Cowboy Questions
by Steve Orsini, Dircetor of Athletics
While construction continues on new projects here on the Hilltop, one question I’ve gotten recently involves construction in Arlington. As work on the new Cowboys Stadium continues, some people have asked if we plan to play any games in “Jerry’s World,” as some media outlets are calling it. The Dallas Morning News reported in Friday’s edition that Baylor and Notre Dame are in negotiations to play there in 2012 or so, and, with my Notre Dame and Cowboys ties, I’m sure fans are wondering why we aren’t being mentioned as a possible opponent for the Fighting Irish.
Simply put, with a beautiful campus right in the heart of Dallas and a great pre-game tailgating area like the Boulevard, we want as many fans as possible to experience the gameday atmosphere here on the Hilltop. Many of you may have heard Coach Bennett say “If we can get a kid onto our campus, he’ll want to come to SMU.” We feel the same way about fans – If they come experience a gameday at SMU, they’ll want to come back. That’s why we want to play our home games in our state-of-the-art Gerald J. Ford Stadium, and to that end, we continue to work to put together an attractive home schedule featuring our regional and in-state rivals. We open 2007 with Texas Tech and North Texas at home and TCU will be back in Ford in 2008 as part of our non-conference slates. Our stadium and campus are two of our greatest “recruiting tools” and we’re going to use them.
So if you haven’t been out to a game at Ford, check it out. We know you’ll want to come back again and again. See you on September 3! Until next time, GO MUSTANGS!
While construction continues on new projects here on the Hilltop, one question I’ve gotten recently involves construction in Arlington. As work on the new Cowboys Stadium continues, some people have asked if we plan to play any games in “Jerry’s World,” as some media outlets are calling it. The Dallas Morning News reported in Friday’s edition that Baylor and Notre Dame are in negotiations to play there in 2012 or so, and, with my Notre Dame and Cowboys ties, I’m sure fans are wondering why we aren’t being mentioned as a possible opponent for the Fighting Irish.
Simply put, with a beautiful campus right in the heart of Dallas and a great pre-game tailgating area like the Boulevard, we want as many fans as possible to experience the gameday atmosphere here on the Hilltop. Many of you may have heard Coach Bennett say “If we can get a kid onto our campus, he’ll want to come to SMU.” We feel the same way about fans – If they come experience a gameday at SMU, they’ll want to come back. That’s why we want to play our home games in our state-of-the-art Gerald J. Ford Stadium, and to that end, we continue to work to put together an attractive home schedule featuring our regional and in-state rivals. We open 2007 with Texas Tech and North Texas at home and TCU will be back in Ford in 2008 as part of our non-conference slates. Our stadium and campus are two of our greatest “recruiting tools” and we’re going to use them.
So if you haven’t been out to a game at Ford, check it out. We know you’ll want to come back again and again. See you on September 3! Until next time, GO MUSTANGS!
posted by SMU Athletics at 5:05 PM
5 Comments:
I understand the beautiful campus argument. It is true. And having fans out to the BLVD is a great way to keep them coming back. But the current state of SMU football would benefit greatly with a game in "Jerry's World" against Notre Dame. I can't see any major arguments against this.
What is the value of a recruit watching us on NBC in front of 80,000 + against a nationally ranked Notre Dame?
I understand that it is a possibility that this deal just couldn't be done, and that we still have a lot to look forward to, but I don't think this argument holds up in the Notre Dame situation.
Please reconsider. We need one big game a year. Ron Meyer, who knew something about recruiting, thought Texas Stadium was a big plus.
While I enjoy the blvd, in 6 years it hasn't brought us a top 25 recruting class. And, renewing the ND rivalry would garner us press and exposure. Most important, it would create excitement and buzz. For at least one weekend, SMU football would be relevant on the national stage.
Its time to aim high instead of playing it safe with same old formula. At least try such a game and see the response.
Dallas and SMU fans respond to big games. We need a pony/Irish pig/pony (Arkansas) pony/tiger (LSU) weekend. We need hope.
I am an SMU alumnus and live near Rutgers University, which as you know, has had a drastic turn around with their football success.
Check out Rutgers’s future schedule, which I suspect was agreed upon when they were a cupcake game near a big city (NY). These games will be played at Giants Stadium
http://nationalchamps.net/NCAA/future_schedules/rutgers_future.htm
2010
TBA @ Notre Dame
2011
TBA @ Notre Dame
2012
TBA Notre Dame @E. Rutherford, NJ
2013 - @ Notre Dame
2014 - vs. Notre Dame
2015 - vs. Notre Dame
2016 - vs. Notre Dame
I am an SMU alumnus and live near Rutgers University, which as you know, has had a drastic turn around with their football success.
Check out Rutgers’s future schedule, which I suspect was agreed upon when they were a cupcake game near a big city (NY). These games will be played at Giants Stadium
http://nationalchamps.net/NCAA/future_schedules/rutgers_future.htm
I am an SMU alumnus and live near Rutgers University, which as you know, has had a drastic turn around with their football success.
Check out Rutgers’s future schedule, which I suspect was agreed upon when they were a cupcake game near a big city (NY). These games will be played at Giants Stadium
http://nationalchamps.net/NCAA/future_schedules/rutgers_future.htm
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