Looking back-Aren't You Glad Now...

[Stallion]

...that that Bowl Game Victory was against a reputable BCS program rather than some directional LALa school which may drop football next week? Yeah I thought so. Always go to the best bowl againsdt the best, most reputable opponent possible

[Stallion]

Go ask a Houston Fan what they think about their victory over Penn St. Some of you guys are just too damn worried about a pretty record beating no one. SMU fans will always remember walking out of Amon Carter and the Bowl Game with big time victories as opposed to victories over a marshmellow. Pitt sucked but that victory will look great in the History Books.

[Mitch McConnell]

Who is dropping football?

[ponyinNC]

Anyone else thank the football gods for our luck during bowl season?

First we get a depleted Nevada squad missing 2 of their top 3 rushers, and we smoke them. Yes, we lost to ARMY at home in an uninspiring game, but then we get a Pitt team who lost all but 4 coaches and lost their top RBs as well.

Call me crazy, but I see many parallels between our victory against Pitt and TCU's win in the Sun Bowl vs. USC in 1998. That victory really sparked their decade of success. Good bowl wins vs BCS teams can go a long way...much more publicity than a win over ULL. Great thing to build on.

[smubrooks]

Where's all this publicity? PF's is the only place talking about the win other than the standard issue game write ups here and there. Am I missing some huge underground pro SMU movement building?

[PK]

It may not actually be "more" publicity, but it is definitely "BETTER" publicity. It is also more important to the recruits we talk to.

[Mitch McConnell]

Stallion and I are in agreement on this. I pushed for the Ticket City Bowl againt a Big 10 team because of the reward of beating somebody like them. For Houston, this was the next best thing after BCS game. Cougars handled a 9-win Big 10 team and they should feel great about it.

We beat a BCS team in Pitt. I'm sorry they endured what they endured but that's their problem. We weren't guaranteed a thing when we took the field last Saturday. In fact, if Pitt won, the pro-BCS or big boy conference people would have puffed out their chests once again saying another non-AQ team not named Boise St. or TCU couldn't hang.

And Keith Patterson would have had rose pedals thrown at his feet for rallying his emotionally tormented program.

We had to go on the field and make plays and win the game.

We did all that.

We have nothing to apologize for. And for anyone who has an empty feeling because of Pitt's circumstances, empathy is one thing, stupidity is another.

[Dutch]

Stallion and I are in agreement on this. I pushed for the Ticket City Bowl againt a Big 10 team because of the reward of beating somebody like them. For Houston, this was the next best thing after BCS game. Cougars handled a 9-win Big 10 team and they should feel great about it.

We beat a BCS team in Pitt. I'm sorry they endured what they endured but that's their problem. We weren't guaranteed a thing when we took the field last Saturday. In fact, if Pitt won, the pro-BCS or big boy conference people would have puffed out their chests once again saying another non-AQ team not named Boise St. or TCU couldn't hang.

And Keith Patterson would have had rose pedals thrown at his feet for rallying his emotionally tormented program.

We had to go on the field and make plays and win the game.

We did all that.

We have nothing to apologize for. And for anyone who has an empty feeling because of Pitt's circumstances, empathy is one thing, stupidity is another.

we were almost the team w/o a coach.

[sbsmith]

It may not actually be "more" publicity, but it is definitely "BETTER" publicity. It is also more important to the recruits we talk to.

True, this pub is a lot better than what we received for tanking against Army but it's nowhere near our 2009 Hawaii Bowl pub. This story got pushed below the fold by BCS title game coverage and Cowboys Collapse 2011 coverage. If anyone remembers it nationally it'll be for Pitt's skeleton coaching crew after yet another coaching change than anything we did (would have helped if the offense would stayed on the gas for 4 quarters).

[Mitch McConnell]

Exactly -- we had our own set of circumstances to fight through. There were several of us who weren't sure how this team was going to respond.

[ponyinNC]

Have to agree with Stallion and Mitch on this one. It may not be "more" publicity, but it was recognized accross the country that we beat a BCS team and it really gave credibility to our move to the Big East.

If we had gotten blown out, people would come out of the woodwork to say "SMU doesn't belong, can't compete, etc." Every highlight I watched stated that we were coming in to BE, Pitt is leaving, BE is getting good replacement, etc.

[mustangxc]

I am with Stallion! You play the best opponent possible both in bowl games and non-conference. Otherwise, attendance and recruiting suffer.

[jtoutloud]

Stallion and I are in agreement on this. I pushed for the Ticket City Bowl againt a Big 10 team because of the reward of beating somebody like them. For Houston, this was the next best thing after BCS game. Cougars handled a 9-win Big 10 team and they should feel great about it.

We beat a BCS team in Pitt. I'm sorry they endured what they endured but that's their problem. We weren't guaranteed a thing when we took the field last Saturday. In fact, if Pitt won, the pro-BCS or big boy conference people would have puffed out their chests once again saying another non-AQ team not named Boise St. or TCU couldn't hang.

And Keith Patterson would have had rose pedals thrown at his feet for rallying his emotionally tormented program.

We had to go on the field and make plays and win the game.

We did all that.

We have nothing to apologize for. And for anyone who has an empty feeling because of Pitt's circumstances, empathy is one thing, stupidity is another.

we were almost the team w/o a coach.

True - it easily could have been us in Pitt's predicament and I guarantee you one thing: Neither Pitt nor their fans would think twice about beating our butts. And they wouldn't have felt sorry for us afterwords. No crying after sex.

[smuuth]

Always have a couple of games against some higher profile teams. You have nothing to lose because most around the country doesn't expect you to win. There is not a great divide between being a good team and a very good team and a great team. Injuries, home field, refs, schedule etc. There are probably many who just two or three years ago didn't think TCU belonged in the Big 12 and now they are in the Big 12 and are a top 10 pick for the 2012 season behind OU and WV! Oh....and who beat TCU this year?

[Mitch McConnell]

Cox, let it ride.