[SI Story with Saban and SMU]

1 hour ago, keith said:

I'll admit that I don't know the ins and outs of the NIL program, but I thought the intent was to allow the student-athletes, if they were so motivated, to be able to capitalize on their "notoriety" and earn and generate income during their time in college outside of the game itself.  The key piece being that the individual had to put forth some amount of effort to seek out various business opportunities and take advantage of them.  It wasn't supposed to be a bunch of boosters establishing a "slush fund" and then finding creative ways to funnel these funds to the students for doing nothing other than playing for the school.

There are ways to structure it and be within the guidelines.  Every school in the country that has deep-pocketed alumni is doing it.  

Get with the times or get left behind.

[SI Story with Saban and SMU]

1 hour ago, meangreenfaninno said:

It’s not fair that a team who brings about 500 fans to Apogee is positioned to be a leader in this new hierarchy?  The NCAA need to get their 5hit together.

And what's not fair about it?  You wanna raise a huge NIL fund?  Go for it.  Seize the day.  The rules are the same for everyone.  Maybe stop whining about SMU and raise the money.

[SI Story with Saban and SMU]

1 hour ago, meangreenfaninno said:

It’s not fair that a team who brings about 500 fans to Apogee is positioned to be a leader in this new hierarchy?  The NCAA need to get their 5hit together.

We had 5,000 at our game against Michigan in Ann Arbor.

You may not want to hear this but for someone in Dallas a trip to Denton to play a team that we have a 34-7 record against historically in early September isn't exactly a great way to spend a Saturday.  

[NIL $$$]

10 minutes ago, Wag Tag said:

How important is the NIL dollars on the ranking of importance on where a kid goes to school?  If the dollars are available I feel it could be the top reason. At this time SMU will have the most NIL money of any G5 and by a long shot in the AAC. UNT and other conference mates will not be able to compete against their dollars, the level playing field is gone. NIL money has to play into conference affiliations and for that reason I thinks SMU has a shot at a P3 conference. At a P3 level they will have more NIL dollars than a lot of those teams and be competitive with the upper level teams. I now hope SMU gets into another conference so we are playing teams with similar resources. GMG

NIL is the new coin of the realm.  It'll matter more than coaches, facilities, tradition, etc.  Obviously those other variables will be important but NIL has forever changed the game.  Specifically with respect to SMU it is quite literally program-altering.  SMU has more billionaire alumni per capita than any school in the country with 2 NFL owners (Clark Hunt and Jim Irsay).  NIL allows us to play a completely different ballgame when it comes to recruiting and magnify the transfer portal.  It is the golden goose.

FWIW, there is no reason UNT can't have a very strong NIL initiative.  

[SI Story with Saban and SMU]

OK I have to laugh at this.  I can't imagine any scenario where Nick Saban is actually "afraid" of SMU.  I doubt he's thought about SMU for more than five seconds in his entire coaching career.

That said he's 100% correct that no school in the country is better positioned to benefit from NIL and the transfer portal than SMU.  Between our two NIL initiatives we're already at north of $3mm fully funded annually at the grassroots level and more than double that among the high-level booster group.

Facilities are great no doubt but $100,000 is a lot more fun (especially for 18-22 year olds).  

[SMU to PAC12?]

2 hours ago, UNTcrazy727 said:

At least we're not delusional enough to think we belong in a power conference. BTW, you're welcome for the great crowd we give y'all in Dallas every couple years. Maybe one day SMU will have a big enough fanbase to do the same thing in Denton. 

Would be nice if the game was competitive in the second half. 

[SMU to PAC12?]

57 minutes ago, drex said:

If the Pac 12 is interested in scheduling 'exhibition games', SMU is your team.  Crowds in Dallas are exhibition size.

 

57 minutes ago, drex said:

If the Pac 12 is interested in scheduling 'exhibition games', SMU is your team.  Crowds in Dallas are exhibition size.

Gotta love a school with 40k undergrads that draws flies talking attendance smack to a school with 6,500 students.

[So, UNT Wants to play with the Big Boys?]

49 minutes ago, NT80 said:

Smu has history in a bigger conference (SWC) and people remember that (beyond the cheating and death penalty), thus the media reference as a potential replacement.   

However, the criteria many say is critical now is size, ie large universities.  Any combo of large following, large enrollment, large alumni base, …large market share, something. 

