How SMU broke from its scandal-stained past to become a 'new sheriff' in college football

After thirty years of mediocrity, oil and gas billionaire Bill Armstrong is leading SMU football's effort to move past its scandal-stained history. The program's long-term decline was triggered by the 1987 death penalty imposed by the NCAA for illegally paying players. Armstrong aims to break this cycle of failure, positioning the university as a new power in college football and distancing the team from the catalyst that caused its generation-long downward trajectory in the sport.