SMU’s administration doesn’t have to answer to regents or state bureaucracy. (Which they were in the 1980s, before the death penalty.) But the Mustangs have the institutional wherewithal to become a highly competitive Power Five program. It doesn’t have USC’s brand, of course, and probably won’t ever come close. The Hotline has touched on this issue before, but it’s worth repeating: SMU’s status as a private school with a wealthy donor base in a fertile recruiting ground is comparable to USC’s profile. They have the academic profile necessary, and they possess the resources necessary to become relevant in football. The Mustangs work as the 11th or 12th member (with San Diego State) because they open up a new market for media dollars - yes, they add value - and recruiting. The Cougars are a better fit for the Big 12 than the Pac-12, while the Mustangs are a better fit for the Pac-12 than the Big 12 - even though their respective locations suggest it should be otherwise.Īnd make no mistake: SMU is a good fit for the Pac-12. But let’s dive in, because the topic itself is instructive to the broader conversation around realignment.įirst, the Big 12 could not have known in September 2021, when it added Houston, UCF, Cincinnati and Brigham Young, that the Pac-12 would lose the Los Angeles schools and fall into an existential crisis.Īdditionally, it’s reasonable to be skeptical of SMU’s value given that the Big 12 already had a school (TCU) in the greater Dallas media market.įinally, the Hotline has been told by industry sources that TCU and Baylor were against inviting SMU for competitive reasons: Why elevate an in-state school that would compete directly for eyeballs and recruits?Īlthough the specifics of the situations differ, SMU and BYU have comparable relationships to the Pac-12 and Big 12. If the Big 12 had a do-over, would the conference have taken a different approach and added SMU? Would taking the Mustangs off the table have further injured the Pac-12? - fascinating question without a definitive answer, at least right now.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |