View Poll Results: Your ideal college football situation in Louisiana is

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  • LSU, Tech, Tulane 1-A, everyone else 1-AA

    24 38.71%
  • LSU, Tech 1-A, everyone else 1-AA

    7 11.29%
  • LSU 1-A, everyone else 1-AA

    1 1.61%
  • LSU, Tech, Tulane, ULL, ULM 1-A, everyone else 1-AA

    2 3.23%
  • LSU, Tech, Tulane, ULL 1-A, everyone else 1-AA

    27 43.55%
  • Other (please explain)

    1 1.61%
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Thread: College football in Louisiana (1-A, 1-AA etc)

  1. #1
    Champ weunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud of weunice's Avatar
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    College football in Louisiana (1-A, 1-AA etc)
    Poll ...

  2. #2
    Champ weunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud of weunice's Avatar
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    For this poll I want somewhat realistic desires. Don't pick "other" and say

    Tech 1-A, everyone else 1-AA. LSU is not moving down anytime soon. If you desire to explain your answer, please do so. Most importantly keep in mind the best interests of the entire state of Louisiana and each of its member institutions. If you are moving a team down, you should be able to defend why you think so to the taxpayers of this state AND to the fans of that university.

    This is not
    "What do you think will come to pass?"

    It is
    "What do you WANT to happen?"

  3. #3
    Big Dog Jetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really nice Jetstorm's Avatar
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    I voted to keep the five 1-A's we have now, and here's why I think this can work. Tulane, UL-Lafayette, and Louisiana Tech are all averaging well over 15,000 per game, and unless Tech and ULL go in the toilet this season and next, I don't see that changing. ULM has had a tough road. Next year is make or break for them, but I am convinced that if they hire a good coach with a plan of action who can recruit and win, the fans will return and the program will survive. UL-Lafayette looks like they are in the clear now. Ricky Bustle is getting widespread support from the fans and is working to convince the administration to devote the money and resources necessary to build a winner there. Tulane has to decide whether they even want a football team or not. I am sick and tired of hearing the bogus argument that strong athletics (football in particular) and strong academics cannot co-exist on the same campus. There is no reason the Green Wave program can't be a winner.

    Like I've said in the past, the five 1-A's are going to have to help each other out to prosper. We should be forming alliances and developing rivalries and traditions. Of greatest concern to me is Louisiana schools not playing each other. These are games that have to happen to maximize local fan and media interest. These are the things I would like to see that I think would solidify the five 1-A's status in major college football, create winning programs at all five colleges, and get Louisiana sports fans excited.

    1. LSU and Tulane renew their home-and-home series on an annual basis.
    2. LSU and Louisiana Tech play in Shreveport at least every third year, possibly every year as part of a new State Fair Game.
    3. UL-Lafayette, ULM, Tulane, and Louisiana Tech play each other on an annual basis, home-and-home.
    4. LSU plays all the state schools every year. We need to get the Utah States and Citadels totally off the schedule.
    5. The other four Louisiana 1-A's eventually all get in the same conference, possibly aligning with the east Texas 1-As, and throw Southern Miss in there too.

    If these things don't come to pass, then I'm afraid in the long run the great 1-A experiment for the U of L System schools will be a failure. I am still of the opinion that Louisiana Tech's program is still not strong enough in terms of fan support to survive the kind of dry spell ULM is going through and UL-Lafayette has just gone through. And losing seasons will always come, as a program always runs through cycles and rebuilding years. The financing is still not there (I just saw on one thread on this board La. Tech is dead last in the WAC in spending on athletics) and I don't know if it will ever be. I hope I am wrong.

  4. #4
    Puppy swampfox is an unknown
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    I voted for the Cajuns, Bulldogs, Tigers, and Green Wave. I think all 4 have the chance (and Louisiana has the players) to be successfull 1-A programs.

