LSU schedules Louisiana

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Games vs. in-state teams come with price
By Greg LaRose - Editorial Opinion
Date: Oct 25, 2001

A move by LSU to schedule games against in-state Division I-A competition would go against the grain of what other schools in the Southeastern Conference are doing. The options are limited in some states inside the league, but most have steered clear of scheduling rent-a-wins from close to home.

athletics director Skip Bertman told the Times-Picayune last week he would prefer to see the LSU football team play at least one of its non-conference games over the next seven years, perhaps beyond, against Division I schools from Louisiana instead of paying schools from out of state to take on the Tigers.

Louisiana, ULM, Louisiana Tech and Tulane would all have to come to Tiger Stadium to play LSU, and one of these schools could fill the void created in the 2002 schedule created when the Tigers backed out of their Oct. 5 date with Central Florida.

"I think it would be very beneficial to everyone if the money we're now sending to places like Utah and Wyoming stays in Louisiana," Bertman told Marty Mule' of the Picayune. "We can help those other Louisiana schools and they can help us."

The help for LSU Bertman is talking about is in terms of attendance. A record 91,782 fans attended the season opener against Tulane, although it must be noted that Tulane failed to sell out its allotment of tickets. Those tickets were returned to LSU, which promptly sold them to Tiger fans eager to see the opening act of the 2001 season.

By comparison, the LSU-Utah State game the following week drew 87,756 - short of a sellout but the fifth largest crowd in Tiger Stadium history at the time.

"That's a lot of empty seats, and a lot of lost money that could be doing a lot of good at Louisiana programs," Bertman said.

A move by LSU to scheduling games against lower-tier, in-state Division I-A competition would go against the grain of what other schools in the Southeastern Conference are doing. The options are limited in some states inside the league, but most have steered clear of scheduling rent-a-wins from close to home.

Florida, while maintaining its rivalry with Florida State and occasionally meeting Miami, has only played Central Florida once in school history (1999) and has never played South Florida.

Mississippi State and Ole Miss have a more formidable in-state I-A foe in Southern Miss, a team that gave many SEC squads all they could handle starting in the late 80's. The Bulldogs stopped playing Southern Miss after 1990 (USM leads series: 14-12-1) and the Rebels haven't met the Golden Eagles since 1984 (Rebels lead series: 18-6-0).

Alabama and Auburn have a fairly well known Division I-A school within easy driving distance -- Alabama-Birmingham. But the Tigers have only faced UAB once (1996) in 109 years of football, and the Crimson Tide has never battled the Blazers. Neither Alabama nor Auburn has ever crossed paths with Troy State, the latest Division I-A entry from the Heart of Dixie.

Georgia faces Georgia Tech on an annual basis and played Division I-AA powerhouse Georgia Southern twice in the last ten years ('92, '00).

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Louisiana Gannett News
Alexandria Town Talk
October 30, 2001

LSU's decision Monday to play Louisiana's other four Division I-A schools was met with universal applause from officials with Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech and Louisiana-Monroe.

While LSU and Tulane have enjoyed a long-running rivalry, it has been more than 60 years since ULL or Tech has met LSU in football.

"It makes perfect sense," UL athletics director Nelson Schexnayder said. "LSU can save money in guarantees and assures that all of their tickets will be sold and used. We will get one of our biggest net guarantees ever since we don't have major travel involved. And our fans benefit, too."

Schexnayder's Cajuns begin the rotation next season on Oct. 5. It will be the first meeting between the two rivals, who are separated by 50 miles on I-10, since 1938. ULL will also play at LSU during the 2006 season.

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LSU to play I-A state schools in football

By SCOTT RABALAIS
Advocate sportswriter Published on 10/30/01

After decades of looking the other way when it came to every in-state opponent except Tulane, LSU has finally decided to play ball with its closest Division I-A neighbors, if not yet its closest rivals.

LSU Athletic Director Skip Bertman announced Monday an unprecedented string of games against in-state football teams. Over the next eight seasons, the Tigers will take on Tulane, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, UL-Monroe and Louisiana Tech on a rotating basis.

The series begins next season when ULL visits Tiger Stadium on Oct. 5. The Ragin' Cajuns will also come to Baton Rouge on Sept. 9, 2006.

LSU also has games with Louisiana Tech in 2003 and 2007, ULM in 2004 and 2008 and Tulane in 2005 and 2009.

"Forty years ago, Adolph Rupp was the basketball coach at Kentucky," Bertman said as he opened LSU's weekly football news conference. "He said there's no reason to play anybody in-state. You have everything to lose and nothing to gain.

"That just isn't true anymore."

All games will be in Baton Rouge except the 2005 LSU-Tulane contest in the Superdome. The games with Tulane were previously scheduled, as was this year's Tigers-Green Wave game on Sept. 1.

