GOAL: Working towards SMU becoming a P5 program by 2020

[sbsmith]

All you so called experts on conference realignment, just curious if you correctly called Rutgers to B10 a year ago???????, yeah, didn't think so.

Rutgers has the benefit of being a huge AAU state flagship school (big deal to the Big 10) in the nation's largest media market. Not really much of a comparison to SMU or any other G5 school.

[SoCal_Pony]

I am hopeful Coog High and Smoo are a joint package.

You clearly have your advantages, I agree, although ACC & PAC would prefer our academics, but I don't think either school has distinguished itself that much from the other so far.

We have 1 huge advantage. If it comes down to $$$, we win.

[Statler]

This is not rocket science. It all depends on what the CoC want to pay. EVERYONE has their price. 5 mil we get a big name. 3-5 mil a D1 head coach. 2-3 top asst.

[SoCal_Pony]

All you so called experts on conference realignment, just curious if you correctly called Rutgers to B10 a year ago???????, yeah, didn't think so.

Rutgers has the benefit of being a huge AAU state flagship school (big deal to the Big 10) in the nation's largest media market. Not really much of a comparison to SMU or any other G5 school.

Guess my point is we are all over the board on this.

Academics matter, academics don't matter.

TV markets matter, no they don't matter (NYC #1, DFW #5, Houston #10).

Delivery of said markets matter, no they don't matter (I do believe Rutgers currently does NOT deliver NY market, but B10 is looking more at their potential).

Once again, if Rutgers was such a darling, why did ACC pass them up twice?

I don't know how this ends, probably not good for us, I agree. But we can't walk away yet.

[sbsmith]

I am hopeful Coog High and Smoo are a joint package.

You clearly have your advantages, I agree, although ACC & PAC would prefer our academics, but I don't think either school has distinguished itself that much from the other so far.

We have 1 huge advantage. If it comes down to $$$, we win.

The only place those two are going to as a joint package will be another non-power league (ie, a decimated Big 12). If any P5 school wants in Texas they'll pursue UT (as has been the case for awhile), no other school (besides A&M who already made their move) brings enough major media market presence, athletics prowess or academic prestige to be worth an invite and it's not even remotely close.

[sbsmith]

Delivery of said markets matter, no they don't matter (I do believe Rutgers currently does NOT deliver NY market, but B10 is looking more at their potential).

Once again, if Rutgers was such a darling, why did ACC pass them up twice?

Rutgers may have not been a darling to the ACC but those factors I listed made them a darling to the Big 10. The Big 10 wants to aggressively pursue gaining more of a presence in New York and Rutgers is apart of that, being in the AAU made them a natural fit. Markets are more of a big deal to these conference with networks because of carriage fees and markets don't get any bigger than NYC (also home to a large amount of Big 10 alums).

[SoCal_Pony]

That could be an outcome, no doubt.

Assume UT heads west. To me, there is no guarantee Tech goes along. You think people from CA really want to make a road trip to Lubbock, or Stillwater for that matter?

And what if, for whatever reason, the ACC needs to expand?

In hindsight, you really think BC / Syracuse is that much better than SMU / UH?, I don't. Or if the B12 gets gutted, ISU & K-St offer more to another conference than SMU / UH?, I don't, after all, isn't all the talk about adding regional footprints?

Like I say repeatedly, odds are not great, but my concern also is if P5 goes to P4, and if we don't take FB serious in the interim, we could be left behind again.

I do see College FB moving to a play-off system more like the NFL, the $ is simply too tempting. If this occurs, they will need more uniformity among the conferences. It's simply not fair for a 10 team conference to compete against a 14 or 16 team conference.

Just too many uncertainties to walk away now.

[East Coast Mustang]

Tech and OSU would come along to the Pac-12 because politically they would have to. Pols wouldn't allow Texas and OU to jump ship and hurt another public institution financially (Tech and OSU).

Baylor may not have a sitting governor to bail them out this time around.

If we get good in basketball, we could be attractive to the leftovers in the Big 12 because KU would want some other decent bball teams.

IMO the Big 12 could look like this in the future, which would be a great scenario for us:

South-Baylor, TCU, SMU, UH, Memphis, Tulsa (?)

