IT'S FINALLY GONNA HAPPEN! S.M.U. VERSUS SAM HOUSTON STATE!

[gostangs]

Sooo, OP, you preferred getting waxed by three top 20 finishers in a row, having the entire city lose all interest, lose all possiblilty of post season before October 1st??? That has not worked - the definition of crazy is doing the same thing year after year and expecting a different result.

This is how we start to pull out of the cellar - every other team that has pulled themslves up our of the cellar has done it the same way. It is just no that tough or dramatic to see that it is the right thing to do. If you have to get your panties in a wad about something complain about the loud music or something like the other old coots. I will enjoy thinking we have a shot at an unearned bowl game while I see the interest level and quality of the team improve.

[MrMustang1965]

I forgot to ask. Is SHSU 4A or 5A?

OP and others: laugh now but come 2006, be ready. Sam Houston (Div. 1-AA, Southland Conference) has been a NATIONAL CHAMPION contender since 2001 (except for 2002). SHSU was one game away from playing for the title this past year. The dreaded Montana Grizzlies once again rained on our parade. SHSU has become the team for Div. 1-A transfers who want more playing time and the chance to move on to the pros. It began with SMU transfer QB Josh McCown in 2001 and has continued with Texas A&M transfer QB Dustin Long and OU transfer QB Noah Allen, who will most likely be at the helm for the Bearkats in 2005 and 2006. Sam Houston has a new coach this year - Todd Whitten - formerly with Div. II Tarleton State and it will be interesting to see what he does with the Bearkats this season. Sam Houston, in the past, has been a pass-oriented offense and has put up some BIG numbers in Div. 1-AA with the transfer QBs. Trust me, this game is a GOOD match for SMU and it will bring FANS from Huntsville, Houston and other parts of southeast Texas to Ford Stadium. The east side of Ford Stadium will be a sea of orange and white. Sam Houston is scheduling other Div. 1-A teams this year and next year such as Texas Tech, the University of Houston and Rice. Sam Houston will *not* be a pushover for the Mustangs. For those of you who are UPSET about them being scheduled I ask this: is it because you think the Bearkats are not worthy of playing the Mustangs or because you think the Mustangs will get beat by them?

[ALEX LIFESON]

What was their home average this past year?

[MrMustang1965]

Don't forget about Texas State.

Texas State - San Marcos is no longer on the schedule. SHSU will be a MUCH better game than the Bobcats would have been.

[MrMustang1965]

What was their home average this past year?

Sam Houston was ranked #36 in 2004 Div. 1-AA attendance with a 9,067 per game average.

Here's a link with all the information you might need for your question: http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/Internet/att ... NDANCE.pdf

[KnuckleStang]

Touche'. That reminds me, have the Knuckleheads composed their ode to bad football at SMU?

JT, we did try to write an SMU football song a couple of times, and had fun, but in the end found ourselves getting depressed. Plus nobody up here would know what we're talking about. It's all about what your audience can relate to. We're currently working on "Time to Hide the Porn," and think it has the potential to be a universal hit.

Good 1-AA teams gripe often that no "lower level" 1-A teams will schedule them. There is a reason for this. It's because most 1-A teams recognize a no-win situation when they see it. If you win, you get no credit. And if you lose (which is a very real possibility against a team like SHSU), people say "we always knew you stunk, but we didn't know you stunk THAT BAD."

Copeland also cannot win for losing. Whether he schedules Oklahoma or Delaware St., somebody's gonna complain. But heed the counsel of MM1965, SHSU is a good team, and we will have to play well to beat them, no matter much our team is improved by 2006.

[SoCal_Pony]

In 1981 our three OOC games were NTS, UTA and Gramblin.

I would say our 2006 is looking alot like our 1981 schedule. So let's not get too damn indignant here guys...we've done it before.

PK, in 1981 we were SWC Champions, losing only 1 game that season, to Texas 9-7. We won road games against TCU, Texas A&M and Arkansas.

[GoRedGoBlue]

In 1981 our three OOC games were NTS, UTA and Gramblin.

I would say our 2006 is looking alot like our 1981 schedule. So let's not get too damn indignant here guys...we've done it before.

PK, in 1981 we were SWC Champions, losing only 1 game that season, to Texas 9-7. We won road games against TCU, Texas A&M and Arkansas.

Wasn't NTS Div-1a bak then?

