How good was SMU in 81 and 82?

#1
Montrell Hardy

Montrell Hardy

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#1
I saw the Pony Express thread but I wanted to start a new one to focus on these two seasons. I just saw the 30 for 30 documentary. Incredible story!

I was quite young back in 81 and 82 and vaguely remember SMU, but others in my family who remember tell me to this day they were hands down the best team in the country both of those years. They always called them the "U" before the "U" and I see others still give them that tag as well.

From what I gather in 81 they were banned from going to a bowl game but went 10-1 and their only loss was 9-7 to Texas, a game I always heard SMU pretty much dominated except for some critical penalties and turnovers that ultimately cost them the win.

I didn't know in 82 they were the only undefeated team in the country. I just assumed Penn State went undefeated. Plus SMU went 2-0-1 vs Top 10 teams that year, much better than Penn State did. How in the world did they get screwed out of the national title in 82?

For anyone else that remembers them back then, how would they have matched up with Clemson and Penn State in those years?

Their recruiting was unbelievably sick. Obviously we know they were cheating but damn some of the classes they signed back then were some of the best I've ever seen on paper. My dad still has some of the old Tom Lemming and some Prepstar recruiting mags from back then. Their 78, 82 and 83 classes were three of the best I've ever seen on paper. They were signing 5-6 of the Top 20 players in the nation in this classes.
 
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#2
#2
probally didnt make the national championship game cause they tied up with arkansas
 
#3
#3
TSwafford said:
probally didnt make the national championship game cause they tied up with arkansas
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Probably but Arkansas was a Top 10 team that year and Penn State actually had a loss didn't they? I think Alabama hammered them in the regular season that year.

Their schedules were both very good. SMU might have even played a slightly tougher one that season. I just cant see a 1-loss team getting it over a 1-tie team with how comparable their schedules were. I sure wish we could have seen them play.
 
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#5
#5
yea on wikipedia it says Penn State lost to #4 Bama 42-21 in 1982, but yea you would think SMU would of gotten the nod that year
 
#6
#6
Thanks TSwafford. I thought Penn State had a loss that year. And yeah it was a beat down by that score.

I had always heard from people old enough to remember that season that they thought SMU was hands down the best team in the country, so I was just wondering if any others remember them that season or in 81.
 
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#7
#7
Im too young to have watched them, but Ive read about SMU and the Death Penalty and obviously watched the 30 for 30 recently.

From what my family members and older generations have told me about them back then was that they were head and shoulders above everyone and rightfully so. Some of the old Ags I know are still bitter about Dickerson, and others that backed out of their verbals. Ive talked to several boosters over the years, both young and old, and the old guard almost always brings up that era in the SWC when talking about recruiting.

The methods change obviously and Im sure, actually, Im certain, things still go on that most will never know about, but the level of arrogance that took place in Dallas may never be duplicated.

As far as your question goes, I'd say they would have beaten Penn State's ears in if they had a chance to play them.
 
#10
#10
TXVOL07 said:
Im too young to have watched them, but Ive read about SMU and the Death Penalty and obviously watched the 30 for 30 recently.

From what my family members and older generations have told me about them back then was that they were head and shoulders above everyone and rightfully so. Some of the old Ags I know are still bitter about Dickerson, and others that backed out of their verbals. Ive talked to several boosters over the years, both young and old, and the old guard almost always brings up that era in the SWC when talking about recruiting.

The methods change obviously and Im sure, actually, Im certain, things still go on that most will never know about, but the level of arrogance that took place in Dallas may never be duplicated.

As far as your question goes, I'd say they would have beaten Penn State's ears in if they had a chance to play them.
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Those are about the same things I've heard from my peers. They just said SMU would probably have dismantled Penn State. Apparently their team speed was just on another level altogether than other teams.

I dont know if you ever saw their 1978 recruiting class on paper (Dickerson's class) but it was one of the best ever. There were only like two or three recruiting mags out back then and they literally landed a quarter of the Top 25 players in the nation. And like Dickerson almost all of them decommitted right before signing day from another school.

I do remember watching an old VHS tape when I was a kid of them putting an absolute beat down on Texas in Austin back in 1982. I think at the time of the game Texas was ranked in the Top 5 somewhere.
 
#12
#12
TXVOL07 said:
At least he told the folks from Austin to get bent.
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Yeah he went absolutely nuts on the Texas recruiting coordinator at the time for the 'job comments' he made to him. That was great.

For SMU's sake it's too bad the SMU boosters didn't listen to his advice about David Stanley. I know he was the #1 Linebacker in the country in 82 but damn they should have listened Dickerson about staying away from him.

Also, you have to think had Ron Meyer stayed he would have kept all that stuff much more under wraps than Bobby Collins did. Collins was clearly out of his league and overwhelmed when he took over.
 
#13
#13
He was a man playing amongst children back then. They had it all on both sides of the ball. The Option was a perfect fit. They're defense was quicker than a hiccup, and they controlled the clock well.

