2016 Edition
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Click to see the Conference Family Portrait original ad! Cover - Inside - Back
Read my interview with artist Don Collins @ Uni Watch

Welcome to a trip back to the old Southwest Conference!
Most notably I include Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, Rice, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, and Texas Tech.
SWC football ended in 1995 after Arkansas fled to the SEC in 1990.

I started this website a long time ago - and have been running a virtual SWC for 12 years now.
Column on the left includes historical links to all things Southwest Conference - many of the links are pages researched and developed by me.
In the middle column is the running blog commentary for the current year.
The right column is the virtual standings, a uniform wrap-up for the current year, and links to the pages from other years.


Traditions
Sounds of the SWC
Hand Signs

Longhorn Band Traditions Site
The Aggie Ring
Aggie Traditions Timeline
University of Houston Athletic Traditions
SMU Band and Traditions
Halftime scripts from The MOB

Birth of Sic'em Bears
Frog Horns History
The Whole Story behind Pony Ears

How Sammy the Owl got his name
U of H History of the Cougar
Baylor Mascot History
TCU Horned Frog Mascot History
History of the Masked Rider
Creation of Raider Red


Memorabilia
SWC Football Programs
Another 100 Programs Added!


   
Texas - TAMU  Texas - OU  Bowl Games

Humble Schedule Decals
Other Humble SWC Memorabilia
Humble Ads in SWC Football Programs

Bowl Game Souvenirs
SWC Buttons
SWC Pennants

Ad for Humble Decals


SWC Mascot/Logo Project
SWC Logos
SWC Mascot Artwork
Bill McClanahan SMU Art

History of the Longhorn Logo
Arkansas Razorback History
100 Years of Razorback Logo
Running Hog on the Helmet

SWC Football Helmet History


History
My SWC Champions Site
Neat Texas OU Look Back
UT's Tower
SMU Football Greatest Moments
Amazing Archive of Arkansas Photos
1947 Texas Tech Promo video

A Look Back at the SWC
SWC Timeline
February 25th

Earl vs. Bevo




Earl vs. Rice's Michael Downs

The Story Behind the Play - Revisited

Historical SWC Bowl Games
1954 Cotton Bowl
1957 Sugar Bowl
1961 Sugar Bowl
1969 Cotton Bowl
1970 Cotton Bowl
1973 Gator Bowl
1974 Peach Bowl
1989 All American Bowl
1995 Copper Bowl
1977 Texas OU

Orange Bowl History

Books on SWC Football


Unis
SWC Uni Database - TBD
2016 SWC Uni Tracker
2015 SWC Uni Tracker
2014 SWC Uni Tracker
2013 SWC Uni Tracker


How Texas Tech became the Red Raiders


Broadcasts
All SWC Radio Broadcasters
Humble Football Broadcast History
Kern Tips (dead link)
Kern Tips Bio Info
Kern Tips & Chronicle Sports
Kern Tips Links
Golden Voices of Football
Frank Fallon
Dave Campbell and Frank Fallon inducted into TSHoF
Eddie Barker


1956 A&M-Texas Game Highlights


Articles
Time has run out on the Southwest Conference, but what a time it was

Fronteir Justice (a story about TCU football)

End of an Era: 81-Year Tradition Will Take One Last Breath

10 years later

Silver Taps for the SWC (search page for "Silver Taps")

The Dying Days of the SWC

Life was good in the old Southwest Conference

It Was a Conference with Charachte



Links
Awesome SWC Site - Thompsonian


University Archives
Texas Tech Game Programs


Live Streaming Audio
Texas Longhorns audio



20 Year Look Back
Last year was 20 years since the last official Southwest Conference games had been played. While the SWC ended in 1996, the last year for football was 1995. Throughout the 2015 football season I looked back at those last official games. Leaving them here this year since 1996 was the official end of the SWC and I still need to load some of the games.

Arkansas @ SMU
9/2/95
SMU won 17-14 in a thriller that went down to the final minute. Arkansas had one more chance and drove the ball down to the one yard line on a six minute drive. With 56 seconds left, Arkansas fumbled the snap trying to get it in the endzone and SMU recovered. That was the only win the ponies got in 1995 and Arkansas went on to win its SEC division title and its first winning season of the 90s. Check the 5:10 mark of this video for game highlights. Here is the original NCAA Official Scoring Summary (an amazing handwritten 13 sheets of paper - old school, baby)! Note: Arkansas had already fled to the SEC (because of basketball - SEC was about basketball back then) - technically I probably should not include this game.

