Aresco Says AAC Will Expand

[HubbaHubba]

Unless there is some secret Machiavellian scheme where we end up in a better conference in 2 years this is DP II. SMU football will never recover from this. Rice is a great school and a welcome addition. Can't wait to play them in baseball as they always seem to have a great team (oops, NM). The other schools will not increase attendance, will not help recruiting, will not elevate us on the national stage. Unless Hart and Turner have a plan to move us beyond this relegation we should seriously consider dropping to FCS or DIII where we would have a chance to compete for a shot at a championship.

[SMU_Alum11]

Unless there is some secret Machiavellian scheme where we end up in a better conference in 2 years this is DP II. SMU football will never recover from this. Rice is a great school and a welcome addition. Can't wait to play them in baseball as they always seem to have a great team (oops, NM). The other schools will not increase attendance, will not help recruiting, will not elevate us on the national stage. Unless Hart and Turner have a plan to move us beyond this relegation we should seriously consider dropping to FCS or DIII where we would have a chance to compete for a shot at a championship.

I rather close up football then waste money in the FCS or lower. Fund a baseball team and put money into basketball. Before then we have a couple of years of this AAC to make as much noise as possible before making those considerations. Even if we decide to stay in CUSA 2.0, we can always make our OOC with SEC and Big 12 teams to get the necessary wins to look decent.

[mustang1108]

I am not a fan of the expansion. I think UTSA has some promise and Rice offers Houston and we they are an old conference rival, but the rest is really disappointing. I was only 7 when we made the move to the WAC so the idea of conference realignment meant nothing to me at the time, but I have a question for some of the Pre-DP fans. Was there the same doom and gloom thoughts when we moved to the WAC in the 90s? I still would prefer us to be in a P5 conference or even the MWC than this CUSA 2.0, but genuinely curious what the views of the WAC were in the mid 90s.

[Topper]

I am not a fan of the expansion. I think UTSA has some promise and Rice offers Houston and we they are an old conference rival, but the rest is really disappointing. I was only 7 when we made the move to the WAC so the idea of conference realignment meant nothing to me at the time, but I have a question for some of the Pre-DP fans. Was there the same doom and gloom thoughts when we moved to the WAC in the 90s? I still would prefer us to be in a P5 conference or even the MWC than this CUSA 2.0, but genuinely curious what the views of the WAC were in the mid 90s.

I wouldn't say that there was doom and gloom. There was a great deal of irritation that we were left behind by our old rivals who broke up the SWC. Pye was President while all of this happened and he was a foe of big time sports as was a powerful group of professors whose power grew when the DP left a vacuum at the top. I think that there was more disappointment when the old guard WAC teams, which was not a bad conference at the time, bolted for Mountain West. Then we had to go to CUSA only to have TCU bolt shortly thereafter. People were disappointed that TCU broke up the set. But they were on an upward trajectory and we were going nowhere fast.

[SMUstang]

There was, and for good reason, a lot of doom and gloom among SMU fans in the 90’s. We had been left behind when the Big XII was formed and one of our main rivals, Baylor was chosen. The WAC provided a needed lifeboat at the time. However:

I don’t think this situation is in any way similar. I question the addition of some of the choices, Charlotte for example. But under the circumstances, the schools chosen were good choices. For the most part they are big schools in prime locations with a lot of potential. Probably better choices than Tulane, Tulsa, and ECU were the last time around.

Stop whining

[HubbaHubba]

I don’t think this situation is in any way similar. I question the addition of some of the choices, Charlotte for example. But under the circumstances, the schools chosen were good choices. For the most part they are big schools in prime locations with a lot of potential. Probably better choices than Tulane, Tulsa, and ECU were the last time around.

Stop whining

Mostly just no. They are not good choices. Better to have a smaller conference than to add them. BTW, you misspelled winning, no h and 2 n's.

[PonyTime]

I am not a fan of the expansion. I think UTSA has some promise and Rice offers Houston and we they are an old conference rival, but the rest is really disappointing. I was only 7 when we made the move to the WAC so the idea of conference realignment meant nothing to me at the time, but I have a question for some of the Pre-DP fans. Was there the same doom and gloom thoughts when we moved to the WAC in the 90s? I still would prefer us to be in a P5 conference or even the MWC than this CUSA 2.0, but genuinely curious what the views of the WAC were in the mid 90s.

Al Gore had barely invented the internet for the masses when this happened - so the only news sources were the DMN and the Daily Campus. It was a very different world. If you wanted to gripe about something, you went to your local tavern and had to put your face behind your words. People were pretty p!ssed at Gov Richards, who helped behind the scenes for Baylor and Tech to make the conference move and not get left behind.

You have to also remember that, at that time, our marquee programs were Soccer, Swimming and Diving, Track and Field. Football fanbase was minimal. In the end - the SWC breakup may have actually been good for SMU Football - but a complete disaster for the Swimming programs (which is a tragedy considering where those programs were at the time).

[TidePony]

We would of been better off adding one school (UAB or Rice) and playing 8 conference games and then playing 4 non conference games including 2 P-5s. This is crap.

[peruna81]

The proper term for where we find ourselves in the new AAC is "Relegation"

[Pony64]

The proper term for where we find ourselves in the new AAC is "Relegation"

So True

[TidePony]

The proper term for where we find ourselves in the new AAC is "Relegation"

Fact!

[Mustangs35SMU]

I’m shocked at how many of y’all are ok with Rice. They’ve completely disregarded their athletic programs, minus maybe baseball, for years. They’re the ones I have the most issues with. They could care less about football, on all levels. The only reason is Houston, but it’s not like they pull in anything around that city.

[PonyTime]

I’m shocked at how many of y’all are ok with Rice. They’ve completely disregarded their athletic programs, minus maybe baseball, for years. They’re the ones I have the most issues with. They could care less about football, on all levels. The only reason is Houston, but it’s not like they pull in anything around that city.

And baseball has gone downhill over the last decade too. No longer what it once was at all. Probably due to their being in a horrid conference.

[Charleston Pony]

I’m shocked at how many of y’all are ok with Rice. They’ve completely disregarded their athletic programs, minus maybe baseball, for years. They’re the ones I have the most issues with. They could care less about football, on all levels. The only reason is Houston, but it’s not like they pull in anything around that city.

I agree that Rice appears to be the weakest link and I even prefer Charlotte to Rice in terms of long term potential, but I assume that was about staying in the Houston TV market and giving our teams an opportunity to play in Houston which remains an important recruiting ground

[SMUstang]

You guys need to get over yourselves. Think 21st century instead of 20th century. The 6 chosen teams have a real chance of being more relevant in this century than SMU, Rice, TCU, Tech or whomever.