New Orleans Bowl

[SlickRick]

I'm on the NOLA bowl side for all the arguments already made. But I ask those on the other side, though it seems to be only 1 or 2 at this stage of the debate, to consider this. WINNING is the only reason we are getting bowl invites. We've only been winning enough games in the modern era of bowl invites to get into 2 of them. So, we have a very long way to go before we can lay in the weeds waiting for the elusive "better bowl/better opponent".

Now back to my main point....WINNING. Winning is about getting the best athletes and having a good coaching staff. I think we have a pretty good staff at this time! So, getting better athletes is priority 1. In case you haven't noticed, our state is chock full of good athletes and we ARE NOT getting our fair share of them. We are getting better, but could improve significantly in this regard. The NOLA area is one of the nation's hotbeds for top flight recruits. That's why a Texas or Arizona would be willing to come to the Dome and play us...to help their recruiting in the NOLA area. Beating Tulane in their "home stadium" with 2 to 3 times as many fans in attendance as they would have would, IMO, do wonders for our recruiting efforts there and along the river parishes.

Winning is the most important factor in getting where we want to go, and winning is easier if you have better athletes.

[RedBug58]

Just booked the Astor Crowne Plaza on Canal for $89. I got the New Orlean's Bowl discount.

Just booked 5 rooms at the Royal Sonesta on Bourbon. These rooms are usually $249+, but if you mention that you want the NO Bowl rate it's $119!!! They said that the calls were very "Brisk" today and they were now close to being booked! This is a 5 Star Hotel on Bourbon!!

[Square Head]

Got my room booked at the Hyatt on Loyola at the NO Bowl rate. Didn't want to park at the Dome.

Hey Red Bug, 5 rooms? The family is really growing!

[douglas]

just booked the hyatt myself currently at 119 a night

[Zeebart21]

Myself, Hammer, wives, chirrens...4 rooms at the Hyatt. Screw the NO Bowl rate, ask them for the Zeebart rate.

Z

[BananaHammock]

I'm only going to say this once, then accept the ridicule that I will receive from some of you. Let's look at the likely scenario for THIS season. We finish 10-2 and either unranked or ranked 24-25. Assuming we have not already accepted the NO Bowl, our choices would be NO on a Saturday night in late December, indoors against an eminently beatable CUSA team with a respectable record of 8-4 or 9-3, in front of 50-60000 fans, 85% of which are Cajun fans... OR ... in early January, outdoors against a very good and very ____ed off 13-0 NIU team which will be ranked around 15th, but shut out of a BCS bowl because Fresno was ranked 14th, in front of maybe 35K fans, of which about 70% will be Cajun fans.

This choice is a no-brainer. We go to New Orleans, because it is better to WIN a bowl against a respectable team than it is to possibly lose one to an excellent one who is not perceived as much better than we are. Recruiting is MUCH better when our coaches can say: We have WON three straight bowl games and our Conference Championship, rather than: We have BEEN to three straight bowl games and won our Conference Championship.

The only time another bowl would be more attractive than NOLA [this year] is if we could be matched up in Houston, indoors, against a ranked 9-3 Big XII or Big X team.

If we run the table and finish 10-2 we will not be ranked. Why should we? Our strength of schedule is awful, we should be able to beat all of these teams regardless.

I think there are too many people on here who think we are way ahead of where we actually are. We haven't beat a big school in quite some time much less on a regular basis. Sure, we almost pulled a rabbit out of the hat at Florida but got manhandled by 2 big programs in a down year. We just need to keep winning and work our way up to another conference before we can talk about being ranked. Beating teams ranked in the Top 50 and above will do that not beating teams ranked below 80.

[VObserver]

I'm not gonna argue about the money that can be made in the New Orleans bowl, but I do remember a situation a few years ago where Boise and TCU were worked into a bowl game due to the match up by ESPN. If I remember correctly, ESPN sweetened the pot to make that a reality because they prefer better matchups. I'm not saying for sure, but I could see them doing something similar with NIU this year. NIU was a BCS buster last year, and are looking strong at going 13-0 this year, but might not make a BCS game because of how well Fresno St. has been playing. If Fresno steals that BCS bid and NIU ends up in GoDaddy, I could see ESPN sweetening the pot so they get a top 25 NIU vs a close to top 25 Cajuns team, and both being conference champions. Me personally, I'd prefer to play NIU in a bowl game then Tulane or any CUSA team frankly. It is also possible that I could see ESPN wheeling a deal to put NIU in the NO bowl as well. Still a lot of football to be played, but I have zero doubt that we'll be bowling this year.

That was a BCS game. Both Boise and TCU busted that year.

[moorecajun]

Sure espn, we will play niu for you... At the New Orleans bowl, and you never mention the f'n word Lafayette again unless you are explaining where we are located.

There you go!

[CajunZ1]

Please don't put us playing against North Texas...

Tulane would be fun. Big crowd, and a chance to win some recruiting battles against a much improved team.

Tulane kind of reminds me of our 2011 team when Hud first started here, in that they were so abysmal last year, and now things are coming together in a major way.

[Just1More]

Myself, Hammer, wives, chirrens...4 rooms at the Hyatt. Screw the NO Bowl rate, ask them for the Zeebart rate.

Z

Z, I told them I wanted the "Zeebart rate" and they told me they don't rent by the hour to male prostitutes. What's up with that?