Texas @ SMU
9/30/95
Apparently a yawner per some of the reviews. One of those articles from the UT paper says SMU didn't belong in the game - this the week afer they beat Arkansas and Texas got whipped by Notre Dame. Although Arkansas sucked back then (why the fled to the SEC for basketball). Texas ran up a season high 558 yards (341 on the ground mostly on the back of Shon Mitchell (his first game over 100 yards - 185 to be exact) with a hobbled Ricky Williams only carrying 9 times for 48). Game video with Celebrating SWC intro here. Complete stats here.

Houston @ TCU
10/7/95
TCU beat an undefeated Houston (4-0) 31-21 in Fort Worth. The defense was able to shut out the Coogs in the first half. Andre Davis set a school record with the 14th 100-yd rushing game of his career while Knake established a TCU record of 45, topping the legendary Sammy Baugh's 44. It was the largest crowd to watch a TCU/Houston game at Amon Carter at the time (34,684). Game summary here.

Rice @ Texas
10/7/95
Horns scored on their first three posessions but stalled in the 2nd quarter. Rice racked up 253 yards and were tied 13-13 at the half. The Horns had a strong second half capped off by two 4th quarter touchdowns by the still injured Ricky Williams - making it 24 unanswered points. Texas wins in Austin 37-13. Daily Texan article - game summary in the second article on that page.

A&M @ Texas Tech
10/7/95
Simply one of the biggest games of the year! Tied up 7-7 at the half, the remaining two quarters of the game was a defensive struggle... until the last Aggie possession. This was the infamous Zach Thomas INT game winning touchdown with 30 seconds left! An unranked Tech beat #8 Texas A&M 14-7. Spike Dykes' first win over a top 10 team and first win over a top ranked team in 17 years. The phrase "Wreck 'em Tech" may not have stemmed from this game - but it was surely born here! Game stats here.


Baylor @ Houston
10/14/95
A whipping... 49-7. Baylor gained 591 yards against the Coogs in the Astrodome! It was the first 500 plus yard game for Baylor since SMU in 1984. Baylor held Houston to 178 yards (compared to 401 in the previous game against TCU) and chased Chuck Clements out of the pocket all night. Baylor Lariat article.

SMU @ Texas A&M
10/14/95
SMU led most of the game and was leading 17-13 with 56 seconds left to play. The Aggies, without Leeland McElroy, drove it 70 yards in five plays and scored with only eight seconds left to avoid the upset and secure a 20-17 victory at Kyle Field.

TCU @ Rice
10/14/95
Rice led 14-10 at half time. But TCU rallied - catching up in the 3rd quarter and taking over in the 4th to win 33-28. Game summary here.

Rice @ Texas Tech
10/21/95
Owls fell behind early but launched a furious 18 unanswered points rally sparked by Chad Nelson replacing an injured Josh LaRocca in the waning minutes of 3rd quarter. At 24-18, the Owls defense could not stop Zebbie Letheridge and Byron Hanspard. Rice had a couple more chances: one due to a dropped snap on a Tech punt resulting in the offense set up in Red Raider territory which produced no points and a drive ending in an interception. Rice was able to score again and get a safety but came up short in the 31-26 loss at Jones Stadium. Scoring Summary here and Rice Thresher article.

SMU @ Houston
10/21/95
The week after nearly knocking off Texas A&M, SMU loses 38-15 to Houston who hadn't won a game since last year when they played SMU. But that game was closer than it looked with Houston scoring three touchdowns in three minutes. A 78 yard pick-6 by James Reddish cut he rally short.

Texas A&M @ Baylor
10/21/95
In an effort to "Color the Town" when the Aggies arrive, students encouraged anyone with a collie to dress their dog in Baylor colors! No idea how that worked out... On to the game! Baylor was hopeful, especially since the Aggies barely got by SMU AND had lost to Tech which Baylor had already beat. After a strong start by Baylor in hopes of getting their first win in 10 years against the Ags, the Aggies blocked a punt and quickly scored. Baylor tried to play catch up for the rest of the game and fell 24-9 at Floyd Casey. Baylor Lariat articles: post-game and pre-game. Another article about the history here.

Houston @ Texas A&M
10/28/95
Despite numerous turnovers by the Coogs, they were able to stay in the game until the end of the 3rd quarter. With 4:23 left in the 3rd quarter, Aggie Keith Mitchell chased Clements into his own endzone resulting in a hurried throw and a pick-6 for Andre Williams. TBD - more to come. Aggies won 31-7maintaining the lo ngest home winning streak in the nation. LA Times SWC Roundup for the week.

