SMU Looks West For Plan For Success

[ponyboy]

Here is the plan:

1) Wallow in the absolute, complete and total misery that is smu football from 1989 to 2008. (We were the 113th team of 117 during that time period. Only Duke, Kent, Temple, and Buffalo were worse).

2) Hire a coach renowned for turning around programs around.

3) Wallow in misery for one more year as he implements the very drastic cultural changes necessary to begin to turn this thing around.

4) Go to two bowl games in a row. Win like we haven't won in decades. Make SMU football not just relevant again, but fun.

5) Watch with deep regret as some particularly vocal, typical, spoiled brat SMU fans cry like three year olds that we're not already vying for national championships.

[ponyboy]

Don't let Facts get in your way Ponyboy while you are setting the facts straight. TCU won 2 conference Championships and was in the Top 20 (No. 18) by the end of Franchione's 3rd year and was immediately competitive against Texas BCS programs in recruiting from Day 1.

Unbelievable. Do you even care about what the facts are? Or do you just want to win an argument?

Look at what June Jones started with and look at what Franchione started with and then we can talk. Franchione didn't start at less than zero like June did.

[Stallion]

They both started from 1-10

[NickSMU17]

Ponyboy....I hope that isn't the plan, because it sucks....

[ponyboy]

Ten years before each coach got on campus:

TCU
44-65 (#76)

SMU
29-74 (#110)

You want to argue about who had more talent when they showed up? Want to argue who had a bigger hole to climb out of?

[NickSMU17]

You proved that both teams suck...

You plan still sucks...

[ponyboy]

You know what? I have one more comment for Stallion. Even assuming June Jones and Dennis Franchione started from the same place, is it even remotely reasonable to expect two conference championships and a top 20 showing by the end of year three? I mean, seriously, who is being naive?

[Stallion]

1998 was the year of the watered down WAC-There were no strong programs-the good Mountain schools left. They won in 1999 and 2000-somebody had to win the ridiculously bad conference. That's why they left the next year. If anything Franchione was working with a weaker conference to recruit to.

[NickSMU17]

Agree with half....

[Deep Purple]

SMU is well ahead of TCU in many other aspects (mainly academic).

Actually, no. There are around 2,700 four-year colleges and universities in the United States. TCU and SMU are both ranked among the top 100. Considering that field, the gap between #56 (SMU) and #99 (TCU) is a ranking difference of about 1.5%. Not exactly "well ahead."

[Stallion]

Ha! yea but by that analysis TCU is really not better than your average Tier 3 school.

[mrydel]

I think Deep Purple was looking at the alphabetical listing of Universities.

[gostangs]

Sorry deep - we have a big bag of nothing if comparing football teams currently (closer then we were - but we well behind still).

But you are well behind us in rankings - its not close.

[One Trick Pony]

Im south of Dallas in regards to the mall.
In the ghetto if you will where I thrive ..

[Purple Wimple]

And the author makes a huge mistake by saying that TCU's winning and marketing has made it Fort Worth's team. TCU has always been Fort Worth's team.

this makes me think that you've never been to Fort Worth, especially in the '80s and '90s. TCU was i-r-r-e-l-e-v-a-n-t to 99% of Fort Worth until ESPN came to town with GameDay two Novembers ago.