North- BYU, Iowa St., KU, KSU, WVU, Cincy

[SMUfrat]

That could be an outcome, no doubt.

Assume UT heads west. To me, there is no guarantee Tech goes along. You think people from CA really want to make a road trip to Lubbock, or Stillwater for that matter?

And what if, for whatever reason, the ACC needs to expand?

In hindsight, you really think BC / Syracuse is that much better than SMU / UH?, I don't. Or if the B12 gets gutted, ISU & K-St offer more to another conference than SMU / UH?, I don't, after all, isn't all the talk about adding regional footprints?

Like I say repeatedly, odds are not great, but my concern also is if P5 goes to P4, and if we don't take FB serious in the interim, we could be left behind again.

I do see College FB moving to a play-off system more like the NFL, the $ is simply too tempting. If this occurs, they will need more uniformity among the conferences. It's simply not fair for a 10 team conference to compete against a 14 or 16 team conference.

Just too many uncertainties to walk away now.

Thank you for believing. I believe too we will find a great home soon. American will provide an opportunity to grow. We need to use this and we need to shine. If we do that, we are set.

[East Coast Mustang]

Football obviously drives the boat here, but if our basketball team can make some deep tourney runs and Final Four appearances that would certainly help in terms of visibility, building a fanbase, and changing people's perception of SMU athletics.

Rutgers is proof positive that you don't have to have a tremendous amount of on-field success to improve your lot in the conference realignment shuffle. Of course, they have a lot of built-in advantages that we don't have: huge TV market, AAU membership, large alumni base, etc.

[PonySnob]

This is not rocket science. It all depends on what the CoC want to pay. EVERYONE has their price. 5 mil we get a big name. 3-5 mil a D1 head coach. 2-3 top asst.

Don't be surprised if the next coach is paid less than the current head coach............

[East Coast Mustang]

This is not rocket science. It all depends on what the CoC want to pay. EVERYONE has their price. 5 mil we get a big name. 3-5 mil a D1 head coach. 2-3 top asst.

Don't be surprised if the next coach is paid less than the current head coach............

Bringing in a young guy and paying him 800k might not be the worst thing

[SMUfrat]

Rome wasn't built in a day. And football will still be played in 20, 30, 50 years... And Smu can certainly figure it out at some point.

I'm not ruling anything out. Just think about a school like Western Michigan. Or San Jose state or UNT? Why do they even bother? Because in time... They can change their lot in life. I think the future holds much hope for SMU. I can't wait to be apart of it.

[Statler]

This is not rocket science. It all depends on what the CoC want to pay. EVERYONE has their price. 5 mil we get a big name. 3-5 mil a D1 head coach. 2-3 top asst.

Don't be surprised if the next coach is paid less than the current head coach............

Bringing in a young guy and paying him 800k might not be the worst thing

800k is chump change in today's environment.

[sbsmith]

That could be an outcome, no doubt.

Assume UT heads west. To me, there is no guarantee Tech goes along. You think people from CA really want to make a road trip to Lubbock, or Stillwater for that matter?

And what if, for whatever reason, the ACC needs to expand?

In hindsight, you really think BC / Syracuse is that much better than SMU / UH?, I don't. Or if the B12 gets gutted, ISU & K-St offer more to another conference than SMU / UH?, I don't, after all, isn't all the talk about adding regional footprints?

Like I say repeatedly, odds are not great, but my concern also is if P5 goes to P4, and if we don't take FB serious in the interim, we could be left behind again.

I do see College FB moving to a play-off system more like the NFL, the $ is simply too tempting. If this occurs, they will need more uniformity among the conferences. It's simply not fair for a 10 team conference to compete against a 14 or 16 team conference.

Just too many uncertainties to walk away now.

People assume Tech, Oklahoma and Okie State will come along because the Pac-12 wasn't interested in going to 14 and those are the most logical additions for a Pac-16. Dealing with them is worth it to get Texas in the conference.


We might stand a chance of getting in a gutted ACC or Big 12 but in that event neither conference would be a power conference anymore (see the former Big East). As it stands now neither will be expanding unless it's to invite members from other current power conferences.


The number of teams per conferences is a non-issue as there won't be any small leagues after the next round of realignment.