Latest Bowl Projections

[HoustonCajun]

_ We stay home again. I knew that already. BOY oh BOY that FIU game. We would be bowling if we wouldn't have collapsed in that game. _

Look at the 6-6 teams that were invited to bowls:

Wyoming - New Mexico Bowl vs. Fresno State
Marshall - Little Ceasars Pizza Bowl vs. Ohio
Texas A&M - Indepdence Bowl bs. Georgia
UCLA - EagleBank Bowl vs. Temple
Minnesota - Insight Bowl vs. Iowa State
Iowa State - Insight Bowl vs. Minnesota
Florida State - Gator Bowl vs. West VA.
Michigan State - Alamo Bowl vs. Texas Tech

Now look at the teams that have been in the Bottom 10 for years that are now winning and going to bowls:

SMU (7-5) - Hawaii Bowl vs. Nevada
Temple (9-3) - EagleBank Bowl vs. UCLA
Idaho (7-5) - Humanitarian Bowl vs. Bowling Green

A 6-6 Louisiana - Lafayette (that is how we are recognized around the country) team that finished 4th in the lowly SBC and lost to two Florida schools with losing records, although FAU actually had a better conference record than UL, and got only 12,000 attendance for its final home game for possible bowl eligibility was extremely unattractive to bowls, who were probably sweating out that possible scenario. I would love to have seen us get an invite, but the reality is what it is. All of the above are why other 6-6 teams were picked over us.

Nobody has been lower in football than SMU (since the death penalty), Temple and Idaho, but they managed to hire the right coaches who turned things around in just a couple of years and took them to bowl games this year, while we sit home yet another year.

I wonder where we would have ended up with a 7-5 record.

[Cajun90]

Nobody has been lower in football than SMU (since the death penalty), Temple and Idaho, but they managed to hire the right coaches who turned things around in just a couple of years and took them to bowl games this year, while we sit home yet another year.

So you think the coaches are fully responsible for all their success? I think we often give coaches too much of the glory and too much of the blame. I guarantee you that SMU's success involved a lot more than just a coaching change.

UL may or may not improve with a coaching change but without other changes to the program I can guarantee you we will never see a level of consistent performance that we all would like to see.

[Cajunsmike]

_ Look at the 6-6 teams that were invited to bowls:

Wyoming - New Mexico Bowl vs. Fresno State
Marshall - Little Ceasars Pizza Bowl vs. Ohio
Texas A&M - Indepdence Bowl bs. Georgia
UCLA - EagleBank Bowl vs. Temple
Minnesota - Insight Bowl vs. Iowa State
Iowa State - Insight Bowl vs. Minnesota
Florida State - Gator Bowl vs. West VA.
Michigan State - Alamo Bowl vs. Texas Tech

Now look at the teams that have been in the Bottom 10 for years that are now winning and going to bowls:

SMU (7-5) - Hawaii Bowl vs. Nevada
Temple (9-3) - EagleBank Bowl vs. UCLA
Idaho (7-5) - Humanitarian Bowl vs. Bowling Green

A 6-6 Louisiana - Lafayette (that is how we are recognized around the country) team that finished 4th in the lowly SBC and lost to two Florida schools with losing records, although FAU actually had a better conference record than UL, and got only 12,000 attendance for its final home game for possible bowl eligibility was extremely unattractive to bowls, who were probably sweating out that possible scenario. I would love to have seen us get an invite, but the reality is what it is. All of the above are why other 6-6 teams were picked over us.

Nobody has been lower in football than SMU (since the death penalty), Temple and Idaho, but they managed to hire the right coaches who turned things around in just a couple of years and took them to bowl games this year, while we sit home yet another year.

I wonder where we would have ended up with a 7-5 record. _

With a 7 and 5 record we would be in a bowl as some of those 6 and 6 teams are from BCS leagues in bowls without tieins. Unless there is a tiein involved, a 7 and 5 must be chosen over a 6 and 6.

