Five National TV Games Highlight 2013 Football Schedule

[CrazyCajun]

Boise St was 9-4 (2005) the year they went to the Fiesta Bowl in 2006. Yes, they did have an 11-1 record in 2004, but their schedule OOC that year was Oregon State, BYU, and Idaho. That's the point. Once you get the foundation laid, as we have the last couple of years, it's good to play a soft schedule to build your credibility, boost recruiting, and get your program in position to compete game in and game out with the "big boys". I can't guarantee it, but I'd be willing to bet that perennial 10 win seasons, nationally televised midweek games, top 25 rankings, and bowl game appearances would do more for the program financially, attendance wise, as well as for recruiting, than playing a bunch of games against top flight competition and going 6-6 or 7-5. Again, I may be wrong. But it's been proven over the years that this town will support a winner, and will not support a mediocre (or losing) team. And the majority of casual fans probably have no idea what a better win is when you are beating New Mexico State as opposed to beating someone like Minnesota or Wake Forest.

At this time, we cannot recruit to a conference, so recruiting to a top 25 team that wins 10 or 11 games a year, and gets selected to play on national tv for half or more of their games is easier than recruiting to a 6-6 program that gets beat down by BCS teams 4 times a season.
Jmo

My point was Boise had been knocking on that door way before 2006, they had 2, one loss seasons. The year they best Oklahoma wasn't their coming out party, they just finslly got their chance to prove it.

[CajunT]

Boise St was 9-4 (2005) the year they went to the Fiesta Bowl in 2006. Yes, they did have an 11-1 record in 2004, but their schedule OOC that year was Oregon State, BYU, and Idaho. That's the point. Once you get the foundation laid, as we have the last couple of years, it's good to play a soft schedule to build your credibility, boost recruiting, and get your program in position to compete game in and game out with the "big boys". I can't guarantee it, but I'd be willing to bet that perennial 10 win seasons, nationally televised midweek games, top 25 rankings, and bowl game appearances would do more for the program financially, attendance wise, as well as for recruiting, than playing a bunch of games against top flight competition and going 6-6 or 7-5. Again, I may be wrong. But it's been proven over the years that this town will support a winner, and will not support a mediocre (or losing) team. And the majority of casual fans probably have no idea what a better win is when you are beating New Mexico State as opposed to beating someone like Minnesota or Wake Forest.

At this time, we cannot recruit to a conference, so recruiting to a top 25 team that wins 10 or 11 games a year, and gets selected to play on national tv for half or more of their games is easier than recruiting to a 6-6 program that gets beat down by BCS teams 4 times a season.
Jmo

I understand what you are trying to say, but soft schedules do not build any credibility with Bowl Committees or recruits, in fact it makes it harder to sell your program's accomplishments on the football field. While a soft schedule aids in helping your program win immediately, those are not the programs that draw top athletes to come play at your program. It's the games on national television, bowl games, head coaches, facilities and your schedule that excite potential student athletes. I've interviewed enough recruits to tell you that playing FCS transition programs hurts your program and adds to the stigma of playing in a week conference. Coach Hudspeth made it clear that it will be difficult to recruit to the type of conference schedule that has games against USA, GSU and others in the near future.

You guys mentioned Boise State, most of the seasons prior to recent years they schedules 2 or 3 games a season against BCS programs. Washington State, Washington, Oregon and Oregon State are some of those though the years, playing mainly at times within their region. UL will continue to play 2 BCS money games per year as long as 12,000 or more season tickets are sold. If we fall below that number then UL might have to play 3 BCS programs a season. The bottom line is you need to play a balanced schedule that allows you team to compete against other mid-majors that you reruit against from the MAC, CUSA and MWC. You should play one FCS game per season at Cajun Field against programs that can travel fans like Southern, Grambling and McNeese State on a rotating basis. You don't have to play the LSU's, Alabama's or Florida's every year. You should certainly try to schedule a Kansas State, Kansas,
and other regional programs. A good balance is needed in scheduling and with all the conference shifting going on and uncertainty, it has made it difficult to do so now.

Poor scheduling and our conference affiliation does not help recruiting or raise respect for your program. The evidence has been overwhelming in recruiting interviews and coaches interviews on my site and radio show.

[raginsaints]

Can Farmer hire an outside firm to handle our scheduling?

[CajunRed]

Man, that home slate looks like something out of he SLC. Farmer must love it.

He said he was "comfortable" with it.

[Zeebart21]

I understand what you are trying to say, but soft schedules do not build any credibility with Bowl Committees or recruits, in fact it makes it harder to sell your program's accomplishments on the football field. While a soft schedule aids in helping your program win immediately, those are not the programs that draw top athletes to come play at your program. It's the games on national television, bowl games, head coaches, facilities and your schedule that excite potential student athletes. I've interviewed enough recruits to tell you that playing FCS transition programs hurts your program and adds to the stigma of playing in a week conference. Coach Hudspeth made it clear that it will be difficult to recruit to the type of conference schedule that has games against USA, GSU and others in the near future.

You guys mentioned Boise State, most of the seasons prior to recent years they schedules 2 or 3 games a season against BCS programs. Washington State, Washington, Oregon and Oregon State are some of those though the years, playing mainly at times within their region. UL will continue to play 2 BCS money games per year as long as 12,000 or more season tickets are sold. If we fall below that number then UL might have to play 3 BCS programs a season. The bottom line is you need to play a balanced schedule that allows you team to compete against other mid-majors that you reruit against from the MAC, CUSA and MWC. You should play one FCS game per season at Cajun Field against programs that can travel fans like Southern, Grambling and McNeese State on a rotating basis. You don't have to play the LSU's, Alabama's or Florida's every year. You should certainly try to schedule a Kansas State, Kansas,
and other regional programs. A good balance is needed in scheduling and with all the conference shifting going on and uncertainty, it has made it difficult to do so now.