SMU has the largest athletic budget of any school left in the G5 and sits in the 5th largest media market in the country.  Ranked in football each of the last three seasons and planning a $100mm stadium renovation.

Does the small private school thing hurt?  Sure.  But if school size is a factor why isn't UNT being mentioned in these articles but SMU is mentioned in multiple realignment articles right now?

[So, UNT Wants to play with the Big Boys?]

Also I guess these don't qualify as media reports linking SMU to the PAC, Big 12, and ACC?

https://www.heartlandcollegesports.com/2022/07/11/big-12-smu-have-had-expansion-conversations-report/

https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2022/07/06/if-pac-12-doesnt-merge-with-acc-smu-is-one-of-a-select-few-expansion-candidates/

https://theathletic.com/3403475/2022/07/06/college-football-realignment-mountain-west-aac/

[So, UNT Wants to play with the Big Boys?]

17 minutes ago, NT80 said:

Expansion articles mention that size matters now in candidates...market size, school size, alumni base size, etc.   

These are all reasons that Smut has been bypassed by the Big12 and Pac12, etc.  It "doesn't move the needle" was one term used.

Smut is not Dallas' team.  It's market is Highland Park, and it always has been limited.  These Conference executives know it too.

What does that make UNT?

[So, UNT Wants to play with the Big Boys?]

32 minutes ago, LitMedallion said:

UTSA's first trip to Rice was their homecoming in 2012. The class of 1962 donated 12 million dollars at halftime. Our endowment at that time was only like 80 million. I believe schools like SMU, Rice are dinosaurs, but they just don't know it. Both were in the SWC for decades and they're now in the same conference as UNT. It isn't about the big donations, of course that helps, but it's about the constant donations. 

Do you believe when it comes to dollars and sense that conferences are really looking for small schools like SMU and Rice or that future potential in UNT, UAB, and UTSA? I'm not being disrespectful with this statement, but for years UNT/UAB was the doormat game for big programs while Rice and SMU were considered "premier". Tides have turned and I believe for forever.

 

Not sure what this is trying to say.  SMU has spent a quarter of a billion on facilities in the last decade with another $100mm solely for Ford Stadium expansion/upgrades.  

SMU will never be looking in the rearview mirror at UNT/UTSA in terms of fundraising and financial program support.  Its not even close.

[So, UNT Wants to play with the Big Boys?]

On 7/8/2022 at 12:10 PM, Mean Green 93-98 said:

Question--is this an apples-to-apples comparison?   Did SMU receive $73 million in gifts specifically to athletics?  Or is that to the university as a whole?  Brett's link is only available to USA Today subscribers.  And even if SMU received $73 million last year toward athletics, I can't imagine that is anywhere near typical for them.

Yes these are athletics specific donations.  

And that figure has been trending up over the last decade.  $73m represents an uptick but not one that is wildly out of line with previous years.

[USC and UCLA to the Big 10]

2 minutes ago, keith said:

I think it would be a toss-up between Baylor and SMU.  SMU grades slightly higher than Baylor on the academic front, but from an all sports success, spending, etc. Baylor is ahead.  I think either school may have the same problem that BYU might have.  Let's face it, the west coast leans to the left politically.  Does the PAC## want right leaning, religion-affiliated institutions as part of the conference makeup?  I think they would probably consider that as part of the "fit" equation.    

Nearly half of the SMU student body is from California.  I don't really worry about the fit.

Further, SMU's church affiliation is far less relevant to its academic mission than BYU or Baylor.  

[USC and UCLA to the Big 10]

PAC officially exploring expansion.  Not that it was ever in doubt after USC/UCLA departures but they are clearly going on the offensive.

 

 

[USC and UCLA to the Big 10]

5 minutes ago, NT80 said:

BYU isn't off the table.  If the New Pac12 will be better than the new Big12... BYU can just switch.   That's the problem now, no school is committed to anybody for any set time.

And sorry, I know you're an SMUt fan, but they just don't bring any value to a conference anymore... like they once did when they won while cheating in the Dickerson days. 

PAC desperately needs exposure in the CST to survive.  Academically it fits well with the PAC.  From a football perspective we've been ranked in the Top 20 in each of the last three seasons and will break ground on a $100m renovation and expansion of Ford.

