PonyFans.com

you noticed that too about the private schools all being grouped together-where quite frankly we may die a slow agonizing death. Quite frankly when this all started I had hoped we might have ended up in a conference without Rice and Tulsa because I don't see any real indication that they are really interested in doing the things that are necessary to compete strongly in Division 1A(relax Rice and Tulsa Fans I group SMU in that group as well). I just think its time for the privatte schools to decide are they IVY League or Major League and take the course that fits that decision. The decision to take the Major League course would be for them to start by replacing Autry which is an embarrassment and for Tulsa to proceed on their admirable course in building its new BB arena by SUBSTANTIALLY improving its FB facility. SMU too needs to at least renovate Moody. These schools may now have grabbed a life-raft which rescues their immediate futures-that being said unless those types of changes are made and realistic admission standards for athletes comparable to their opponents in Division 1A then this is only a temporary solution. But wouldn't it be nice if those 3 schools stepped up to the plate and made this new conference an intriquing regional choice by doing those types of changes. All in all though this is the best alternative out there-but now the hard part is making it work. If CUSA can hold onto 4 bowls, add a championship and retain 1/2 of its TV contract it might work but I'm severely skeptical of the TV revenues although this conference may be able to add some regional TV contracts that were not really practical in the past.

C-USA is a better place to be. Maybe we'll even get a few calls in this league. That alone would be worth the price of admission.

Old Pony- Lets not sell ourselves short. While we may be in football hell right now we have a great reputation(despite Copeland) of overall athletic excellence. Check out the Sears standings of SMU vs. Conf USA. I bet we hang or beatmost of those schools. We certainly beat Tarrant County Univ.

TCU is in a position to gloat and complain about our admission based on what they have done on the field (although I think they are highly overranked based on the opponents they have played, and their margins of victory).

With that said, I have better things to do with my time then subject myself to what they are saying on their board. We have a great facility and recently completed sterling recruiting class. Hopefully, we will be in a far better football situation by the time we start competing in CUSA.

Assuming we get there, I might then check to see what is being written on their board.

Originally posted by pony91:
Old Pony- Lets not sell ourselves short. While we may be in football hell right now we have a great reputation(despite Copeland) of overall athletic excellence. Check out the Sears standings of SMU vs. Conf USA. I bet we hang or beatmost of those schools. We certainly beat Tarrant County Univ.

TCU is the closest followed by Tulane, but both are a ways down the list.

http://graphics.fansonly.com/confs/nacda/graphics/0203D1FinalStandings.pdf

Originally posted by Nacho:
C-USA is a better place to be. Maybe we'll even get a few calls in this league. That alone would be worth the price of admission.

Good point - Craig Swann will have a whole new set of officials to rip on the broadcasts!

And who cares about Sears Cup? Where do I watch the award ceremony? We all know it is football and basketball- the rest is window dressing. I went to SMU football, basketball and a few SMU baseball games when in college. A swim meet or two when we were really great. No othe events and most are like me. I would go to SMU baseballl on occasion still but I don't seem to be able to find the games anymore!!!!!!!

Lucked out? Come on. C-USA with the proposed departures is no stronger than the WAC. The only plus for us is a regional conference and possible media exposure to the East of the Mississippi where it counts. Sorry Hawaii!

No, the CUSA, even though it wouldn't be as strong with the defections, is a much better place than the WAC. There are some natural rivalries to generate interest, a nice package of markets which we can make headway in, with more heated rivalries and a return to some tradition. There is the advantage of a more manageable travel budget, which could be turned towards bettering facilities. The eastern media will be more interested in covering our events. Better recruiting pitch; a few more bowl opportunities if we ever decide to win a game...

Heck, I'm more excited about playing TCU, Tulane, Houston, Rice and Tulsa as conference mates, and the possibility of Memphis, ECU and Southern Miss on the schedule is a whole lot better than SJSU, Fresno, Hawaii or Boise. No offense to the western WAC, but the new slate would be far more interesting and frankly would get better media attention.

Also the WAC always seems to be a day late and a dollar short. The WAC office was never our friend, and every other week for the past few years, the western WAC seemed to be on the verge of going here, there or somewhere else. The schools have little or no common mission or resources, say nothing for competative tradition. The WAC was not a friendly home. The CUSA may be jumping the gun a bit, but at least they act like they want us, and they are planning well ahead with a more proactive approach.

So... Let's rennovate or upgrade Moody and move on! If we continue on the path we have started to take, everything else should take care of itself.

Oh, and while I'm standing on the soap box, I don't blame TCU fans for being upset about our inclusion into their conference. While playing us is no worse than playing Army for their RPI (and actually, they could now drop Army and play a real opponent to HELP their RPI), the playing field will be nearly even again, and on a nearly even playing field, we win: Better school, prettier campus, better location, comparable (if not better) facilities, better all-sports, etc. If I were TCU, I'd be scared as hell. I mean, at least now they get a last thrill of football victory before they begin their careers as checkers at WallMart. Okay, maybe the last sentence might be a tad harsh, but you get my drift.

And yes, there are some classy TCU posters out there. There just seem to be many more who make the terms Frog and gentleman mutually exclusive.

<small>[ 10-16-2003, 09:01 AM: Message edited by: Greenwich Pony ]</small>

OLDPony,

I assume that you were being sarcastic. If not, you know that SMU does not have a baseball team and has not for some time.

DBB

We competed in SWC baseball up until 1980 or so. He is OldPony after all, so he was probably in school well before it folded. :shifty:

Once again, I am embarrassed that all we talk about on this website is TCU.
If we spent our energy focusing on OUR school, OUR teams, and OUR spirit, we would be much more successful. Next time you feel compelled to write a lengthy dissertation on why you dislike TCU, instead use your energy and time to call SMU and buy some extra tickets, get involved with the alumni association or something constructive to OUR school.

so what have you been doing lately red?

Originally posted by RED:
Once again, I am embarrassed that all we talk about on this website is TCU.
If we spent our energy focusing on OUR school, OUR teams, and OUR spirit, we would be much more successful. Next time you feel compelled to write a lengthy dissertation on why you dislike TCU, instead use your energy and time to call SMU and buy some extra tickets, get involved with the alumni association or something constructive to OUR school.

You gotta be freakin' kidding me, pal. You obviously have no idea the kinda stuff I do for our team.
1) I'm in the BAND. I go to everygame, and PRODUCE the spirit. I stay till well after everyone else has left, and stand for the entire game, win or lose.
2) I'm working to head off this stupid new mascot idea with as much force as I am able. I'm trying to save Peruna
3) I'm a freakin STUDENT! I'm the first line of spririted offense
Don't EVER give me a speech about what I should and should not be doing, EVER AGAIN.

Calm down Spazman, calm down.

Maybe we can have Spaz and Red square off at halftime of a game this year. That might bring an extra 10-15 people to the game.