Cancel the SMU series

[Toad Jones]

Insightful.

Now, I thought he did a great job explaining himself. That series long ago out lived any excitement to attend or see.

 

[Planks]

If SMU has a likelihood of making the playoffs next year then the new system is FUBAR.

It’s just temporary as it only runs through 2025. After that anything is possible for the post season format. The 12 team playoff was set up with 6 auto bids based on the idea that it would be the P5 champs + 1 G5 champ. But with the death of the Pac 12 now there are only four power conferences left, meaning 2 G5 conference champs are guaranteed spots.

That means the winner of the MWC* and the winner of the AAC are basically locks for the playoffs in 2024 and 2025. There could be a random MAC or Sun Belt team that gets in instead, but I feel like the AAC and MWC are more respected conferences and their champs finish ranked ahead of those conferences 90% of the time.

*note I’m assuming there will be some sort of MWC/Pac-4 leftover conference merger.

All SMU has to do is win the AAC and they make the playoffs in 2024 or 2025. And remember this is now a much weaker AAC. Good programs like Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF have been replaced with the likes of University of North Texas, Rice, UTSA, UAB, FAU, Charlotte. This should be a very very doable task for SMU.

So the point I’m making is, even though I don’t want the TCU-SMU series long term, I do want it to run through 2025 just because SMU will actually be nationally relevant due to being a serious contender for the playoffs.

After 2025, if SMU fails to make it to the playoff and fails to gain any national relevance, then 100% remove them from our schedule.

 

[Prince of Purpoole II]

This new conference will be as much of a gauntlet as the old and in the new era of mega conferences we need to play the game as its setup not as how many of our alumni wish it was. That means we need to adopt the B10 and SEC model of padding the schedule with home games to set us up to get bowl eligible sooner while giving fans more opportunities to make it to games in Fort Worth. So, I'm completely in favor of dropping SMU at the first chance we get.

I don’t understand why this concept is difficult for so many of our fans to grasp. It’s obvious

 

[H0RNEDFR0G]

What does TCU gain by beating SMU? Very little. What do we lose by losing to them? A ton of respect.

I see no reason why we should give them the exposure of playing us. We are probably their best or second best TV ratings matchup every year and they're not in our top 10

 

[HornedFroginAustin]

This same topic came up on the 247 HornedFrogBlitz board. I responded vehemently why we keep the game unless it is absolutely necessary to get rid of it for scheduling purposes.

The gist of my points are as follows:
1) Rivalries operate outside of current relevancy and competitiveness. For example, Ohio St. vs Michigan (The Game) which is considered arguably the best rivalry in all CFB, has the exact same record as the Iron Skillet since 2011. So should that rivalry stop being played as well? To say otherwise would mean that SMU should have dropped the game back in the 80's when we sucked and they were the Pony Express. Dropping it because we think the game is beneath us is incredible arrogant, and makes our fanbase look like asshol es. Time is irrelevant, because nobody knows what each program will look like in 20 years.

2) The fact that we have this discussion almost every season really makes the point of how much of a rivalry it truly is. The game matters because of the history, because it has a name and a legacy, because it's Dallas vs Fort Worth. Baylor is the competitive rivalry we have, SMU is the historic one.

Be grateful for where TCU is while still respecting where we came from. I don't want the growth of arrogance in our fanbase because of our success. We are a small private school that has achieved way more than many teams that have way more resources than us in the last 2 decades. This is because we have constantly kept the chip-on-our-shoulder mentality and remained hunger/humble with success.

In response to the comment that SMU would have dropped us during the Pony Express day, you are comparing apples to oranges. During the Pony Express years, we were in the same conference. They could not drop us. TCU worked for years to dig themselves out of a hole when the Big 12 was formed. Our hard work should not be utilized to benefit a team that has done very little to improve their team. If the roles were reversed and SMU had spent the time and money digging out of a hole, while we had done very little and we were in different conferences, do not think for a moment that they would opt not to play us. They would do what was in their best interest.

I would much rather play a team from the old MWC. The MWC was the best conference that we were in prior to the Big 12. Those teams and our play are what finally pushed us to the next level. I remember being at the last Colorado State game. One of the fans came up to me and said, "good luck. We hate that you are leaving because you are good for the conference. But we understand and would do the same. I will be a Colorado State fan that supports you in your new conference." The MWC also catapulted our new conference member Utah into a P5. I would like to show a little more love to those schools.

 

[fanatical frog]

I would much rather play a team from the old MWC. The MWC was the best conference that we were in prior to the Big 12. Those teams and our play are what finally pushed us to the next level. I remember being at the last Colorado State game. One of the fans came up to me and said, "good luck. We hate that you are leaving because you are good for the conference. But we understand and would do the same. I will be a Colorado State fan that supports you in your new conference." The MWC also catapulted our new conference member Utah into a P5. I would like to show a little more love to those schools.

 

[fanatical frog]

Me too. I enjoyed the Mountain West years. Would like to play New Mexico and Nevada again in non-conf. And we have never sufficiently shown appreciation to El Paso for putting us into that Sun Bowl game against USC. "You know who TCU is....they're the team dancing in your end zone"....great headline in the El Paso paper the day following the USC game.