Rice @ SMU
10/28/95
Rice broke a six game winless streak by beating SMU 34-24. But it was not without drama. Rice allowed SMU to score two touchdowns to get back in the game and then a turnover allowed SMU to take the lead midway through the 4th quarter. With 8:47 to play, Rice scored and the defense was able to hold on to seal their 7th staight victory over SMU. Rice Thresher articles: pre-game and post game.

TCU @ Baylor
10/28/95
Baylor won 27-24 in Waco. TCU CB Godrey White got his hands on two field goals and a PAT. The TCU defense did a good job of holding Baylor after turnovers. But two big misses for TCU prevented them from a comeback win - touchdown pass in endzone was intercepted by Robinson and an outstanding pass/catch/run was called back for illegal motion. Despite some good efforts by TCU, Baylor controlled the game. Baylor Lariat artcile here.Game summary here.

SMU @ TCU
11/4/95
A cold rainy homecoming in Fort Worth did not dissappoint! SMU jumped out to a 10-0 start , but were dominated in the 2nd quarter after that. But SMU pulled back to 17-16 on a one yard touchdown run. SMU attempted a two point conversion for the win late in the 4th quarter - but Rick LaFavers intercepts and returns it 100 yards adding the two points to TCU's score instead for a 19-16 TCU win. TCU will have two consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1959. Instead of a win, SMU clinches the longest consecutive loss streak (for major colleges) at eight - and winless in their last 18 SWC games. TCU Game Summary here. LA Times Southwest Roundup.

Texas Tech @ Texas
11/4/95
A promising Top 25 matchup ended up in a 48-7 rout by No.13 Texas over No.23 Texas Tech in Austin. I was at this game - I remember telling dad and begging the powers that be to "make it stop..." It was supposed to be such a good game with promise and a chance for Tech! Despite struggling against Tech's defensive pressure the previous two years, Texas scored on four of its first seven posessions and led 28-0 at halftime with 304 yards. Three of those scores took less than two minutes. And it only got worse for the Tech fans. 48-0 at the end of the 3rd quarter. We had great seats, first row in the upper deck on the 50 yard line. I was mis-er-a-ble! The 41 point margin was the largest over a Top 25 team in Texas football history. Zebbie Lethridge saw his SWC record string of passes without an interception end at 211 when he was picked off in the 1st quarter. Texas went on to score a touchdown shortly thereafter, pushing Tech behind 14-0. This was also the game that I thought Tony Brackens had killed my kicker on the fake field goal early in the 2nd quarter when we were down 14-0 and trying to make something happen. Tech had more chances in the 2nd quarter to get back in the game but came up empty. Texas ended up scoring 28 points off four Tech turnovers. Daily Texan articles and game summary. Tech game summary.




Texas A&M @ Rice
11/9/95
TBD

Baylor @ SMU
11/11/95
TBD

Texas @ Houston
11/11/95
TBD

TCU @ Texas Tech
11/11/95
TBD

Rice @ Baylor
11/18/95
TBD

TCU @ Texas
11/18/95
TBD

Texas Tech @ SMU
11/18/95
TBD

1995 Links
Texas Tech - 1995 in Review

1995 Texas Football Highlights - The Final Chapter

1995 Arkansas Football Season Review - A Season of Firsts

Football alive, Well in Arkansas - Danny Ford turns things around

Baylor Lariat Newspaper Archives

Rice Thresher Newspaper Archives





























































































































































































































































Mini Blog Comments
Full blog can be read here

And So It Ends
Texas and Tech end the virtual SWC standings in the top 3 but join only Rice and SMU in not going bowling... ouch.

I sense a Pattern Here
So both Texas A&M and Texas steal a successful UofH head coach and Big 12 doesn't want the cougars? Although, promoting Applewhite into their new spot has surely halted that trend. Trul hope UofH can remain successful.

3-15
Here is a status report on A&M in the SEC. Through 5 full seasons, Texas A&M is now 3-15 against SEC opponents that finished the season with a winning conference record. And in the last 16 years Texas A&M has only had 4 seasons that ended with a winning record in conference play!

