The wild spending of aggressive, wealthy SMU football boosters once killed the program — via a literal 'death penalty.' That was the 1980s, when local businessmen kept buying talented recruits.
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO - DECEMBER 17: SMU Mustangs helmets are placed on the sideline during the second half of the New Mexico Bowl game between the Mustangs and the Brigham Young Cougars at University Stadium on December 17, 2022 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Cougars defeated the Mustangs 24-23. The wild spending of aggressive, wealthy SMU football boosters once killed the program — via a literal “death penalty.” That was the 1980s, when local businessmen kept buying talented recruits.
SMU, which is currently a member of the American Athletic Conference , is so desperate to get into a so-called Power 5 league that it is willing to join the Atlantic Coast Conference for free . SMU has shrewdly figured out its place in the world and its value to the ACC. The conference’s deal with ESPN runs through 2036. If the ACC adds any members, ESPN must pay the league an additional $24 million per year per expansion team.
The ACC doesn’t want to expand, but has almost no other option if it wants to appease FSU and Clemson, which are concerned about their revenue shares falling further and further behind their competition in the SEC and Big Ten. Cal and Stanford certainly don’t want to travel all the way to the East Coast, but after the Pac-12 imploded, this is likely their best deal.
The businessmen are going to have to cover the bill, which will include coaches salaries and infrastructure upgrades plus the $60-$80 million TV revenue void. But by Year 3 of ACC TV revenue inclusion, they'll be in the black and making exponentially more every year thereafter.The NCAA Death Penalty caused the program to shut down for the 1987 and 1988 seasons. It's never recovered.
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