It was comparable to playing in the final round against Tiger at the Masters when he had a 3 shot lead. Teams were beat mentally before they ever stepped on the field.
 
#14
#14
CountVolcula said:
They were the best money could buy
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Which sums up basically the entire Southwest Conference of that era. Bobby Collins was just unable to control it or keep in under wraps at SMU. I think it would have been a different story had Ron Meyer not left after the 81 season. He was really the first coach I can remember in the Jimmy Johnson mold.
 
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#15
#15
Montrell Hardy said:
Yeah he went absolutely nuts on the Texas recruiting coordinator at the time for the 'job comments' he made to him. That was great.

For SMU's sake it's too bad the SMU boosters didn't listen to his advice about David Stanley. I know he was the #1 Linebacker in the country in 82 but damn they should have listened Dickerson about staying away from him.

Also, you have to think had Ron Meyer stayed he would have kept all that stuff much more under wraps than Bobby Collins did. Collins was clearly out of his league and overwhelmed when he took over.
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You need to pay attention to the reasoning they couldn't stop. Like they told the Governor, they still had a payroll to meet, even if they did stop. The other issue was, like Pete Carrol, Meyer avoided the fallout. Collins on the other hand knew damn well what he was getting into shortly after arriving. He was a "yes man" anyway. How do you think a guy from outside of the family could land that job? Based on his track record? Not likely.

Collins did what he was told and was compensated well for his efforts. That was one thing I disliked about the 30 for 30. They painted him out to be some dumb hick that had his head in the clouds and "just wanted to be an ole ball coach". Total bs.

What happened under Collin's tenure was similar to a MOB circle expanding too wide when too many people know too much. They should have payed off Stanley in the end and shut him up so he'd get his degree and get the hell outta Dallas. They didnt and the checks and paper trail led back to the hierarchy.
 
#16
#16
TXVOL07 said:
You need to pay attention to the reasoning they couldn't stop. Like they told the Governor, they still had a payroll to meet, even if they did stop. The other issue was, like Pete Carrol, Meyer avoided the fallout. Collins on the other hand knew damn well what he was getting into shortly after arriving. He was a "yes man" anyway. How do you think a guy from outside of the family could land that job? Based on his track record? Not likely.

Collins did what he was told and was compensated well for his efforts. That was one thing I disliked about the 30 for 30. They painted him out to be some dumb hick that had his head in the clouds and "just wanted to be an ole ball coach". Total bs.

What happened under Collin's tenure was similar to a MOB circle expanding too wide when too many people know too much. They should have payed off Stanley in the end and shut him up so he'd get his degree and get the hell outta Dallas. They didnt and the checks and paper trail led back to the hierarchy.
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All very true. The bottom line was Collins was a disastrous hire because he did not keep things in check in any way, shape or form. I still wonder had Meyer stayed, if they ever really would have been hammered like they were. I kind of doubt it. You may have seen another situation like 81 where they were ineligible for a bowl game, but I dont think it would have gotten as bad. He had the cheating much more under control or so it seemed. We'll never know, but at that time this was happening all over the SWC, if SMU had remained less brazen about it I doubt they would have suffered punishments any worse than say TCU received.
 
#17
#17
I'm old enough to have been watching college football during that era. I'm also originally from TX and have older relatives who are proud and active alums of UTx, A&M and Baylor and I cannot recall any of them saying much about SMU. By that point in time I was living in Nashville and the teams that I remember being most impressed with in the 80-84 timespan were UGA, Clemson and Miami.
 
#18
#18
Had Meyer stayed, they might have been able to pull it off a little longer, but at that point in 82, they had brought so much attention to themselves and the SWC in general, that somebody was going to take the fall. Jackie Sherril was damn pleased the NCAA went to Dallas instead of College Station as I can assure you, they most certainly had reasons to do so.

Having the media market in their back yard in Dallas, and Govenor involved only made matters worse for SMU.
 
#19
#19
They were good. The '81 & '82 teams were lead by NFL Pro Bowlers Craig James, Eric Dickerson, Wes Hopkins and Michael Carter and six others who played in the league. Carter was an Olympic shot putter. He still holds the National High School Record for the shot at 81' 3 1/2"...9 feet futher than anyone else.
 
#22
#22
It's interesting how people always say that everybody was doing it, yet only SMU got all of these insane recruiting classes. That doesn't mean that others were clean, but it's misguided and paranoid to think that anyone was "just as bad as SMU."
 
#24
#24
TXVOL07 said:
That's probably why Baylor football has sucked all this time.
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Nope, the suckage started after Teaff retired and became Executive Director of the CFCA. Actually beat SMU two of the 4 years Dickerson and James were there. Would of been 3 of 4 if Thomas Everett hadn't been toasted for a long TD...he was moved to saftey the next week...won the 1st Jim Thorpe Award. YouTube - Aggie Pwned by SMU cheerleader
 
#25
#25
You knew I had to take a shot. Touche on the Hood incident. A very dumb and embarrassing move on that idiot's part.
 
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