What IF....

[anhil8tor]

What if last year was UL paying their dues?

What if we perform better than expected with no injuries this year?

What happens if our schedule shakes out like this:
Sat, Sep 05 Southern Cajun Field 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Sep 12 Kansas State Cajun Field 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Sep 19 Louisiana State at Baton Rouge, La. 7:00 p.m.
Sat, Sep 26 Nebraska at Lincoln, Neb. 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Oct 10 North Texas * Cajun Field 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Oct 24 Florida Atlantic * Cajun Field 4:00 p.m.
Sat, Oct 31 FIU * at Miami, Fla. 11:00 a.m.
Sat, Nov 07 Arkansas State at Jonesboro, Ark. TBA
Sat, Nov 14 Middle Tennessee * at Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Sat, Nov 21 ULM * Cajun Field 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Nov 28 Troy * Cajun Field 6:00 p.m.

We win 7. What do you guys want to do with Bustle then? It isn't that unlikely to happen. Maybe its time for us to get some breaks....

[apb]

I'll believe it when I see it. We have been saying What If for more than 10 years now and it is time to put up or shut up. This new administration better make progress and fast, or they will lose what remaining fans they have left.

[zephyr]

It's actually a really easy question. To get 7 wins and go bowling for the first time since the 60's and people would actually question whether to keep the coach? I believe that we'd have to keep him even if we went with 4 wins. Why? Because with the current state of our athletic budget (Which by the way has nothing to do with our administration and their control) we wouldn't have enough money to go out and hire a well qualified and worthy coach to take us to that next level while still having to pay a buyout to Bustle which would then put a huge crimp in all of our renovation plans to other sport facilities. It won't happen. The bottom line is we've seen improvement with him the past 8 years albeit slower than many would like. I'd venture to bet that if we had a budget along the lines of FAU, we'd see even better success.

[wcd35]

We win 7. What do you guys want to do with Bustle then? It isn't that unlikely to happen. Maybe its time for us to get some breaks.... _

Yea, I'm not sure I fully understand the question. If you are considering that we should debate firing Bustle if we win 7 games, then you fell on you're head. Now if you say we win 5 games, then I can see a debate.

[KACajun]

_ What if last year was UL paying their dues?

What if we perform better than expected with no injuries this year?

What happens if our schedule shakes out like this:
Sat, Sep 05 Southern Cajun Field 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Sep 12 Kansas State Cajun Field 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Sep 19 Louisiana State at Baton Rouge, La. 7:00 p.m.
Sat, Sep 26 Nebraska at Lincoln, Neb. 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Oct 10 North Texas * Cajun Field 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Oct 24 Florida Atlantic * Cajun Field 4:00 p.m.
Sat, Oct 31 FIU * at Miami, Fla. 11:00 a.m.
Sat, Nov 07 Arkansas State at Jonesboro, Ark. TBA
Sat, Nov 14 Middle Tennessee * at Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Sat, Nov 21 ULM * Cajun Field 6:00 p.m.
Sat, Nov 28 Troy * Cajun Field 6:00 p.m.

We win 7. What do you guys want to do with Bustle then? It isn't that unlikely to happen. Maybe its time for us to get some breaks.... _

If he wins 7 games this year then he should be the Sunbelt’s coach of the year. I don’t see it happing but you never know.

[zephyr]

_ If he wins 7 games this year then he should be the Sunbelt’s coach of the year. I don’t see it happing but you never know. _

If the schedule played out like that, you'd be correct, he'd have to be hands down the coach of the year.

[dperrin]

And you are forgetting about Western Kentucky which would give us 8 wins

[ULtimateCajun]

I've gotten jazzed up and believed in the hype of Cajun football way too many times. I'm not going to do it anymore. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Something always happens to prevent Cajun football from winning. Phantom calls, injuries, underachieving, etc.... I'm not buying into the BS anymore. I'll go to the games, cheer like hell and hope we win.

Also, lets not forget that last year was a perfect storm of sorts for us to be bowl eligible. I don't know if we'll get that "lucky" again. Sorry to be a downer. I have all the hope in the world but i'm being realistic too.

[Rebel02]

_ I've gotten jazzed up and believed in the hype of Cajun football way too many times. I'm not going to do it anymore. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Something always happens to prevent Cajun football from winning. Phantom calls, injuries, underachieving, etc.... I'm not buying into the BS anymore. I'll go to the games, cheer like hell and hope we win.

Also, lets not forget that last year was a perfect storm of sorts for us to be bowl eligible. I don't know if we'll get that "lucky" again. Sorry to be a downer. I have all the hope in the world but i'm being realistic too. _

+1

[Spydaman70507]

It seems like we are never going to turn the corner. We are getting there but our tires are just staying stuck in the mud. Maybe its time for a change at the HC postion (but lets see how this season plays out). We can't keep saying wait until next year. I know some people will defend the coach just look at his record 6-6 is the best we can do. Wasn't he a ST coach at Va Tech? Just like everyone I have faith in our team but man it seems like every school is starting to come up & even schools that just starting a football program they are getting great coaches & past us up. Just Look WTF La Tex is doing even NW State. Prospects are starting to take notice @ these programs even Tulsa is Dipping in to our back yard. So lets stop blaming Jerry Baldwin hes been gone for almost 8 yrs now. We need to market better we need to let everyone know that this school is not a softball school dat we do have other teams. Last but not least win back you Alumni. Hell If I was the coach I would have hired Brian Mitchell to be a RB coach & take him to all the recruits house with me. To tell them he went here & made it to the NFL so why can't you? I been saying we need a cajun tour.

[CajunZ1]

_ Hell If I was the coach I would have hired Brian Mitchell to be a RB coach & take him to all the recruits house with me.

I bet Mitchell is above our pay grade.

[rhineaux]

The bottom line is we've seen improvement with him the past 8 years albeit slower than many would like. I'd venture to bet that if we had a budget along the lines of FAU, we'd see even better success. _

It's slower than everyone would like because it is not there. Reaching 6 wins in 2005 and not getting past that mark for the next 3 seasons (including 3 wins and a loss to a D-1AA in 2007) is not improving...it's being stagnant...and if it happens again this year, one could argue that it's more like moving in reverse.

That's why the line between 6 & 7 wins is so important this year. Everyone knows that Bustle has the ability to win 6 games. It's been done to death. But, he's never shown that he can take the next step. If he plans to be the Head Coach at this, or any other university, then he had better show that he has the ability to get beyond mediocrity, and it needs to happen this season.