Halftime Retention

[cajunfan79]

we may not sell out but we will sure do better than we are now!

[CajunNation]

Keep the FCS game. As shown Sat. night, it is a needed prep game for the rest of the season, and a probable win that counts.

This leaves 3 non-conference games. I am a HUGE proponent of playing as many P5 schools as possible, but I also see the upside of playing the schools that recruit against us, like Houston, Rice, SMU, Tech, Tulane, USM and Memphis. What is ridiculous is scheduling anybody from the MAC or any other G5 school not in our footprint.

Given this criteria, this year's schedule is almost perfect. Tulsa is borderline as a recruiting foe, but there is street cred to gain for us with a win.

Bottom line. If we can't get Bowl eligible with the FCS game and the SBC schedule alone, then we have no business going Bowling.

Outside of the Access Bowl, Bowl games do very little to advance your program. Victories over P5 schools and schools you recruit against advance your program.

Build it. The fans will come.

Of the things to worry about for the health of our program, attendance is about #3,452 on that list.

[ManAboutTown]

25,881 for Oklahoma state at the time about 5k short of capacity, also on a weeknight.

-Pre-Hud
-Still a team people did not believe in (average record for 5 years)
-Weeknight
-Okie St was not the power they are now at that time

[duggie85]

-Pre-Hud
-Still a team people did not believe in (average record for 5 years)
-Weeknight
-Okie St was not the power they are now at that time

Disagree about OK States status at the time. I'd even say they were more relevant then than they are now. They didn't finish the '12 season on a high, but coming into Cajun field they were highly regarded being they went 12-1 in '11. Weeden and Blackmon were huge then.

[Ragin4U]

Independent.

You have 12 opportunities to create opportunities as opposed to 3 or 4

But if we cant bring in schools that will move the fan attendance needle now, how is going independent going to change that?

[Duggie35]

As long as the marketing subject remains "Lafayette" the crowds will lack numbers.

Not a broad enough base.

The invitation, attraction, and mention needs to be Acadiana and Louisiana at large for any chance at growth.

jmo

Turbine,
I think it is a stretch and grabbing for straws blaming the crowd size on the name issue.

[Cajunsmike]

You should not underestimate the whole trump video and response debacle when looking at crowd size this year. In just last week I personally talked to several long time fans who did not renew their tickets because of it.

No doubt the memories of the political video are a factor. How much of one I don't know. A good season this year may bring those folks back next year.

[ManAboutTown]

No doubt that is a factor. How much of one I don't know. A good season this year may bring those folks back next year.

A win against Tulsa will bring those folks back..

[Hark Mudspeth]

It's a cop out, easier to blame a video than admit you are a bandwagon fan. If we went 10-2 or 11-2 hardly anyone would give 2 shts about the video and it certainly wouldn't cause them to drop their tickets. To be clear I don't care if people are bandwagon fans, it's your money do with it what you want...but if we were a damn good football team, the stadium would be packed and hardly anyone would care about the video or the arrests except the haters...other schools.

[RaginScotsman]

I get the opponent will bring a crowd argument. It has worked somewhat in the past, but has usually fallen short. K-State was a win in 09' and we didn't have 16,500 there to see it.

Win and you build interest regardless of who you're playing. 32,823-North Texas (10/15/11), 30,028-New Mexico State (11/2/13), 29,775-Troy (10/8/11), 29.758-Tulane (10/6/12), 29,031-FIU (11/1/08), 28,871-Nicholls State (9/14/13), 28,741-Nicholls State (9/17/11), 28,176-UL-Monroe (11/5/11). With the exception of the FIU game in 08' which was homecoming and Fenroy's day to break the record, all these crowds that we strive to get happened when we were winning 9 games a year. Not exactly top flight opponents.

[Just1More]

It's a cop out, easier to blame a video than admit you are a bandwagon fan. If we went 10-2 or 11-2 hardly anyone would give 2 shts about the video and it certainly wouldn't cause them to drop their tickets. To be clear I don't care if people are bandwagon fans, it's your money do with it what you want...but if we were a damn good football team, the stadium would be packed and hardly anyone would care about the video or the arrests except the haters...other schools.

Fans never ever have to explain themselves. They aren't a single entity. They are a collection of vastly disparate individuals. If we want to win them over with wins... let's just do it. If we want to stop alienating them... let's do that.

[Turbine]

Turbine,
I think it is a stretch and grabbing for straws blaming the crowd size on the name issue.

My post was a follow-up to post #74 which talked about Lafayette "town" crowd cultivation.

My point was if you think crowd cultivation is poor inside of City limits, it's non existent outside of the town.