SMU lands In The College Football Playoff Facing Penn State.

1982 was a magical season for SMU. I was a senior in high school, but had my own car, a job, and trusting parents who allowed me to travel to Dallas on the weekends and watch my beloved SMU MUSTANGS play their home games. It was a wild ride. The offense was led by Lance McIlhenny who ran the option perfectly. Alternating at RB were Eric Dickerson and Craig James. Between the three, it was likely one of the best backfields ever assembled in college football.

As SMU stacked up the wins, each team played them just a little tougher. SMU was a member of the Southwest Conference which consisted of teams like Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech etc. SMU was favored to win, but Arkansas and Texas both had solid teams standing in the way. But it was Texas Tech that almost ruined SMUs perfect season.

At the same time, several thousand miles away, Penn State was slugging its way through another Independent schedule. They managed to beat #2 Nebraska, and then were spanked pretty hard by #4 Alabama. They finished the season 11-1 by beating Notre Dame, #5 Pitt and #1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

SMU topped #19 Texas, tied #9 Arkansas, and then beat #6 Pitt in the Cotton Bowl to finish 11-0-1 - the only unbeaten school in the country.

Before the bowls even started, there was a very effective lobbying effort to get "Joe Pa", coach of PSU, a national title. And it was implied that if not in 1982, he might never get it because he might retire. He would coach for another 28 seasons. The East Coast bias made sure the votes went to Paterno. And to add insult to injury, they managed to find a way to give Herschel Walker the Heisman Trophy. Dickerson was voted 3rd behind John Elway. Based on stats and team performance, and the fact that Dickerson shared time, there was no way in my mind that he did not earn the Trophy.

SMU would end up ranked #2 - yet another NCAA snub. We would experience more than a few of these over the next 3 decades.

You would think the old crotchety coach would be forgotten. But he had a knack for sticking his big nose into places it did not belong. In 1987, SMU was investigated and hammered by the NCAA for payments to players - at the time illegal, but widely practiced. Paterno liked to remind people how clean his program was, so he made sure to go on record and pile on SMU.

The irony of this statement would not be revealed until later. But it proves that what you sow, you certainly reap. Joe Pa had some secrets of his own. He had protected a player who was a serial rapist of coeds. That was just the warm up act. One of his coaches retired to ostensibly focus on at-risk youth. The risk was from the coach, who was molesting the boys. There were also rumors of others being involved, but somehow the investigators were more concerned with speed than depth. The timeline of events appeared to show PSU slowly moving Jerry Sandusky away from the program - likely knowing what was happening - or at the very least suspecting. Yet the retired coach still freely roamed the campus, even caught by an assistant coach with a boy in the showers. At that point, there was no doubt that the leadership knew what was going on. Yet covering it up seemed to be the safe response. And it never is.

So good old Joe was enabling and protecting both a rapist and a pedophile during the time he was claiming that he ran a clean program. 

Before news of this broke, PSU had a statue made of Joe. After this scandal broke, there was debate as to what should be done with it. I suggested putting it in the library, to remind everyone to stay quiet. There is no way all these things were happening on and near campus and yet NOBODY knew? This was a school that put college football before the safety of women and children. There truly is no excuse for that. 

To this day, there are folks in "Happy Valley" who defend coach, and attempt to downplay the severity of the events. "It happened a long time ago." "Nobody here now was involved!" Cry me a freakin' river. Its that very culture that needed cleansing. You DO NOT EVER put football over the safety of folks.

SMU took its medicine. The program was shut down for two years, losing millions and a generation of fans. We lost our association with the SWC, and especially our historical and traditional rivals. We hit rock bottom and are just now returning to where we belong - in the college football playoff.

For those who've been with SMU for some time, you will notice every media story - print/broadcast, and almost every social media comment continually mentions SMU and the death penalty - even when it had ZERO relevance to the story. How often do you hear about the major scandals surrounding PSU, UNC, BU? Its like they are all forgiven and forgotten, yet the DP remains forever. In some ways I understand. But why focus on the punishment - one that we now know was selectively applied, and likely will never be used again? The crimes are what matters. And ours was a nothing burger compared to sexually molesting kids, decades of fake classes, and football players gang raping coeds as a team building experience.

I was almost baited into a discussion on social media about PSU and the Sandusky events. But you know, its not going to change a thing. Maybe they are just better at forgetting the past and managing the media than SMU? Maybe its time to bury the DP, starting with ending PSUs title hope on Saturday.

The above are all secondary reasons for wanting to beat PSU. I want to beat them because I'm tired of the BIG. I'm tired of the arrogance, and the regional bias. 

Its a great conference and a massively large school with deep pockets. They load up with talent every recruiting year. They rank #11 on the talent composite ranking with 5 5* - 48 4* - 32 3* for a total of 895.42. With 48 4* players, its possible everyone in the two-deep is a 4* player. That is pretty stout.

SMU is chugging along at #22 - 1 5* - 24 4* - 52 - 3* - Total 788.22. Without any more information available, this looks like an easy win for PSU. 

