GOAL: Working towards SMU becoming a P5 program by 2020

[feelthehorsepower]

I feel that this is a realistic goal. Considering it is also a year in which there will be renegotiation of TV deals for the P5 conferences (SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12) it is the perfect moment for SMU to demonstrate its competitiveness both inside and outside the field.

These are just several ideas I have been thinking we could do to increase attendance to games:

SMU needs to build its fan base and establish an average attendance of at least 30,000 people at home games on average - There are many ways to do this. We have to make going to the game a fun affair. Beer and wine will have to be allowed in the stadium, and we have to figure ways to get our fraternities and sororities to bring their entire chapters to the game. (What I have been thinking is we could condition them having a tent on the boulevard with attendance to the football game. If you want to party in the tailgate, you have to go to the game). We also have to come up with creative ways to make the stadium experience fun in itself.

Why don't we get a loud truck/boat/train horn to celebrate our touchdown drives (possibly have it installed in a van and take it with us on away games too) and when our team gets in the field at the beginning and at halftime (TCU has a train horn which really pumps up their crowd everytime they score, Louisville and other schools do this too). This can be done by a group of alumni and I think it will be liked by our fans.

Maybe a train whistle every time we have a first down? Also have we thought about having a standard set of cheers and yells that our home crowd can easily learn and repeat in every game? Everytime the enemy is on third down have the crowd be loud? There are many ways to get our attendance levels up there.

These are just several ideas that we could execute at low cost and start moving towards our attendance goals.

[sbsmith]

Nice idea but no way in hell we're hitting 30K average by 2020. Honestly, P5 entry is a one in a trillion shot as the conferences will cannibalize each other for expansion rather than add welfare schools from the G5. It's likely to end up being a P4.

[feelthehorsepower]

Nice idea but no way in hell we're hitting 30K average by 2020. Honestly, P5 entry is a one in a trillion shot as the conferences will cannibalize each other for expansion rather than add welfare schools from the G5. It's likely to end up being a P4.

We did it before...back in the 80's and it worked. What says we can't do it again?

[StallionsModelT]

There's only way we can do this.....

CALL SHERWOOD.

[sbsmith]

Nice idea but no way in hell we're hitting 30K average by 2020. Honestly, P5 entry is a one in a trillion shot as the conferences will cannibalize each other for expansion rather than add welfare schools from the G5. It's likely to end up being a P4.

We did it before...back in the 80's and it worked. What says we can't do it again?

Because in the 1980s we paid players and played in a top conference. We won't be doing either of those ever again.

[SMU_Alumni11]

Nice idea but no way in hell we're hitting 30K average by 2020. Honestly, P5 entry is a one in a trillion shot as the conferences will cannibalize each other for expansion rather than add welfare schools from the G5. It's likely to end up being a P4.

We did it before...back in the 80's and it worked. What says we can't do it again?

Because in the 1980s we paid players and played in a top conference. We won't be doing either of those ever again.

Lol at this point might as well try to pay players, i mean we get caught then just quit football for the NCAA and if succeed then who cares.. I mean its better than doing it the "right" way and get stuck in the future FCS...

[feelthehorsepower]

Nice idea but no way in hell we're hitting 30K average by 2020. Honestly, P5 entry is a one in a trillion shot as the conferences will cannibalize each other for expansion rather than add welfare schools from the G5. It's likely to end up being a P4.

We did it before...back in the 80's and it worked. What says we can't do it again?

Because in the 1980s we paid players and played in a top conference. We won't be doing either of those ever again.

Why do you think we will never be in a top conference again? So is it okay to just accept the fate as a mid-major and stop wasting money in our football program?

[feelthehorsepower]

According to this article...SMU's attendance on average is 24,000 people...and our stadium is expandable to 60,000:

"Gerald J. Ford Stadium seats 32,000 but could be expanded to 40,000 by filling in the lower bowl, and even could increase to as much as 60,000 with an upper deck (and possibly suites) on the east side."

http://espn.go.com/dallas/ncf/story/_/i ... ing-big-12

[SMU_Alumni11]

We just need the better game day presentation, an offense that rolls like Baylor and win every game including P5 teams. Easy to say not easy to execute. I know we have potential fan base since people have asked me how we did when i go into store from dallas to Garland/Plano. i know people know us, but they know us for being that sad team. I also know from peers, we are absolutely not fun to watch i.e. penalities, drop balls in endzone, drop catches, not winning the games that matter.

[CalallenStang]

I feel that this is a realistic goal. Considering it is also a year in which there will be renegotiation of TV deals for the P5 conferences (SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12) it is the perfect moment for SMU to demonstrate its competitiveness both inside and outside the field.