[OldPony]

Gostang- I would prefer 1 or 2 tough teams each year. We should always have at least 1. I would try to schedule the tough one for our 3rd game to give us a chance to experience some success prior. However, playing these teams without a measurig stick and a chance for a big upset is to doom the program. Do you really care if we beat Ark St or SHSU? I care only in how embarrassing it will be when we lose to one of them. I believe our close game(s) against TT were more beneficial to the program than wins over either of these teams would be. Playing these schools is just announcing to the world (and potential recruits) that we don't think we can play competitive football. Kind of like renewing the contract of a coach who averages winning about 2 games per year. We may end up with a schedule if this keeps up that we go undefeated and don't crack the top 75. I can hear the sunshiners now "We played everyone on our schedule and beat them so we deserve to be No 1" even though no opponent is a top 75.

[Dooby]

I forgot to ask. Is SHSU 4A or 5A?

Final 2004 Sagarin ratings:

SHSU 86
SMU 126

I guess that makes us, what, 2A?

I have mentioned this before, but once you get beyond 30 or 40, Sagarin loses touch with reality. Does anybody really think Harvard is the No. 37 team in the country? I know Alabama is "strug-gel-ling", but I think Sagarin's No. 59 could take 'em.

I don't recall going into the offices of the Tech grads where I work and saying, "Suck it [deleted]! You won by less than 20!" Moral victories are for losers. I'd rather win and build confidence while teaching these kids how to play.

I don't know why people enjoy losing so much. You have been losing for so long, you have convinced yourself that you enjoy it. If you get nostalgic for losing, we can meet before the SHSU game on the Boulevard and I can kick you in the groin, because losing to Tech by 1 or by 50 is about as much fun for me.

[MrMustang1965]

For what it's worth, Texas Tech (ranked #21 in the Athlon pre-season poll) has scheduled Florida International (first year in Div. 1-A), Sam Houston State and Indiana State this season.

[jtstang]

JT, we did try to write an SMU football song a couple of times, and had fun, but in the end found ourselves getting depressed. Plus nobody up here would know what we're talking about. It's all about what your audience can relate to. We're currently working on "Time to Hide the Porn," and think it has the potential to be a universal hit.

I see your delimma regarding the SMU song. I like the fact that your going back to basics for your next hit--no subject like porn to get the "creative juices flowing..." I'll be looking for it on the website.

[Hoop Fan]

Nothing against SHSU at all, I just dont like that game on top of Ark State. Even if we win those, I dont think it will boost our later season attendance much as some are hoping. With the new attendance rules, we need a Texas Tech or Ok State at Ford one time per year right now. At least a TCU, we dont even have that in 2006. I hope the Admin is not overestimating the regional interest CUSA will provide. We've hosted Tulane and Houston before, good opponents for SMU, but not exactly sure draws. And I would have kept Northwestern on the schedule, that was a good series for SMU with our fairly strong Chicago alumni connection.

[originaloverthehilltop1]

note to old pony: the way SMU gets to the top 75 (instead of 126) is by beating up the OOC schedule and by CONTENDING against all those additional patsies that COMPLETELY make up our CUSA schedule. The same way we have dominated and contended against all those patsies in the WAC conference. Oh, wait. No, no we didn't.
AFTER we do that, then we gradually upgrade the schedule. You've heard of upgrades, haven't you, OP? its like the great ron meyer used to say, "winning cures cancer". and by the way, this doesn't have to take two decades. if you can go thru the past 15 years of unrealistic bygone-glory-days scheduling, surely you can pony up the enough patience to get a winning season or two by (competitively) sane scheduling.

[Stallion]

what is really pathetic is this growing segment of SMU fans who use SMU's humiliation over the last 15 years since the DP to justify a further lowering of future expectations for this program. GET THIS STRAIGHT-SMU has SUCKED not because of its schedule but because SMU didn't have a MODEL in place which allowed it to compete on an even basis with the PROGRAMS on its schedule. All this is an admission that SMU can not compete with a moderately poor schedule by Division 1A standards so now we are going to attempt to compete with a bottom of the barrell awful schedule. IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE BASIC FLAW IN THE EQUATION. We SUCK because we have not had the MODEL in place to compete with our natural and traditional rivals. That's the Bottom Line. TCU which changed its MODEL seems to have no trouble competing in this "new post SWC environment" I hear Bennett and Copeland talking about precisely because they understand this basic premise. SMU's leadership on the other hand has dragged its [deleted] on this principal for 15 years and the results are obvious. Add me to the list of those favoring a change in the Athletic Director.