Which Conference?

[crazy horse]

I don't see much difference in the three conferences. They each have their share of attractive and pathetic programs. Travel is/would be a hassle in each and none get us into the BCS monopoly.

The thought of groveling to the MWC or CUSA is sickening. I agree with Dukie - we have really hit a new low when a conference wants that Institution in Fort Worth over us.

Is it possible to shoot higher? Can our football and basketball programs match and maintain the level of success that our non-revenue sports have so brilliantly demonstrated? Can we consistently fill Ford and Moody? If so, is that level of success worthy of inclusion in the Big 12 or SEC? Would the SEC or Big 12 benefit from having a team in DFW?

For this to happen, SMU must dominate whatever conference we find ourselves associated. BYU rose to national prominence by being a really BIG fish in a stinky little conference. Is it impossible to fathom that SMU could do the same?

One final thought, could we just have one year without adding/subtracting teams? If we're going to expand, do it and get it over with. Its no wonder the WAC suffers from a serious perception problem - nobody has a clue as to who the teams are!

[Dukie]

The mention of BYU reminds me of one major obstacle that SMU faces, that I don't know how to combat, but that *MUST* be overcome. Yes, BYU overcame its conference, but that has a lot to do with the lack of other sporting attractions in Provo (it is Provo, right?). Ditto UNLV, the other school that rose from nowhere. No NFL, no NBA (particularly at the time BYU rose to prominence, and, on an unrelated tangent, I still maintain that a team should be required to drop the name "Jazz" when they move from New Orleans to SLC; don't get me started on the "Lakers"), no NHL, no MLS, no nothing. SMU, in contrast, is in what has become one of the most pro-sports-rabid markets in the country. I admit, it sends a chill through me anytime there's mention of a pro sports franchise relocating to the Durham/Chapel Hell/Raleigh area--college fans there don't realize how good they have it.

[crazy horse]

Is our location really a disadavantage? In a market with over 5 million people, there is plenty of room for professional sports and SMU to all be successful. Dallas is an extremely affluent metro area. Do you really think fans are saying "I can buy Cowboy tickets, but I can't afford that extra $15 for an SMU ticket" I think not. There is plenty of money and plenty of people to support both SMU and all the professional teams. Besides, the teams rarely compete on the same days or at the same time.

The real issue is the product. Dallas fans love winners and hate losers. Stars and Cowboys win - fans show up. When they lose (Mavericks) they don't.

I think that our location is a HUGE advantage. Even though we all rag on the DMN, on a day-to-day basis we get more coverage than any other college in one of the country's largest dailies. We are covered by multiple TV and radio stations. If you want visibilty in a major market, I can't think of any better place to be. And we're the only game in town! Why we don't market ourselves better, I'll never know.

BYU also successfully marshalled the support of Mormons everywhere. Notre Dame does it with the Catholic church. It's another mystery why we can't rally support of Methodists throughout the country for Southern METHODIST University.

And I agree, team mascots should make sense. Even though I hate passing new laws, there should be one prohibiting geography-challenged mascots AND really ugly uniforms (Titans).

[This message has been edited by crazy horse (edited 04-15-2000).]

[Dukie]

I'm not sure how much I can agree. First, affluence isn't the question. It's not that people think they can't afford tickets to both SMU and, say, the Cowboys, it's rather that they make a choice based on limited time and limited interest. Trust me, it's much easier to get the community, the vast majority of whom have no college ties, interested in college sports when there are no local pro alternatives. Second, sure Dallas loves a winner, but do you know what the attendance figures were for SMU even during the best years of the 1980s? Pretty mediocre, and I *hated* feeling like a minority for "home" SMU games against tu and a$m. In the end, I guess I'm hoping that moving back to campus helps. It better bring out more students and more Parkies.
P.S. Methodists don't have nearly the cohesiveness and separateness that define Mormons and Catholics or even Baptists; for better of worse, that won't be a big selling point.

[crazy horse]

Yes UT and A&M helped, but we did ok against the lesser teams as well. Observe:

79 - Rice 60K, UNT 57K - home avg 55K
80 - TCU 39K, UNT 52K - home avg 36K
81 - Rice 28K, Grambling 45K - home avg 33K
82 - Tulane 33K, TCU 43K - home avg 40K
83 - Louisville 23K, Rice 28K - home avg 39K
84 - UNT 27K, TCU 58K - home avg 39K

That's a 40K average over 6 years. The first few years was mustang mania driven. The early 80s was the Pony Express and SWC championships. Draw these types of crowds to Ford and I think we all would be pretty happy.

I agree that having a multitude of entertainment choices makes the decision more complicated. But, there are 5 million people making that choice! We can't get 1/2 % of the people to come to Ford? I guess you can look at it as a problem or an opportunity - I choose the latter.