Tons of PAC alums live in DFW.  Is it a slam dunk?  No.  But I'd wager SMU is higher on the food chain for the PAC than Baylor, UH, Tech and the other academic space cadets of the Big 12.

[USC and UCLA to the Big 10]

 

[USC and UCLA to the Big 10]

2 minutes ago, NT80 said:

It's big-dogs and little-dogs.  Plus sellers vs buyers.

The PAC12 leftovers are in panic mode, but actually they should by buyers now (expansion with BYU, Texas Tech, Ok St, K-State, KU) instead of sellers (merging into Big12).  

Likewise the new Big12 will see options for adding value in cherry-picking.  An all-out merger would be more of a geographic mess.   

It will all depend on if the SEC and B1G are truly content at 16 members or expand further.

 

The B1G and SEC will go to 20 minimum.  Likely 24.

[USC and UCLA to the Big 10]

Finebaum confirming my suspicions about Clemson, FSU, Miami, and UNC to the SEC.

The race to 20 is on b/w the SEC and B1G.

[the Saga continues]

11 minutes ago, El Paso Eagle said:

IMO, Oregon. Stanford and UW will end up in the Big10

If the new Big12 comissioner is not working on a merger with the remaining schools, or at the least going after Colorodo, Utah, Arizonia and AZ State he is worthless.

P.S. You know WVU and possibly Okie State are making calls to the ACC on on ongoing basis 

The ACC is in all liklihood going to lose Clemson, FSU (and probably UNC and Miami) here soon.  ESPN owns the ACC network and if it means strengthening the SEC they'll gladly cut a check to make sure their bell cow conference has the ammunition it needs to stay on top.

The ACC is the next one to go boom...

[the Saga continues]

9 minutes ago, southsideguy said:

tatement from Commissioner Bob Bowlsby: Big 12 officially extending invitations to the University of Oregon, Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and the University of Washington to join beginning in the 2024-25 academic year. More details to come.

 

 

 

I think that's a troll account.

[USC and UCLA to the Big 10]

While the price to get out of their agreement with the ACC would be utterly insane those things can be facilitated through the networks.  FOX knows that if they can add Notre Dame to the B1G that will keep them on a relatively level playing field with the SEC.  You'd also be adding the most historic college football program in America.  They can already sell "coast to coast" broadcasting and if they are able to lure the 800 lb gorilla into the conference then they might be willing to pay a king's ransom to do it.

[USC and UCLA to the Big 10]

3 minutes ago, Green Otaku said:

If there is one school who can resist it's ND. They have been such a strong independent for so long it's practically part of their culture. The only way they join is if playoff access is cut off, and so far they have always accommodated them. 

Their AD just said an hour ago that the future of remaining independent in the current landscape is going to be virtually impossible.

If the B1G adds Notre Dame as a full member then all hell is going to break loose.

[USC and UCLA to the Big 10]

2 minutes ago, UNTcrazy727 said:

Where are they going to go? It’s starting to look like the Big 10 and SEC are going to expand to 20. The PAC 12 is cooked and I think the ACC will face a similar fate. If the Big 12 is smart they’ll pick up the leftovers and have a conference of 20 schools that’s strong enough to get a seat (albeit a small one) at the table with the SEC and Big 10. 
Anyone currently not a P5 or about to be isn’t moving up. Schools like SMU and Memphis are stuck. At this point their best bet is to stay in the American and help them become the 4th best conference. Who knows, maybe our new P2 or P3 overlords will throw us peasants a bone and allow our conference champion to compete in their new expanded tournament. 

The ACC GoR doesn't expire for a decade.  You can be assured they are not going to sit back and watch the Big 12 overtake them as the "third" conference in the pecking order.  They can also go out and poach WVU and potentially USF, Memphis, and SMU as low hanging fruit that gets them into some new markets and protect them when the SEC inevitably takes Clemson and FSU.

[USC and UCLA to the Big 10]

13 minutes ago, Green Otaku said:

I guess it's official now, and so far only UCLA and USC. 

From the PAC yes.

They are turning their sights on Notre Dame now.

[USC and UCLA to the Big 10]

2 minutes ago, Aquila_Viridis said:

I figured somehow or another SMU and Memphis would get away from us before long. This could do it for them.

A lot more dominoes would have to fall but things are gonna move fast.

I was told when the AAC expanded with six it was in anticipation of further defections in the near future.