I used this method to compare teams last year for bowl season and its pretty accurate. What it misses is experience - 6th year seniors, heart of the athletes, and those special players like Brashard Smith who was a WR at Miami, and became an all ACC RB at SMU. Players like that can make a difference. Along with QB Kevin Jennings and HC Rhett Lashlee.

The numbers were somewhat similar for the ACC Championship against Clemson, and SMU was just a few plays away from winning in the end. Maybe this time the whole team will make it to the stadium for the 1st quarter.

SMU has played PSU twice. A tie in 1948, and a PSU win in 1978. So no real competitive history to consider. On social media, PSU keeps mentioning weather - cold temperatures, and frozen precipitation. That likely was a factor last year in the Fenway Bowl. With a noon start, and hopefully no precipitation, nobody will have an edge because of weather.

My Prediction? SMU 38 PSU 14

 

College Football Bowl Games - Comparing Roster Rankings And Outcomes

There was a time in the not so distant past that I was oblivious to the importance of football recruiting. For most of my early life, SMU was a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC), what would easily be a Power conference by the standards of today. SMU played and recruited against Arkansas, Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, TCU, Houston, and Rice. Getting top players to come play in the SWC, in Dallas, and get an outstanding education was pretty simple. And if you were willing to "play the game" that other big schools were playing, you could dominate recruiting - and SMU did.

But something changed in the 80s. The NCAA wanted to make an example of a school in an attempt to reduce the rampant cheating throughout college football, and SMU was the perfect target. It was a private school, smaller fanbase, and less likely to fight back against the selective nature of the investigation and penalty. The NCAA lowered the boom on SMU, shutting down the program for a year. SMU was allowed to play 6 away games in 1988, but opted not to play at all. We would start from scratch in 1989 with a whole new staff and recruit a team from the ground up. I watched coaches/recruiters from every college land on our campus like vultures picking at a carcass, recruiting our players who the NCAA graciously allowed to transfer without penalty. Many of these same programs routinely offered money, cars, prostitutes - whatever it took on the recruiting trail. It was a disgusting day to be a Mustang.

Many people look to the events surrounding the Death Penalty (DP) as the primary reason SMU underperformed for almost 40 years. Certainly it played a major part. But it was truly just the spark that led to the program being put in a position where it could not compete. The real damage came from three key events. 

#1 - The End of the SWC - Had the "merger" with the Big 8 occurred in the early 80s, there is no doubt SMU would have been included - as the best team outside the major state schools. Had it not been for Texas politics, Baylor and possibly Texas Tech might have been left behind. When the dust settled, Houston, Rice, SMU, and TCU had no conference home. Houston chose wisely to look East, and joined with schools who would become Conference USA. The other 3 went West and created the first SUPER conference the WAC 16 - which included teams like BYU, Utah, Air Force etc. On paper, it actually looked like a promising group. But these were teams nobody in Texas followed. The games were late at night, and some programs quite literally could not keep their lights on! Within a couple of years, there was a split, followed by additions and subtractions. And for the next few decades, SMU would wander from one lousy conference to another. 

During this time recruiting hit rock bottom. Nobody wanted to play in some no name conference against some crappy state university. The travel was far and inconvenient for fans. The dates and times sucked. There was little television coverage, and even less national media coverage. And then out of nowhere, the college football experts declared that some universities were more special than others. The special ones were declared morally and physically superior, received more media dollars, better bowls, and were almost guaranteed that one among this anointed few would be DECLARED - NOT EARN, National Champions. So roughly half of FBS, including some schools like SMU who had National Championships, Heisman winners, and 70+ years of playing in a top conference were effectively left behind. And there was little that could be done. Why?

If You Haven't Won A Conference Championship Since The 70s - Maybe You Don't Belong In A Power Conference?

#2 The Pye Penalty - After the DP, SMUs leadership overreacted to the situation. There was NEVER any academic scandal at SMU. Players went to class, made their grades, and graduated with legitimate degrees. In their zealousness to "clean" SMU, administrators first attempted to cancel football, thinking a focus on academics was what the doctor ordered. This was quickly shut down. Athletics are the front door for a university, and every study has confirmed that a successful athletic department keeps alumni engaged and supportive. Plus, a successful and visible program increases applications and quality of applicants. My first real exposure to SMU came from a church youth group watching a game in the Cotton Bowl.

So the "hate athletics" types decided they would "castrate" SMU sports to make sure it would never get out of control, or be nationally competitive. What did that mean? The standards for admittance were raised above any FBS school. Players had to be admitted before they could visit, or even be offered by coaches. For those unfamiliar with college acceptance, getting admitted to a school can be an arduous ordeal - especially before computers. A high school student might be on the edge and dependent on grades in the final semester to pass. Plus, every decent athlete had already accepted an offer elsewhere before SMU got around to accepting and inviting them to visit. It KILLED recruiting, probably as much as our crappy conferences.

The few athletes who were willing to wait, often were rejected in very public and disastrous ways. In football, we were fighting against FCS and JUCO for recruits, and getting excited when we stole a recruit from North Texas. In the early days of recruiting services, our classes were rated among the worst of FBS schools, behind all our natural and historical rivals. And then people wondered why we couldn't win the crappy conference where we were currently stuck.

