I made the assumption this game was on Thursday night for television purposes. But that wasn't the case.
If you're ULM, why play a game on a Thursday to start the season when Tech is away on Saturday, LSU isn't playing until Sunday, and Thursday goes head to head with a Saints preseason game?
They should align themselves with SLU, McNeese, Northwestern State or fold. How long have they been in D1 (FBS) and how many winning seasons do they have?
They joined the FBS ranks in 1994. Since that time, ULM has had: 1 winning season, 3 (.500) seasons, and 20 losing seasons. 1994-2006 was a period where they never won more than 5 games. 2007 seemed to be the year things switched up bit. Since that time, they have had three .500 seasons, one winning season, and seven losing seasons.
There you go.
So, two decades of losing.
They beat USL last year.
I have several friends that went to NLU when I went to Tech. Over half of them still say they went to NLU not ULM and they've had nothing for the school since the name change. With the financial problems they've had and the lack of athletic success, the school hasn't done near enough to build (or rebuild) the support of their base.
I'm probably wrong, but I think their president intends to dramatically cut support to athletics and move the program to FCS. If this first game is a preview of the entire season, when they are supposed to have one of their best teams in years, it's certainly going to help him justify the move down. All things considered, maybe it's what they ought to do.
NLU won a national championship in what is now FCS. Just think what their annual matchup with NSU would mean then, maybe a shot at the conference title and a trip to the playoffs. Of course Sam Houston State will have a lot to say about who wins the SLC championship.