Baylor Drubbing
There will be no bowl game for Tech this year but I love beating Baylor! THIS. Tech's 41 points in the first half are the most in a Big 12 game since 2001... against none other than Baylor! But where were those Red Raider throwbacks??? Perfect opportunity lost.
UPDATE: Scoring Highlights video from embedded in newer tweet

From #CharlieStrong to #CharlieGone
Ugly game in Austin yesterday and he has already been fired today. A new era at Texas begins with the theft of Tom Herman from Houston. I might be a little worried - but not sure how the egos of players in Austin will take to their coach kissing them...

The Last Two SWC Games of the Year

[Helmet matchup from 1958-59]
Two wounded teams - but the Texas wounds are more emotional than physical. I think Texas pulls it together for one last win for Charlie Strong. Longhorns have dominated the series but TCU has won big the last two years. Having only played five times since the SWC ended: once in 2007 and four since 2012 when TCU joined the Big XII. This one is in Austin, I think D'Onte Foreman will have a stellar day.


[Helmet matchup from 1972-78]
Tech hosts Baylor in Arlington the day after Thanksgiving (alas, no SWC game on Thanksgiving...). Hoping for those Texas Tech throwback uniforms we have not seen all year. As far as the record over the years, split down the middle. Albeit Baylor has won the last five. Can a humiliated Texas Tech pull it togeher and win with a vengence to stay even for the year? Baylor is certainly down and out. It would be a nice ending to a tough year.

Texas Tech Throwback Unis still MIA
There has been an increased focus on the red in Red Raiders of late. We have done a black throwback, we have done a white throwback. Since we are the home team in Arlington against Baylor, I am calling red 1970s throwback jerseys, white pants, and black #FlatDoubleT helmets with RED facemasks! If it happens, I called it back on Nov 14th!

That was ugly
Not a good week for former SWC teams. A&M does not count this week - they played a deirectional Texas school in the middle of conference play... weeeeeeak! Texas loses to Kansas for the first time since 1938 - and in overtime. Charlie Strong is likely gone. And all chances of a Texas vs Texas A&M bowl game are likely lost. The Kansas goalposts never had a chance. Baylor is laughing at the TCU and Texas loss - but... they got beat by both!
A 2-8 Iowa State hangs 66 points on Texas Tech and we only manage to score 10 points. Kingsbury might be gone (although, they may not be able to afford his buy-out). How do you have the worst defense and the best offense (of course, except this week)? How I ask - because you are Texas Tech post Mike Leach. This is all Craig James' pussy ass son's fault. I know, I know, let it go. But with losses like those suffered in week 12, you just gotta blame someone to carry on with the day. So if Rice wins and Tech loses, Tech will be on the bottom w.r.t. the overall record in the virtual SWC... not how I pictured the year!
On the flip side (definitely an opposite parallel day to those final years of the SWC) - how about those Owls, Ponies, and Cougars! Loved how UofH dominated Lamar Jackson and the 5th ranked Louisville even after Oliver went out of the game! Cougar High! Cougar High! Cougar High! (sorry, habit...) that defense played swell! And the Chad Morris led #PonyUpTempo which had a slow start not being able to close the deal for many Ws they should have earned, is now ranked above TCU, Texas, and Tech in the overall record. Wow, kind of Southwest Conference afterall, isn't it?

Other Week 10 Notes
Arkansas has been pretty old school for the last few years (with the exception of hog horns in place of their classic stripes). I even love the mandated black shoes. For the first time since 2013, they broke out #GrayorGraySake unis. But I did not hate these. Maybe I am just a sucker for steel and chrome...

Aggie back-up QB Jake Hubenak must have got his signs mixed up after coming in for injured Trevor Knight... #HookEm

Texas Tech Throwback Unis MIA
No really, where ARE those gorgeous throwbacks from the last two years???

Was that a Beat Down or Bad Karma?
I guess they wore black to their own funeral afterall... After a week of Baylor protesting the firing of Art Briles, they were shellacked 62-22 by TCU (largest loss of a ranked team by an unranked team in school history - originally 30 points in 1953 to Houston). The students were told to wear green. The players chose to wear black uniforms to protest the firing of Art Briles. He later recanted that statement and then made his account private. The #CAB movement is deplorable, disgraceful, and disgusting! They sold t-shirts and displayed their support for the disgraced Art Briles from the sky box. I have said all year, he will likely be their coach next year because Baylor has sold its soul for wins in the W column. They got and will continue to get what they deserve.

Lee Corso Picked Tech...