  5. #5
    Champ DONW has a reputation beyond reputeDONW has a reputation beyond reputeDONW has a reputation beyond reputeDONW has a reputation beyond reputeDONW has a reputation beyond reputeDONW has a reputation beyond reputeDONW has a reputation beyond reputeDONW has a reputation beyond reputeDONW has a reputation beyond reputeDONW has a reputation beyond reputeDONW has a reputation beyond repute
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    La Tech playing the other ULL's is one reason our fan support is suffering now. The fans see Tech as just another UL because we played them in the past and are still seen as being linked to them. There is not enough good players in La. for 5 1-A schools. I think Tech and Tulane should be the only other 1-A schools besides LSU. There is certainly not enough fans in north La to support 2 1-A programs. If Tech had moved up to 1-A in 1968 when JAS opened and Terry Bradshaw was in his junior year, we could be in the same position Florida State is today. It is much harder for a team to move up today because of the BCS. The Florida State comparison is an exaggeration, but we would be a lot better off than we are had we made the move in 68. We need every advantage we can get over the UL's. ULL has been 1-A since 1976 and they have not made any progress at all. We still beat them when we were 1-AA and they were 1-A. We even beat them the year Beightol took our program to the bottom. ULM will have better teams in 1-AA because they will be able to get transfers from LSU. Their best QB and their most well known player was a LSU transfer.

  6. #6
    Champ weunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud of weunice's Avatar
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    I must say that I had an alterior motive for posting this thread. I am in a discussion with someone on the ULL board about this topic and I wanted some statistical backing for my thoughts.

    I personally agree with Jetstorm. I have a feeling that a regional conference will be a reality within 5 years and that will be the best thing for all schools involved. We need to make sure Tulsa, SMU and Rice stay involved though I feel that ULM is in the most danger of sinking but I do not think we will gain any fan support from their demise.

    IMHO the 5 1-A schools diluting the talent base argument is a little overrated to me. LSU fans have used this argument to fuel their "everyone to 1-AA" fire for years and then turned right around and argued that LSU has never lost a recruit to an in-state school. I have seen Tech fans make the same argument towards the UL's. I favor fierce competition in recruiting, fans and on the field. I think the free market economy model works well for football in Louisiana. We will hopefully all end up where we fit best by our own merit and not by "requirements" and laws.

    Jetstorm, I am not sure how "in" you are with the Lair crowd but I would like to see the results of this poll from the standpoint of LSU fans. Please phrase it the same way if you do. I would also like to see the results of this poll from McNeese and Northwestern fans as well. Johnstonge? You listening?

    Post results from other web sites here if you do the poll ....

  7. #7
    Super Moderator Tech77 has a reputation beyond reputeTech77 has a reputation beyond reputeTech77 has a reputation beyond reputeTech77 has a reputation beyond reputeTech77 has a reputation beyond reputeTech77 has a reputation beyond reputeTech77 has a reputation beyond reputeTech77 has a reputation beyond reputeTech77 has a reputation beyond reputeTech77 has a reputation beyond reputeTech77 has a reputation beyond repute Tech77's Avatar
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    I voted LSU, Tech, Tulane and ULL for 1-A, everyone else 1-AA. My reasoning -- these schools will meet the NCAA attendance standards. No one else will. There are other issues, of course. Can we last financially as the Big Boys continue to squeeze us out with regulations which limit how many "money" games we can play? Do we even want to stay 1-A if we have to keep playing 3 or 4 Top 10 to Top 30-type schools on the road each year OOC just to pay the bills? If we don't do what we need to do to get more paying customers in the seats, is there any way we can fund the program on a high enough level to compete? These are all tough questions, but for now I'd say go by the attendance standards the NCAA has set, and keep working on the other issues.

  8. #8
    Champ weunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud ofweunice has much to be proud of weunice's Avatar
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    For the most part Tech fans want ULM to move down or, in a substantial percentage of cases, both ULM and ULL.

