SMU, North Texas to play in inaugural bowls to cap off their 2021 seasons

[Coach Andy Mac]

DALLAS — It's bowl season! And this year, a couple of local college teams will be playing the final games of their seasons later this month.

The SMU Mustangs (8-4) will be playing against the University of Virginia Cavaliers in the inaugural Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park in Boston. This is SMU's 19th bowl game in its history.

Over in Denton, the North Texas Mean Green (6-6) are getting ready for their bowl matchup against Miami (Ohio) - and they won't have to travel very far.

The Mean Green is set to play in the inaugural Frisco Football Classic at Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas. The game is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 23 at 2:30 p.m. CT.

"We are honored to be selected to play in the Frisco Football Classic," said Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Director of Athletics Wren Baker in a news release. "This is a tremendous opportunity for our fans to show the country what makes the Mean Green Family special with a big turnout for a game in our backyard, and a chance for our program to continue building on its strong finish to the season."

The Frisco Football Classic is North Texas' 13th bowl berth and its fifth in six seasons.

Read more:  https://www.wfaa.com/article/sports/college/smu-fenway-bowl-north-texas-frisco-football-classic-bowl-season-2021/287-c941e90d-0a1f-40e2-8400-19c5c7050f2d

[Coach Andy Mac]

Line has UNT as -3

https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/north-texas-vs-miami-oh-odds-date-projections-spread-over-under-frisco-football-classic-2021

[VideoEagle]

In today's (Monday 12-6) DMN, I saw that SMU has been in fewer bowl games since 2012 than us. And, for all complaints about Littrell not winning a bowl game, we have still won more recently than SMU. 

 

[Tom McKrackin]

1 minute ago, VideoEagle said:

In today's (Monday 12-6) DMN, I saw that SMU has been in fewer bowl games since 2012 than us. And, for all complaints about Littrell not winning a bowl game, we have still won more recently than SMU. 

 

I think back when they were really good there were not many bowl games but your point is well taken.

I really hope Littrell can win this one as his bowl game participation percentage is quite high but his bowl winning percentage is low.

[rcade]

15 minutes ago, Tom McKrackin said:

I think back when they were really good there were not many bowl games but your point is well taken.

Hayden Fry's North Texas teams never got a bowl invite despite going 8-3, 7-4, 10-1 and 9-2 from 1975-78.

In 1977 they beat Louisiana Tech 41-14 and finished 10-1. A week later Louisiana Tech got an Independence Bowl invite despite finishing with the inferior record of 8-1-2.

[SilverEagle]

1 hour ago, rcade said:

Hayden Fry's North Texas teams never got a bowl invite despite going 8-3, 7-4, 10-1 and 9-2 from 1975-78.

In 1977 they beat Louisiana Tech 41-14 and finished 10-1. A week later Louisiana Tech got an Independence Bowl invite despite finishing with the inferior record of 8-1-2.

Yeah, I remember that Hayden Fry ran up the score to impress the general bowl selection committees of the time. Turns out the only one that would have realistically invited us was the Independence bowl. And they obviously favored their local team.....and the fans that would attend if the game was going to be winnable for LT. They beat Louisville 24-14. 

I suspect that the Indy Bowl committee didn't know how well the NT fans would travel.  We hadn't played in a bowl since 1959. Hayden Fry "overachieved" his way out of a bowl.

[UNTLifer]

1 hour ago, SilverEagle said:

Hayden Fry "overachieved" his way out of a bowl.

And out of Denton.

[SilverEagle]

4 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

And out of Denton.

Yep. And I've often wondered who else noticed and would have been next in line to lure him away had negotiations not gone so well with Hayden and Iowa. 

[ADLER]

Poor SMU has to travel to Boston to play a game in a baseball stadium. It will probably be nasty cold, and the sight lines for attending fans will be horrid.

[Mean Green 93-98]

32 minutes ago, ADLER said:

Poor SMU has to travel to Boston to play a game in a baseball stadium. It will probably be nasty cold, and the sight lines for attending fans will be horrid.

Well, when we join the American Conference, we will have the opportunity to play for this particular bowl tie-in.

[rcade]

3 hours ago, SilverEagle said:

Hayden Fry "overachieved" his way out of a bowl.

Those Hayden Fry years were my first exposure to UNT football. I can remember finding them on some random channels while in elementary school in Richardson in the 1970s and hearing the dulcet tones of Bill Mercer calling the games.

Flying Worm forever!

[NT80]

3 hours ago, SilverEagle said:

Yeah, I remember that Hayden Fry ran up the score to impress the general bowl selection committees of the time. Turns out the only one that would have realistically invited us was the Independence bowl. And they obviously favored their local team.....and the fans that would attend if the game was going to be winnable for LT. They beat Louisville 24-14. 

I suspect that the Indy Bowl committee didn't know how well the NT fans would travel.  We hadn't played in a bowl since 1959. Hayden Fry "overachieved" his way out of a bowl.

Iowa noticed what Fry was doing in Denton rebuilding North Texas and they needed similar.  The lack of Bowl opportunities back then for North Texas and his struggle to get NT into a better conference sent Fry to Iowa City.  North Texas honored Hayden several times since he left and I believed he maintained a fondness for NT too.  

[bstnsportsfan3]

1 hour ago, Mean Green 93-98 said:

Well, when we join the American Conference, we will have the opportunity to play for this particular bowl tie-in.

Honestly my favorite college team playing in the baseball stadium of my favorite baseball team sounds fun. I’d love us to get a Fenway Bowl invite sometime down the road

[TripleGrad]

4 hours ago, ADLER said:

Poor SMU has to travel to Boston to play a game in a baseball stadium. It will probably be nasty cold, and the sight lines for attending fans will be horrid.

 

I'd live to see a football game with NT at Fenway.  Maybe in 2023, if we're not competing for the natty.