I was worried from that moment. Horns outlasted Tech in Lubbock. All the sudden we are down there with SMU and Rice... But still - what a game! How about that Goal Line Grand Larceny! Video here too. Hopefully the trend of Longhorn wins does not continue. Tech win in 2002, then five losses. Tech win in 2008, then six losses. Tech win in 2015, hopefully not 7 losses coming!


Another Double Header!

[Helmet matchup from 1974]
This game is usually at night - weird to see it played so early and also not around Thanksgiving. I think every single year when I pull up the series stats, I am just stunned how few wins Tech has. Those wins have been epic, though. Of course 8 years ago was the amazing last second connection between Harrell and Crabtree with Crabtree staying in bounds for the touchdown. I believe that audio clip is still coded into the bottom of this page (it was a really great game call). And last year was pretty amazing too winning in Austin. Should be a great game! SWC Roundup did a great TBT story on the 1976 game. Just look at that photo of Willie Nelson with Darrell Royal!


[Helmet matchup from 1966]
The Revivalry! Hmmm... one not so saintly of lately. Both have had issues this year, but Baylor has almost dug it's way out in the 4th quarter every game. Does TCU have enough to take advantage of Baylor's slow starts? Does Baylor still have their swagger since they can no longer say they have not allowed anyone to score in the 4th quarter? They will be wearing black - it might be for a funeral...

Wow - epic SWC matchups!
Oh my goodness! Hook'em Horns! Baylor tweets before the game reminded us how they had not let anyone score on them in the 4th quarter this year. Not so fast! A great game through all four quarters. Texas hits a field goal with 46 seconds left for the upset. There was a Texas O-line gut laying on the field on his back kicking his legs in the air like a bug! Texas has a four game win streak against AP Top 12 teams! And Charlie Strong's third win over a top 10 team since last season!

Double OT win for Texas Tech in a somehwat defensive battle (at least for two Big XII shootout teams). In the second OT, TCU missed yet another field goal and all Tech had to do was play it safe and knock one through.

SWC Double Header in week 9

[Helmet matchup from 1969-71]
We have a classic SWC matchup between Texas and Baylor. Now, which Texas will show up? Will Baylor finally be exposed? Texas obviously dominates the series - but only won two out of the last six years.


[Helmet matchup from 1977-80]
Tech is looking for revenge over last year! Tech leads the series, but it is pretty even - even over the last four years when they picked back up playing each other. They have only played each other a total of six times since the end of the SWC and it's an even split.

SMU does it!
Oh, what a game! SMU finally pulls it all together and gets the win! They stun the 11th ranked Cougars in Dallas with some solid defense. And Chad Morris's offense steps up big time. It was the first SMU win since 1982 over a team ranked 11th or higher (they were actually ranked 4th a the time). SWC Roundup did a TBT to their 1982 matchup (only their eight meeting) and includes a full game clip here. That's Pony Express - so there is a drawback, you have to listen to the words "Craig James" over and over.

Back to SWC Action in Week 8

[Helmet matchup from 1989-90]
SWC action picks back up between UofH and SMU. Obviously Houston has dominated this series in the recent past since theu started playing again in 2005. Tom Herman used SMU as motivation to the UofH donors explaining more money is needed to unless you are satisfied with trying to get to seven wins (and if you were he knew a school in Dallas for you).

SMU Blues

Well, that answers that question... SMU does indeed still have blue jerseys. Regular readers know I am a fan of the SMU blue jersey. Pretty sharp uniform set for the ponies in week 4 with their all blue #DallasStrong tribute. I wouldn't like it full time because SMU is just the quintessential red, white, AND blue team for me. But a solid set that I really enjoyed watching on the field. And the helmet was amazing!

SWC in the SEC

[Helmet matchup from 1964]
Oh hell no, get that crap off the logo! The 2016 Southwest Classic is this year's only SWC matchup for the Aggies and the last one for the Razorbacks. Since the rekindling of the rivalry in 2009, Aggies are up 4-3. Too bad Aggies won't be wearing those 1956 throwbacks for this game - would look really good across the line of scrimmage from Arkansas's old school black shoes.

Friday Night Skillet

[Helmet matchup from 1974-75]
The Battle of the Iron Skillet is in Dallas this year - the 96th one. Four SMU wins peppered over the time since the SWC ended - each one a different SMU coach. Will this be Chad Morris's year? Frog legs anyone? Ouch, not much of a pep talk...

So Disappointed... but I got a lot to say about this!
I had been so looking forward to this Aggie throwback. And here we have it - the 1956 champioship team - the first success that came out of the Junction Boys camp.

