Why would SMU schedule TCU and Michigan back-to-back?

Getting your team stomped two games in a row isn’t a good preparation for conference play. Why would they do it? Money?

TCU is considered a cross town rival like rice is to us. They dont really look at the game as a P5 game.

It could be for money or it could be they scheduled the games two to four years ahead of time with the specific goals to be really good and were the only weeks those teams had open to play.

true, how else are they going to pay off the players? lol …goodness, i hope they’re not paying their players still… if so… bad investment! haha

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If they have the right mix of players and win one it puts them in the spotlight. SMU lost a lot from last years team and their coach. They also routed Herman and Ward in their place a few years go. They’re not really scheduling with anticipation of being crushed.

SMU is getting $1.4 Million from Michigan for the game:

Arkansas is not the only school Michigan will be paying in 2018. Michigan will pay Southern Methodist $1.4 million for their matchup on Sept. 15, 2018, and Western Michigan $1.2 million for the game on Sept. 8, 2018.

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Serious question: If SMU sign a 5 star player…would NCAA get involved again…

Do schools pay us to play them…

I thought it was unanimous (ok, maybe not unanimous but close) on this board that UH should schedule the TCU’s and Michigan’s of football and play all 4 OOC against top-tier P5 teams. I expected more envy of their schedule than disbelief at why they would do it.

No…schools usually won’t pay if it’s more than a 1 game series. Since we only do 1 for 1’s or 2 for 2’s, neither side usually pays out. We do pay FCS teams to come in when we play them…although, I don’t believe we’re paying TSU anything since this is party of a deal to use their basketball arena.

We’re also too good now to play “bodybag” games like this. Schools schedule these as easy wins on their schedule…or at least they think they’ll be easy.

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No. They pay us to not play them (see LSU)

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Yeah, I remember we used to, one year we played 4 to 5 teams before BCS era of course of teams that would be considered p5 now. Check out the 1997 UH schedule:
No way would teams want to do that now…

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Same reason that we scheduled Miami and Michigan during the 90’s I guess? And we got a beat down and half the team was broken up, whipped, injured. I remember it well! Can anyone remember Keyshon J. catching a pass over the center and taking it 80 yds. You want some?

The most games they’ve won in a season since 1984 is 8. There wasn’t any reason for them to think they can be competitive in a game with a top P5 program. They need to have some double-digit win seasons and establish that they are a good place for Dallas-area football players to go to school. Now, it looks like they’re willing to let their football team get beat up and embarrassed for $$$$

Seriously, why don’t we take these deals? We would get paid, would have the chance to play high profile opponents, we would get credit for beating them, and we would present a chance for our fans to go to these historic venues. If it was UH, instead of SMU, playing Michigan tomorrow I know I would be waking up in the state of Michigan.

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It’s one and done deals. Michigan pays opponents to play there and no return game. It’s more straight forward then scheduling a home and home and then buying our home game out like Nebraska did years ago.

What exactly do you think UH’s lifetime record is on the road against top 10 teams? You don’t take those deals if you don’t want to look historically like a punching bag.

Our last 4 road (not neutral) site games against top 10 teams.
2002 Texas 11-41
2003 Michigan 3-50
2004 Oklahoma 13-63
2009 Oklahoma State 45-35

You don’t schedule teams like this without getting a chance to play them at home, even if they offer to leave money on the nightstand after.

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2009 Oklahoma St 45 - 35

Corrected

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Because with a 1-and-1, UH makes a lot of money when they’re the home team. The game would probably sell out and would almost certainly be televised. Taking a one-and-done deal makes financial sense only if you’re not making a lot of money on home games.