The slogan “Pony Up,” sounds simple enough, but will it fill the seats in Ford Stadium with SMU fans? That is the goal of the new marketing plan that the SMU athletic department has started.

If you go to the athletic department Web site the slogan will greet you. If you drive by the billboard on Central Expressway, it will tower above you. But it might take more than just the opening home stand to see if the ad campaign has paid off.

With the home and season opener against Texas Tech, expect to see Ford Stadium filled as much as it has been since, well, the last time the Red Raiders came to Dallas. And as expected, the majority of fans will probably be “getting their guns up.” As for the second game of the season, the story will remain the same. The Todd Dodge era has begun at the University of North Texas and people who are unwilling to travel to Norman, Okla. to see the UNT opener will have no problem trekking 40 miles down I-35 to witness the team play here.

By the time the Mustangs return home at the end of September, after traveling to TCU and Arkansas State, it will be the result of those games, not the ad campaign that will bring the fans to Ford Stadium.

But maybe, just maybe, someone driving down Central will have the urge to spend a Saturday with the Mustangs, or an old season ticket holder will decide to renew his or her seats. Even if the number isn’t large, at least it’s a number.

The attitude surrounding the players and the coaches has finally moved up to the administration, and with new people in positions to make a difference, it is already noticeable.

In second-year athletic director Steve Orsini’s sophomore effort, fans are seeing a continuation of what his hire has meant to the athletic program. The hiring of Matt Doherty, the construction of the Crum Basketball Center, the renovations of Westcott Field and the new scoreboard in Moody were just the start.

Even if it was just for a few months, Orsini was able to get one of the brightest minds in marketing to join SMU and help promote a struggling product. Richard Sweet, after coming to SMU from Southwest Airlines and before returning to Southwest, got the wheels moving in the right direction.

The Mustangs went 5-1 at home last season; a perfect 6-0 would have given them a bowl bid. If SMU lost only one home game with the crowds at the size they were, it wouldn’t be impossible to imagine an increase in performa with more support from the stands.