Let me tell you a little story, Ags. In 1954 Bear Bryant came to College Station and cleaned house with a 10 day training camp in the worst drought in recorded history. It was brutal - and that year they went 1-9 (worst season of Bear Bryant's 38 year coaching career). It wasn't until 1956 that they saw the fruits of their labor and for the first time since 1922 they beat Texas and took the SWC championship for the first time in 12 years. So, after all is said and done and they don't "want" to play Texas - it is still all about the Longhorns. Back to the uni - the first thing I noticed was the painted perforations on the helmet and that loked really odd because you have this monster facemask of today. Their attempt to subtle that out was to paint two (or one) of the middle bars gray - to mimic an old gray two-bar facemask. Hmmm, works so well that they did not bother to show a side view in the promo photos... We will have to wait and see how that really looks on the field. A far cry from the previous leather helmet throwback! I do commend them on painting the nose bumper to look like it is not there and using vintage helmet maker marks - but really, what else could they do? Oh yea, a vintage looking chin strap... As far as the jersey "ultimately matching the 1956 A&M design", umm, no. Stripes were not up on the shoulder back then. Should have been put on the base layer midway down on the arm. Even though a large chunk of the players would not wear them, the integrity of the uni would shine on the few that did. I see no solid evidence of the 1956 maroon pants stripe in their selective promo photos either (although it appears there might be some maroon down by the left knee). Finally, the patch that claims an undefeated season... well, patially true. They were 9-0-1 with a tie against Houston. I hope they fix that. Or they could change it to say 9-0 in the SWC (since UofH wasn't part of the SWC yet). Update: That was fast! With all due respect, the 1956 uni had zero character. Adidias tried too hard, but all they came up with was a chinstrap really. Major sad face! And why not wear it this weekend against an SWC team?

SMU Helmet Logo for SWC Matchup

SMU's helmet logo for the Week 4 SWC matchup between SMU and TCU will have the Dallas skyline embedded inside the pony in support of first responders and fallen Dallas and SMU Police.

White/White/maroon Never Worn?

Aggies break out a uni combo never worn. Is that right? No maroon pants back in the 70s? At first I thought they wore them in the late 70s before they went back to the maroon helmets - but I have no photographic evidence of it. Hard to believe...

Baylor at "Hostile" Rice

[Helmet matchup from 1994-95]
Waco Tribune says Baylor preparing for hostile environment... before you scream #TribFail or #BaylorFail, anything can happen in the SWC! Any given Saturday! Baylor has a 7 game win streak over the sporradic series that falls back to before SWC football ended in 1995. Last year's victory was by a pretty harsh margin. Will Baylor's slow starts help the Owls pull one out?

SWC Catching On!
I have to admit I am happy to see so many new virtual SWC Rankings tweets, blog posts, and articles! I realize it isn't just because I have been doing this for TWELVE years now - I am a niche, for sure. All the talk of bringing in UofH and SMU into the Big XII has certainly been the reason for the spawn. It is awesome though. Here are a few to follow if you so choose: Ryan Hyatt's Raiderland Week 1 and Week 2, a Baylor guy, and this guy but he includes a bunch of teams that were never in the SWC.

SEC can't spell...

I really, really, really wanted Arkansas to lose this game - but I guess they kind of did! Arkansas with a poorly executed chest wordmark. #SECfail

Unis for 'merica
A flood of stars & stripes decals and camo for what I guess has become the established honor the military/America week of college football. Why? Because of the 9/11 anniversary? 9/11 has nothing to do with military - I guess they can check it off the list and wrap them all up in one convenient little patriotic bow. Rice utilized their basic stars & stripes decal on their navy helmet. Aggies went stars & stripes decal as well on their white helmet - here is why. UofH brought out a whole new concoction with a light blue helmet stripe with white stars along with a chrome stars & stripes decal on their white helmet. And Baylor had a whole military appreciation weekend complete with tanks on campus (always unnerving) while they did the drab gray. By the way: Air Force knows how to really honor the military if you insist on doing it with football uniforms! Absolute beauties!

Finally!
Two SWC matchups today in week 2!

[Helmet matchup from 1979-86]
SMU visits Baylor looking to improve on their impressive performance last year. They have not beat Baylor since 1986 - Winsipedia.