In the meantime, long time rivals like TCU, a team that I never saw SMU lose to growing up, 15 straight years until after my graduation and the DP, were now out recruiting SMU, and winning. They switched conferences to further separate themselves from SMUs mediocrity - who could blame them? The trend switched, and they were now winning the Iron Skillet much more frequently. 

Apparently, Arthritis Is Contagious At TCU.

#3 Power Conferences - The genesis of this was mentioned above. Suddenly, a select handful of universities were anointed as Power schools for absolutely no reason at all. For every Alabama - that probably deserves special recognition, there was a Vanderbilt, who had NO business being in a Power conference. Teams like Iowa State, who haven't accomplished anything since before the First World War, were arbitrarily determined to be better than all non-Power schools.  As BAD as SMU has been for these few decades, they still have substantially more accomplishments than ISU and many so-called Power schools. And then there are schools just happy to be along for the ride - like Texas Tech, our favorite school in dusty Lubbock, Texas. They have averaged 3.9 conference wins over the last 27 years. Is that Power worthy? Who knows?

If you were a top athlete choosing between any Power school and even the very best "G5" school, which one will you pick? Nine times out of ten, that player is going to pick a Power school. This was something that became obvious observing recruiting for the last few decades. And it was one of the primary drivers for getting SMU back to playing Big Boy football. And since we were effectively blocked by our "friends" in the Big 12, who also assisted in destroying the PAC12 - another possible pathway for SMU, the ACC became our best option. And we will start playing in the fall of 2024.

I must admit there was a time I did not trust recruiting rankings. I believed that the system was rigged, players were rated higher based on picking certain schools. There may be a little of that still happening, but competition between the services has forced them to get better. Plus, in the digital age, its far easier to confirm offers and find out which schools are recruiting certain players. There was a time when player ratings were quite arbitrary. There are areas - small town and private school players that may fly under the radar. But that is quite rare. If you are a decent player with a chance at the next level, you will get evaluated. And if not, players can easily promote themselves and get noticed. And as you go up in quality, from an unknown to a can't miss player, they will be accurate more times than not. There will always be injuries, players not making grades, transfers etc. And there will always be that kid that gets discovered playing 6-man football who comes to town and is All Conference as a walk on. It happens. But those are exceptions.

The services now have composite rankings of rosters, which make it quite easy to compare teams, and as I have played with it, noted that its rather accurate. Take the first few bowls and consider the chart below.

Each bowl game is two lines, winner on top, loser on bottom. I've included a few rankings for reference - although some of those may be post-game. The focus should be on the number of 5-4-3* players, average per player, and total points as well. Comparing those is quite interesting. Take the New Mexico Bowl. I had folks on social media continually tell me how tough CUSA was this year, especially NMSU, who I've heard upset Auburn. But I have watched football for more than a year, and understand there is a definite tiered system of talent. One "exception" does not change the rules. NMSU did have a few highly talented players, but Fresno is loaded and has much more QUALITY depth. The Total Points is a key indicator, but the difference in rated players 3* or better 64 > 27 is HUGE. That means at almost every position, including special teams, Fresno likely had a player that was a little bigger, faster, smarter, or just plain better than NMSU. And the score reflected that.

And Now, We Dance!

As the talent gap narrows, as in the first two bowls listed above, then individual performances, game conditions, preparation, coaching, player transfers or opt outs come into the equation. Georgia Southern had a slight talent advantage, but Ohio won easily. There was an even bigger gap between JSU and Louisiana, yet JSU managed to win in OT. And then take a look at UCLA and Boise - a Power team against one of the better "G" teams. Look at the ranked players - 23 4* to Boise with 1. Boise does have a ton of 3*, but not enough to overcome the talent gap. And of course the score reflects this.

So what does this mean looking forward? Here are a few upcoming games. These are mostly "G5" contests, and other games that caught my eye. It is NOT a comprehensive list.

 

Again, I just want to point out a few and see if they turn out as expected. I will start with SMU, who has done quite well building their team through recruiting, portal, and NIL. We do not yet have a true Power roster - which explains the losses to OU and TCU this year, which both had more or better rated talent, but we are competitive with the ACC. For our game with Boston College, look at the numbers. SMU should have a very slight edge in talent. The one hiccup is the very best player, QB Preston Stone, is out with a broken leg. But there still should be enough talent to win this game. At the very least, we should be competitive. It is a home game for BC, and that far North, weather could play a factor.

Another interesting game to consider is UTSA and Marshall. The latter has a history of giant killing, although it comes and goes. Looking at the numbers, I am inclined to believe UTSA will win big. They have a multi year starter in SR QB Frank Harris - assuming he plays. And if HC Traylor does not get hired away, I think this game goes to UTSA. Talent and depth should overwhelm Marshall, and playing in Frisco - while not a home game, should favor the team from San Antonio.

