2010 schedule

[racajun54]

_ That has nothing to do with attitudes! It has to do with MONEY! _

You were the one who said a 1A school doesn't go to a 1AA school to play a football game. Yes it is about money but it is also about one school's attitude toward another. I was just pointing out the LSU's, Auburns, and Floridas have that same attitude toward us. Attitude and money go hand in hand on this issue. I just suggesting if we want to have an almost sure bet sell out 2 yrs out of 3 just play McNeese once every three years at their place. So over say a 10 year period we could have 7 huge gates of say at least 30,000 per game. Can we say that about some of the other teams we could schedule over a 10 year period. What are the odds we could get 7 games with larger/prominent schools at Cajun Field? Pretty high I am sure.

[HoustonCajun]

_ You were the one who said a 1A school doesn't go to a 1AA school to play a football game. Yes it is about money but it is also about one school's attitude toward another. I was just pointing out the LSU's, Auburns, and Floridas have that same attitude toward us. Attitude and money go hand in hand on this issue. I just suggesting if we want to have an almost sure bet sell out 2 yrs out of 3 just play McNeese once every three years at their place. So over say a 10 year period we could have 7 huge gates of say at least 30,000 per game. Can we say that about some of the other teams we could schedule over a 10 year period. What are the odds we could get 7 games with larger/prominent schools at Cajun Field? Pretty high I am sure. _

We play 8 conference games and need to schedule 4 others. Of those 4 outside games, two need to be at home so we have a minimum 6 game home schedule per SBC rules.

We play a couple of so-called body bag games a year:

2009 - LSU, Nebraska
2008 - Illinois, Kansas State
2007 - South Carolina, Tennessee
2006 - LSU, Texas A&M

We then play 2 other teams that are either home & home (FBS/1A) or home only (FCS/1AA):

2009 - Southern, Kansas State
2008 - Kent State, USM (away)
2007 - Ohio, McNeese State
2006 - N Carolina A&T, E. Michigan

Seems to me with all of the talk about schools needing to play more regional games, we should have no problem scheduling teams like Rice, Houston, Memphis, Tulane, USM, & LA Tech for a home and home for at least one of the two slots, if not both. These are all teams we have played home and home with in the past. What good does it do us to play teams like Ohio, E. Michigan, Kent State and N Carolina A&T that bring maybe 100 fans to the game with little to no interest from our fans, hence poor attendance and low gate receipts? That applies to all of the above FCS/1A schools as well. If we can't split home games with some of these regional FCS/1A schools, shame on us. If we have to go 2 and 1, there are enough schools to keep a rotation going to have at least one home game a year, not to mention the recruiting benefits from exposure in cities like Houston and New Orleans. Heck, we are able to schedule Kansas State and Oklahoma State at home. Surely, we can once again get schools like Rice and Houston here. Look at the attendance we brought to Houston last time we played. Schools want to play teams that bring fans and help fill the stadium. We do that. If we can't fill both slots with these schools, schedule one of the slots with a FBS/1AA school from Louisiana on a rotating basis, i.e. McNeese State, Northwestern State, Nichols State, Southeastern, Southern or Grambling. That will guarantee fan interest with greater attendance and revenue and keep the money in Louisiana. Then we still keep the body bag games with the huge guarantees and hope for an upset from time to time.

[Hammer58]

_ Attitudes do matter sir. Why do you think so few larger 1A schools have come to Cajun Field. Has LSU, Florida, Auburn, to name just a few of the larger schools we have played? No they have not. They have no interest in coming to Lafayette to play a game. So in my opinion they have a similar attitude toward coming here as we do to going to a 1AA school. I completely agree with you about having the courage to take on any 1AA school. We should be about to beat them 90% of the time. What was it 10 or so years ago we played North Alabama a Division II school and they beat us. Granted they were the Div II National Champions but gee wheez we should have beaten them. If we are going to play 1AA teams I say make it the Cowboys. At least its a great draw and they are one of the quality 1AA teams in the nation. If only The Cajuns has been as successful on the football field as McNeese has been. We would have been to several bowl games over the years. _

Since you are so passionate about proper names its LSUA&MC.

[Hammer58]

_ You were the one who said a 1A school doesn't go to a 1AA school to play a football game. Yes it is about money but it is also about one school's attitude toward another. I was just pointing out the LSU's, Auburns, and Floridas have that same attitude toward us. Attitude and money go hand in hand on this issue. I just suggesting if we want to have an almost sure bet sell out 2 yrs out of 3 just play McNeese once every three years at their place. So over say a 10 year period we could have 7 huge gates of say at least 30,000 per game. Can we say that about some of the other teams we could schedule over a 10 year period. What are the odds we could get 7 games with larger/prominent schools at Cajun Field? Pretty high I am sure. _

That crowd was as large as it was due to the unique nature of the game resuming after deacades of not playing. Go back and look at the crowds when these teams played ona regular basis and they are not that large.

All of your arguments have been made by your mcneese pals and disputed on this board before. I guess this is just the price we pay for the summer doledrums.

[Hammer58]

_ Hammer, racajun54 is breaking out the old // so he can use the double LL!!!

Uh ooooohhhhh!

Z _

Yea, next it will morph into the glory days of the GSC and the SLC then onto the "lets play 'em every year" thread. Can a "go back to the SLC" be far behind?

