2008 Bowl Season Louisiana Snubbed by Indi Bowl

[DestinCajun]

_ Even a Tennessee boy knows the answer to that _

You put tomatoes in a Tennesee gumbo? What kind, owl?

[ATXCajun]

_ Unfortunately, we are a hyphenated school in the worse conference in the country and Louisiana-Lafayette, UL Lafayette, U LA LA, LA-Lafayette, etc. etc. is not attractive outside of Lafayette. Until this university gets serious about marketing itself and serious about capturing the Louisiana and UL name, this will continue to be a problem.

LA Tech did not want us in the I Bowl. I would bet that Rice with a 9-3 record did not want to play a 6-6 team from the SBC.

Look at what the other non-BCS conferences did with bowl invites this year:

WAC - Boise State, Fresno State, LA Tech, Nevada, Hawaii
MAC - Ball State, Buffalo, W. Michigan, C. Michigan, NIU
CUSA - Rice, Houston, Memphis, E. Carolina, S. Miss, Tulsa
MWC - TCU, Brigham Young, Utah, Colorado State
SBC - Troy, FAU

I am so disappointed that UL did not get in a bowl. Even worse, an FAU team that finished 3rd in conference was picked ahead of us. UL needs to seriously rethink how it is marketing itself and needs to rethink its membership in the SBC who did nothing to help UL's bowl cause. Right now, I would rather be an independent than a member of this bush league conference. But then again, we haven't even been that competitive in the major sports in the SBC. That is a sad statement for the current state of UL athletics. Our new President needs to make a statement about where this university is going. It certainly needs leadership now. _

I have been thinking a lot lately about how C Florida, S Florida, S Miss, E Carolina, etc. don't seem to be hampered by their names. The hyphenated compromise doesn't seem to be working out. Louisiana or bust. That or go with S Louisiana. Maybe plain ol S Louisiana and N Louisiana would work better for the Cajuns and ULM. Seems to be working for USF and UCF. I would much rather see S Louisiana than UL LAF on the sports ticker.

[CajunZ1]

I would much rather see S Louisiana than UL LAF on the sports ticker. _

I would rather see UL-L(no hyphen, had to add so it wouldn't get auto fixed) than UL LAF.

[BrudaCajun]

I know we are all down right now, but is anyone going to set one up for us?

[ATXCajun]

_ The one thing out of all this is that 7-wins would have assured us a bowl berth. If the status quo remains with the NCAA and the bowls it might be wise for us to suck it up and play only one money game a year then play a AA team down in the bottom of the pool.

Do anything you have to in order to try and secure 7-wins. It looks like in most seasons this is going to get you in a bowl. _

I really think we should play McNeese every year for the atmosphere and the money. so I agree. If the NCAA and Bowls want to play it that way, schedule non-conference games against the Southland, CUSA, WAC, and MAC to improve the chances of getting to 7.

[CajunFun]

If UL is head and shoulders above LA Tech, it remains the best kept secret in the state and the nation, and within the UL System. Whose fault is that? Tech gets the notoriety and separation where it is most visible, athletics. It is time for UL to understand that and capitalize on it. Going the cheap way out in the SBC will never help our cause. I think Dr. S knows that athletics is UL's "window to the world". It will be interesting now to see how he utilizes that. I think the bowl game would have been a great time to introduce the RCAF and the facility improvements while everyone was gung ho on UL football. Unfortunately, the tide has turned. I want to see how we capitalize on this and rally our troops in support so this doesn't happen again.

Well, HC, here are my thoughts on it.

It's a sad, dysfunctional game: convince people that you're a good university, by showing them how well you play football. Get people to donate money for scholarships & teaching & research, by showing them how well you play football.

When you look at it that way, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it??

Which is why I'm not (quite) so interested in winning the game, as I am in changing it. Hence ultoday.com.

And believe it or not, academic publicity also helps your athletics. UL recently got a call from a football stud out of Florida, who wanted to know more about our engineering program.

[CajunFun]

tomato-based gumbo?

Hey, what can I say? It's Baton Rouge.

[CajunRed]

_ I imagine the UL War Room to be like the War Room on Draft day for an NFL team. A draft day war room atmosphere except even more so, a bunch of hustling bustling, jockeying, maneuvering, offering, negotiating, compromising, debating trumping and not wavering and so much more.

How would you have liked to be in the UL Bowl War Room from Thursday thru Sunday?

I can see it now T-Joe banging the phones touting UL's assets to all who would listen.

I can picture David Walker in another corner of the room in virtual lockdown calling each member of every bowl committee espousing the virtues of picking the Ragin' Cajuns.

Scott Walker teaching everyone how to market the school like Troy did for their first bowl game.

Daryl Cetnar would be there calling every media outlet from Hawaii to Detroit and Houston to Birmingham and even Louisiana town in between, with a UL story of the day.

Of course Matt Hebert would be emailing the Tyrell Fenroy story to ever media outlet as well, and then following it up with the first of its kind ever Desormeaux-Fenroy story.

I can almost see Ricky Bustle in yet another corner of the room calling all his old contacts in that busy four day span...

Oh look Gerald Hebert making offers the bowl committees simply could not refuse.

Notice: This is all in my imagination folks. I have no idea how the events in the UL War Room transpired. I'm just saying I would like to have been there. I don't wish I was there so as to criticize the results. You can’t criticize effort. You can’t! I wish I was there just to see how everything was handled and how much communications there was between all the responsible parties.

I'll bet tensions were high and I hope cooler heads prevailed. It's just sad that when the powers that be put this much effort into an endeavor that they can't see more good for their hard work.

Someday I would like to see the UL War Room in action.

jmo _

Good comments, Turbine. Very well put. Hopefully, many will read this and gain some level headedness as a result.

[cjr3888]

_ Brad's dad post is what sealed it up for me, made the reservations for a few nights and all just like so many others. Something happened that changed the deal at the last minute, not sure if we'll ever know for sure, but then again win 7 and we're not having this conversation! _

I'm with you on this one. When I read that, I was booked two nights in Houston. Oh well, cancelled the room and now I'll just spend my money in this state (room in New Orleans Dec 26th and 27th). If only everyone supported our state like we do. I just can't imagine the emotional swing of the players thinking they were in and then finding out they weren't.

[cjr3888]

Done on espn.com

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