And now we come to the most perplexing bowl placement of the season. FSU was booted out of the top 4 even though they were unbeaten because of SOS. Liberty was kept in the NYD bowls because they were unbeaten, screw SOS. The consistently inconsistent NCAA strikes again. In some ways, it feels like just another SMU screw job - we've had our share. But the more I think about it there may have been a diabolical reason for their inclusion. It helps the committee justify the absolutely horrible exclusion of FSU. AND, when Liberty gets beaten senseless, it will give college experts another chance to say - "See, G teams do not belong!" I've always believed Hawaii was set up this way in 2007. They were unbeaten, but played a ridiculously easy schedule, not as bad as Liberty - but close. They had no business playing Georgia, and there was little chance the game would be competitive. Hawaii had a GOOD team, but not anywhere close to the talent level of Georgia. Something similar happened last year with TCU. They managed to make it to the championship - I suspect Sonny D made a pact with the father of lies. And in one of the saddest games ever broadcast, TCU was quite thoroughly humiliated in front of the whole world. Georgia was just far more talented than the Lizards that day.

The Flames had a great season. I read that every day on social media. I will never disagree. But when your SOS is 133, you need to, at least mentally, place a little asterisk next to that season. If Liberty played in District 11-6A in Texas, one of the toughest high school districts in the country, including the state champions for both division 1 and 2 this year, they would be undefeated. And that's great. But who did they play? And then all sorts of ridiculous arguments are thrown out, we beat this team, who beat this team. CUSA is at the bottom of the food chain. Its like beating high school teams, just ever so slightly better. Whether you beat SHSU by 4 or 40, its still a team wearing FBS diapers. Its like 1989 when SMU restarted our program - everyone beat the crap out of us. It was shocking when we won! Yet we managed two wins that year - UCONN and North Texas.

There was a time I used to believe that if SMU just had the right coach, he could take whatever roster we had and win the national championship. That only works in Hollywood. The reality is it takes GOOD players, a lot of them. It takes senior leadership, playmakers, depth, solid coaching and good game plans, and then, the players have to execute. More times than not, the team with the better athletes, those more highly recruited and prized, will win. Good players make coaches look much better. Is Nick Saban an awesome coach, or is it because he is 3-4 deep in 4 and 5 star athletes at every position? I guess its sort of a chicken or egg type question. Alabama is going to get top players no matter who wears the whistle. And for reference, this year's Alabama has 74 4 or 5* players on their roster. Their starting teams could almost be ALL 5* players. That amount of talent can make any coach look legendary. And someone who really knows what they are doing will get the most out of them. But if it were easy, everyone would be Alabama or Georgia.

Now consider Liberty's Fiesta opponent - Oregon. By every objective measure, Liberty has no business in this game. They are like Hawaii in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. If they manage to make it a competitive game, I will be happy for them. If they win, I will be thrilled. But the odds are not in their favor.

Assuming most starters play and don't opt out, Oregon will trot out a team with 5 5* and 48 4* players. Meaning that the 2-deep will likely be filled with 4* or better players at every position. Oh, and they have 32 3* players as well. What will Liberty counter with for the game? 2 4* and 19 3* players will get their Flame on at the Fiesta Bowl. Will that be enough? Maybe they will get lucky, a turnover or two? Maybe a key Duck will miss the game? Maybe the Duck's charter flight is late? Anything can happen, right? All they need is a really rousing pep talk, that fires up the players and leads them to certain victory.

Is it impossible? No. In sports, there is always a chance - that is why you play the game. But I suspect Oregon will be playing their 3* players at the start of the 3rd quarter, and will have likely covered the 65 over by then. Maybe the Flames can prove me and the college football world wrong.

Rhett Lashlee - College Football's Coach Of The Year

Its rare that among the nominees for college football coach of the year, that the winner is so obvious. Only NCAA politics could keep SMUs Head Coach Rhett Lashlee from the award he clearly earned. But let's take a look at the evidence and see if I can convince you of this truth.

There are several Coach of the Year awards, here is a quick summary of those.

AFCA COY - Picks their national winner from 5 regional winners. Coach Lashlee was not among those 5. Some folks just don't follow college football.

AP COY - I cannot find a list of finalists. But like the clowns above, they took pity on Sonny Dykes of TCU and gave him the award last year. Remember Sonny, he was the coach who set the record for the most humiliating defeat in a national championship game, losing 65-7? Then he followed that up with a brilliant 5-7 campaign in 2023. Wait a tic, I think Georgia just scored again!

Sonny's Last Days At SMU

Eddie Robinson COY - Voted on by the Football Writers Association of America, this one has released its finalists and it does include Coach Lashlee. The finalists are David Braun of Northwestern; Jamey Chadwell of Liberty; Kalen DeBoer of Washington; Eliah Drinkwitz of Missouri; Jedd Fisch of Arizona; Rhett Lashlee of SMU; Chuck Martin of Miami (Ohio); Mike Norvell of Florida State; Barry Odom of UNLV; Nick Saban of Alabama; Steve Sarkisian of Texas; and Jon Sumrall of Troy.

I will be using the above list of finalists for some of my comparisons, as it seems to be one of the better collections of coaches. This same group also selected Sonny Dykes last year as COY, but they can atone for this horrible mistake by supporting a truly gifted coach, SMUs Rhett Lashlee.

SMU Heisman Winner Doak Walker 

George Munger COY - Another one that includes Coach Lashlee as a finalist. Many of the same coaches above are finalists here. Willie Fritz of Tulane won last year. I give kudos to this organization because when news of Joe "Pa" Paterno came out that he protected a rapist on his team, and enabled a pedophile to roam the campus for decades, they rightly rescinded their three awards to him. It is also why the Joe Paterno award no longer exists. Pedophile enablers, even if they win football games, should NEVER be celebrated.