LSU and Tulane met almost every year from 1893 until 1996, but the Tigers have not taken the football field against another in-state opponent since Southeastern Louisiana in 1949.

LSU and ULL haven't met in football since 1938. LSU and Tech haven't played since 1941, while LSU and ULM have never played in football.

In more than 30 years at ULL, Athletic Director Nelson Schexnayder said he never thought this day would come until he and LSU began talking this summer.

"My attitude has always been that when it's advantageous for both schools to play we would reach an agreement," Schexnayder said. "We didn't have to go to the legislature to make it work.

"I have tremendous respect for coach Bertman in leading the LSU baseball team and now with the (LSU) athletic department. I'm thankful for his work in this regard."

Louisiana Tech Athletic Director Jim Oakes said he was surprised and pleased when Bertman called him a few weeks ago about the prospect of a football series.

"Skip Bertman deserves a lot of credit for making these games possible," Oakes said. "We're certainly excited to have a chance to play in Tiger Stadium."

ULM Athletic Director Bruce Hanks could not be reached for comment. Bertman said LSU coach Nick Saban and Chancellor Mark Emmert supported the scheduling move.

"I think it's a good business decision for the institution," Saban said. "Maybe at some point in time we won't be able to win one of those games. But to keep the money in-state and help some of those institutions and create interest for our fans, it's all very positive for us."

Each school will receive a $400,000 guarantee to come to Baton Rouge. Under a previous contract, LSU paid Utah State $550,000 for a game here last month.

"ULL will net $395,000 because all they're going to do is take a bus over here," Bertman said. "They're going to net the same amount of money as if they took a plane and went to Florida and got beat."

While LSU will pay out less in guarantees, Bertman also expects the school to make more money. He talked about 3,600 unsold tickets for the Utah State game (paid attendance 87,756) and how he expects these games to fill more seats.

"That's $130,000 (in unsold tickets) because the stadium wasn't filled," Bertman said. "Worse than that, there were less than 80,000 people in the ballpark. Those people who aren't there of course can't help you buy groceries."

Bertman acknowledged that there would be opposition to the plan, but dismissed it in the name of the greater good it would bring to LSU and its sister Louisiana schools.

"No. 1, we are a charity," Bertman said. "There are no tax dollars. We're not the Saints. The state doesn't give us any money. In addition, I think these people will fill the ballpark.

"Second reason, that's what flagship universities do. Flagship schools don't worry about, 'What if we lose?' Flagship schools don't worry about, 'Are we helping the opposition?' Flagship schools stand up and do what they're supposed to do. If somebody else should benefit in the state, one of our opponents, that's good too.

"We have to have a higher plane. We can't not play ULL because we hate them. We can't reach our goals thinking like that. Our goals are focused on us."

LSU had to drop a number of non-conference opponents to fit these games into the schedule. Central Florida was canceled for next year's ULL game, along with future dates with San Jose State, Tulsa, Troy State and New Mexico State, Bertman said.

ULL postponed a game with Oklahoma State to accommodate next year's LSU contest. Schexnayder said current Oklahoma State and former ULL Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips understood the importance of the LSU game to the Cajuns' program and accommodated the request.

There is one stipulation in LSU's contracts with its in-state opponents: They must maintain their Division I-A status or there's no kickoff. The NCAA is considering tougher requirements for I-A membership, which Bertman said would go into effect before the 2006 season.

Currently, ULL, ULM and Tech fall short of one or more of the proposed new I-A criteria. All have said they will take steps to ensure their continued membership.

As for other future scheduling issues, Bertman said it was possible that LSU would one day play ULL, ULM or Tech away from home, particularly at a neutral site like Shreveport. LSU also has home-and-home series scheduled with Virginia Tech (2002 and '04), Arizona (2003 and '06) and Notre Dame (2008 and '09).

Bertman said LSU is negotiating to schedule games with Maryland, North Carolina and Colorado.

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ULL, Tech, ULM welcome LSU''s change in philosophy

LSU's decision Monday to play Louisiana's other four Division I-A schools was met with universal applause from officials with Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech and Louisiana-Monroe.

While LSU and Tulane have enjoyed a long-running rivalry, it has been more than 60 years since ULL or Tech has met LSU in football.

"It makes perfect sense," ULL athletics director Nelson Schexnayder said. "LSU can save money in guarantees and assures that all of their tickets will be sold and used. We will get one of our biggest net guarantees ever since we don't have major travel involved. And our fans benefit, too."

Schexnayder's Cajuns begin the rotation next season on Oct. 5. It will be the first meeting between the two rivals, who are separated by 50 miles on I-10, since 1938. ULL will also play at LSU during the 2006 season.

