c with the current playing field in all div 1 football, there will never be success for us or any school outside the bubble!!!!

now, where are our leaders fighting the bcs-bs!!!??? WHERE ARE U!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UNTIL IT IS BROKEN UP, FORGET IT FOLKS!!!

for all you wimps out there including our administration - don't you see why the whole damn thing was formed in the first place...

1. create a super conference
2. to drain talent away from the rest of us which started quite a few yrs ago already - look at the won-lost records of non-bcs schools vs the monopolists
3. untold financial damages to the non-bcs-bs schools which keeps them from competing in not only the athletic field but the classroom as well!!!

man-o-man, if that ain't a reason to fight, nothing is!!!! (& we're not which is sad!!!)

SO UNTIL ITS BROKEN UP, FORGET IT!!!!!!!!!!

i bet you one thing - if SMU and the rest truly fought the monopolist-bullies in court, they'd raise more $$$ than they ever could think of...just for us, can you image the $$$ that the alums and friends of the university would give to SMU just to make that fight!!!??? i'd be willing to bet as well, the mustang club would be doubling their donations for yrs to come for facilities & scholarships alike...what our pinheads don't realize, no one likes donating $$$ down a sink hole unless there's an investment involved - in other words - a good investment being made for the future with good returns... (duh)

& until the playing field is level, you're dropping that $$$ down that perverbial sinkhole & these donors know it!!!

unfortunately - our administrators haven't the courage or the brains to figure that one out!!!!

sort of like the blind leading the blind folks!

[jtstang]

Yes, yes the BCS is evil and should be condemned to hell or Lubbock. But you are wrong about it being the reason we suck, and you are wrong about TCU. There is a reason Hyman was featured in the DBJ article--he has shown big time college success over his tenure at a NON-BCS school! It can be done, if your "commitment" is more than just a fancy name for a fundraiser.

But here is the problem I see--SMU has been down so long I don't know if it would do any good to get the recruiting "level playing field" Stallion and everyone else wants. We already get the caliber football player we would get in any event it seems to me. Would a blue-chip player want to come to SMU with UT and OU dangling offers in front of him? Nothing in SMU's recent past makes me think so. The more I think about this, the more depressed I become.

[NavyCrimson]

face reality - stanger...i'm sure you're a nice guy but let's face the fact & the reality of the situation...would u rather play for a bcs-bs team or a wanna-be? do you want to be #1 in the nation!

this isn't rocket science...level the playing field then we'll talk!

[jtstang]

Not to prolong this agony, but I think we are talking about two different playing fields here--I was talking about recruiting, and you're talking about the structure of college football.

Frankly, neither of the playing fields are going to be leveled anytime soon. But TCU doesn't seem to be hampered anymore by the fact it does not belong to a BCS conference, so that is no excuse for SMU's ineptitude.

[NavyCrimson]

agree - you're right there...my hat's off to ya

[Stallion]

as I always say recruiting is relative to your opponents and your conference but let there be no mistake that TCU has whipped us in recruiting over the last 10 years or so(excepting 2003) just about as bad as they whipped us on the field. We don't have to outrecruit UT, OU, Arkansas and A&M to beat up on what looks like a pathetically weak CUSA West. ESPECIALLY important to TCU's success have been the Division 1A transfers from major programs like A&M, UT, Kentucky, Tennessee and on and on. Division 1A transfers have played a prominent role in TCU's strategy and several have been all-conference - NFL prospects.

[PK]

ESPECIALLY important to TCU's success have been the Division 1A transfers from major programs like A&M, UT, Kentucky, Tennessee and on and on. Division 1A transfers have played a prominent role in TCU's strategy and several have been all-conference - NFL prospects.

Could you enlighten us on the process or strategy for getting transfers to pick your school. If I understand correctly, until a player gets his release, a coach from another school can not contact him. Once he gets his release, is it a matter of schools recruiting him just like they do high school recruits or do players wanting to transfer already know where they want to go? If it is the latter, then there really is no way for a school to get these transfers other than by luck...right? I know we have gotten a few from Air Force and Tech. How was that accomplished?

[jtstang]

Interesting. I always thought you advocated a return to competition with our "natural and traditional rivals" whom you have defined as UT, A&M, etc. In order to do that it seems we must compete with them in recruiting as well. And I tell you I don't see it happening....

But I do agree that the more reasoned approach is to look at competing within our conference and that should be the recruiting focus--getting better players than Tulsa, Rice, UTEP, Tulane, et al. Judging solely from on-field results, it appears we haven't been doing even that.

[PK]

Actually jt, we are competing with our natural and traditional rivals in recruiting. We may not be winning too many of the battles right now, but we aren't backing away from doing battle with them and we may start winning some of those battles before too long.

This is a quote from Stampede in one of his post on the recruiting board:

"No concerns here. The pool is very, very deep on the boards at Ford Stadium and is stock full of players. In rigorous battles with the big schools in Texas (no... I am not including TCU in this group...strictly Big 12).

Bennett and staff continue to go for better and better players and we should land some of them."

[Stallion]

I would also say that I'd give Bennett pretty high marks in getting some big time prospects especially from North Texas to express at least a modicum of interest in SMU. The homework and the early cultivating of prospects appears to be there. I could give a list of about 15 top Texas prospects that showed that interest in SMU but it doesn't look like coming off a 0-12 season that we are going to be able to get that higher tier of players to make that jump up in talent-at least from the group that I think Bennett was really focusing on like Shavers, Granger, Horton, Jerrod Butler, Trey Bryant, Charles(Shanderrick's brother), Keenan Clayton, Chase Daniel, Vincent Williams, and on and on. Now there are plenty of good prospects in Texas and it is still relatively early but I know there's some disappointment there because we had some top kids mention interest in SMU early. Again, did the administration do every thing in its power to make sure that Bennett could retain the momentum in the program until the younger recruits could develop-I say clearly no-SMU should have been doing some of the things they are doing in 2004 to add more mature seasoned players like JCs and late qualifiers way back in the 2002 when it was obvious there was a dearth of talent in the upper classes. I also think the pool of JC players he is allowed to recruit is puddle deep.

[jtstang]

Actually jt, we are competing with our natural and traditional rivals in recruiting. We may not be winning too many of the battles right now, but we aren't backing away from doing battle with them and we may start winning some of those battles before too long.

This is a quote from Stampede in one of his post on the recruiting board:

"No concerns here. The pool is very, very deep on the boards at Ford Stadium and is stock full of players. In rigorous battles with the big schools in Texas (no... I am not including TCU in this group...strictly Big 12).

Bennett and staff continue to go for better and better players and we should land some of them."

Thanks PK. I'm not aware of this person's qualifications to make this statement. Please advise.

[PK]

I don't know the person or if I do I don't know that he is Stampede, but a lot of his post would indicate a better insite as to what goes on behind the football department doors than most of us have. I don't think someone would make a statement concerning what is "on the boards at Ford" unless they really knew. So, OK, I'm going on faith here, but his past post would indicate to me that he does have inside knowledge. I also think that some of the recruiting posts we have had show that some of the kids looking at UT and aTm have also at least considered SMU...probably because we are actually recruiting them.

[jtstang]

I don't think someone would make a statement concerning what is "on the boards at Ford" unless they really knew.

You're kidding, right?

[OldPony]

I was thinking about what's on the boards at Ford. I hear they are trying to get some big guys and some fast guys. Sometimes my own insight staggers me. I'll bet that ole JT is mad because no one will let him see the Board like those of us with unusual and priviledged access.