New Orleans Bowl

[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?

[Bigbuf]

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?

I thought you wore thongs!

[Ragin' Realtor]

I just booked at the Hyatt for Friday and Sat night! Celebrate birthday on Fri night, bowl on sat, gonna be a great weekend!

[ULGrad@HOU]

I love you brother, but you are wrong this year. You keep talking about hypothetical "better opponents". We are not set up for a "better opponent" bowl invite. You keep acting like waiting gets you some smorgasbord of choices. That just isn't reality. We have an extremely narrow window of invites. And we have no say-so on opponents. Playing this waiting game is riddled with flaws. Making early bowl commitments massively increases the probability of our fans being able to travel. Setting aside the venue (and you can't name a venue that we're in the running for that's better than NO), this "better opponent" is nonsense. When you start considering bowls that are open to us, due to an unfulfilled commitment by X conference, it means they were picking from the last on that conference's list. That also means the other opponent in that bowl is usually the lowest qualifier in their conference.

You need to stop talking about the hypothetical better bowl opponent matchup. It doesn't work like that. And waiting until the last slots are filled, which is the only other possibility out there that "might" match us up with a so-called "better opponent" is nonsense. You've been given outstanding explanations of why you are incorrect, with certainty, this year.

And quit acting like you're only arguing with people in love with the NO Bowl. Leave that out of the argument. We are talking about the value to us, all the way around, versus the other realistic options. It isn't even in question this year. We have to have a super, out of this world regular season, that just can't be denied by "better bowls" with those nebulous "better opponents" you'd like to see. Quit saying, "but guys... it would be better for our program to play a better opponent, even if there's a cost.". We are past the "cost -fun, easy travel, New Orleans" argument. There are no better opponent bowls for us this year! You don't get to wait and pick when you are us, in the SBC!

I don't mind going against the tide here. I know what I'm saying is right. Maybe I'm not saying it in the right fashion or as eloquent as others like my friend J1M. But there is not doubt in my mind to elevate this UL program to a higher level of recognition, which is what I want (others I don't think so), we must play opponents that have an already established brand name and then beat them. We are not going to do that by beating Sun Belt teams, or CUSA teams. If, and I said it more than once....If there would be an opportunity to play a better opponent, then we MUST look at it and not just have blinders on, accepting a bowl bid as soon as it's given just so we get one, with the fear (yes that's what it is) of not getting to one. Where did I say we would have a smorgasbord of choices? It may be one. Maybe that's all we need. Do I have a specific one? No, we just don't know at this point, and that includes you.
J1M, I did not give any hypotheticals of bowls, I gave a hypothetical of next year's record being 7-0, and people jumping on the NO Bowl train too soon. Again, I said this also, maybe not this year, but I'm trying to generate the notion of considering more than the NO Bowl against a team that has no respect nationally (tulame is not a respectable team VObserver on a national scale, that is just ridiculous). Turbine, 9 is your number for building the brand? Do you really think we are going to win 9 NO Bowls in a row? Where does travel diversity come from? I said nothing about that. The NO Bowl is a great venue for our fans, I love it too. For those that think winning a bunch of NO Bowls is the trick that will get us to national recognition, you are dreaming. Have you even considered, what if we lose to tulame? I know, not probable, but it could happen. Then how does that look to recruits? So many think winning the game get's the recruits, what does losing do? It's more than that. It's about the whole program, not a recruit.
I'm just repeating myself at this point, so I won't continue press the point that there is more than just the NO Bowl (and yes, I am speaking to some that think it is all about going to New Orleans, just having a blast and not thinking about getting this program to a higher level). I won't respond to mis-quotes, I'm done for now on the subject.
Once more, REPEAT: might not be this year, but it's something to think about in the near future.

Geaux UL!

[CrazyCajun]

I don't mind going against the tide here. I know what I'm saying is right. Maybe I'm not saying it in the right fashion or as eloquent as others like my friend J1M. But there is not doubt in my mind to elevate this UL program to a higher level of recognition, which is what I want (others I don't think so), we must play opponents that have an already established brand name and then beat them. We are not going to do that by beating Sun Belt teams, or CUSA teams. If, and I said it more than once....If there would be an opportunity to play a better opponent, then we MUST look at it and not just have blinders on, accepting a bowl bid as soon as it's given just so we get one, with the fear (yes that's what it is) of not getting to one. Where did I say we would have a smorgasbord of choices? It may be one. Maybe that's all we need. Do I have a specific one? No, we just don't know at this point, and that includes you.
J1M, I did not give any hypotheticals of bowls, I gave a hypothetical of next year's record being 7-0, and people jumping on the NO Bowl train too soon. Again, I said this also, maybe not this year, but I'm trying to generate the notion of considering more than the NO Bowl against a team that has no respect nationally (tulame is not a respectable team VObserver on a national scale, that is just ridiculous). Turbine, 9 is your number for building the brand? Do you really think we are going to win 9 NO Bowls in a row? Where does travel diversity come from? I said nothing about that. The NO Bowl is a great venue for our fans, I love it too. For those that think winning a bunch of NO Bowls is the trick that will get us to national recognition, you are dreaming. Have you even considered, what if we lose to tulame? I know, not probable, but it could happen. Then how does that look to recruits? So many think winning the game get's the recruits, what does losing do? It's more than that. It's about the whole program, not a recruit.
I'm just repeating myself at this point, so I won't continue press the point that there is more than just the NO Bowl (and yes, I am speaking to some that think it is all about going to New Orleans, just having a blast and not thinking about getting this program to a higher level). I won't respond to mis-quotes, I'm done for now on the subject.
Once more, REPEAT: might not be this year, but it's something to think about in the near future.

Geaux UL!

We had 2 opportunities to beat better opponents this year... We didn't. We have 2 opportunities next year to beat better opponents... We will have to wait and see on that. Those opportunities are in our control. Waiting for some other bowl to hand us some other opportunity is not gonna happen at this point. You want the opportunity you are talking about? We need to take advantage of our opportunities given to us already, then we will be rewarded with the chance to do what you are seeking.