Home Depot COY - Already made their decision. They selected Kalen Deboer of Washington. So make sure you shop at Lowes or Ace from now on. They also picked TCUs Sonny Dykes last year, so not real sharp when it comes to understanding the game.

Paul "Bear" Bryant COY - Yet another that picked Sonny D last year - I do not understand how this man fooled so many otherwise intelligent folks. They did include Coach Lashlee in their finalists, so they can also atone for their mistake.

Bobby Dodd COY - Focused on teams that meet Academic Progress Rates that exceed 965, and coach must be in their 2nd year or longer to be eligible. Lashlee qualifies on both counts (2nd year; APR 977 T53rd). Willie Fritz of Tulane won it last year - making you think that Lashlee would be in a good position to win this year. The Mid-season watch list did NOT include Lashlee, and I have not seen a finalist list as of yet.

SMU WINS!

There are a few others, but you get the idea.

Let's first look at some of the other finalists. Remember, in most cases, this award is based on performance to date, not what might happen in the bowl games.

POWER CONFERENCE COACHES

I am not opposed to a Power Conference coach winning the award. But what I want to see is a coach who overcame significant hurdles, losing season in 2022, injuries to key players, tragic events like a death in the program family - major obstacles to achieve greatness. Why? If you are in a Power conference you already have NUMEROUS advantages over your peers. Texas, Washington, Alabama, Florida State, Missouri can literally choose who they want to sign. They are major state schools with HUGE budgets, filled stadiums, numerous boosters, best facilities, and play on major networks at the best times. Even Northwestern still benefits GREATLY in the Big10, even though the results may not be as good as their peers.

I also want to see a significant change from the prior year, and achievement WAY BEYOND expectations. Four mentioned above were picked either 1st or 2nd in their conference preseason polls. Improvement from 11 wins to 13 as a Texas or Alabama is not impressive. In the case of Texas, they routinely out recruit all their peers, and load up on talent. Winning in double digits is EXPECTED. Same goes for Alabama, FSU, and Washington. You could make a case for Northwestern or MAYBE Missouri, a big turnaround, but not even a conference championship game? Again, with all their resources, I would expect so much more, even playing in the Big 10 or SEC.

G5 COACHES

I truly despise that term, and HATE that college football is segregated. Thankfully, SMU returns to Big Boy football next year, playing in the ACC. As much as I hate the label, it is a reality of college football today. G5 teams are playing at a SIGNIFICANT disadvantage compared to the POWER teams. Talk to any recruit with any talent, they are far more likely to sign with a Power team than any G5. The reasons - the prestige factor, more likely to play on the biggest stage and against the best opponents. They are far more likely to get a chance to play for a national championship. Facilities are generally better, in fact most everything is bigger and better at a Power school. Even if you leave home, your family is far more likely to see you play at a Power school - carried on major networks, rather than a G5 team on streaming services - if at all.

With that said, consider the coaches who had an impact this year. Did any of these earn coach of the year - even with the limitations of G5 status? I'm working backwards from last to first.

Jon Sumrall, Troy - SOS 95

- '22 12-2 (7-1) SBC; '23 11-2 (8-1) Bowl: Birmingham Duke (7-5) FPI 32

- UNRANKED: CFP, AP, Coaches 

- FPI 45; Sagarin 45; Massey 39*

Troy was picked 1st in West and led all teams with 92 points and 10 1st place votes. Very little change from last year, met expectations and yet unranked. A solid bowl win over a Power team would be a great cherry on top. Solid play earned Sumrall a new coaching gig. But coach of the year?

Chuck Martin, Miami (Ohio) - SOS 114

 

- '22 6-7 (4-4) MAC; '23 11-2 (8-1) Bowl: Cure App St (8-5) FPI 68

- UNRANKED: CFP, AP, Coaches 

- FPI 71; Sagarin 75; Massey 61*

Miami (OH) was picked 3rd with just 2 1st place votes. Nice jump from 6-7 to 11-2 and winning the MAC championship. Team was unranked, a terrible SOS and landed in the high 60s, low 70s for most rating services. A bowl win would be a nice reward for a good season. But what did the coach do to deserve COY?

Barry Odom, UNLV - SOS 68

- '22 5-7 (3-5) MWC; '23 9-4 (6-3) Bowl: Guaranteed Rate Kansas (8-4) FPI 29

- UNRANKED: CFP. AP, Coaches, 

- FPI 74; Sagarin 74; Massey 77*

UNLV was picked 9th with 1 1st place vote. This coach should be worthy of some serious consideration. Took a 5-7 team to 9-4 and won the MWC when nobody thought they stood a chance. SOS is average at 68, not ranked, and ratings in the 70s holds them back IMHO.

Jamey Chadwell, Liberty - SOS 133

- 22 8-5 Ind; '23 CUSA13-0 Bowl Fiesta Oregon (11-2) FPI 4

- CUSA champs - New conference with two teams transitioning to FBS.

