Then count me as not diehard.
I like watching competitive sports, not "contests" where wins are bought.
KAIT: Arkansas State football to meet TCU, Georgia Tech in future buy games
- Thread starter TopFrog
- Start date
I like watching competitive sports, not "contests" where wins are bought.
Limey Frog
Full Member
Lolz at anyone who actually believed that. This was always the kind of crap we were going to be getting instead.
Exactly. Suppose you had a favorite boxer or MMA fighter and you watched all of his bouts, then he announced he would be beating the tar out of middle schooler on pay per view, would you watch? Nope. Every team's stadium is significantly less full for these games than their usual home games, so plenty of people feel the same way.
An-Cap Frog
Member
2026 must be a year when we have 5 conference road games. We will have North Carolina and Arkansas State at home, plus an FCS school (TBD), for a total of 7 home games?
Eight
Member
appreciate your answer and that you value the smu game as a unique series and not just a schedule game
the value of games such as nichols and ark state have been discussed through this and other similar threads, but i think last saturday reinforced the teaching aspect
there were multiple situations where sonny and his staff got to put their players in various situations and see how they react, see who would compete, see what combinations worked and what didn't
lvh, you know as well as anyone on this board that practice alone doesn't always provide an accurate test, heck running the same play multiple times in practice becomes about as effective as freaking work place role playing
yes, it is tedious at times, we would love for every home game to be the equivalent of bama v texas, but both of those do the very same thing for the very same reasons
It's just unfortunate that Oklahoma and Texas (and now SMU) will be coming off of our schedule and we are replacing them with the likes of ASU, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Arkansas State.
I think the "we want to be like the big boys" thing is selective. We're not really going to play any of the big boys anymore, and they all play each other from time to time.
An-Cap Frog
Member
Could have used an Arkansas State in week 1 as opposed to Colorado.
I guess so. But we're going to lose games from time to time. That's ok, it's sports.
Buying wins is dumb. Don't care who else is doing it, it's always dumb.
FrogPreacher
Active Member
Fair weather fan.
Eight
Member
to say that we are not going to play the big boys presumes knowing how things will play out in the next 5-6 years
additionally, playing the schedule of the "big boys" is only one part of becoming one of them and to say things at tcu and the rest of college football are in a bit of transition at this time is an understatement
CountryFrog
Active Member
What do you want that is actually realistic? There's not a world where we play all 12 games against great teams every year. So what number of games against bad teams is acceptable?
Against truly awful teams? Zero. No need for the 12 "great teams" comebacker, nobody thinks that.
North Carolina, SMU, and Arkansas State would be ok. Replacing Arkansas State with somebody with more of a pulse would be better but I get that Arkansas State can at times be halfway respectable.
North Carolina, Arkansas State, and FCS pretty much sucks. When two out of the three OOC games every year are bought wins, that sucks IMO. Again, I don't care what other schools do, it sucks for them too.
ECM
Active Member
We knew it already, but this confirms it. TCU cancelled the Skillet because TCU is scared to play SMU.
not sure you want to play two Power 3 opponents out of conference.
An-Cap Frog
Member
My thought was to schedule an Arkansas State team in week 1 and a Colorado team in week 2, not avoiding a Colorado team entirely.
An-Cap Frog
Member
What temperature is fair weather? 80 degrees? 60 degrees?
froginaustin
Active Member
Doesn't SMU play Arkansas State and lose about as often as they win?
Arkansas State has been a lot stronger than Nicholls State, and more or less on SMU's level of competitiveness, no?
Arkansas State has been a lot stronger than Nicholls State, and more or less on SMU's level of competitiveness, no?
Years ago, yes, but the program has been in a nose dose. These are their final sagarin rankings the last several years...
2020 - 105
2021 - 144
2022 - 146
2023 - 168 through two games.
I think there are 130 FBS teams. Don't know what they will be in 2026 I guess, but right now they are probably one of the two or three worst teams in FBS. Can't imagine there is much NIL money floating around Jonesboro.
Prince of Purpoole II
Reigning Smartarse
Anyone saying that hasn’t been paying attention. Donati very clearly said cancelling SMU is about getting out of a ridiculous home and home to give fans another home game experience per year. Unless conference games per year are increased I expect it will be P4, G5, FCS in ooc. Until the playoff scheme punishes that scheduling I’m fine with it.
An-Cap Frog
Member
All non-con road games should be power 5 teams only.
I don't get this pov. Why? Just because other teams don't seem to want to do it?
Ummmm, I don't think it has anything to do with "giving fans" anything. If that's the goal, why play the FCS game? By the looks of the crowd, not too many fans show up to enjoy that experience. The FCS games I've been to in the past, the stadium is about 20% full in the 2nd half so it must not be much of an experience.
It's about giving the team and coach (and AD for that matter) another week in which they don't have to worry about losing.