[HoustonCajun]

_ With a 7 and 5 record we would be in a bowl as some of those 6 and 6 teams are from BCS leagues in bowls without tieins. Unless there is a tie in involved, a 7 and 5 must be chosen over a 6 and 6. _

Then, we could have replaced any one of those 6-6 teams and played either:

Fresno State - New Mexico Bowl
Ohio - Little Ceasars Pizza Bowl
Georgia - Independence Bowl
Minnesota - Insight Bowl
Iowa State - Insight Bowl
West VA - Gator Bowl
Texas Tech - Alamo Bowl


OR

We could have been paired vs. one of these 7-5 teams:

USM
SMU
Kentucky
Georgia
Bowling Green
Idaho
Oklahoma
Air Force
Tennessee
Auburn
South Florida
Northern Illinois
South Carolina
Arkansas

We'll never know what bowl we might have ended up, although you have to believe it would be one of the lesser bowls, most likely the Little Ceasars Pizza Bowl, New Mexico, GMAC or NO Bowl.

[rhineaux]

_ One drive stood in the way of your scenario for this potential "beatdown" this year, an out of bounds kick, a horse collar, and an instant replay booth that added 1 second back to an expired clock...

Otherwise, the potential was there. The BCS has it's faults, it's likley that any system would, but if you rolled back the clock 20 years, we would have Alabama playing in the Sugar Bowl and Texas would be headed to the Cotton/Fiesta Bowl :-)

And still be asking, after all the games are played, "Who is the best team this year?"

[CajunDreDog]

I wonder where we would have ended up with a 7-5 record.

I think we would have replaced UCLA in the EagleBank.

[UL_Cajuns]

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, the story of a UL Fans Life.

[Big Buds]

_ Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, the story of a UL Fans Life. _

word...

[Rasta]

If if were a fifth................

[CajunProud]

Here's the silver lining. With next years schedule, we won't have to wonder if we will squeak into a bowl becuase we will not even be close. Based on the schedule, I predict 4 wins.

[RaginDave]

_ Here's the silver lining. With next years schedule, we won't have to wonder if we will squeak into a bowl becuase we will not even be close. Based on the schedule, I predict 4 wins. _

Everyone is predicting doom and gloom in 2010, I am not sure why. We still play a SBC schedule that includes potential wins like this year of:

UNT, ASU, WKU and ULM, not to mention a potential win at FIU a team we should have defeated this year. I realize Troy will be reloading, but they do lose Levi Brown and Bear Woods and Boris Lee. Ohio will not be as good as they were this year.

I think potential wins are:
FIU, WKU, UNT, ULM, ASU

Definite loses are:
Troy, Georgia, Miss, OSU

???? are:
FAU, Ohio and Middle

Again, I think all SBC games are potential wins, minus Troy, who is heads and shoulders better then the rest of the conference, but why cry misery, when we have at minimum 6-7 potential wins next year. I don't see why we can't be back in the same position next year.

Do we have a chance to be 9-3, no, do we have a chance to be 7-5, yes.

For all of you doom and gloomers, take it somewhere else, this is still my team, my school and I will always go into every season with optimism that this is the year that we get over the hump.

[checkmate]

_ Then, we could have replaced any one of those 6-6 teams and played either:

Fresno State - New Mexico Bowl
Ohio - Little Ceasars Pizza Bowl
Georgia - Independence Bowl
Minnesota - Insight Bowl
Iowa State - Insight Bowl
West VA - Gator Bowl
Texas Tech - Alamo Bowl


OR

We could have been paired vs. one of these 7-5 teams:

USM
SMU
Kentucky
Georgia
Bowling Green
Idaho
Oklahoma
Air Force
Tennessee
Auburn
South Florida
Northern Illinois
South Carolina
Arkansas

We'll never know what bowl we might have ended up, although you have to believe it would be one of the lesser bowls, most likely the Little Ceasars Pizza Bowl, New Mexico, GMAC or NO Bowl. _

Incorrect. 6-6 teams are obligated to fulfill their conference tie-ins (if available) before any at-large selections are made. At 7-5, our only options would have been EagleBank (assuming Army loses), Little Caesars, or Humanitarian. The Humanitarian Bowl would have had to take Bowling Green to avoid a MAC vs MAC match-up in the Little Caesars Bowl. Then the Little Caesar's Bowl would have been forced to take us as the only available team with a winning record. It would have been UL vs Ohio. The EagleBank would be in the same position waiting for the Army game to play out. If Army loses, they would have had to choose between Marshall and UCLA. My guess is that they would choose Marshall due to proximity, and UCLA, Notre Dame, and ULM would be the only bowl eligible teams sitting at home.