- Tot Off #3; Tot Def #47

- Score Off #5; Score Def #40

- Tackles for Loss #54; Team Sacks #80

- Def Tds #25 33-Way TIE;

- CFP #23; AP #18; Coaches #18 

- FPI 49; Sagarin 47; Massey 35* 

Liberty was new to CUSA this year, so somewhat of an unknown. They were selected 2nd of 9 teams, with 4 of 22 1st place votes. I've added some statistical information for additional scrutiny. The biggest downside simply cannot be overlooked - SOS 133. The absolute worst of FBS. Any FBS school would look good statistically and would stack up wins playing Liberty's schedule this year. Just based on roster rankings, half of SMUs schedule would go undefeated playing that schedule. And the offense SHOULD put up huge numbers, and be very stingy on defense, yet they didn't rank so well on D. They managed to get ranked in all the polls, but the ranking services looked at them far more objectively with a 35 - 49 range - which is probably a bit high, but fair. The college football fairies gave them the Golden Ticket to face Oregon in the playoff. This appears like a repeat of the 2008 Sugar Bowl, where an undefeated Hawaii, who played a dreadfully weak schedule, got humiliated by Georgia on national TV - much to the delight of the TV execs and folks who make money off this segregated football crap. If they keep the game within two TDs, I will be pleasantly surprised.

Rhett Lashlee, SMU - SOS 76

- '22 7-6 (5-3) AAC; '23 11-2 (9-0) Bowl: Fenway Boston College (6-6) FPI 86

- AAC Champs - 1st SOLO Conference Title since 1982 (84 shared)

- AAC CCG win over '22 champ Tulane, SMU w/o starting QB

- Tot Off #14; Tot Def #12

- Score Off #6; Score Def #12

- Tackles for Loss #13; Team Sacks #2

- Def TDs #1 5-Way TIE 

- CFP #24; AP #17; Coaches #19

- FPI 20; Sagarin 21; Massey 26*

In the new AAC, SMU was disrespected in a number of ways. Players were overlooked for all conference teams, and most importantly the media voted SMU 3rd of 14 teams in 2023, with only 3 of 34 1st place votes. This is AFTER the departure of Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF to the Big 12. To the credit of this staff, they went to work recruiting and in the portal to add depth and quality, especially on defense, and it showed. This was the best defense by any measure going back to the 80s. And they accomplished something else that has not been done since that decade - a conference championship and undefeated in conference play. In every category that matters, offense and defense, SMU was a top 15 team. And they played a schedule that included two ranked teams, and last year's national runner-up, TCU. I mock TCU and Sonny Dykes, but that team is still LOADED with talent and played a very tough schedule. That team would have easily been undefeated playing LUs schedule.

The point being that SMU maintained the high rankings on both sides of the ball, even against some pretty good teams. Last year, SMU stumbled into their bowl game with a number of key starters either out, or playing injured. This year, the depth was such that SMU was able to prevail even when key starters were hurt. The best example was the dominant performance against Tulane in New Orleans. QB Preston Stone went down in the last regular season game with a broken leg. Kevin Jennings RF stepped in and was able to play well enough for the win. They say defense wins championships, it certainly applied to that game. 

And one final note, Action Network announced their All American Team and SMU had one player on the 1st Team - DL Elijah Roberts. The American conference, in a moment of pettiness, did not think he did enough to earn a spot on the All Conference first team. They even chose Tulane coach Willie Fritz as coach of the year!

Fenway is a nice reward, but SMU deserved better. And Coach Rhett Lashlee, for all that he has done for the team, and the SMU community, has earned the Coach of the Year award.

*Massey Ratings. I did not use the Massey Composite because some of the ratings are downright ridiculous. For instance, Liberty is rated as high as 3 and as low as 89. If you believe either is remotely true, you are delusional. SMU is equally mishandled, with ratings as high as 11 and as low as 78. Clearly, a case of too many cooks in the kitchen who know little about college football. For grins, LUs composite is 20, SMUs 22. 

Links to all the ranking service pages under the Lashlee profile.

Mustangs Stampede To Victory!

SMU At Tulane - AAC Championship Game 2023

SMU In Locker Room

Computer Generated Interpretations of G5 Mascots - Blame AI, Not Me.

Miami (OH) Redhawk

Troy (Modern) Trojan

Liberty Flames? Did Not Compute. 

Vegas Rebel



And finally....

The College Football Playoff Committee Hard At Work

You Know They Take The CFP Super Serious

Its all in good fun. I miss college football without all the politics and BS. Just give me a 16-game postseason tournament where every team has a legitimate shot to earn a bid as conference champions, no loopholes for "special" teams like Notre Dame, no spots given because of ratings or enrollment, simply let the 16 best teams line up and play to see who wins it all. That is my dream. I hate that any computer geeks, sportswriters, or secret committees have ANYTHING to do with postseason.

Let Them Settle It on The Field!

Then the SOS really doesn't matter. FSU, SMU, and Liberty all get their chance to prove they belong and play for a national Championship. That would be swell!