 

[ShreveFrog]

@Planks - Thanks for your expanded comments. I get it. Would hope Tulane keeps its momentum going in the AAC.

 

[StartWearingPurple2020]

So you're arguing that TCU should buck the national trend and continue business as usual? Be a lone beacon for tradition in the face of overwhelming change in the national college football landscape?

Wasn't being left behind once before not enough? We should position ourselves to potentially be left behind again?

"Change is never painful. Only the resistance to change is painful."
--- Guatama Buddha

I am arguing that we should keep any rivalries/traditional games as long as it is not actively sending us backwards relative to the national trend. Might this be the case in 3-4 years? Maybe - but we just reached the national title game "in spite" of playing SMU as part of the non-conference slate.

Also keep an eye on some of these realignment twists - will we see Oregon, Washington continuing to play against OSU/WSU? What about Notre Dame/Stanford? While they might be more well-known matchups nationally, these are also cases of P5/G5 rivalries where it doesn't necessarily help the P5 team to play/win.

 

[Chongo94]

@Planks - Thanks for your expanded comments. I get it. Would hope Tulane keeps its momentum going in the AAC.

Same. They’re a good bunch anytime I’ve ever interacted with any of their students and alums. They have a killer color combo and unis going on lately too.

 

[westoverhillbilly]

Wife and I were told while having lunch with a TCU AD official just prior to the beginning of last season that once the current TCU-SMU contract ends, our days of playing SMU in Dallas are OVER. Then, after the water deprivation game at SMU in September, 2022, I highly doubt that TCU's position reversed.

A few years ago, I also remember CDC saying that the admin liked the game at that time because it was cheap on our budget.

I could see a scenario where TCU hosts 2 or 3 years in a row at ACS followed by a year where SMU hosts at Jerryworld. It's not like SMU can really say no at this point- they stayed weak and we got strong.

 

[Rabidfrog]

CThe solution is for SMU to host at another venue. That in and of itself is another topic IF agreed to. Where? Should SMU start hosting at the Cotton Bowl again? Certainly not in Arlington. Frisco at the soccer complex? Just throwing it out there!!
Go Frogs!

Cotton Bowl is the solution.

 

[Rabidfrog]

Those who weren’t there don’t understand.

SMU cheated with abandon.

Got caught.

Cheated again.

Got caught.

Cheated some more.

Got caught.

Got the death penalty.

Their offense had interchangable lines. So many paid players it was a pro team.

Ran over everyone.

TCU still does not hold the series lead because of the Pony Express.

SMU CAN GO EAT DIRT IN THE NEW WAC!

yep. Ex-SMU player told me over coffee at North Park that they were warned five times by NCAA before getting the death penalty.

 

[Rabidfrog]

Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres

10th grade Latin.

 

[H0RNEDFR0G]

SMU had an average of 312k viewers per week last year, ranked 72nd in terms of average viewership.

TCU had 2.2 Million viewers per week, 13th in the country (these numbers don't even include B12 Championship or CFP which was another 45 million viewers)

They are no help to our numbers, and we're a huge help to theirs. They implode our season if we they happen to beat us, and when we beat them nobody cares.

Bottom line is they are a drag on our strength of schedule and TV viewership. Don't give them the exposure, don't help them recruit DFW.

 

[Hemingway]

This is a series I feel we should try to continue.

1). SMU is good warm up game for conference to where it challenges players but at the same time the chances of a loss are like 1 in 7 or more. Even if there is a loss, it might provide motivation to make coaching changes when one is needed. Had we not had the series, GP might have stayed around longer and Sonny might not be our current coach.

2) It’s an easy road trip and excuse to go to Dallas to do other things. It is also nice to go to a road game and not have to spend money on parking.

3) The fact that SMU is not an FCS school might make difference in getting a playoff spot. At the same time, there is a major competitive advantage over them due to a number and factors. I really cannot see a circumstance like conference, facilities, or fan support, to where they could ever get the upper hand in recruiting or dominating again. The only thing they could do is hire an amazing coach who wins a few games in the series and leave for greener pasture.

4) Deciding not to play them because we are too good for them is very Aggie like. The Aggies like to talk about how superior they are but refuse to play TCU because they know they might lose half the time considering how mediocre they have been in the last 20 years.

5) Traveling trophies are a cool unique thing to college football that needs to be maintained. I like the Skillet tradition! I like the saddle tradition with Tech as well! I just wish there was a traveling trophy for Baylor as well.

The game day operations at SMU are not good when handling a sellout game. The game in Dallas needs to be at night considering how dangerous the heat was last year. They also need to figure out how to get fans in the stadium a lot quicker. The lines to get in were way too long. The other option is to play it in November sort of like the SEC does with weak non conference games. Otherwise, it is not worth having to worry about fans die over heat issues.

Winsipedia - TCU Horned Frogs vs. SMU Mustangs football series history

Winsipedia - Database and infographics of TCU Horned Frogs vs. SMU Mustangs football series history and all-time records, national championships, conference championships, bowl games, wins, bowl record, All-Americans, Heisman winners, and NFL Draft picks

www.winsipedia.com

There you go

 

[Eight]

There you go

go where?

 

[Deep Purple]

go where?

 

[Hemingway]

go where?

Drop SMU

 

[PurpleBlood87]