UL vs USM ( Comparison )

[GoGold]

_ First, let me apologize for some of my Cajun comrades here. There very nice people (usually), but I hope you can understand that beneath their anger is an intense desire to play USM regularly. And I hope you take that as a compliment.

Correction: we are not over 17K. We're between 16K and 17K. I think we've only broken 17K once. But enrollments, after our second wave of selective admissions standards, are once again climbing.

As for USM being Tier 3... that just happened in the last year or so, didn't it? Just curious. We're both Doc II's under SREB, as are Ole Miss, Louisville, Ga Tech and others.

One thing I would urge you guys to consider in your discussions (as if our respective administrations ever listen to anything we have to say... LOL), is our demographics. Lafayette is just over 200K, nothing to brag about.

But at a 30 mile radius, it's over 600K. There are lots of small and medium-sized cities in the region. And the Lake Charles-N.O. corridor has over 3M people.

And we have lots of N.O. alums. Because of cultural affinities, we actually have a lot more alums in N.O. than in B.R. So both of our schools have lots and lots of alums in N.O.

Now here's something I would offer for your consideration: rivals boost attendance and donations... all year long, for all games. Rivals boost enthusiasm year-round. Years ago when we were in the small college division, playing KSU in basketball in Lafayette, during a lull our fans started yelling "Go to Hëll McNeese, Go to Hëll!"

Think about that: we're hosting a Big 8 team, and our fans are preoccupied with the regional school down the road.

Of course, McNeese was smaller and academically weaker than we were then, and the gap has steadily spread. Tech got too big for their own britches, and we don't see them very often. So one of UL's big problems is that we don't have an intense rivalry. From some of your comments here, you have sort of a rivalry with Memphis, but not the intensity you had with Louisville.

IMHO, rivalries flourish when alumni interact. With only a few exceptions, rivalries work when alums live in the same cities. Texas & OU alums exchange barbs in Dallas, Michigan & OSU alums argue in large cities throughout the Midwest, UF/FSU/Miami go at it all over the state, etc. One of LSBR's problems with their "rivalry" with Arkansas, is that their alums don't interact, so the rivalry has never really taken off.

If my thesis has merit, with the many alums UL has in Houston and in N.O., I think Houston and USM are natural rivals for us. I think we would all see more attendance, enrollments and donations if we played regularly.

And UL brings good crowds to both schools. Houston was nicely impressed two years ago with our football following, and your fans were impressed with our baseball crowd later that academic year. We think you will be pleasantly surprised with our attendance Saturday... if the hurricane doesn't muck it up.

I understand your financial constraints. And we certainly don't expect you to take a hit to back us.

I guess the point of all this is to ask you and your supporters to simply keep an open mind. In many ways, we don't match up with USM. But in some ways that you may not be aware of, we are equals, maybe a tad better.

So don't let the people here get to you. Underneath the irritation is an intense respect for USM and what you have accomplished. _

I think our AD has already took notice of UofLA. Like I said before, its not every year we get a crowd like you guys are bringing. And this coming off a disappointing season for you guys. Lets look again, Nebraska 2003, Jackson State 2002, MS State 1989 and Tulane 1999. Again we take great crowds to Memphis, Birmingham and New Orleans for Sat games, and get NOTHING in return. To me its a no brainer because look at it this way, had we opened with you guys last year in place of Tenn Martin, its a sell out.

To answer your other question, yes we just moved to Tier 3. We are a few years removed from academic probation. Granted it was over a paperwork issue, but still you are only as strong as your leadership. Thankfully, that leadership has been removed.

[GoGold]

_ You also forget that we are competing against LSU, Tulane, La Tech, ULM, Southeastern, Nichols, McNeese, and Northwestern St. for students. You guys only have MSU and Ole Miss. _

Well its not quite that easy, we have Mississippi Valley, Jackson State and Alcorn State too. We also have one of the best JUCO's systems in the nation along with Texas, or at least thats what I've read, not a scholar on the subject. But I did hear it mentioned last night during the MT/Troy game about how many players were on both teams from Mississippi JUCO's. We have three of those within a thirty minute drive of our campus and another two within an hour.
Now thats not to say I don't realize the difference between a Ole Miss and a LSU or a Alcorn and a Tech. There is no question more competion in Louisiana for college football fans.

[GoGold]

_ having been in both south louisiana and mississippi for many years now and spending time in both, this is my observations.

Lafayette is a growing vibrant city that has tons to offer anyone
Hattiesburg is a bump in the middle of nowhere that has had growth in the past few years because some guttless individuals left the coast after Katrina. - it is and has been a nowhere town forever with the only real thing going for it is a basically commuter college that is fourth choice for most people in the state. - behind miss state, ole miss and lsu _

Gut'less??? How about homeless and jobless? Shocking statement coming from someone from Louisiana. Ever consider becoming a Tech fan? You seem much better suited for it.

With the exceptions of the northwest and northeast I have lived in every part of this country and spent three years aboard. If Hattiesburg only has one thing going for it, it would be its people. There are none better.