Southwest Conference Is on the Rise Again

You don’t hear jokes about the Southwest Conference much anymore.

Oh, there are still some one-liners when the weekly slaughter of the Southern Methodist Mustangs is announced. Slippery Rock and SMU. Two automatic laughs for a stadium announcer.

Until the reborn Mustangs show signs of running on four strong legs, there will be a public fascination about their failures.

But SMU is the only SWC team you can beat like a borrowed horse these days.

Ask LSU, Arizona State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Air Force, and Arizona if the SWC is as much fun to schedule as it used to be.

Rice and TCU are showing signs of life. When TCU upset 19th-ranked Air Force last Saturday, it alerted a lot of people to the league’s depth.

Certainly voters in The Associated Press poll are taking notice. Four SWC teams (Houston, Arkansas, Texas A&M; and Texas) were listed in the nation’s Top 25 on games through Oct. 21.

This is a big compliment, considering the national black eye the SWC has sported most of the 1980s because of recruiting scandals. NCAA penalties prompted a mass defection to other schools of the home-grown talent that had made the SWC one of the most respected and feared leagues in the land.

The SWC has had only one team, Texas A&M;, ranked in the Top 10 since 1985. There were none in 1988, Texas A&M; was 10th in 1987, and none in 1986. Texas A&M; finished sixth after the 1985 season.

The last time the SWC had four teams ranked nationally in the same week was Oct. 1, 1985.

The SWC is 15-8-1 against outside competition, a big improvement over a 1988 season that saw the league drop to 17-18, including bowl games.

And the conference talent appears to be well spread around, which is leading to one of the most interesting races of the decade.

Almost halfway through the season, only the Texas Longhorns were unbeaten in league play, and they still had games left against Texas A&M;, Houston, Baylor and Texas Tech.

Each school has something to talk about.

At Texas Christian, it’s freshman quarterback Leon Clay and his touchdown passes against the Air Force.

At Texas Tech, they’re buzzing about running back James Gray and the sparkling job of quarterback Jamie Gill.

At Arkansas, there’s anticipation over redshirt running back E.D. Jackson.

At Texas A&M;, they’re admiring the linebacking of William Thomas.

At Texas, there’s wonderment over redshirt freshman quarterback Peter Gardere.

At Rice, there’s applause over the performances of quarterback Donald Hollas.

At Baylor, there are handslaps over the work of linebacker James Francis.

At Houston, there’s awe over the feats of quarterback Andre Ware.

At SMU, there’s appreciation for the courage of quarterback Mike Romo and the gumption of the Mustangs’ freshmen.

Although the Cotton Bowl would have preferred an unbeaten SWC champion (much easier to sell to a highly ranked guest team) there has been a marvelous what’s-going-to-happen-next quality about games this fall.

No game is a gimmie, except the ones against SMU, and there’s a morbid interest there about the final score.

And don’t forget, the Mustangs provided one of the most exciting moments of the year when they upset Connecticut after trailing most of the game.

There has been a lot memorable football this SWC season, and November still remains. It’s fun again to go back to SWC stadiums.