The Worst Case Scenario

Today is the republished first of two “Worst Case Scenarios”. The original somehow got destroyed when it was being uploaded.

We could go 0-11!!! To quote Rob Schneider in The Waterboy, "Oh no, we suck again!" I concede that 0-11 is probably a little more likely than 11-0 since it happened just two years ago. But I just don’t see it happening again. Let’s take a look at the realistic best case scenario for the upcoming season. Again, is this my prediction? No.

9/3 Sat vs. Baylor
Loss. Baylor is rebuiliding faster than SMU. The A&M win was a better indication of what Baylor is doing than anything SMU is has done in ten years. Baylor wins by double digits. 0-1.

9/10 Sat vs. Texas Christian
Loss. Coming off a shellacking in Norman, Oklahoma, TCU has something to prove and knowing that starting 0-3 would be a disaster, they place added emphasis on winning this game. With the exception of the 2003 season, these games haven’t been close and this one isn’t any different. 0-2

9/17 Sat @ Texas A&M
Loss. I predicted this would be a loss under the best of circumstances. Nothing has changed. 0-3. This is what I wrote a week ago:

While in my most delusion moments I can envision Alvin Nebufe leaping to intercept an errant throw across the middle and taking it to the sideline before cutting downfield for a late 4th quarter touchdown to ice the win, it just ain’t going to happen. The best anyone can realistically hope for is to keep it close. At Kyle Field, I can’t imagine this being anything other than ugly.

9/24 Sat vs. *Tulane
Loss. It is easy to look at Tulane’s season last year and say they are getting better. They have won four of their last six and beat UAB. The kicking game cost them games last season; it won’t happen again. 0-4.

10/1 Sat @ *Marshall
Loss. This is another game I predicted this would be a loss under the best of circumstances. Nothing has changed. 0-5.

10/8 Sat @ *Alabama-Birmingham
Loss. Yet another game I already had as a loss and a blowout on top of that. The second blowout of the year. By this point, every SMU fan is in a panic. I am not sure it wouldn’t be unwarranted. 0-6

10/15 Sat vs. *East Carolina
Win. East Carolina is terrible. Or, they should be, I will say. This has to be a win under the worst of circumstances. I will point out that on the message boards, Stallion says there is a realistic chance of starting out 0-6. If Stallion could say 0-7, he would. This game is like the 2004 San Jose State game-they have to be able to win this game. 1-6

10/22 Sat @ *Tulsa
Loss. This starting to be painful to type. Tulsa is beatable in my eyes, but starting out 1-6 destroys the confidence and playing on the road doesn’t help. 1-7

11/5 Sat vs. *Rice
Loss. Bennett’s never defeated an option team. SMU has beaten Rice just three times since 1986. 1-8

1/12 Sat @ *Houston
Loss. Clearly, SMU’s road woes continue under the Bennett era, with just a single win in four years. 1-9.

11/26 Sat vs. *Texas-El Paso
Loss. SMU gets drilled by Mike Price’s UTEP team, which I think has a decent chance of going undefeated. Price probably bails UTEP after this season and goes to a BCS school. 1-10.

Postscript
What would happen if this did in fact come to fruition? I think you have to assume Bennett is gone, wouldn’t you? And surely by now, Copeland is shown the door. How can anyone have confidence in a coaching search run by Copeland at that point?

Again, is this my prediction? Hell, no. I don’t want anybody fired. I want Copeland to be right about Bennett; I want Bennett to be successful. I assure you, no matter how sour you are at the SMU athletic department and football program, Bennett being successful is what is in the best interest of SMU.

Up next, my real worst nightmare for the SMU fan.