A Mother's Love For SMU And Doak Walker

My Mother attended SMU with the great Doak Walker, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1948. She was a diehard Mustang fan, but quietly in her later years. Her first and primary love was for her Lord and Savior. She and my Father were both Spirit-filled Believers. And if you were living in our house, you were at church whenever the doors were opened. They were both very active, and at times even worked or volunteered in a variety of positions. But this blog is not about that. This is about her love for SMU.

Doak Walker SMU

But first, let me supply a little background information on her and my family. She was a Methodist preacher's kid, and the middle child of three. She moved around a lot as a child. For a brief time she had some health issues, and it was then she devoured the Bible and built a solid foundation for her future. She had just started classes at Oklahoma City University when World War 2 started. Like many, she stopped attending classes and took a job at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma working in logistics.

Frances Matney Woodard 1942

One of their tasks was doing some final work on B-29s before they headed to the Pacific. One of my favorite pictures has several people from Tinker posing around a B-29. If you look closely, you can see her underneath the plane, directly under the top turret. 

Both my Father and Mother served. He fought in Africa, Italy, and then Southern France. When I was young, I claimed my Father killed Hitler, and my Mother defeated the Japanese. In a small way, that was true. And I was quite proud of both of them, and their contributions to winning the war. 

Dad was the oldest of 13, and was joined by 4 of his brothers overseas. His family put their faith in God, and all 5 came home. And they all experienced dangerous situations at times. My Father left with one, and then two more came later, all in the same theater as my Father. This helped him keep in touch and communicate their status with home. The 5th joined later and was sent to the Pacific.

Hollis H Woodard US Army WW2

With her experience at Tinker behind her, my Mother enrolled at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She was a little older and wiser, so the school gave her a job as Dorm Monitor, or what is now called Resident Advisor. Back then the men and women had separate dorms of course. 

Mom At SMU Circa 1947

She graduated and took a job with 4H as an organizer or counselor - not sure how to exactly describe it. But unlike many women back then, she was a working girl. And she had a bit of a "wild" streak. Her uncle owned a dealership and helped her buy a brand new Studebaker. I love this picture and wish I would have known her back then.

Mom And Her New 1953 Studebaker

While in college, my Mother was a huge Mustang fan. She attended many games, and like most folks, was a huge fan of Doak Walker. She collected many of the magazine covers and stories about him. I thought they were lost over the years, but stumbled across a handful that survived all the moves, and selling the family home. It truly is remarkable how much publicity Walker received. And of course, it put SMU in the national conversation for about 4 to 5 years.

SMUs Doak Walker Magazine Covers

She did not save complete magazines. Instead, she retained the covers and articles related to Doak and SMU. Back then people made a lot of scrapbooks, so I assume that was her goal. And then of course life simply took priority. Between three kids, two older sisters, and then me of course, she had plenty to keep her busy between us, work, and Church.

This post will include a few miraculous stories. I include them because they are relevant to the subject. And because they are fun to share. All glory of course goes to God. If you choose not to believe, that is fine. I lived through it, and can never deny what I experienced. And the events mentioned here are just a handful of the many good things God did for us.

At a very early age, I heard my Mother say, "All of my children will graduate from Southern Methodist University (SMU)." At the time, I was clueless as to what that even meant. I was a Longhorn like my Father, who had attended UT with Tom Landry. I watched Longhorn games sitting on his lap. But if my Mother liked SMU, it must be good. She made that statement many times in our lives. And based on our finances, it would require a big miracle for even one of us to attend. But she never gave up. Long after she graduated to Heaven, my oldest sister, who had dropped out of SMU to get married and have kids, went back and got her degree. And after her graduation, my Mother's faith had manifested. All her kids graduated from SMU. You can read a more detailed account of this - Mark 11:21-23 – Speak To The Mountain And Do Not Doubt

Collier's Magazine Dec 1948

I apologize for the image. Trying to pick the best between scans and photos can be tricky. Collier's was a general interest magazine that did have quite a bit of college sports coverage. This edition featured their All America picks, which included QB Doak Walker illustrated above in the top left, also in the list. Inside the article, this was written about Walker.

QUARTERBACK: Doak Walker of Southern Methodist, 21 years old, 5 feet 11 inches, 168 pounds, senior from Dallas, Texas. Does more things well than any other back in college football. Averages 56 minutes per game because Coach Matty Bell can't afford to take him out of the defensive line-up. Says Bell: "If I do, we lose 50 percent effectiveness. Never saw anybody who can touch him defensively - except Scott of Arkansas." Dangerous passer in the clutch. Not a long punter, but stays among nation's leaders by minimizing opposing runbacks. Angles punts away from safety men - low, rolling kicks that usually die out of bounds. Great runner. Slides through tiniest holes and makes maximum use of blockers. - Bill Fay Collier's December 11, 1948

During the Pony Express days, I remember Lance, Eric, and Craig appearing on several covers, but they were almost exclusively sports magazines and newspapers. Granted the 40s and 50s were likely the high water mark for magazines, as radio and TV were growing quite quickly. It just amazes me to see Doak and SMU on the cover of magazines like Life. That was huge publicity.

I do enjoy the story of Kyle Rote. One time, he saw a guy buying a football magazine at a newsstand. 'Don't buy that one,' Rote said. 'It's not official. It doesn't have a picture of Doak Walker on the cover.'" There is some truth to that statement.