    I can understand the logic for ULM, given our close proximity to them, their current financial situation and lack of support in the stands. Many Tech fans favor this scenario and I can understand the reasoning behind it if only because one feels that the state bailing them out gives the taxpayers some real say with this issue. Remember folks. Our support isn't stellar even though we have produced some recent winners on the field. If we hit rock bottom for a few seasons, how well would we fare against the 15,000 mandate AND without money games to keep things going? You only need to look at ULL a few years ago when they were beating us year in and year out in the mid 90's. They have fallen quite far since the days of their upset of A&M and they appear to be in danger. They hired a good coach in Bustle and I think they will turn things around just in time. Their first half against A&M, their whipping of UAB and their near miss against what appears to be the top team in the SBC leads me to believe they ARE headed in the right direction.

    I would like someone to defend their preference for ULL moving down.

  9. #9
    Champ Cool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond repute
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    The future of TECH being a 1-A program relies on maintaining the integrity of the Eastern WAC and developing rivalries with better programs (Southern Miss, Memphis, Ole Miss, etc.)

    USL had 30 years to make it in 1-A and won two conference championships in their glory days and had no bowl bids. We need to cut loose from them and NLU if we want to better our program. T

    No offense to them but I hope better and bigger days are ahead for Louisiana Tech.

    Playing the UL's won't grow the program.

  10. #10
    Champ Bill Pup60 is a jewel in the roughBill Pup60 is a jewel in the roughBill Pup60 is a jewel in the roughBill Pup60 is a jewel in the roughBill Pup60 is a jewel in the roughBill Pup60 is a jewel in the roughBill Pup60 is a jewel in the roughBill Pup60 is a jewel in the roughBill Pup60 is a jewel in the roughBill Pup60 is a jewel in the roughBill Pup60 is a jewel in the rough
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    Quote Originally Posted by weunice
    LSU fans have used this argument to fuel their "everyone to 1-AA" fire for years and then turned right around and argued that LSU has never lost a recruit to an in-state school.
    ....
    They tend to be a little forgetful in this area. there have been quite a few that they recruited heavily and lost to in-state schools. Just to name one that most folks would recognize is none other than Terry Bradshaw. Yep, Charlie McLendon did everything he could to get Terry, but guess where he went????????? And the reason.......... Charlie's system was a death knell for a passing QB!!!

    And please don't a bunch of you come on here and start saying that "his grades weren't good enough and all that c#ap!!! In fact his HS grade were fine and even if they weren't, it made no difference. In Terry's day there were no selective admissions to any Louisiana state supported school. BTW, that includes lsu, too! Period!!! All you had to have to get in (not to stay there, mind you, but to get in ) was a diploma from a state HS.

    There are plenty of other cases where some top talent has gone to other state schools, when lsu was trying hard to get them. Remember Charlie Tolar at Northwestern??????

  11. #11
    Puppy swampfox is an unknown
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    Clyde, I understand that our program has been horrible since 1997 and that we are in the weakest 1-A conference in America but I do not think you should be so quick to want to dismiss what is probably your oldest 1-A in state rival. I will not go into the whole now we have a new coach and will turn things around, only time will tell that. I just think a continued Cajuns vs. Bulldogs rivalry is good for both schools. We have been playing each other since 1910 (compared to ULM vs. Tech only since 1953). The record between us is 44-33-6 in favor of Tech (Tech vs. ULM 30-10 in favor of Tech). You guys have won the last 4 games between us in 97, 98, 99 & 2000. However we won the 4 games before that in 93, 94, 95 & 96. You guys have beat ULM in your last 8 meetings. I don't see how playing us can hurt you?

  12. #12
    Champ Cool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond repute
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Pup60
    [quote:c504301a84="weunice"]
    LSU fans have used this argument to fuel their "everyone to 1-AA" fire for years and then turned right around and argued that LSU has never lost a recruit to an in-state school.
    ....
    They tend to be a little forgetful in this area. there have been quite a few that they recruited heavily and lost to in-state schools. Just to name one that most folks would recognize is none other than Terry Bradshaw. Yep, Charlie McLendon did everything he could to get Terry, but guess where he went????????? And the reason.......... Charlie's system was a death knell for a passing QB!!!

    And please don't a bunch of you come on here and start saying that "his grades weren't good enough and all that c#ap!!! In fact his HS grade were fine and even if they weren't, it made no difference. In Terry's day there were no selective admissions to any Louisiana state supported school. BTW, that includes lsu, too! Period!!! All you had to have to get in (not to stay there, mind you, but to get in ) was a diploma from a state HS.

