SMU2006

Yeah with our top five transfer class and top twenty NIL there is no way would ever be competitive with the juggernauts of Stanford, CAL, Arizona, Arizona State, et al. 🤣

The causal Dallas sports fan couldn't care less about UNT, Tulsa, Rice, Tulane, with virtually zero national brand awareness. Programs like Colorado, Utah, Washington, Oregon are names with national brand awareness.

Yes yes yes 1000x yes in a better place than the current AAC.

Even in the unlikely event that is true being associated with PAC leftovers is still INFINITELY better than being in the AACUSA.

SMU has been ranked three of the last four years with a 10 win season. Its not like UNT who hovered around .500 with a DOA coach in Littrell yet somehow got the call up to the AAC.

Timing seems to have accelerated with the feedback that the PAC must expand BEFORE the media rights deal can be announced. But anyone's guess honestly. Most think it'll be in time for SMU to be playing in the PAC for 2024.

lol. If UNT was even on the radar for the PAC it would be the biggest thing to happen in the school's history.

UNT was playing Washington, Colorado, Utah, and Oregon in the Big West?

or FAU, ECU, UAB, et al.

David Miller and Gerald Ford would stroke a check tonight to the AAC to get out ASAP.

That's why it helps to have half a dozen billionaires willing to subsidize the difference in the reduced rate.

Pretty sure our money is green just like theirs. Politics notwithstanding.

Enjoy Charlotte and FAU. We'll send you a postcard from Seattle and Boulder!

In all seriousness if SMU is headed to the PAC (and I do think its at the proverbial one yard line) I hope the UNT game should continue into perpetuity. Its great for both schools and fans.

But you can bet the kid's college fund one of those 5 will be against UNT! ND is not joining a conference. lol.

PAC media deal is poised to be at a higher $/school than the deal the Big 12 just announced without UT/OU. With an expanded playoff the PAC champion is assured a seat at the table for a national title. Unless the TV money is just wildly off then no there is very little incentive to join the Big 12.

Nothing is done until there is a press conference on The Hilltop with a PAC logo. Anything can happen. But if the commish is here tomorrow then its as good as done. No way you leak this to McMurphy (very reputable source) unless you are at the proverbial one yard line. B1G has gone public that they are done expanding. For now at least. I'm sure both would love an invite but there was nothing stopping the B1G from offering them alongside UCLA and USC. There's a reason why. The four corner schools would rather be swallowed into the earth than be associated with Baylor, K-State, UCF, WVU as opposed to Stanford, CAL.

Always thought the Big 12 was a pipe dream with so many Texas schools already represented that have zero interest in seeing a team in Dallas with deeper pockets being elevated as competition. ACC and PAC have been in play for the past year. I would prefer the ACC (and there was mutual interest in SMU and Tulane) but the timeline going out to 2030 is simply too long. As mentioned earlier, time kills deals. The PAC still has national brands like Utah, Oregon, UW, and now Colorado (thanks Coach Prime!)

There are a myriad of factors that go into conference realignment and football attendance might not be in the top twenty. Academics, market, financial commitment, alumni giving rate, TV ratings, brand recognition, endowment, research dollars etc. And while SMU hasn't had the top end success Houston has enjoyed over the last 15 or so years, we've been ranked three of the last four seasons in a pretty tough AAC. It helps to have Stanford, CAL, Colorado, and UW in our corner from an academic perspective.

Yep. The hold up has been the slight possibility of pairing up with Tulane for the ACC but they are locked in until 2030 (I think). PAC knows they missed a huge opportunity by not getting into Texas when they had the chance a few summers ago during the UT/OU to SEC drama. SDSU and SMU make a ton of sense to keep a foothold in Southern California and expanding the PAC footprint into the central time.

Thanks!