UAB's already getting plundered

[Champ967]

For attendance and for our fans making the return trip. Probably also for local media coverage/hype.

But not for presence in recruiting. Not for national coverage. Not for quality of win (most years). Not necessarily for overall risk/reward outcome.

There are some pros and some cons to playing ULM. Just like any other team. You've just got to compare them to what else you could get instead in a given year. They might be the best option, or they might not.

Thanks, Inu. Your points are well-made and well-taken.

But I still think we should play northeast in football.

[bigwagee]

In my opinion, we will open the season at home with Marshall. It might even be put on a Thursday night for TV. It will be either the first or second week of the season.

[champion110]

Some of you don't get "separation". Yeah, we took a huge step backwards this year with NW State, but most know that they are a FCS program that upset us. With the JUCO, anytime we play them the "casual fan" puts us in the same league in their heads. When we play Auburn, Oklahoma, or Illinois, people start to think we are on that level. If we want a home game, go after as big of a name as you can get, but if you can't get that, you play a team from another state that doesn't hurt our separation value.

Some of us get that and some don't. It is usually the ones that would be perfectly satisfied playing ULM, NW State, and the JUCO every year so they can brag about it locally. It hurts us in the long run - win or lose.

EVERYTHING is about perception. Take off your football knowledge caps for a few minutes and think about Joe Blow in Shreveport hearing about Tech playing any of these teams Saturday night.

Nationally it is different. It is a game that no one cares about on that stage.

Plus, you play the JUCO at Tech and they demand a return game. I was at the last return game we gave them with 200 Tech fans and 10 JUCO fans.

Just get over it!

[Blue Dawg]

Some of you don't get "separation". Yeah, we took a huge step backwards this year with NW State, but most know that they are a FCS program that upset us. With the JUCO, anytime we play them the "casual fan" puts us in the same league in their heads. When we play Auburn, Oklahoma, or Illinois, people start to think we are on that level. If we want a home game, go after as big of a name as you can get, but if you can't get that, you play a team from another state that doesn't hurt our separation value.

Some of us get that and some don't. It is usually the ones that would be perfectly satisfied playing ULM, NW State, and the JUCO every year so they can brag about it locally. It hurts us in the long run - win or lose.

EVERYTHING is about perception. Take off your football knowledge caps for a few minutes and think about Joe Blow in Shreveport hearing about Tech playing any of these teams Saturday night.

Nationally it is different. It is a game that no one cares about on that stage.

Plus, you play the JUCO at Tech and they demand a return game. I was at the last return game we gave them with 200 Tech fans and 10 JUCO fans.

Just get over it!

I wonder why, with 127 options, why we cant not schedule the Belch. In addition - we have done much much better with our OOC lately imo.

[inudesu]

Some of you don't get "separation". Yeah, we took a huge step backwards this year with NW State, but most know that they are a FCS program that upset us. With the JUCO, anytime we play them the "casual fan" puts us in the same league in their heads. When we play Auburn, Oklahoma, or Illinois, people start to think we are on that level. If we want a home game, go after as big of a name as you can get, but if you can't get that, you play a team from another state that doesn't hurt our separation value.

Some of us get that and some don't. It is usually the ones that would be perfectly satisfied playing ULM, NW State, and the JUCO every year so they can brag about it locally. It hurts us in the long run - win or lose.

EVERYTHING is about perception. Take off your football knowledge caps for a few minutes and think about Joe Blow in Shreveport hearing about Tech playing any of these teams Saturday night.

Nationally it is different. It is a game that no one cares about on that stage.

Plus, you play the JUCO at Tech and they demand a return game. I was at the last return game we gave them with 200 Tech fans and 10 JUCO fans.

Just get over it!

I think it's possible to "get" the argument, but disagree with the premise. Or at least see that there are legitimate arguments to be made the other way. It'll happen eventually. When it does, you'll just have to look for the silver linings (and they really are there).

[inudesu]

I wonder why, with 127 options, why we cant not schedule the Belch. In addition - we have done much much better with our OOC lately imo.

There are not 127 options for teams that would actually ever come to Ruston.

There just aren't. And the number is probably shrinking.

[Blue Dawg]

There are not 127 options for teams that would actually ever come to Ruston.

There just aren't. And the number is probably shrinking.

I understand that. But there is a subset of teams that would and also that aren't the Belch. I have no idea how contracts are arrived at but does it hurt to call every AD we want to schedule and just ask?

[PawDawg]

Nobody here has any idea how our AD will handle scheduling. All we've seen is NSU and a fireworks display out of him so far.

Yes, a home and home with LaMon is preferred over a home and home with any other Sunbelt school.

[champion110]

I understand that. But there is a subset of teams that would and also that aren't the Belch. I have no idea how contracts are arrived at but does it hurt to call every AD we want to schedule and just ask?

You are correct and we have been able to do that in the past. We can still find home opponents, if we schedule early enough. We have had MState in Ruston before and, it seems, most other teams can get decent OOC opponents. I bet we could get some G5 AAC oppenents, if we tried, as well. I don't buy the "they just won't come over". I know that some don't want to risk it, because we do present a risk, but out of all the teams in the country and just in a tri-state area, there are some that would.

[Houston Techsan]

Back when we were independent we played the MAC schools. They meet the out of state requirement and the conference is a little better than the Belch. Not particularly advocating them, but they are an option. If we're going for G5 maybe some MAC, MWC or AAC for home and homes. I don't particularly like GA. St. Rather have Texas State if we're going that low. Rather have Texas State than ULXX for that matter.

