As we creep up to the opener against the rivals from University Park — they don’t want to be in Dallas so we won’t say they are in Dallas — I came across this gem of a post on the now-defunct Grantland.
It is from last year’s season preview series but what struck me was the parallels to North Texas’ own of-repeated refrains when we hire a new coach: “Sleeping giant!”. From the essay:
Here is an assistant coach under Meyer, according to David Whitford’s excellent book A Payroll to Meet: A Story of Greed, Corruption, and Football at SMU: “We were selling, ‘Guys, the one thing SMU has that nobody else has is Dallas, Texas!’”
And here is Chad Morris, to me, in August 2015: “No doubt this is one of the sleeping giants in college football. We’re in one of the top TV markets in all the world.”
That sounds mighty familiar. It can be argued that were it not for the corruption and the fortunate affiliation with the SWC, SMU would have never reached the fame and fortune it did. The death penalty is some evidence of that.
Choked off from the lifeblood of television revenue after being left out of the Big 12, SMU has been awful. Although they had a series of bowl games under Jones, NT had bowls under Dickey.
NT Record since 96? 82-155. SMU’s? 84-154
The smart money says NT’s season this year looks a lot like SMU’s 2015, lots of points from both side as the programs undergoes the transition from a coach that did not recruit or recruit well to a young, exciting, energetic one with a penchant for offense.
I probably was getting too deep into the roster, but I think the NT offense will be better than SMU’s 2015 defense and so there are more wins in store for Littrell in 2016 than Morris was able to muster.
SMU Since 1996
Year | W | L | Pct | Coach(es) | Bowl |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | 2 | 10 | .167 | Chad Morris (2-10) | |
2014 | 1 | 11 | .083 | Tom Mason (1-9)June Jones (0-2) | |
2013 | 5 | 7 | .417 | June Jones (5-7) | |
2012 | 7 | 6 | .538 | June Jones (7-6) | Hawaii Bowl-W |
2011 | 8 | 5 | .615 | June Jones (8-5) | BBVA Compass Bowl-W |
2010 | 7 | 7 | .500 | June Jones (7-7) | Armed Forces Bowl-L |
2009 | 8 | 5 | .615 | June Jones (8-5) | Hawaii Bowl-W |
2008 | 1 | 11 | .083 | June Jones (1-11) | |
2007 | 1 | 11 | .083 | Phil Bennett (1-11) | |
2006 | 6 | 6 | .500 | Phil Bennett (6-6) | |
2005 | 5 | 6 | .455 | Phil Bennett (5-6) | |
2004 | 3 | 8 | .273 | Phil Bennett (3-8) | |
2003 | 0 | 12 | .000 | Phil Bennett (0-12) | |
2002 | 3 | 9 | .250 | Phil Bennett (3-9) | |
2001 | 4 | 7 | .364 | Mike Cavan (4-7) | |
2000 | 3 | 9 | .250 | Mike Cavan (3-9) | |
1999 | 4 | 6 | .400 | Mike Cavan (4-6) | |
1998 | 5 | 7 | .417 | Mike Cavan (5-7) | |
1997 | 6 | 5 | .545 | Mike Cavan (6-5) | |
1996 | 5 | 6 | .455 | Tom Rossley (5-6) |
NT Since 1996
Year | W | L | Pct | Coach(es) | Bowl |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | 1 | 11 | .083 | Dan McCarney (0-5)Mike Canales (1-6) | |
2014 | 4 | 8 | .333 | Dan McCarney (4-8) | |
2013 | 9 | 4 | .692 | Dan McCarney (9-4) | Heart of Dallas Bowl-W |
2012 | 4 | 8 | .333 | Dan McCarney (4-8) | |
2011 | 5 | 7 | .417 | Dan McCarney (5-7) | |
2010 | 3 | 9 | .250 | Todd Dodge (1-6)Mike Canales (2-3) | |
2009 | 2 | 10 | .167 | Todd Dodge (2-10) | |
2008 | 1 | 11 | .083 | Todd Dodge (1-11) | |
2007 | 2 | 10 | .167 | Todd Dodge (2-10) | |
2006 | 3 | 9 | .250 | Darrell Dickey (3-9) | |
2005 | 2 | 9 | .182 | Darrell Dickey (2-9) | |
2004 | 7 | 5 | .583 | Darrell Dickey (7-5) | New Orleans Bowl-L |
2003 | 9 | 4 | .692 | Darrell Dickey (9-4) | New Orleans Bowl-L |
2002 | 8 | 5 | .615 | Darrell Dickey (8-5) | New Orleans Bowl-W |
2001 | 5 | 7 | .417 | Darrell Dickey (5-7) | New Orleans Bowl-L |
2000 | 3 | 8 | .273 | Darrell Dickey (3-8) | |
1999 | 2 | 9 | .182 | Darrell Dickey (2-9) | |
1998 | 3 | 8 | .273 | Darrell Dickey (3-8) | |
1997 | 4 | 7 | .364 | Matt Simon (4-7) | |
1996 | 5 | 6 | .455 | Matt Simon (5-6) |
Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CFB
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