SMU2006

Speaking of NIL.... Monday is gonna send some shockwaves around the nation.

Says the guy making over $7m a year and ditched on Tennessee after one year.

Objectively not a sick burn. For most people that live in Dallas a trip up to Denton to play a team that we've historically dominated isn't going to move the needle. Facts.

The NIL initiative I'm involved in is almost exclusively under 40. So try again.

There are ways to structure it and be within the guidelines. Every school in the country that has deep-pocketed alumni is doing it. Get with the times or get left behind.

And what's not fair about it? You wanna raise a huge NIL fund? Go for it. Seize the day. The rules are the same for everyone. Maybe stop whining about SMU and raise the money.

We had 5,000 at our game against Michigan in Ann Arbor. You may not want to hear this but for someone in Dallas a trip to Denton to play a team that we have a 34-7 record against historically in early September isn't exactly a great way to spend a Saturday.

NIL is the new coin of the realm. It'll matter more than coaches, facilities, tradition, etc. Obviously those other variables will be important but NIL has forever changed the game. Specifically with respect to SMU it is quite literally program-altering. SMU has more billionaire alumni per capita than any school in the country with 2 NFL owners (Clark Hunt and Jim Irsay). NIL allows us to play a completely different ballgame when it comes to recruiting and magnify the transfer portal. It is the golden goose. FWIW, there is no reason UNT can't have a very strong NIL initiative.

OK I have to laugh at this. I can't imagine any scenario where Nick Saban is actually "afraid" of SMU. I doubt he's thought about SMU for more than five seconds in his entire coaching career. That said he's 100% correct that no school in the country is better positioned to benefit from NIL and the transfer portal than SMU. Between our two NIL initiatives we're already at north of $3mm fully funded annually at the grassroots level and more than double that among the high-level booster group. Facilities are great no doubt but $100,000 is a lot more fun (especially for 18-22 year olds).

Would be nice if the game was competitive in the second half.

Gotta love a school with 40k undergrads that draws flies talking attendance smack to a school with 6,500 students.

SMU has the largest athletic budget of any school left in the G5 and sits in the 5th largest media market in the country. Ranked in football each of the last three seasons and planning a $100mm stadium renovation. Does the small private school thing hurt? Sure. But if school size is a factor why isn't UNT being mentioned in these articles but SMU is mentioned in multiple realignment articles right now?

Also I guess these don't qualify as media reports linking SMU to the PAC, Big 12, and ACC? https://www.heartlandcollegesports.com/2022/07/11/big-12-smu-have-had-expansion-conversations-report/ https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2022/07/06/if-pac-12-doesnt-merge-with-acc-smu-is-one-of-a-select-few-expansion-candidates/ https://theathletic.com/3403475/2022/07/06/college-football-realignment-mountain-west-aac/

What does that make UNT?

Not sure what this is trying to say. SMU has spent a quarter of a billion on facilities in the last decade with another $100mm solely for Ford Stadium expansion/upgrades. SMU will never be looking in the rearview mirror at UNT/UTSA in terms of fundraising and financial program support. Its not even close.

Yes these are athletics specific donations. And that figure has been trending up over the last decade. $73m represents an uptick but not one that is wildly out of line with previous years.

Nearly half of the SMU student body is from California. I don't really worry about the fit. Further, SMU's church affiliation is far less relevant to its academic mission than BYU or Baylor.

PAC officially exploring expansion. Not that it was ever in doubt after USC/UCLA departures but they are clearly going on the offensive.

PAC desperately needs exposure in the CST to survive. Academically it fits well with the PAC. From a football perspective we've been ranked in the Top 20 in each of the last three seasons and will break ground on a $100m renovation and expansion of Ford. Tons of PAC alums live in DFW. Is it a slam dunk? No. But I'd wager SMU is higher on the food chain for the PAC than Baylor, UH, Tech and the other academic space cadets of the Big 12.

The B1G and SEC will go to 20 minimum. Likely 24.

Finebaum confirming my suspicions about Clemson, FSU, Miami, and UNC to the SEC. The race to 20 is on b/w the SEC and B1G.

The ACC is in all liklihood going to lose Clemson, FSU (and probably UNC and Miami) here soon. ESPN owns the ACC network and if it means strengthening the SEC they'll gladly cut a check to make sure their bell cow conference has the ammunition it needs to stay on top. The ACC is the next one to go boom...

I think that's a troll account.

While the price to get out of their agreement with the ACC would be utterly insane those things can be facilitated through the networks. FOX knows that if they can add Notre Dame to the B1G that will keep them on a relatively level playing field with the SEC. You'd also be adding the most historic college football program in America. They can already sell "coast to coast" broadcasting and if they are able to lure the 800 lb gorilla into the conference then they might be willing to pay a king's ransom to do it.