Why I think money games are a dead end proposition.

[Oiler]

_ The problem with your statement is that money games are guaranteed and this great supplemental financing that we all "hope" will occur when we decide to schedule differently and generate more private funding dollars is anything BUT guaranteed. _

I'd like to know if there is any kind of strategy in place that will lead to consistent winning seasons with bowl invitations. A strategy that, if it works, will eliminate the need to play money games to balance the budget. The current strategy is obviously not working. We all know that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

[zephyr]

_ I'd like to know if there is any kind of strategy in place that will lead to consistent winning seasons with bowl invitations. A strategy that, if it works, will eliminate the need to play money games to balance the budget. The current strategy is obviously not working. We all know that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. _

"Strategy"? I think if it was as simple as you indicate, someone would have come up with the answer by now. If it was that easy, don't you think most mid-majors and especially SBC teams would eliminate or reduce the number of money games they play? The truth is, our conference houses the school's with, by far, the worst athletic budgets in the country and there has to be a way to supplement that discrepancy if you want to compete. How do you propose we make up the huge sums that these schools pay us to play with games against MAC and MWC schools? This year is certainly no easy task with essentially 3 money games even though one is at home which we are likely to not see a big profit from once we pay them to play. On many years, we have 2 tough money games and 2 "winnable" OOC games. Also, people keep bringing up the conference wins and losses. Isn't this a bigger indicator of success, for us, right now than overall wins. Troy played a tough OOC schedule this year but still ended up with 9 wins. Troy has played brutal OOC schedules each of the past several years but still ended up with winning seasons. We have to win our conference. Believe it or not, a 7 win season is very doable this year. We have to beat Ohio and then win 6 conference games which I think is more than reasonable. These games are essential to our budget. It's a fact that we are going to have to face at sometime even if we don't like it.

[Oiler]

_ "Strategy"? I think if it was as simple as you indicate, someone would have come up with the answer by now. If it was that easy, don't you think most mid-majors and especially SBC teams would eliminate or reduce the number of money games they play? The truth is, our conference houses the school's with, by far, the worst athletic budgets in the country and there has to be a way to supplement that discrepancy if you want to compete. How do you propose we make up the huge sums that these schools pay us to play with games against MAC and MWC schools? This year is certainly no easy task with essentially 3 money games even though one is at home which we are likely to not see a big profit from once we pay them to play. On many years, we have 2 tough money games and 2 "winnable" OOC games. Also, people keep bringing up the conference wins and losses. Isn't this a bigger indicator of success, for us, right now than overall wins. Troy played a tough OOC schedule this year but still ended up with 9 wins. Troy has played brutal OOC schedules each of the past several years but still ended up with winning seasons. We have to win our conference. Believe it or not, a 7 win season is very doable this year. We have to beat Ohio and then win 6 conference games which I think is more than reasonable. These games are essential to our budget. It's a fact that we are going to have to face at sometime even if we don't like it. _

I agree. Money games are a necessity. Seven wins for UL next year will never happen. Who were Troy's OOC opponents in 09?

[LFTCajun]

_ I agree. Money games are a necessity. Seven wins for UL next year will never happen. Who were Troy's OOC opponents in 09? _

@ Bowling Green L 31-14
@ Florida L 56-6
UAB W 27-14
@ Arkansas L 56-20

[RaginWaldo]

if it were up to me and to start building a winning program, i would set up the following OOC opponents for the next 2-3 years after next year

1 (money game) but upsetable (the lesser SEC, Big XII, Big Ten, Pac 10, Big East or ACC schools)
1 Impressive but beatable school (the better MWC, WAC, Conf USA)
2 beatable schools (bottom half MWC, WAC, Conf USA or any MAC schools)

every now and then throw in a FCS school but we need to make sure to focus more on beatable games to gain the fans and some of those opponents will be ranked but definately beatable.

Recruiting and talent wise, our team is going in the right direction, Our coaches are trying but still need more motivation, and our administration needs a more agressive mindset. thats how i see it atleast.

[LFTCajun]

_ if it were up to me and to start building a winning program, i would set up the following OOC opponents for the next 2-3 years after next year

1 (money game) but upsetable (the lesser SEC, Big XII, Big Ten, Pac 10, Big East or ACC schools)
1 Impressive but beatable school (the better MWC, WAC, Conf USA)
2 beatable schools (bottom half MWC, WAC, Conf USA or any MAC schools)

every now and then throw in a FCS school but we need to make sure to focus more on beatable games to gain the fans and some of those opponents will be ranked but definately beatable.

Recruiting and talent wise, our team is going in the right direction, Our coaches are trying but still need more motivation, and our administration needs a more agressive mindset. thats how i see it atleast. _

Would be nice to have the luxury to always schedule the low-hanging fruit from these conferences, but scheduling doesn't always work out in our favor.

We just play what we can get on the calendar...

[zephyr]

_ Would be nice to have the luxury to always schedule the low-hanging fruit from these conferences, but scheduling doesn't always work out in our favor.

We just play what we can get on the calendar... _

Not to mention, most scheduling takes place several years prior to the actual games played. We had Illinois scheduled several years before we played them 2 years ago and i'm sure that we hadn't anticipated them going to the rose bowl the year prior.

[zephyr]

_ I agree. Money games are a necessity. Seven wins for UL next year will never happen. Who were Troy's OOC opponents in 09? _

Why will 7 wins next year never happen? Is it that much of a certainty? Troy won 1 out of their 4 OOC games this past season even though they were upset by a Bowling Green team that went to a bowl. However, they turned it up in conference and won 9. I'm not predicting that we will win 8 conference games but 6 is not out of the realm of possibility since we will return the most starters of any SBC team.

[Oiler]

_ Why will 7 wins next year never happen? Is it that much of a certainty? Troy won 1 out of their 4 OOC games this past season even though they were upset by a Bowling Green team that went to a bowl. However, they turned it up in conference and won 9. I'm not predicting that we will win 8 conference games but 6 is not out of the realm of possibility since we will return the most starters of any SBC team. _

I think every OOC game next year will be a loss and I think five conference wins is the most likely scenario. 5-7 in 2010 is my prediction. I hope you are closer to being right than I am. I just don't see it happening.

[zephyr]

_ I think every OOC game next year will be a loss and I think five conference wins is the most likely scenario. 5-7 in 2010 is my prediction. I hope you are closer to being right than I am. I just don't see it happening. _

Well, I think the Ohio game is a much better matchup than the others, obviously. I expect we will have a good shot at winning that game as Ohio loses a lot of their production this year, plus they're Ohio and not Ohio State. Barring major injuries like in 08, this is the year that I'd judge Bustle and how he does in conference. The conference will be much more open this year with the attrition that the top teams are having. However, these top teams are also doing very well with recruiting at this stage so I'm hoping we don't fall too far back.

[HoustonCajun]

_ Would be nice to have the luxury to always schedule the low-hanging fruit from these conferences, but scheduling doesn't always work out in our favor.

We just play what we can get on the calendar... _

The problem is, we are usually the low-hanging fruit for the BCS conferences.