Back in the Wild, Wild West days of the Southwest Conference, when NCAA cops sprung up like speed traps on Highway 6, roles were clear. Basically, SMU boosters, wanting a seat at the adults' table, did whatever it took. Traditional powers, resenting the intrusion, turned in the brazen little interloper.
Next thing you knew, SMU, refusing to go quietly, gave up everyone. A "hit list," is how Bum Bright described it to me.
A Dallas newspaper war also played a prominent role. As a result, SMU took an unprecedented hit, the SWC scattered like teenagers after the lights come on and the NCAA's moral authority was more or less validated.