[Helmet matchup from 1993-94]
And Arkansas finally meets TCU for the first time since they left the SWC. Seriously, it has been 25 years since the two have met on the gridiron. A looong streak of Arkansas wins broken up only in 1981 with a close one and in 1990 after Hatfield left Arkansas. Arkansas rallied from an early three touchdown deficit to win the last official SWC game against TCU in 1991. Winsipedia link here. Interview with E.D. Jackson who scored that game winning touchdown regarding the meaning of his last SWC games - "It's just sad knowing the SWC is gone." I hear ya, I hear ya...

One Day to SWC Matchups!
Baylor came in first again last year at 4-1.

Two Days and Counting!
TCU swapped with the Aggies and finished 2nd with 3 wins and 1 loss.

Three Days and Counting!
Texas A&M dropped a spot from the year before by finishing 3rd winning their only SWC matchup.

Four Days and Counting!
UofH finished 4th last year winning its only SWC matchup.

SWC 8-1 first weekend of 2016
All but one of the old Southwest Conference teams won on this first weekend of football for 2016. And all the games were not patsy opponents! Rice is the only school that came away without a win.

Five Days and Counting!
Texas Tech had a massive improvement and finished 5th last year.

Six Days and Counting!
Texas finsihed in 6th just like last year.

Introducing Bevo XV!
Great coloring! But he is a baby - I would be remiss if I did not mention how short this little longhorn's horns are. He is definitely going to grow into a beauty, though! Five facts you need to know about Baby Bevo.

Seven Days and Counting!
Arkansas took a dive this year finishing 7th - must have been the white shoes!

Eight Days and Counting!
Rice hung in 8th place last year.

Nine Days and Counting!
We get two SWC matchups in week 2 of the 2016 season! SMU finished in 9th place last year for the third year in a row.

Band Uniforms
I love these Band Uniform envisioned as a football uni efforts. Although, I really wish they would have mocked up the rear too! Honestly, kind of surprised no school has attempted something like this as a one-off... there have been equally ridiculous themes.
Here is the Big 12.

Well, they got the top 3 right.
An older Big 12 uni ranking from July.

Follow me on Twitter
@SWCfootballNow



COUNTDOWN
To 1st 2016 SWC Game

Ranked by Last Year's SWC Finish

   
   
   

Virtual SWC

2016 SWC Matchups
Baylor - SEP 10 - SMU
TCU - SEP 10 - Arkansas
Rice - SEP 17 - Baylor
SMU - SEP 23 - TCU
A&M - SEP 24 - Arkansas
SMU - OCT 22 - Houston
Texas - OCT 29 - Baylor
TCU - OCT 29 - Tech
Baylor - NOV 5 - TCU
Tech - NOV 5 - Texas
Texas - NOV 25 - TCU
Tech - NOV 25 - Baylor

Virtual SWC Records
1 - Texas A&M - 0
2 - Texas - 1
2 - Tech - 1
3 - TCU - 2
1 - Arkansas - 1
1 - SMU - 2
2 - Baylor - 3
0 - Houston - 1
0 - Rice - 1

Overall Records
9 - Houston - 4*
8 - Texas A&M - 5*
7 - Arkansas - 6*
7 - Baylor - 6*
6 - TCU - 7*
5 - Texas - 7
5 - Tech - 7
5 - SMU - 7
3 - Rice - 9
* Denotes a Bowl Game


In the Wash
Arkansas
Sticking with the "tusks" unis and keeping it simple with 2 jerseys, 2 pants, and 2 helmets. I noticed during the first game the black cleats were back. Perhaps old school will surprise them with the white cleats again for a special game. Or maybe they have to earn them back since they had a terrible year last year. I confess, cleat color is not one of the things I track...

Baylor
I guess they have reached a saturation point... for the moment anyway. Nothing new revcealed so far. I am sure this will change. They let the fans vote for the first game uni - and the fans got it right!

Houston
Back to a classic look! Oh, how I like this trend! No blue, still a stupid bevel logo, but look at those stripes! Most improved for sure. Locker shots for red and white elements. Soooo much better than last year!

Rice
Again, no change. I would have to say this year seems like the fewest updates I can remember. They ended up adding a white helmet last year and they have already worn it this year! Totalled up with 2 jerseys, 2 pants, and 2 helmets. And of course my mainstay - need some stripes on those pants or some gray pants. I have always favored the wide two color stripes on their pants.


SMU
Got my wish from last year - they added back the shoulder stripes. Classic look with 3 jerseys, 2 pants, and the white helmet with stripes. Especially when they wear the blue jersey. I am partial to the gray pants too, since they have the wide stripes - let's hope both stay in the mix! Not sure I like downplayiong the SMU chest mark. Still don't care much for the chromed helmets. SMU should just ALWAYS have stripes on everything they do and avoid chrome.

