Game Week: LA / Ga So

[ULvictory]

I'll use this as an example:

The school 45 minutes east of us had 6 straight losing seasons from 1989-1994. In 1995, they made their first bowl berth in almost a decade in the Independence Bowl. I remember people being ecstatic about that. Now, they would want to fire their coach if that's where they would go because they've grown since then as a program.

That goes for us as well. We were excited because we had not been there in 40+ years. It was new to us. Now, it's not as new. In the broad picture, the Nola Bowl should not be the ultimate goal for us. If you want to increase the brand name, you have to travel outside of this bowl game every now and then.

[CajunNation]

Unless we're playing Houston, Tulane, Southern Miss, latech or a P5 in NOLA, I would rather we go to Arizona and play a MWC school.

Contrary to what G said this morning, you CAN have too much of a good thing. Our attendance in NOLA has been on the decline. We HAVE TO bring 30k to play Miss State in a couple of years. Maybe a little absence will make the heart grow fonder.

[CajunJack55]

Jack, recently Boomer posted “unprecedented success of 6 bowls in 7 years”.

That is such complete and total BS. I want someone to try and tell a supporter of a legitimate football program how we’ve gone 6 of 7 years to a bowl game. They’d laugh you at of the room with this resume’. Go tell Houston and SDSU and NIU about your 6 of 7 bowl bids.

It’s comical what this fan base thinks is “success”.

I agree, I think we can and should always strive for better. My point is just that going to a bowl game no matter what is better than sitting at home and is not like CIB tournament in the fact of exposure. I hope Maggard sees the dwindling attendance and donors as a sign to do what is best for our program to make a change to get to that next level. Those programs like Houston are willing to cut ties with coaches that go 6-6 and crappy bowl games, no reason we shouldn't either no matter what our football history is.

[ULvictory]

To anyone who thinks that we will bring 30k to the Nola Bowl, take a look at our attendance there last year. Nowhere close. Apathy has kicked in with this program. Another Nola Bowl won't help that much.

[cajun_lannister]

You can take off 2 from that total this year
. Will not support southland football

[RiverRanchMan]

There is no result remaining that will produce 30k Cajuns fans in any bowl, anywhere.

UL would bring more fans to the NOLA Bowl than any other school. Maybe 30K is a stretch, but its still better than playing in an empty stadium with 2,000 UL fans present against a school that was IAA just a few years ago.

[CajunT]

Yes, but I'd rather have the participation trophy than watch some other ____ program like Monroe or South Al get it instead.

Yes, but then you are sending a message to your president that mediocrity is fine and you are willing to pay for it. I did it last year, I won't do it again.

[Grantvb]

Don’t you guys remember what it was like in 2011? The excitement of our first bowl game in 41 years? I remember because I was behind the goalposts kneeling on the concrete holding my sleeping 3 year old, my back to the field - prayer for a miracle. The roar of the Cajun Nation, confirming that my prayers had been answered. Aside from the money we’ve invested, why is the NOLA Bowl beneath us now? Have they not been good to us? Aside from losing last year (which I think we should’ve won), when was there a bad NOLA bowl game with us in it?

[RedBug58]

It's amazing to me how some fans attitude about the NOLA Bowl has changed since our first visit. Back then, you would have thought the NOLA Bowl was just a notch below the Super Bowl!

Unless the Cajuns can get into a Bowl game against a P5 opponent at another location, the NOLA Bowl is by far the best bowl and venue we could hope for. Going anywhere else (except maybe Shreveport occasionally) to play against any other G5 school would not be an upgrade, and almost always a downgrade. The big issue is that most, if not all, Bowl games are tied into Conferences by contract. Therefore, they don't have the luxury of selecting any team they may want that is not affiliated with the contracted Conferences. It is what it is.

NO Bowl Dec 16th
Saints vs Jets Dec 17 (Superdome)
Could make for a nice trip

[HOUCajun]

For all you “bowl is great” folks:

What if we go 5-7 and get a pity invite?
Y’all still roosta dancin? Hud still great?

A 5-7 pity invite would be awful but it won’t happen because we won’t be 5-7.
Who exactly said HUD was great? Literally no one on here is saying that.

[cajun_lannister]

Don’t you guys remember what it was like in 2011? The excitement of our first bowl game in 41 years? I remember because I was behind the goalposts kneeling on the concrete holding my sleeping 3 year old, my back to the field - prayer for a miracle. The roar of the Cajun Nation, confirming that my prayers had been answered. Aside from the money we’ve invested, why is the NOLA Bowl beneath us now? Have they not been good to us? Aside from losing last year (which I think we should’ve won), when was there a bad NOLA bowl game with us in it?

We have never moved up from the NOLA bowl that is the probelm we are stuck in a rut.. would going 0-2 in a baseball regional for 5 years straight be oK

[CajunT]

Don’t you guys remember what it was like in 2011? The excitement of our first bowl game in 41 years? I remember because I was behind the goalposts kneeling on the concrete holding my sleeping 3 year old, my back to the field - prayer for a miracle. The roar of the Cajun Nation, confirming that my prayers had been answered. Aside from the money we’ve invested, why is the NOLA Bowl beneath us now? Have they not been good to us? Aside from losing last year (which I think we should’ve won), when was there a bad NOLA bowl game with us in it?

I don't think it's beneath us, I think you are rewarding mediocrity. I remember 2011 well, it was the first bowl game for UL in 40 plus years. We had no history of going to bowl games and we won 8 games that season. That game will always be special to most of us for that reason. Returning to the NO bowl or any bowl again with a 6-6 record does not have that feel for me. It simply reminds me of the seasons in the past when we went 6-5 and were told it wasn't good enough. So it's not that the NO Bowl is beneath me, but a 6-6 record is beneath my standard for this program today and not 2011. It simply reflects a marginal performances being rewarded.