These are just several ideas I have been thinking we could do to increase attendance to games:

SMU needs to build its fan base and establish an average attendance of at least 30,000 people at home games on average - There are many ways to do this. We have to make going to the game a fun affair. Beer and wine will have to be allowed in the stadium, and we have to figure ways to get our fraternities and sororities to bring their entire chapters to the game. (What I have been thinking is we could condition them having a tent on the boulevard with attendance to the football game. If you want to party in the tailgate, you have to go to the game). We also have to come up with creative ways to make the stadium experience fun in itself.

Why don't we get a loud truck/boat/train horn to celebrate our touchdown drives (possibly have it installed in a van and take it with us on away games too) and when our team gets in the field at the beginning and at halftime (TCU has a train horn which really pumps up their crowd everytime they score, Louisville and other schools do this too). This can be done by a group of alumni and I think it will be liked by our fans.

Maybe a train whistle every time we have a first down? Also have we thought about having a standard set of cheers and yells that our home crowd can easily learn and repeat in every game? Everytime the enemy is on third down have the crowd be loud? There are many ways to get our attendance levels up there.

These are just several ideas that we could execute at low cost and start moving towards our attendance goals.

Great effort. Don't take my comments negatively.

Train whistle for first downs - the band plays Peruna on first downs and I think that is more effective than a whistle would be.

Train horn for TDs - I think the fireworks serve this purpose well.

Standard set of cheers and yells - we have these, but no one knows them. How many here know Call to the Horses? Not many. How many yell "Fight, Fight, Fight" in the middle of Pony Battle Cry? Not many. Do we need more of these, yes, but we also need to do a better job of leveraging what we already have.

I like your Greek idea, but it would be tough to execute on. A lot of Greek alumni would pull their donations to the school if we required them to do something in order to Boulevard

[sbsmith]

Why do you think we will never be in a top conference again? So is it okay to just accept the fate as a mid-major and stop wasting money in our football program?

If you take a look at the current climate you'll see that power is being consolidated into an ever-shrinking group. Before there were 6 power conferences, now there are 5, and eventually there will be 4 as top properties from lesser power conferences move to the ones with more prestige/money leaving the lesser conference marginalized and subsequently booted altogether from the power structure (see the former Big East).


We might stand a chance of getting into a cannibalized league as a backfill option but no power conference will ever invite us because they'll expand from schools that are already in power conferences. Actually being stuck as a mid-major is a reason to start spending more money than ever on the program in hopes to distinguish ourselves from other mid-majors.

[The PonyGrad]

I think if we are to achieve this the timeframe is about right. The administration trustees and alumni would all need to by in, kind of like the SMU2BCS campaign.

The specific gameday ideas are being done in some way except forcing greek participation, yeah that sounds fun.

The last game was a great effort and a great gameday experience.

[Stallion]

SMU alumni, family and friends really can't be bothered. They'll be willing to show up however if we are first promised P5 status like we "deserve" so we can play Texas schools-trust us just like we complemented the Circle of Champions for spending all that money on June Jones so someone else could pay for the Big Time-BOTTOM LINE-SMU has a culture of entitlement but doesn't deserve consideration for a P5 conference because College Football simply isn't that big a Deal here. Can't we just write a check?
Everybody but us knows this to be a fact-and more importantly the perception is more important than all the excuses SMU fans made last week and every week why they don't sit their butts in seats on gameday. There is no "little underdog/private school exception" for inclusion in the P5 unless we consistently overachieve like TCU.

[Water Pony]

SMU alumni, family and friends really can't be bothered. They'll be willing to show up however if we are promised P5 status like we "deserve"-trust us just like we complemented the Circle of Champions for spending all that money on June Jones-BOTTOM LINE-SMU has a culture of entitlement but doesn't deserve consideration for a P5 conference because College Football simply isn't that big a Deal here. Can't we just write a check?

Entitlement is a good term to describe how we justify we be promoted to the highest level. SMU alumni, family and friends need to appreciate and make the effort to attend and participate in this resurgence. However, student body has an even greater role and responsibility to attend, be in their seats before Kick-off and remain until the very end. If the students don't, then it will be more difficult to animate the broader SMU community. Energy, noise and passion must be felt by all. The game day experience needs to be there to electrify the average fan, who wants and expects a Division 1effort and results.

Finally, the Head FB Coach at SMU needs to internalize his own role in make it making all of above happen. He must engage the students and the media with his passion for the school, team and game. I admire JJ and appreciate his efforts to return us to relevancy, but he apparently does not feel he needs to extend himself beyond this effort. A missed opportunity.

[ojaipony]

We need WINS, pure and simple. String together a few 9 win seasons and we'll get invited. TCU is already in the Big12 and another conference would probably want a foot print in the Dallas market. But we have to be perceived as a winning, exciting program.

I never have much faith in our fan base (we are a small, dedicated group but very small unfortunately, but maybe we'll draw attendance from outside if we win. But, it has to be consistent over a couple of years to START.

My IMHO.