Texas
Big updates for the Texas unis this year! Just kidding... But they did get new shoes and new gloves. Base unis: it's white-white-white or white-orange-white. That's it! Got it? Perfect. Except maybe for that metallic longhorn on the helmet - but if that keeps the rest simple, I can live with it.

Texas A&M
All quiet over at Kyle Field - well, mostly. There will be some kind of throwback uni that I cannot wait for! Base unis stay the same. Every year I get to keep looking at those 70s shuolder stripes is a blessing.
UPDATE: Week 3 brought us a uni combo the Aggies have NEVER worn. The white helmet and white jersey had never been worn with maroon pants! Even back in the 70s/80s when the Aggies used to wear white helmets (as best I can tell). My database showed maroon pants with a "verify" in 1980. But I was unable to verify with any photo evidence - I think it was a mistake when I colored that one in.


TCU
Again, no preseason hype. Has Nike given up on their old SWC schools? They did add a white matte helmet to the mix. Worn with the stripe at their first game.

Texas Tech
Crickets... complete crickets. Hopefully we get to see those bea-u-ti-ful throwbacks some more and can continue the absence of any ugly Under Armour one-offs!

SWC Football Archives
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014 (In Work)
2015 (In Work)

In Loving Memory
This website is in memory of my father, Bill Freeman, who gave me my passion for the SWC.

2016 Matchup Helmets
All the throwback helmet matchups from the the middle column.

[Helmet matchup from 1979-86]

[Helmet matchup from 1993-94]

[Helmet matchup from 1994-95]

[Helmet matchup from 1974-75]

[Helmet matchup from 1964]

[Helmet matchup from 1989-90]

[Helmet matchup from 1977-80]

[Helmet matchup from 1969-71]

[Helmet matchup from 1966]

[Helmet matchup from 1974]

[Helmet matchup from 1972-78]

[Helmet matchup from 1958-59]


Kudos
08.19.11 - VERY COOL WEBSITE!!! I'm not sure I could put it more succinctly or accurately than that. - Robert D

08.15.11 - Your Southwest Conference web site is absolutely fantastic. - JDD

02.12.11 - Thanks again for putting this website up and keeping the memory alive of the SWC - Walter F.

09.01.10 - You do have a most interesting website - Bob J

11.24.09 - Fantastic website, btw -- I remember the SWC fondly...and sometimes not so fondly ;) -Jason S

11.01.09 - I found your SWC link and forwarded it to 20 friends from the UofArkansas. You have done a wonderful job. Very best regards, Uof A Razorback 66-72 -David E

10.29.09 - I just stumbled across your website... it's great!! -Eric

10.13.08 - Susan, I love your web-site, SWCFootball. -Jay B

09.03.08 - I had to chuckle whena I read that SMU is going back to their "roots" by sporting white helmets. If they truly wished to go back that far, they'd wear all red (leather or plastic). As a native San Antonian, I remember their uniforms from the Doak Walker-Kyle Rote-Pat Knight era: red helmets (no stripes), red jerseys (no stripes), white numerals, and gray pants. No blue at all to be seen. (For what it's worth, in the 1940s I watched many a high school game with Rote and Knight in the backfield for the Jefferson Mustangs.) Much to my father's annoyance, each football season I'd plaster the windows of the family car with those Humble Oil giveaway pennants in SWC team colors. As I recall they were placed on the outside of the windows and made for difficult removal (once the season was over, that chore was mine). Keep up the good work. -Warren Thompson, Lebanon PA

09.03.08 - BTW, Susan, that’s an amazing site on SWC you have. Good work. -Justin in AR (via Uni Watch)

07.04.08 - I love your SWC site. I've put up a season-ending wrap the last two years: the final SWC standings, using Jeff Sagarin's rankings. Hope you'll check it out. Go Owls! -John Cunyus











































































































































































































































































































































































































I WILL BUY YOUR SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE COLLECTIBLES

Mostly Older SWC Gas Station Giveaways
Frosted Pennant Glasses
Humble Oil Metal Pennant Stick Pins
Humble Football Schedule Decals
Humble Football Schedule Gold Colored Coins
Humble String of Felt Pennants
Antique Linen Postcards of Stadiums and Scool Buildings
And Other Unique Items...

 



Susan N. Freeman
susan@southwestconferencefootball.com

LAST UPDATE: 15 AUG 17