Which Conference?

[Ponygrad]

OK, CUSA.

Here are my questions though. How stable is it? There is a lot of talk about teams moving out. Will you be getting what you expect. The reputation is only recently gained. I.e. in the last year or two, at least wrt football. Who is to say that the WAC can not step it up and achieve similar respect?

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GO PONIES!!!

[SMUstang]

Dukie, I'm not sure that there is a nickels worth of difference in the perception between C-USA and the WAC. But the fact is, that if we wanted to get into C-USA, someone else would have to leave first. They currently have 11 football members and they are trying desparately to entice Navy to join as a football only school. No more openings there without someone leaving. They currently have 14 basketball members, and would like to have no more than 12. No more openings there either without several leaving.

Like it or not, we are WAC members. Our best course right now is to make the WAC as viable as we can, and elevate it as much as we can. A good way to do that would be to have two 6 team divisions, play 5 games in our division, 2 games against the other division, and 4 tough OOC games against national powers. With some key wins, and more TV exposure, we can elevate both our own program and the conference too.

[Juice]

We'll get better recruits when we win. We'll go to a better conference when we win. We'll get more money and exposure when we win. Are you catching a theme here.

[Dukie]

In conference realignment news that you might think would not impact SMU, American University in DC has decided to leave the Colonial Athletic [deleted]'n in favor of the Patriot League. This is a major step down in competition (Patriot doesn't even allow full schollies in most sports), and AU's coaches and players are pissed, but the pres. did it anyway. The relevant bit here is that this is increases the chances of Navy staying in the Patriot League, and thus being available to CUSA as a football-only school. Still, I believe that others will leave CUSA within the next couple of years, and that SMU should be ready at the door.

[ponyjim]

yeah but juice, might it be easier to win in ANOTHER CONFERENCE?

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Go Ponies!

[SMUPonyFan]

Ummm, no, that is the point of moving conferences, tougher competition, so it is harder to win in another conference, at least one we want to move to!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ponyjim:
<B>yeah but juice, might it be easier to win in ANOTHER CONFERENCE?

</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>



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Go Red, Go Blue, Go Mustangs, S M U

[SMUstang]

In my experience, you play to the level of the competition you are facing. Not that C-USA is that much, if any above the WAC. But either conference we are in, we have to step up and play better than we have.

After the big shuffle, I would like to see the following alignment:

SMU, TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech, Rice, Houston, Tulane, Tulsa, UTEP.

[ponyjim]

SMUstang, point taken...

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Go Ponies!

[SMUPonyFan]

I think that would be a great conference for SMU, SMUstang. Maybe throw in Kansas or OSU???

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Go Red, Go Blue, Go Mustangs, S M U

[ponyscott]

Bump.....funny comments on this thread....the last or first thread on Football on Ponyfans going back to the year 2000 and 731 pages back from today.