Peruna’s got a brand new bag

This year will mark significant changes in the SMU Athletic Department. From new opponents to TV deals to logos and websites, it’s a whole new ballgame for sports for the Mustangs. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect this year.

Move to Conference USA

As of July 1, 2005, SMU became a member of Conference USA. SMU joins Rice, Tulsa and University of Texas at El Paso in leaving the Western Athletic Conference and joining C-USA. These four will join University of Houston and Tulane University to form the six-team C-USA West division. East Carolina, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Mississippi, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Central Florida will make up the C-USA East.

This move gives SMU the opportunity to vie for a spot at the C-USA football championship game scheduled for Dec. 3. Also, SMU will be hosting the C-USA Women’s Basketball Tournament in March 2006. Another perk to the move is that the men’s soccer team will be in the same conference as the other mainstream sports. The WAC only sponsors women’s soccer, and until this year the men’s soccer team was in the National Independent Conference.

The move to C-USA will bring new opponents to the schedules, and many schools are closer to campus than previous challengers. This will lead to lowered travel costs for the athletic department, a reduction in missed classes by student athletes and the opportunity for more student spectators to attend away games, as well as giving students from other universities a shorter commute to SMU games from their home schools.

Games on TV

There are three football games scheduled to be broadcasted on television this year. Deals are in place to show the games against TCU on College Sports TV, Texas A&M on Fox Sports Southwest and University of Houston on iTelevision. The TCU game is the only home game of the three, so students who can’t make the road trip to see College Station or Houston can catch the games on the tube.

Sports on Demand Network

Sports on Demand Network is a company that provides radio-style sports broadcasts of college athletics. Sports fans can subscribe to the service for their favorite college and get the broadcasts sent to their cell phones. The company is launching its service at different colleges throughout the fall semester. The reporters will cover football and basketball and will include interviews with players and coaches. It’s an innovative way for Mustang fans to immerse themselves into SMU athletics.

The New Websites

In conjunction with the move to C-USA, SMU has modified its website, www.smumustangs.com, by enhancing its media capabilities and adding new elements like fan polls and better graphics. The new site was built by the staff of www.collegesports.com in conjunction with the SMU athletic department. In addition to the enhanced athletics site, a new site, www.mustanglockerroom.com, has been built to provide Mustang fans with an online store to purchase SMU-branded apparel. There will also be stores in Ford Stadium and Moody Coliseum that will sell the new apparel. Both stores will have kiosks where products can be ordered for delivery.

The “Alternative Mark”

The athletic department isn’t calling it a new logo, but rather an “alternative mark.” Either way, SMU has a new look. The running pony is still there, but Peruna is all beefed up. The new mark includes a different font for the school’s name as well. The old logos are still around, but the new branding is being used for the athletic department.

Football News

Last season, 85 out of 112 of SMU’s football players were classified as underclassmen, having either freshman or sophomore status. It made the Mustangs one of the youngest teams in the nation. This year they have the highest number of returning starters in the country, with 22 players who started in at least six games last season. Needless to say, this team will be a lot more experienced than last season’s. Players’ names will also be returning to the team uniforms after taking a hiatus last season. And finally, on a personal note, SMU Head Football Coach Phil Bennett got married this summer.

Volleyball News

The Mustang volleyball team will be welcoming five new players this season. One transfer from last spring, Madison Hill, will begin her first regular season with SMU. Of the four new freshman players, three are scholarship recruits and one walk-on. There are three returning starters to this year’s squad as well. The Mustangs will host the SMU Invitational Tournament over Labor Day weekend at Moody Coliseum. They will play Texas Tech, Stony Brook and Oral Roberts.

Peruna’s got a brand new bag (Austin Kilgore, The Daily Campus.)