For Louisiana Tech, the Bulldogs and their fans have longed for a shot at LSU since Gary Crowton installed a wide-open passing attack in the mid-90s that has produced several NCAA records and wins over SEC opponents Mississippi State and Alabama, and close calls against Auburn and Arkansas.

"I think (LSU athletics director) Skip Bertman deserves a lot of credit for what he has done," Tech athletics director Jim Oakes said. "It's a win-win situation for both sides. I applaud him for the change in scheduling philosophy."

Tech has not met LSU on the football field since 1941 and the Tigers have never played ULM.

"Obviously we are excited and appreciative of Skip and Coach (Nick) Saban having an open approach and being willing to do it,'' ULM athletics director Bruce Hanks said. "Both have done it in the past, Skip in baseball and Nick at Michigan State."

ULL coach Jerry Baldwin, who was an assistant on the Tiger staff for six years from 1993-98 before taking over the Cajuns, admitted Monday that he never thought such a game would take place.

"Having been there," he said, "I never thought LSU would play the other state schools. When I was there, it was like it was never even a possibility."

When Bertman was LSU's baseball coach, he regularly played all schools in Louisiana, including NAIA Louisiana College and Loyola University. Now that he's become the Tigers' AD, he is applying the same philosophy to football.

LSU has traditionally played its home non-conference games against teams like Utah State, Idaho and Alabama-Birmingham. But Bertman wanted to bring in the teams closer to home and keep the large guaranteed payouts from heading out of state.

"It means a great deal to the program," ULM coach Bobby Keasler said. "I am excited about playing LSU, a state school, THE state school. ... I think it was a very good gesture on their part to offer us a chance to play and keep the money in the state."

Players at Tech and ULM are also looking forward to walking out onto the Tiger Stadium field.

"I can't wait to go down there," said Tech redshirt freshman defensive lineman Chris Van Hoy. "I've never been down there; they say it's an amazing place to play."

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Town Talk

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It's official: LSU, UL Lafayette to meet in football

LOUISIANA La. - To University of Louisiana athletic director Nelson Schexnayder, it was a no-brainer.

LSU's announcement on Monday of an eight-game football series against the state's four other Division I-A schools, to his thinking, is the ultimate in "win-win" situations.

"It makes perfect sense," Schexnayder said on Monday. "LSU save money in guarantees and assures that all of their tickets will be sold and used. We will get one of our biggest net guarantees ever since we don't have major travel involved. And our fans benefit, too."

LSU athletics director Skip Bertman announced a series that includes two games each with the Ragin' Cajuns, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech and Tulane over the next eight years, with the Cajuns opening that series next Oct. 5 in Tiger Stadium. UL will also travel to meet the Tigers in the 2006 season.

"This is a tremendous benefit for our athletic program, for programs around the state and for all of the state's athletic interests," said Schexnayder. "We get a large payday against one of the top football programs in the country less than an hour away, and get to play in a game that will excite our players, coaches and fans."

Cajun head coach Jerry Baldwin, who was an assistant on the Tiger staff for six years from 1993-98 before taking over the UL post, admitted Monday that he never thought that such a game would ever take place.

"Having been there," he said, "I never thought LSU would play the other state schools. When I was there, it was like it was never even a possibility."

Baldwin said that he felt a lot changed when Bertman took over as athletic director this year, after his legendary run as Tiger baseball coach. Bertman's baseball schedules included several in-state contests both home and away virtually every season, and his teams still managed to win five national championships.

"Give credit to Skip Bertman for doing this," Baldwin said. "That's keeping money in the state, and it shows a lot of caring and concern for the other state institutions. I appreciate it, and I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way."

"Everyone has different opinions about it," Schexnayder said, "but it obviously didn't hurt in baseball. Playing other state teams hasn't hurt in other states where schools have started and maintained playing relationships."

Baldwin, whose squad is on a two-game win streak entering an open date this weekend, said his players had been following reports of the possible series.

"We haven't talked about it officially," he said, "but they've known about it. They'll be excited about it. I don't think we'll be intimidated since we've played at a lot of places over the past few years. I think we'll be motivated ... it'll be like a home game since we'll be sleeping in our own beds the night before.

"And the chance to go there and pull off an upset is exciting."

Schexnayder said that LSU makes available a block of 6,000 to 8,000 tickets to visiting Southeastern Conference schools, and said that he hopes a similar number will be available for UL fans.

"Having those seats for the SEC teams kills them on a season-ticket basis," he said. "We haven't gotten to the point of talking about tickets yet, but we'll take as many as they'll give us and ask for more."

The addition of the two football games - the first meetings between the schools since 1938 - and this year's resumption of men's basketball between the two means that LSU and UL now meet in virtually every intercollegiate sport. Schexnayder said that maintaining that relationship is important for his program.

"We know that in something like this, someone will win and someone will lose," he said. "But the long-range relationship and the impact of doing this will be positive for all concerned."

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