Poor scheduling and our conference affiliation does not help recruiting or raise respect for your program. The evidence has been overwhelming in recruiting interviews and coaches interviews on my site and radio show.

And yet, some still refuse to believe your last paragraph. Foolish.

[Turbine]

He said he was "comfortable" with it.

In the moments after events like this his tongue is sometimes his worst enemy.

He was comfortable with softball seeding, he was comfortable with committing to the Sun Belt, now this.

The departure of SBC teams blindsided him, there is nothing for him to defend.

[sportsfanatic21]

I, by no means, am happy with our conference affiliation. But that's where we are right now, so we have to play the teams from the conference we are in.

Our OOC schedule this season includes a Big 12 team that was ranked #1 at one time last year, a SEC team that finished in the top 5 two years ago, a MAC school, which CajunT just said is the type of team we need to play OOC and a local FCS team AT Cajun Field. The more I look at it, this schedule is EXACTLY what CajunT just described as the type of schedule we should have. Granted, the home slate isn't stellar, but blame the Sunbelt for scheduling which conference games are on the road and which are at home. The only pimple on the schedule is New Mexico State, and that game wouldnt be there had we not lost conference members.

[CajunEXPRESS]

UL is not getting a mid level BCS team to play them at their place or ours right now. They know that the probability of a rent a win is very low, more like buy a loss. No! I am not happy in the SBC because our leaders were wandering around in the desert instead of making a bee line for the smoking mountain. Had we done everything within our power to be ready nobody could have an honest complaint, but we almost all know that was not the case.

So how do I know we did not do everything within our power? Because all we get is spin and smoke. Fools like Icitsh thinks ten thousand people should call up SF and come into the office and see the plans, and the hard work. Fools gold for sure. Macy's does not run a sale without serious marketing efforts and neither should UL claim every effort without any evidence of said effort. A Master plan three years later than promised is not evidence of anything.

Right now the WKU transfer will probably happen before the first spade of dirt is moved at Cajun Field.

[CajunRebel]

I understand what you are trying to say, but soft schedules do not build any credibility with Bowl Committees or recruits, in fact it makes it harder to sell your program's accomplishments on the football field. While a soft schedule aids in helping your program win immediately, those are not the programs that draw top athletes to come play at your program. It's the games on national television, bowl games, head coaches, facilities and your schedule that excite potential student athletes. I've interviewed enough recruits to tell you that playing FCS transition programs hurts your program and adds to the stigma of playing in a week conference. Coach Hudspeth made it clear that it will be difficult to recruit to the type of conference schedule that has games against USA, GSU and others in the near future.

You guys mentioned Boise State, most of the seasons prior to recent years they schedules 2 or 3 games a season against BCS programs. Washington State, Washington, Oregon and Oregon State are some of those though the years, playing mainly at times within their region. UL will continue to play 2 BCS money games per year as long as 12,000 or more season tickets are sold. If we fall below that number then UL might have to play 3 BCS programs a season. The bottom line is you need to play a balanced schedule that allows you team to compete against other mid-majors that you reruit against from the MAC, CUSA and MWC. You should play one FCS game per season at Cajun Field against programs that can travel fans like Southern, Grambling and McNeese State on a rotating basis. You don't have to play the LSU's, Alabama's or Florida's every year. You should certainly try to schedule a Kansas State, Kansas,
and other regional programs. A good balance is needed in scheduling and with all the conference shifting going on and uncertainty, it has made it difficult to do so now.

Poor scheduling and our conference affiliation does not help recruiting or raise respect for your program. The evidence has been overwhelming in recruiting interviews and coaches interviews on my site and radio show.

I don't disagree with anything you said but in one sentence you talk about the need to play money games then later you say we shouldn't always schedule the powerhouse schools. But these two go hand in hand since the powerhouse teams are the ones who pay us the most. Florida will pay us way more to play at their house than Baylor ever will. I'm not a fan of playing these top 10 teams. But if we as a program feel we need to play a money game to boost our revenue I think we need to do what we can to maximize the revenue we receive from playing this money game. For example we should play Texas for $1,000,000 instead of Texas Tech for $250,000.

Also,
how aware are recruits of the non-BCS conference pecking order? I know when I talk to people who only follow major college football they really don't see a difference between the MWC, C-USA, or Sun Belt even though we all know better. Do you think an 18yr old kid puts much stock in the fact that the conference with UTSA, FAU, MT, and FIU in it is better than the conference with TSU, UL, A-State, and Troy?

[SlappyCajun]

Also,
how aware are recruits of the non-BCS conference pecking order? I know when I talk to people who only follow major college football they really don't see a difference between the MWC, C-USA, or Sun Belt even though we all know better. Do you think an 18yr old kid puts much stock in the fact that the conference with UTSA, FAU, MT, and FIU in it is better than the conference with TSU, UL, A-State, and Troy?

When recruiters at UTSA, FAU, MT and FIU are hammering it into their heads that they just left the SBC because it was a bad league. Then, I imagine the 18 year old recruits figure it out pretty quickly.

Also, if the bigger leagues get better TV deals with more exposure, then it's not so much the league, as it is the league's television deals.

Nothing about staying in the SBC is a positive. Nothing. The only argument that could be made is that if we surround ourselves with bad programs. Then, maybe we can become a really big fish in a small pond.