(04-05-2013 06:38 PM)AndreWhere Wrote: (04-05-2013 01:00 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote: (04-04-2013 06:31 PM)AndreWhere Wrote: Because I don't want to be negative, I'll close with something positive. This is what CUSA would look like if I could decide:
Southern Miss
Houston
Louisville
Cincinnati
TCU
UTEP
Memphis
Rice
Tulane
UAB
Ten teams mean no championship game, and fresh legs in the BCS game.
Imagine what a conference that would be.
Aside from TCU, I could see most of those schools at least considering signing up for that. Barring a Big XII implosion, TCU is one of the "haves" now.
I know it, and it pains me greatly. I was at our 2000 GMAC Bowl, and at our game in 2003 at M.M. Roberts. Those were USM wins over top 10 TCU teams, in front of big, enthusiastic crowds. After both of them, I remember thinking, "man; we've finally made it."
There were other games where they beat us, albeit never when we were at the top of our game. It was a great series.
The way we've squandered that success just amazes me, and pisses me off. The root cause, as I see things, is the belief that it's possible to tread water, and/or the belief that USM is some kind of cockroach that thrives on adversity. "It's always been like this" and we'll be "just fine."
I don't want to be a cockroach. I want to be the next TCU or Louisville.
Let's look at it from another perspective. Let's say since '79 USM was an upper tier program with all other things being equal. That basically puts us in the same class as MSU and Ole Pissy and we probably don't sign Collier, Favre, Winder, Davis, Lipps, Adalius Thomas, Boley, Surtain, etc....
Having now watched USM football since '75, to me that is what we are all about and will continue to be. There is no shame being the David in the world of Goliaths.
I have traveled the four corners of the US and people do know our name everywhere. Almost every time they came with USM/Favre when I introduced myself as being from HBG.
IMO, we are in the best of spots to compete with the best in an underdog situation. Even though we never win the majority against top ranked opponents, there are some really good memories over the last 30+ yrs that any lower tier program would envy. I guarantee the three OOC road teams next year aren't going to overlook us even after going 0-12 in '12.
IMO, our only historical shortcoming is not marketing USM properly to HBG and the surrounding area over the years. I would call it weak to moderate at best. IMO, this is why the MSU/UM issue is so tough to overcome now. Hell, there was a time in high school I even thought about going to Ole Pissy and actually made a visit.....YIIIIIIIKES
We needed a better think tank.
I believe Hammond, whether one likes or dislikes his methodology, will do what he can to improve that. He already has demonstrated this by hiring the consulting group and some of the promos generated during his tenure.
USM sports is the best sport entertainment around south MS. We need to keep pounding this into locals heads...especially at the youth level. It has obviously gotten better over time, but I was reared in the Six Sigma world...onward and upward.
People can debate issues about whether CUSA or the AAC is the better path. And that is fine if one wants to do that. However, the history of USM football indicates that none of that matters since we have had winning programs over the test of time in different environments.
From Nat'l champs in what today's world is classified as as FCS level in the '50's....to beating the Bear/Bowden/MSU 80's series etc.. as an Independent....to multiple CUSA championships....to firing an amazingly bad head coach after only one season - USM football will continue to survive and based on history, will continue to win more than our fair share of games.
Southern Miss has historically turned the unnoticed into the noticed. Personally, I like being on that side of the fence. IMO, it is that draw that makes it more fun than any other. It also helps to be able to tell the 3 star player he will see the field immediately as opposed to riding the pine for 2 yrs....is a huge asset that we have worked many wonders with over the years.
IMO, the best example of this would be the amount of QBs we have had that saw starting/sharing time in their freshman or sophomore season.
I don't know the actual overall count and forgive the possible lack of accuracy, but it goes something like this since '79...Collier 3 yrs but saw field action as a freshman, skip the Ducksworth/Anderson yrs, Favre 4 year starter, skip the Waters/Bently/Graham years, then Lee Roberts (split time with Graham as a sophomore) and Jeff Kelly with 3 yrs apiece, then the Almond/D'Angelo no show combo for 3 yrs, the Reaves/Young combo who shared time for two years, Austin Davis 4 year starter......then the bottom fell out with 5 qbs seeing the field in one year (FIRED EJ..NICE GAME PLANNING THAT GOT THOSE GUYS KILLED). Almost all of these guys started or received major playing time as a sophomore at the latest.
The obvious point is Collier and Favre were barely recruited and Davis was a freakin' walk-on b/c of Fedora...he was playing baseball for crying out loud.
We don't recruit any of our best 3 QBs if USM is an upper tier program. Hell, the only reason Eli went to Ole Pissy was b/c of the Archie. Hell, even Peyton knew not to go there. Other than the Manning dad/son tandem, MSU and Ole Pissy combined can't match the QB talent we have been fortunate to watch in a very small time frame. Oh, they each did have John Fourcade and John Bond. I take our three over any combination of the three best at the other state schools in the same time period.
Have we lost games we shouldn't have? Yep. Have we won games we shouldn't have? Yep, but some were historical. Do most schools out recruit us? According to the all knowing scoutin media, they do. It's really interesting how we continue to mostly hold our own against all these schools that get all these better players...and if you look from '70 to present, one could argue we have exceeded expectations...hell, there were years we only playing 3 home games.
For me, all the above is why I love being a Southern Miss fan and am not concerned with the realignment bs of today. Regardless, we will still recruit as we always have and will see a few buds bloom along the way that will add to the memory bank of the past.
UL and TCU are out of the lower tier compartment and have been for some time. Their is no way a school like USM can replicate that at this point. I would liken it more to BSU and VT (BSU hasn't completely arrived yet, but I'm betting they will). UVA and Idaho football?????....nahhhhhhh The advantage they had was the lack of in-state competition. MS already has two SEC schools and our overall state population is half of Houston's. Regardless of on field performance, this is most assuredly the reason we never have and never will fulfill your wish Andre.
If we end up getting an invite to the AAC or remain in CUSA, I don't see any difference in the long term how either would have a positive or negative impact on USM athletics. Give us SEC or equivalent dollars and that would be another story. However, the invisible man in the sky would have to appear with his son for that to happen.