As a youngster I was a Longhorn fan - my father's school. My Methodist church youth group jumped into a bus and drove two hours from East Texas to watch SMU play. From that moment, I was a lifelong fan. I don't know if it was the game, Peruna, that Comin' around the mountain song, or the uniforms (I still think the blue jerseys, white helmet red pony is the best uni in the NCAA)that made the difference. All I can say is that it changed me forever. I have spoken to others who shared similar experiences.

I'm not asking for all Methodists to wave pony ears. I'm only suggesting that there is a vast untapped market of potential fans in churches and youth groups throughout North Texas. Many congregations are being led by Perkins graduates! All we have to do is make the effort. Who knows, there might be another Crazy Horse in one of those groups.

[Dukie]

I think the idea of building Methodist enthusiasm is a *great* idea. The whole reason my family is in Dallas and has ties to SMU in the first place is that my grandfather took advantage of the free-tuition-for-Methodist-ministers'-children offer. I've noticed that those ties run a lot deeper in small town Texas (my grandmother on the other side was always keeping a watchful eye out for those Church of Christers, who always tried to steal new Methodist families who moved to town). Get to work, and see if you can get Perkins and the athletic department to work together on it!

[Hacksaw Jim Duggan]

I have a dream. One day the schools of Texas will reunite and reform the Southwest Conference. Until this happens, it doesn't really matter what conference SMU is in. C-USA is the best of our options, but it's just not going to happen. Neither is the Mountain West. SMU is going to stay in the WAC, which will expand but only get weaker from top to bottom. Hopefully, SMU will dominate the WAC, and when the next major conference realignments occur, and they will, SMU will be poised to move up with the big boys. Or at least above the minor leagues.

[Ponygrad]

The WAC weaker? You mean with the rumored addition of USU and NMSU?

Actually, here are the facts from the Sagarin ratings of last year:

...................FB.......BB
USU...............62.46...82.36
NMSU..............65.16...78.88

SMU...............60.61...80.34

WAC...............64.86...76.81

It looks like they would be very close to the WAC FB average and well above the average in BB.

What it looks like is SMU should raise its level of play and not worry so much about the WAC, expansion, etc.

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GO PONIES!!!

[This message has been edited by Ponygrad (edited 04-17-2000).]

[SMUstang]

Good post Ponygrad. From what I see in the posts above, it looks like most are favorable toward the WAC at least as a temporary home. Especially if it expands to two divisions and reduces travel costs.

I think it has a chance to improve with increased regional play. And with 4 OOC games, we can schedule tougher opponents and improve too. If most of the other members did the same thing, we should be able to land a better TV contract.

[Russells Number 1 Fan]

Great post Hacksaw. Russell is the greatest.

[Smoodaddy]

Obviously everyone wishes the WAC were stronger and had a legitimate TV contract, but I am very happy in the WAC until and if conference realignment comes about. Being in the MWC makes ZERO sense, and while I think being in the same conference with some of the western teams of C-USA would be great, I want no part of that conference as is. Our school tried very hard to join, but I learned a long time ago that getting what you want is not always what is best. GO SMU! GO WAC!

[Juice]

I think all this talk of conference changing is silly. Why don't we prove that we can win consistently in the WAC before we move on to go against better teams. Take small steps to greatness.

[Dukie]

Sure, SMU should be able to prove itself by winning the WAC, but if it doesn't happen, then what? You've got to consider how the mere fact of WAC membership hurts SMU and will continue to hurt SMU, just as ACC membership helps Wake and SEC membership helps Vandy (in terms of money, exposure, and schedule offerings, all of which help with recruiting). SMU needs to be doing all it can to move up *now*. I read lots of posts like yours before this last football season, and SMU finished 4-6, and nothing has changed. SMU can neither wait on, nor bank on, wins in the WAC.

[Ponygrad]

Dukie, I do not know what you are thinking. SMU tried to join the CUSA. The SEC and the BIG XII will not show any interest any time soon. MWC, which I think would be a bad move, has no interest. Just where are you proposing that we immediately move to??

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GO PONIES!!!

[Dukie]

I'm thinking of CUSA, in the near term anyway. One denial does not mean that the door's closed forever (ask Miami, which may yet come up for a third vote to get in the ACC). In fact, it's so dam* close that the first ESPN announcements stated that both TCU AND SMU had been voted into CUSA. So I see that as very doable. Yes, it's expensive, but it's a no-brainer that SMU has to pony up the money (no pun intended). I see a lot of discussion of power rankings, etc. on this board, but I don't think it matters if Boise State or Utah State is ranked as highly as Louisville or Tulane. Perception is everything, and CUSA has the WAC beat, hands down.