SMU hikes skirt, flirts with Big XII

KRAM1 · August 26, 2011

I just don't see the Big XII bringing another small private school into the conference....unless that private school had a national following like Notre Dame or perhaps BYU. SMU would give the Big XII some DFW exposure, but it already has that with all the OU, OSU, Texas, Texas Tech, etc. fans that live in the DFW area. I also think it would be a mistake on SMU's part to jump to the Big XII at this time. I don't see the advantage to SMU in getting beat badly in most all it's sports by even the lower rung Big XII teams. And, few, if any, Big XII schools sport a men's soccer program so that would probably go if SMU joined the league and men's soccer is a big time winning program at SMU (much like it was for UNT before it was canned).

If I were the Big XII I might try to pull Arizona and Arizona State into the league if Notre dame and BYU said no before I would go after the likes of an SMU with its small fan base, small (by Big XII standards) stadium, and lack of any real national following. I am not bashing SMU as some like to do, but I just don't see a move to SMU for the Big XII as good for either. SMU really brings ZERO to the Big XII and the Big XII would swamp SMU for years and years to come. I don't think it's in the cards...if for no other reason than i doubt a few other members would want to even think about recreating the old SW Conference. Just my opinion.

eppy4life · August 26, 2011

I also think it would be a mistake on SMU's part to jump to the Big XII at this time. I don't see the advantage to SMU in getting beat badly in most all it's sports by even the lower rung Big XII teams.

I agree.

Eagle1855 · August 26, 2011

I don't see the advantage to SMU in getting beat badly in most all it's sports by even the lower rung Big XII teams.

Well, selling out their stadium week in and week out ($) along with a far-more lucrative TV deal ($), greater national presence, and higher conference profile certainly wouldnt hurt...

Edited August 26, 2011 by Eagle1855

PlummMeanGreen · August 26, 2011

SMU has had a winning season and a .500 season the past two years. Their attendance last year not counting the TCU game was 18,500. That was coming off their first winning season since the 80s and a blowout win over a top 25 team. I don't even find them as credible a replacement in the Big 12 as Tulsa.

We have our own attendance issues, but I don't see how anyone can look at SMU and feel like they haven't peaked. With schools like UH and UNT, there's much more potential to bring back alums and others with ties to the school. None of the three are really great candidates at the moment. If the Big 12 decides to take on a project school or two, I think it'll be UH, UNT, Colorado State, etc long before it's SMU. You don't lose a school with a 46,000 enrollment and replace it with 12,000.

Truth be told, I'm not even sure why SMU fans would want to be in the Big 12. Their admissions standards would mean the only teams they'd regularly compete with would be Baylor and Iowa State.

Good post...

I stand to be corrected, but I believe our last home game last Fall drew more than bowl bound SMU's.

Unless North Texas truly has friends in high NCAA places (conference commissioners other than the SBC and WAC for starters) and I don't think we do with present crowd unless it's our oft' used consultant Chuck Neinas and/or through our Denton campus president; but IMO our going in as a "project" might be tough. Most leagues want a school that either has a great legacy or has been on the winning side for awhile.

I believe SMU coat-tailed into CUSA with the other schools they came in with. Their losing 2 1/2 decades makes what we are going through look like a Sunday School picnic.. Yet SMU's Doak Walker and Jerry Levias eras gave them tradition (and much admiration outside Texas) of which they gotten much milage. Having been in a major conference for many decades also helped SMU with the CUSA folks. Like most of you, I believe our upside quadruples that of SMU's, but we don't have the friends that their being in the SWC almost a century gave them and they seem to still veto any mention of North Texas any time the subject may come up.

As I look back to when UH was admitted to the Southwest Conference, they had had several bowls on their resume (albeit multi-appearances with the home town Bluebonnet Bowl it seems) and that during an era where there were dramatically fewer bowls than now; UH had some Top 20 ranked teams and a basketball program whose game with UCLA in the Astrodome caused NBC sports broadcaster Dick Enberg to say this about that game.........."UH-UCLA was the launching pad that sent the popularity of college basketball into its current stratospheric dimensions. It was the true beginning of the successful marriage of television and the college game."

IMO, we will need one helluva' smile form Lady Luck to change our athletic neighorhood although our very impressive Mean Green Village with that shiny new buckle of a football palace could make things happen quicker for us.

Edited August 26, 2011 by PlummMeanGreen

pastorgrant · August 26, 2011

Truth be told, I'm not even sure why SMU fans would want to be in the Big 12. Their admissions standards would mean the only teams they'd regularly compete with would be Baylor and Iowa State.

This is just one small source, but I have a friend who teaches at SMU and based on what she says I don't think this will be a problem. Can't say any more than that.

GrandGreen · August 26, 2011

SMU has had a winning season and a .500 season the past two years. Their attendance last year not counting the TCU game was 18,500. That was coming off their first winning season since the 80s and a blowout win over a top 25 team. I don't even find them as credible a replacement in the Big 12 as Tulsa.

We have our own attendance issues, but I don't see how anyone can look at SMU and feel like they haven't peaked. With schools like UH and UNT, there's much more potential to bring back alums and others with ties to the school. None of the three are really great candidates at the moment. If the Big 12 decides to take on a project school or two, I think it'll be UH, UNT, Colorado State, etc long before it's SMU. You don't lose a school with a 46,000 enrollment and replace it with 12,000.

Truth be told, I'm not even sure why SMU fans would want to be in the Big 12. Their admissions standards would mean the only teams they'd regularly compete with would be Baylor and Iowa State.

Do you think all of UT players meet their admissions standards or any other big time team? Most athletes at SMU, Baylor, UT etc. are special admits which means they don't meet the published or standard admission standards but are enrolled because of their "special qualifications". Even the real academic schools like Stanford and Rice even though their athletes are more qualified then most other schools still could not enroll the vast majority without special consideration. I would guess that NT also has it's share of athletes that don't meet their standard requirements. SMU used to be much stricter after the death penalty but over the years their standards for athletes have been substantially lowered.

KRAM1 · August 27, 2011

Well, selling out their stadium week in and week out ($) along with a far-more lucrative TV deal ($), greater national presence, and higher conference profile certainly wouldnt hurt...

Definitely, some validity to your points, but if selling out because your stadium is much smaller than most current Big XII stadiums and selling out because the opposing team's fans filled the stadium to watch SMU get their rear ends handed to them time and time again by the likes of OU, OSU, Texas, etc. is the way they want to make some fast cash I guess that's fine, while the other sports including men's basketball gets pounded as well. And, SMU would probably need to add men's baseball. That's a bit of a cost factor as well to offset some of the "riches" earned by being the conference whipping boy for many years...I would think that Baylor would love to see SMU in the Big XII.

Just cannot see this as a good move for SMU at this time.

MCMLXXX · August 28, 2011

Not included on Chip Brown's list:

http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1256918

NM Green · August 28, 2011

I like BYU and think watching them play the Red Raiders, Horns and Sooners on a regular basis would be great theatre. I think it is a joke to think Arkansas would think about leaving the SEC for the unstable Big 12. Adding Notre Dame, BYU and Houston really makes the most sense. This would not be a bad league:

Kansas

Kansas State

Notre Dame

BYU

Iowa State

Missouri

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Texas

Texas Tech

Baylor

Houston

You would have BYU or Notre Dame consistently coming out of the North with Kansas State a threat. You have Texas or OU consistently coming out of the South. Either way I am excited about seeing the SEC teams come through Texas. It has been a long time since I have been this excited about watching Aggie pigskin.

GMG