[BMBulldog]

Some of you don't get "separation". Yeah, we took a huge step backwards this year with NW State, but most know that they are a FCS program that upset us. With the JUCO, anytime we play them the "casual fan" puts us in the same league in their heads. When we play Auburn, Oklahoma, or Illinois, people start to think we are on that level. If we want a home game, go after as big of a name as you can get, but if you can't get that, you play a team from another state that doesn't hurt our separation value.

Some of us get that and some don't. It is usually the ones that would be perfectly satisfied playing ULM, NW State, and the JUCO every year so they can brag about it locally. It hurts us in the long run - win or lose.

EVERYTHING is about perception. Take off your football knowledge caps for a few minutes and think about Joe Blow in Shreveport hearing about Tech playing any of these teams Saturday night.

Nationally it is different. It is a game that no one cares about on that stage.

Plus, you play the JUCO at Tech and they demand a return game. I was at the last return game we gave them with 200 Tech fans and 10 JUCO fans.

Just get over it!

I agree with all but the "When we play Auburn, Oklahoma, or Illinois, people start to think we are on that level." If you lose as we did to Auburn and Oklahoma, not even the casual fan thinks we are on Par. You need to play competitively and you need to do it consistently. Otherwise, people think it is a fluke (like when NW beat La Tech).

I would really like to see us play more teams like Illinois, Texas Tech, Arizona, Iowa, Iowa St, Kansas, Wake Forest and the like. I would put Rice and Marshall up against any of these teams, but we don't get as much credit for beating Rice and Marshal as we would a few mid/lower tier P5 schools. And we would not get as banged up as we would playing a Auburn or Ms St.

It seems to me that the media thinks and ranks any school that has a P5 next to their name as at least as good as the best of the G5. Since we know this to not be true, lets exploit it by making our schedule easier and making it look harder at the same time. Trade out the SEC money games for other P5 money games. The money might not be as good and the travel may not be as good, but the rep will increase. (beating illni yielded more rep than losing badly to Auburn) If we are to continue to play SEC schools, I think we should push harder for more games in Ruston, even if we have to play there twice. Also, if we are to play SEC schools, lets see about an LSU rematch. We are 1-2 against LSU in Ruston. Lets see if we can improve on that.

Just my two cents.

[SIC_EM_DAWGS!]

I don't see why we would schedule home and homes with any state schools unless it's brAM. We as fans should want the nation to see us at a Houston, Memphis, ECU, Virginia, NCstate, ILL, KansasST, OklaST, Texas Tech, MissST level not sunbelch southland level. I know at one point in our history those games mattered, they only should live in Nostalgia now. To position ourselves for the long haul and to survive Tech has to elevate itself beyond nostalgia and into the Marshall, Boise, BYU, N. ILL level. Tech is on that cusp, but playing an OOC schedule resembling our early 80s conference schedule won't do that.

[Blue Dawg]

I agree with all but the "When we play Auburn, Oklahoma, or Illinois, people start to think we are on that level." If you lose as we did to Auburn and Oklahoma, not even the casual fan thinks we are on Par. You need to play competitively and you need to do it consistently. Otherwise, people think it is a fluke (like when NW beat La Tech).

I would really like to see us play more teams like Illinois, Texas Tech, Arizona, Iowa, Iowa St, Kansas, Wake Forest and the like. I would put Rice and Marshall up against any of these teams, but we don't get as much credit for beating Rice and Marshal as we would a few mid/lower tier P5 schools. And we would not get as banged up as we would playing a Auburn or Ms St.

It seems to me that the media thinks and ranks any school that has a P5 next to their name as at least as good as the best of the G5. Since we know this to not be true, lets exploit it by making our schedule easier and making it look harder at the same time. Trade out the SEC money games for other P5 money games. The money might not be as good and the travel may not be as good, but the rep will increase. (beating illni yielded more rep than losing badly to Auburn) If we are to continue to play SEC schools, I think we should push harder for more games in Ruston, even if we have to play there twice. Also, if we are to play SEC schools, lets see about an LSU rematch. We are 1-2 against LSU in Ruston. Lets see if we can improve on that.

Just my two cents.

Agree completely except no 2-1.

[champion110]

I agree with all but the "When we play Auburn, Oklahoma, or Illinois, people start to think we are on that level." If you lose as we did to Auburn and Oklahoma, not even the casual fan thinks we are on Par. You need to play competitively and you need to do it consistently. Otherwise, people think it is a fluke (like when NW beat La Tech).

I would really like to see us play more teams like Illinois, Texas Tech, Arizona, Iowa, Iowa St, Kansas, Wake Forest and the like. I would put Rice and Marshall up against any of these teams, but we don't get as much credit for beating Rice and Marshal as we would a few mid/lower tier P5 schools. And we would not get as banged up as we would playing a Auburn or Ms St.

It seems to me that the media thinks and ranks any school that has a P5 next to their name as at least as good as the best of the G5. Since we know this to not be true, lets exploit it by making our schedule easier and making it look harder at the same time. Trade out the SEC money games for other P5 money games. The money might not be as good and the travel may not be as good, but the rep will increase. (beating illni yielded more rep than losing badly to Auburn) If we are to continue to play SEC schools, I think we should push harder for more games in Ruston, even if we have to play there twice. Also, if we are to play SEC schools, lets see about an LSU rematch. We are 1-2 against LSU in Ruston. Lets see if we can improve on that.

Just my two cents.

I agree with almost all of this. My point about the Auburns, Oklahoma's, and Illinois' was that people see it all over social media. It is a perception thing. Win or lose (Some of those P5's blow out and get blown out on a regular basis), it is just the name recognition. It is huge on social media compared to playing a belt or even a MAC school. It is not that everyone sees you on that level of ability - it is that they start to associate your name with those names.

Everything else is spot on for me.

[Cool Hand Clyde]

LABG