TopCoog Wrote:College Card...you are spinning again. We are 3-3 recently vs Rice but the series is very lopsided and reflects the numbers I gave you. Bill gates won't build a 5 billion dollar house but Rice will invest what they need to in basketball and the results will reflect that investment. Quit trying to just be contrary and be realistic.

I'm not spinning anything. Houston hasn't had sustained success for a decade and a half so I think that's a pretty accurate representation for present day. I could care less if you crushed them in the 80's.

Do you realize you are the only one here that everyone thinks is being unrealistic?

Guys, watch out, Rice is the new college football power waiting to explode!

how does a thread about the Big East splitting and adding teams turn into RiceFest...easy...TopCoog showed up...i think he is a closet Rice fan.

sad really.

Go Tigers!!!
Drew

Since Top Coog wants us all to do how good SMU is I thought I'd share this gem guys!

Ex-players critical of SMU football

01:46 PM CST on Wednesday, November 3, 2004


By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News


UNIVERSITY PARK – The recent struggles of SMU's football program have raised concerns among several prominent former Mustangs, including the school's all-time leading rusher, Eric Dickerson.

"That program is a joke, and it will always remain that way," said Dickerson, who with running back Craig James and quarterback Lance Mcllhenny formed SMU's famed Pony Express backfield in the 1980s. "It’s really sad, pitiful."

Dickerson, who played at SMU from 1979-82, said athletic director Jim Copeland is partially to blame for the problems, adding "that man has got to go."

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Other former players say they support the program and coach Phil Bennett but are unhappy with the football team's results.

In three seasons under Bennett, SMU is 4-28, including 23 double-digit losses. In five seasons under the previous coach, Mike Cavan, SMU lost 19 games by double digits. With three games remaining, SMU is 1-7 this season and has lost 19 of its past 20 games.

"When teams play SMU now, it's become stat day," Dickerson said. "Yes, they have the facilities, but they are not going about recruiting in a right way. They need to get some tough kids who will fight, spit and slap the opponent in the face. Jim Copeland is the reason for a lot of these things. He's got no ties to Dallas or SMU. That man has got to go."

Copeland and Bennett said Dickerson is misinformed about several issues concerning the program, specifically recruiting standards.

"For Eric Dickerson to sit back in California and complain about things to me is irresponsible," Copeland said. "He is not trying to help us."

Dickerson said he would not give money to SMU because he felt it wouldn't go toward helping the athletic program.

Said Bennett: "We are making inroads in recruiting. We are now competing with the Oklahoma States and the Arkansas for some of these kids. In the past, that wouldn't be the case. This whole thing just didn't start three years ago. When we lost the SWC, we lost our recruiting base. This program is a workover. I know they [former players] are frustrated, let's be honest. I've been disappointed, but I'm not going to back down."

James has attended several SMU functions over the years, including the announcement last spring that the school is leaving the Western Athletic Conference for Conference USA. But James, a college football analyst for ABC, is embarrassed by the program's lack of success. He said he is apprehensive about letting his son, Adam, a leading receiver at Celina, seriously consider SMU.

"I have a difficult time talking about SMU," said James, who played for the Mustangs from 1979-82. "I like Phil Bennett. But we got shut out by TCU [44-0] this season."

Mcllhenny, who played at SMU from 1980-83, is a former Mustang Club and Lettermen's Club president.

"Naturally, it's frustrating," he said of the mounting losses. "I'm at most of the home games, and I'm trying to figure it out. Again in time, we'll have a good product."

Donald Mitchell, an SMU defensive back from 1995-98 who was on the Dallas Cowboys' roster the past two seasons, said the players lack confidence.

"I see the players are playing hard, but I also see frustration in their eyes," said Mitchell, who said he likes Bennett. "I don't know if it's talent level, but I see a lot of things that are not good. I can understand where Eric is coming from on some issues."

Craig Swann, a former SMU linebacker who led the SWC in tackles in 1996, has been the SMU radio analyst the past five seasons. Last week during a sequence in which two players failed to tackle a Fresno State player, Swann called it "pathetic" on the air.

Swann said he supports Bennett but wonders when things will turn.