Louisiana FB program rankings

[DaddyCajun]

If we're ranking programs it would have to be:

LSU
Tulane
La Tech
UL
the rest


If we're ranking the teams for this year:

LSU
UL
La Tech
ULM
Tulane

Wrong answer,
Tulane and Tech may be in bigger conferences but part of the answer has to be Weight rooms, indoor facilities, season ticket sales, etc. Tulane is at a big disadvantage due to the storms, they almost shut them down. Tech is spending a huge amoun of what they get from bown rev, and b-ball rev on TRAVEL not facilities! I see the Cajuns coming around as a team slightly behind Tech and Tulane but are getting the Giant up and starting to make strides with facilities that will make a recruiting difference and monies coming in that will help keep coaches and recruit better athletes and coaches. Lafayette the City has an economy second to none in the state of Louisiana and will continue to ramp up with BIG TECH monies, I-49 development monies, Oil monies, Medical monies, and Retail monies.

The Cajun Train is cranking and will be hard to stop. Grant UL has a ways to go but I feel UL has more potential money, better economy, more people that care about their program the ability to move up into a league with Tulane and Tech joining also.

Ok they are close but UL has the economic edge and fan base!

DaddyCajun

[Cajun Power]

Wrong answer,
Tulane and Tech may be in bigger conferences but part of the answer has to be Weight rooms, indoor facilities, season ticket sales, etc. Tulane is at a big disadvantage due to the storms, they almost shut them down. Tech is spending a huge amoun of what they get from bown rev, and b-ball rev on TRAVEL not facilities! I see the Cajuns coming around as a team slightly behind Tech and Tulane but are getting the Giant up and starting to make strides with facilities that will make a recruiting difference and monies coming in that will help keep coaches and recruit better athletes and coaches. Lafayette the City has an economy second to none in the state of Louisiana and will continue to ramp up with BIG TECH monies, I-49 development monies, Oil monies, Medical monies, and Retail monies.

The Cajun Train is cranking and will be hard to stop. Grant UL has a ways to go but I feel UL has more potential money, better economy, more people that care about their program the ability to move up into a league with Tulane and Tech joining also.

Ok they are close but UL has the economic edge and fan base!

DaddyCajun

Well, I was ranking them historically and not potentially.

Also, as UL fans we have to be realistic. We have more potential than any other school save LSU and God knows we have much more of a thresh hold for improvement than LSU. (LSU can't really get any better facilities-wise, and playing in the SEC can't really hope for much better results. I know most LSU fans want them to win it every year, but the SEC is so tough that is unrealistic. LSU could improve slightly better, but UL can improve exponentially.) If UL doesn't win soon, all of the efforts put toward getting the program going will stall. Lafayette has a lot of advantages, but until we start to win consistently (more than just a Sun-Belt co-championship and no bowl appearance), we can't realistically say that we're even in La. Tech's league.

If you're going to rank the football programs in Louisiana, you have to take in to account that UL has been one of the worst programs in D-1A. The tide is certainly starting to turn, but the Rice Bowl was a long time ago.

I'll stand by my rankings knowing, however, that they are not concrete and that they will hopefully (and, as you said, likely) will change. Lafayette will embrace the Cajuns even more when they start to win and then you will see an irreversable trend towards respectability and success.

[RaginFan2]

... UL has been one of the worst programs in D-1A.

That was only true during that disastrous 1996-2004 period. Prior to '96, we had a number of respectable seasons (to go along with a few less-than-stellar ones). I remember in 1986 we were even getting votes in the Top 25 after a pair of 1 point losses to Oklahoma State and Ole Miss and wins in the previous games. I also attended our first game as a D1-A member (the first year of D1-A) at Rice when Clarence Verdin ran the opening kickoff back about 95 yards for a td. Then we went on to win the game.

[Hatch]

how can you say that since we have not played them? There would only be one way to find out!

I know it's not likely since LA Tech isn't in CUSA, but what do you think a UL-LA Tech New Orleans Bowl would draw?