SMU Players

Walker was the most visible, but many other players were featured, as was coach Matty Bell. And ultimately the university benefitted from all the publicity. Its not like SMU was running a national advertising campaign. Yet people all over the country were learning about the university.

Mustangs At Practice

This was fantastic publicity for the team. Multipage spreads, articles, covers talking about the Mustangs. How could you not love Doak Walker and this team?

 

The scans don't do this spread justice, as it is a mini biography of Walker through pictures. Not sure which magazine, as this is not labeled. I just thought it was really nice.

The famous cover from LIFE magazine. And also, how you can retire on $200 month. I apologize for cutting off that story. But for those interested - you can't.

I wonder where "Timmy" is these days. Look at that beautiful color picture, full page spread of Walker taking a drink. Wow!

There were two pages like the above in this edition of LIFE. Good stuff. And for my final scan, this was also in this same edition.

Its a brief article on recruiting and the Mustang Club. Would have been nice to experience this firsthand, but I got my chance in the 80s, and expecting great things moving forward. 

Its time for SMU to return to the national spotlight. The realignment drama, and invitation to the ACC helped to get SMU back in the conversation. But then the season started, and other teams like Colorado, and players have grabbed the spotlight. Its time for SMU to go on a run in their last year in the AAC. And we need a player to emerge like Rashee Rice that we can rally around and promote nationally. Quarterback Preston Stone is a possibility. And there are a few more that may emerge as dominant players in league play.

I have two more SMU/parent stories to share - because I am feeling nostalgic and miss them - especially on game day. 

In the late 90s, my wife at the time said she wanted to be with somebody else. The divorce was simple enough, we had no kids, minimal assets to divide, but emotionally it was devastating. I never expected that to happen to me. My Mother was no longer with me, so the next strongest female in my life was my Aunt Evelyn, my Mother's younger sister. She lived near Shreveport, and my Father lived in Longview, out in East Texas. I needed to share the news and speak to someone with female wisdom. It was not something I wanted to do over the phone. By coincidence, SMU had scheduled their home game against Arkansas in Shreveport that year. It had been a few years since my Father attended a game with me, so I called and invited him to go to the game and visit our relatives. Both visits were wonderful - I needed to be around folks that loved me. And we had great time talking just good memories - many about my Mother. 

And then something amazing happened that night at the game. SMU and Ramon Flanigan put the beatdown on the Pigs, winning 31-9. It was one of the best moments of an otherwise really bad year for me. It also turned out to be the last football game my Father ever saw in person. That memory alone, along with all the time alone with him I treasure to this day. I attempted to find some highlights of the game, but could not locate any, which is sad.

The next memory will be quite familiar to many older Mustang fans. The year was 1982. I was a senior in high school and living in Longview with my folks. My folks had one of those massive console record player/radios that for some reason was in the entry way facing the Living Room - I assume so we could listen in the living room, which we rarely did. The television was in the den, which is where we generally congregated. In high school, my parents allowed me to drive myself, and a few select friends, to HOME SMU games. But away games were verboten. And since not every SMU game was televised, that meant I had to find a radio station and tune in the game. I would shut off the rest of the house, crank up the game, and prepare for an SMU win. 

That year, SMU had rolled through its nonconference games and SWC games and was 9-0 before it was time to face Texas Tech in Lubbock. It was Saturday, November 13, 1982. SMU was ranked #2 in the nation. I loss would be devastating, especially to the Red Raiders. Losing in Lubbock might drop them out of the top 15. The Red Raiders tied the game at 27 with just 17 seconds left. For the few minutes while commercials were running, a stream of expletives flowed quite loudly from my mouth - which did not happen in our house. It was so loud, my Mother came in to investigate. She calmed me down and asked what was wrong. I explained the dire situation and she nodded thoughtfully. Her exact words, "Don't worry. SMU will win." She smiled that beautiful sly smile, and closed the door. I stood there dumbfounded. I knew my Mother loved SMU. I knew she had remarkable faith, and that NOTHING is impossible with God. But what the heck! There's no time! Just 17 seconds. What could we do?

I considered her statement. It was not a joke. Truly it was spoken in complete confidence of the outcome. 

The announcers came back on providing a summary of where we were. They seemed to agree that the game was headed for a tie. And started imagining what the consequences of a tie might be - at least that is what I remember. That seemed to be the longest commercial break ever. And back then, there was no overtime. When the clock stopped, the game was over.

They say radio is the most visual media. I believe that. Because I could see EVERYTHING in my mind. I saw the kickoff, Blaine Smith trying to get a handle on the ball. And then what? He threw the ball across the field to Bobby Leach. Who then ran it back for a touchdown, securing SMUs 10th win of the season.

Stunned, I sat there in silence, listening to the announcers trying to explain all that just happened. Later, I watched the highlights on the news, as it was a national story for a time. The images were exactly what I had seen in my mind.

Once the game was officially over, and I had done sufficient physical displays of joy, I remembered what my Mother said, "Don't worry. SMU will win." How did she know?

I sheepishly walked into her bedroom where she was reading and gave her a big hug. "SMU won!" I said. And she whispered back, "I know."

Go Mustangs!