CBS Sports ranks Cajuns as 34th-best college sports program in 2013-14

[CrazyCajun]

cajun T....I don't know if this is private stuff that you don't want mentioned....but if it isn't
Would you explain the recruiting wars and conference affiliation ...... I don't mention UL but maybe you can relate some instances......thank you!!!

Why not talk about the battles we win against a P5's? Why not talk about the battles we win against those schools? Why not talk about the battles we have won against other G5's in "better" conferences? Or you could continually concentrate on the handfull of ones we lost to those schools.

[ulXrunner]

We may not be losing recruits to LaTech and Tulane, but would have to think we are losing recruits to other schools that could help us further our on the field performances and keep us ahead of them two schools in competition. Sunbelt has to have some negative affect on us.

[CrazyCajun]

We may not be losing recruits to LaTech and Tulane, but would have to think we are losing recruits to other schools that could help us further our on the field performances and keep us ahead of them two schools in competition. Sunbelt has to have some negative affect on us.

I'm sure it does, but it's obviously not the end of the world. Conference affiliation is not the only thing that determines where kids go to school.

[Policarp]

The day we are not in the Sunbelt will be a FREAKING GREAT DAY.

[ulXrunner]

I'm sure it does, but it's obviously not the end of the world. Conference affiliation is not the only thing that determines where kids go to school.

I agree.

[CajunRage]

I agree.

Just food for thought. We are still losing 2 sunbelt games a year. Would we have struggled to keep it to 2 losses in CUSA (other than last year because we were the better football conference)? Would the new fans who came because we were winning still have come if we were mediocre in CUSA? Would we have been bowl eligible 3 straight years in CUSA? Had we been eligible, would we have gone to the Nola bowl 3 straight years and displayed what kind of fanbase we potentially have? The grass isn't always greener. I'm not saying it was the right decision or it wasn't a screwup to be unprepared for conference realignment, but it may have been a lucky misstep for us.

[ulXrunner]

You ask valid questions. I can't deny our success in wins and losses as a whole can be contributed to Sunbelt play. Most of those questions can't be answered, just proud it happen either way.
Moving forward, we have to get out of Sunbelt.

[CajunRage]

You ask valid questions. I can't deny our success in wins and losses as a whole can be contributed to Sunbelt play. Most of those questions can't be answered, just proud it happen either way.
Moving forward, we have to get out of Sunbelt.

Agreed that we need out of the Sunbelt, but it may have been a blessing in disguise giving us the opportunity to set the foundation on everything and win at the same time.

[CajunAmos]

I don't know that CUSA was better than the Sun Belt the last couple of years.

[CajunT]

Just food for thought. We are still losing 2 sunbelt games a year. Would we have struggled to keep it to 2 losses in CUSA (other than last year because we were the better football conference)? Would the new fans who came because we were winning still have come if we were mediocre in CUSA? Would we have been bowl eligible 3 straight years in CUSA? Had we been eligible, would we have gone to the Nola bowl 3 straight years and displayed what kind of fanbase we potentially have? The grass isn't always greener. I'm not saying it was the right decision or it wasn't a screwup to be unprepared for conference realignment, but it may have been a lucky misstep for us.

You can ask the question in another way and get a different answer. Would more fans come out to Cajun Field to watch UL play Rice, Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech or App. State, Georgia State or Georgia Southern since we are winning now? My answer would be yes because these were the programs we were playing in the late 80’s to early 90’s and left us behind. And while both Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss have fallen on hard times, it wasn’t long ago Southern Miss played in their 15th straight bowl game and Louisiana Tech was celebrating an outstanding season before ending it with the bowl debacle. And Rice has been bowling the last few years. You see, I have no problem playing Ark. State, Troy, Texas State and even ULM at times, I can’t get excited about playing the rest. We may come out lucky in our current scenario as you have stated, but it will be more blind luck than anything else. While CUSA has been down the past few seasons with its own departures and FCS transition programs, they will conceivably finish ahead of the Sun Belt for the next two seasons as the pendulum will swing back in their favor.