[UL-Lreality]

Wrong answer,
Tulane and Tech may be in bigger conferences but part of the answer has to be Weight rooms, indoor facilities, season ticket sales, etc. Tulane is at a big disadvantage due to the storms, they almost shut them down. Tech is spending a huge amoun of what they get from bown rev, and b-ball rev on TRAVEL not facilities! I see the Cajuns coming around as a team slightly behind Tech and Tulane but are getting the Giant up and starting to make strides with facilities that will make a recruiting difference and monies coming in that will help keep coaches and recruit better athletes and coaches. Lafayette the City has an economy second to none in the state of Louisiana and will continue to ramp up with BIG TECH monies, I-49 development monies, Oil monies, Medical monies, and Retail monies.

The Cajun Train is cranking and will be hard to stop. Grant UL has a ways to go but I feel UL has more potential money, better economy, more people that care about their program the ability to move up into a league with Tulane and Tech joining also.

Ok they are close but UL has the economic edge and fan base!

DaddyCajun

It will take 5-10 years of winning seasons to get this "giant choo-choo train" cranked up to where people will go to games consistently and buy season tickets. Let's face it, 5-6000 season ticket sales ain't nothing to write home about! Progress is being made, but it will be a very long time before anything major is noticed.

[CDeb]

It will take 5-10 years of winning seasons to get this "giant choo-choo train" cranked up to where people will go to games consistently and buy season tickets. Let's face it, 5-6000 season ticket sales ain't nothing to write home about! Progress is being made, but it will be a very long time before anything major is noticed.

We've got to start somewhere, and we are allowed to be exciting if they are moving the right direction, thank you very much.

[cajunlove]

It will take 5-10 years of winning seasons to get this "giant choo-choo train" cranked up to where people will go to games consistently and buy season tickets. Let's face it, 5-6000 season ticket sales ain't nothing to write home about! Progress is being made, but it will be a very long time before anything major is noticed.

What method did you use to arrive at these conclusons? Specificially, how can you justify your 5-10 year estimation? I suspect that your estimation is derived from your opinion. I further supect that there are no concrete facts to support your opinion. Because an opinion unsupported by fact is worthless, it is no coincidene that the above quoted post, as well as the vast majority of your posts on this board, are worthless.

[TECHnicalDog]

I personally think Tech is heading in a positive direction as well. We need to hold on to Jack Bicknell as long as we can. The last two recruiting classes have been stellar for mid-majors and the interest in the program is growing in North Louisiana.

With that said, we don't have the luxury of drawing from a large city. Shreveport residents are notoriously apathetic toward Tech and will carry LSU on their backs for the most part. That's OK, but Tech needs their support as well to grow.

Having Terry Bradshaw come around and become a beacon for the university is also helping. His name recognition and dedication to Tech in recent years has done nothing but boost the program. By the way, if you guys get up to Ruston when we renew the rivalry, check out the Bradshaw display in the field house at Joe Aillet Stadium. It's pretty cool!

[ShowDog]

I personally think Tech is heading in a positive direction as well. We need to hold on to Jack Bicknell as long as we can. The last two recruiting classes have been stellar for mid-majors and the interest in the program is growing in North Louisiana.

With that said, we don't have the luxury of drawing from a large city. Shreveport residents are notoriously apathetic toward Tech and will carry LSU on their backs for the most part. That's OK, but Tech needs their support as well to grow.

Having Terry Bradshaw come around and become a beacon for the university is also helping. His name recognition and dedication to Tech in recent years has done nothing but boost the program. By the way, if you guys get up to Ruston when we renew the rivalry, check out the Bradshaw display in the field house at Joe Aillet Stadium. It's pretty cool!

Good point about Bradshaw. I hope Jake and Brian are doing as much for UL. If the Lafayette area really got behind UL instead of 3/4 of the people more interested in LS-Who, there would be no stopping UL. As one poster said, Lafayette is the economic wheel in this state and is undoubtedly the best place to live in LA. I know, I travel the whole state and live in BR. No other place is close to having the attributes that Lafayette does. It's obvious with the recent choice for some major companies to have locations there.