[Just1More]

_ Attitudes do matter sir. Why do you think so few larger 1A schools have come to Cajun Field. Has LSU, Florida, Auburn, to name just a few of the larger schools we have played? No they have not. They have no interest in coming to Lafayette to play a game. So in my opinion they have a similar attitude toward coming here as we do to going to a 1AA school. I completely agree with you about having the courage to take on any 1AA school. We should be about to beat them 90% of the time. What was it 10 or so years ago we played North Alabama a Division II school and they beat us. Granted they were the Div II National Champions but gee wheez we should have beaten them. If we are going to play 1AA teams I say make it the Cowboys. At least its a great draw and they are one of the quality 1AA teams in the nation. If only The Cajuns has been as successful on the football field as McNeese has been. We would have been to several bowl games over the years. _

As was stated, attitudes have nothing to do with the schools you mentioned not coming to Cajun Field. It is about the money. The very largest football programs, including those you described, gather a buttload of money each and every game. They pay out more to mid majors for visiting than the mid majors can make at their own home game. BCS schools are not looking, nor should they, for home and away opportunities with teams ranked below 80. The teams needing money are soliciting these OOC giants and the giants are only complying because that kind of money is no big deal to them, they need schedule plugs, and they like tagging an automatic W on their wall.

McNeese has been successful in D1AA and is a benefactor of easier transfer and admissions rules. That isn't the whole deal, but it is the biggest part of it. When a D1A school finds itself in the cellar of its division, it will easily be challenged by the better D1AA schools. It isn't a matter of talking about how competitive we are... it is a matter of making sure we are not vulnerable to a FCS school matchup. That is our problem and our problem alone to resolve. I do not "mind" scheduling McNeese or Southern at home... for the reasons mentioned. But, there is no "throwing either a bone" for anything.

There are some valid arguments against scheduling games with FCS schools... but "away games" with them... absolutely never... the AD should be fired if it is allowed.

[racajun54]

_ That crowd was as large as it was due to the unique nature of the game resuming after deacades of not playing. Go back and look at the crowds when these teams played ona regular basis and they are not that large.

All of your arguments have been made by your mcneese pals and disputed on this board before. I guess this is just the price we pay for the summer doledrums. _

I was at most of those games in the 60's thru what the early 80's and the main reason they got small was because McNeese kept beating us and the Bulldog/Ragin Cajun fans stopped coming. At one point if my memory serves me they beat or tied us 9 or 10 years in a row. That happened mostly in the 70's and early 80's. In the 60's we would win some then they would some and this kept the crowds up. The last McNeese/USL, (yes it was still USL then so don't censor me), at Cajun Field before the 2007 game there were probably 2 to 3 times more Cowboy fans there than USL fans. In fact many people from Lake Charles were sold seats that should have been USL season ticket holder tickets but were never sold that year. They sent these to McNeese who sold them for the game. The good thing for us is we beat them and they probably had the better team. I think now it would be more like the 60's when we would win 2 or 3 in a row then they would win 2 or 3 in row. That is what keeps up the interest.

[racajun54]

_ As was stated, attitudes have nothing to do with the schools you mentioned not coming to Cajun Field. It is about the money. The very largest football programs, including those you described, gather a buttload of money each and every game. They pay out more to mid majors for visiting than the mid majors can make at their own home game. BCS schools are not looking, nor should they, for home and away opportunities with teams ranked below 80. The teams needing money are soliciting these OOC giants and the giants are only complying because that kind of money is no big deal to them, they need schedule plugs, and they like tagging an automatic W on their wall.

McNeese has been successful in D1AA and is a benefactor of easier transfer and admissions rules. That isn't the whole deal, but it is the biggest part of it. When a D1A school finds itself in the cellar of its division, it will easily be challenged by the better D1AA schools. It isn't a matter of talking about how competitive we are... it is a matter of making sure we are not vulnerable to a FCS school matchup. That is our problem and our problem alone to resolve. I do not "mind" scheduling McNeese or Southern at home... for the reasons mentioned. But, there is no "throwing either a bone" for anything.

There are some valid arguments against scheduling games with FCS schools... but "away games" with them... absolutely never... the AD should be fired if it is allowed. _

I would agree McNeese has somewhat easier admission rules but they generally do not get lot of tranfers from the 1A level. Some years they do like this season they have about 5 or 6 which is the most I have seen in a number of years. They tend to recruit for the most part some of the same players we do then redshirt them. In fact living in LC for 32 years now I have gone to a lot of games and known some of the players. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of 1A transfers they gotten that made what I would call a major impact on the program. For the most part their success has been from their own recruits.

[DestinCajun]

_ Since you are so passionate about proper names its LSUA&MC. _

Interesting name history....

Hammer, did you know that before it changed its name to BBU, McNeese State was first named "Lake Charles Junior College" and then "John McNeese Junior College".

[racajun54]

_ Since you are so passionate about proper names its LSUA&MC. _

I never said I was passionate its what I chose to do. You want to call LSUA&MC that is your choice and I don't have a problem with it. I just hope you don't use that term in face to face conversions with people they probably think what the h_ll are you talking about. I tend to use USL because that was the name when I graduated but I do use UL//L. I still call ULM Northeast cause that is what they were called when I grew up. I know an old man who graduated from what was then SLI and he still calls us that.