A little preseason softball publicity

[SlappyCajun]

Why did he think the committee got our positioning right?

[CrazyCajun]

Scott, though he was the chairman, was one member of the committee. I had questions beyond just how the committee's decisions affected the Cajuns and he was available to answer them.

Why do you have questions? Why do you need answers, things are what they are.

[Turbine]

This schedule is ridiculous.

What I see is a head coach taking matters into his own hands after his AD came back from his Softball Chairman selection duties with a "we know our place" attitude.

[CajunRed]

This schedule is ridiculous.

What I see is a head coach taking matters into his own hands after his AD came back from his Softball Chairman selection duties with a "we know our place" attitude.

Hard to disagree with this. The result of our ridiculous seeding last year causes us now to play an unbelievably difficult schedule, with most of those games on the road. What a shame that such a program had to do this.

[Just1More]

Hard to disagree with this. The result of our ridiculous seeding last year causes us now to play an unbelievably difficult schedule, with most of those games on the road. What a shame that such a program had to do this.

I agree. A program that is exceptional, but exists in stark contrast to the level most of its associate programs (UL athletics and the SBC) is severely handicapped in more way than one. If there's any program that deserves and drastically needs attention paid to improved conference affiliation, it's our ladies softball program.

Although it's unfair to have to do it, I like Mike's decision. Chances are, even if we don't maintain as lopsided of a record, the worst we'll probably do is end up seeded at what we have been getting seeded. But, if things go very well, it could shatter the glass ceiling the college softball world continues to impose on the Cajuns.

[sportsfanatic21]

I agree with this. I think we may be pleasantly surprised (seeding wise) if we go like 36-15 against this schedule rather than 45-6 against what we've been playing.

[Just1More]

I agree with this. I think we may be pleasantly surprised (seeding wise) if we go like 36-15 against this schedule rather than 45-6 against what we've been playing.

Well, we had a tough SOS last year and got screwed. And, we still have our conference games that we get handicapped for. The overreach is to go beyond a great SOS... and add a blistering OOC SOS. And I agree... if we don't get bonus points even with a blistering SOS... it's an extremely sad state of affairs with college athletics. If the Cajuns do well against this schedule, and we get screwed again, Scott better make the 6pm national headline news this go-around. He'll regret returning to Lafayette unless he's proudly displaying a couple of committee member scalps.

[Cajun90]

Well, we had a tough SOS last year and got screwed. And, we still have our conference games that we get handicapped for. The overreach is to go beyond a great SOS... and add a blistering OOC SOS. And I agree... if we don't get bonus points even with a blistering SOS... it's an extremely sad state of affairs with college athletics. If the Cajuns do well against this schedule, and we get screwed again, Scott better make the 6pm national headline news this go-around. He'll regret returning to Lafayette unless he's proudly displaying a couple of committee member scalps.

Just for reference purposes. The Cajuns OOC RPI for last year was ranked 2nd. Hard to improve much on that although this schedule would have the potential to boost our overall RPI value which is what is critical. The SBC was the seventh ranked conference for RPI last year. Not great but in the top half of the country.

Point is that we are limited in what we can control. With a couple of hundred teams playing and only eight #1 seeds it isn't easy to get there.

[Turbine]

UL had the #1 out of conference schedule and RPI in the country last year.

Is this the year RPI rewards road games a bit more? I hope so because otherwise I don't know how this will improve on last years #1 ranking.

edit: 2nd

[lcitsh]

I'm going to try to change a misconception some of you appear to have. Mike doesn't have to play a schedule this tough, he wants to play teams this good all the time. The 2011 schedule was an anomaly, the Cajuns never play teams that bad, it was simply one of those years where those teams had really bad seasons. The Cajuns normally play more than half their non-conference games away from home, for example, the 2010 schedule had us play 9 home non-conference games, 17 neutral and 4 road.

The problem with our post season seeding has never been about our resume. It has always been about the selection committee. It used to be that the committee was made up of people with a vested interest in placating the west coast schools. Now, it's beyond my scope of imagination. About 4 years ago, the committee roster began being filled with people with no ties whatsoever to the west coast schools nor any of the power conferences. And yet, these people still act like the PAC 12, the SEC and the Big 12 are the only programs that matter. Even Michigan, who has won a national championship, still gets treated like a second class citizen.

The unfortunate situation for us will remain. Until the selection committee starts treating all softball programs fairly, our only recourse is to beat every team we play and win a national championship. That's the only way to get the respect this program has earned.