    There are plenty of other cases where some top talent has gone to other state schools, when lsu was trying hard to get them. Remember Charlie Tolar at Northwestern??????[/quote:c504301a84]


    Most people don't know this but Joe Raymond Peace committed to LSU and the coaches showed up to sign him and he changed his mind on his front porch.

  13. #13
    Champ Cool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond reputeCool Hand Clyde has a reputation beyond repute
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    Quote Originally Posted by swampfox
    Clyde, I understand that our program has been horrible since 1997 and that we are in the weakest 1-A conference in America but I do not think you should be so quick to want to dismiss what is probably your oldest 1-A in state rival. I will not go into the whole now we have a new coach and will turn things around, only time will tell that. I just think a continued Cajuns vs. Bulldogs rivalry is good for both schools. We have been playing each other since 1910 (compared to ULM vs. Tech only since 1953). The record between us is 44-33-6 in favor of Tech (Tech vs. ULM 30-10 in favor of Tech). You guys have won the last 4 games between us in 97, 98, 99 & 2000. However we won the 4 games before that in 93, 94, 95 & 96. You guys have beat ULM in your last 8 meetings. I don't see how playing us can hurt you?
    Playing your team won't hurt the Dawgs per se but it sure won't help. No one will get excited about playing ULL. Season tickets sales won't increase. CHAMPS donations won't go up.

    It only gives ourt AD a quick fix to scheduling 5 home games. If that's the best he can do, he needs to try harder .

  14. #14
    Champ turbodawg has a reputation beyond reputeturbodawg has a reputation beyond reputeturbodawg has a reputation beyond reputeturbodawg has a reputation beyond reputeturbodawg has a reputation beyond reputeturbodawg has a reputation beyond reputeturbodawg has a reputation beyond reputeturbodawg has a reputation beyond reputeturbodawg has a reputation beyond reputeturbodawg has a reputation beyond reputeturbodawg has a reputation beyond repute turbodawg's Avatar
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    I voted for La-Monroe to drop.

    And, really, that's not my 'ideal' wish for La college football, so much as it is, what I think will happen.

    I've always sort of been of the opinion that if a team wants to play 1a ball, fine. Even if you suck, or nobody comes to your games. Whatever. Your choice where you want to play.

    That's not the case now that the NCAA has tightened up the regulations for 1a compliance (and, yeah, I wasn't in favor of the rule changes). So it's not so much of me wanting La-Mon to drop, as it is of that's the reality the school is facing.

    And have you kept up with the financial situation they're faced with?
    Honestly, if the tables were turned, and it were Tech in that situation... as much as I love Tech and Tech sports, if the university were put in the situation where physics and music programs of study are being dropped because of lack of money, while the football team was winning 1 or 2 games and losing thousands upon thousands of dollars a year, and running an overall athletic deficit in the millions (not to mention the decline of the physical school itself)... I'd be super pissed. I'd probably want to drop sports all together. And I don't mean to get on a soapbox or wax philosophical, but damn. Sports are fun. But let's keep priorities straight and the raison d'etre of a *university* to begin with.

    All that aside, I do think it'd be better long term if La-Monroe did drop a division, leaving Tech the only 1a team in N.La (or Cenla, or South Ark, or E.Texas...). I think of it like this: a while back, mostly before I was even born, Tech and Northwestern State were bitter rivals. Now, for the most part, that practically doesn't exist. I've always pulled for the Demons, and I've been to lots of football games there. When I was a student, I used to have some friends at Normal. They'd come up and blow it out when Tech was at home and the Demons were out, and vice versa. For most of us at the time (6,8 years back) none of us knew anything about that old rivalry. Maybe somewhere down the line it could be like that for La-Monroe.

    ULM had an announced attendance of 6000 and change for their game last week on a beautiful fall evening. How much you think the actual attendance for that was? Where'd the other maybe 4,6,8000 other people go that they had at games when they were a good 1aa team? They're sure not at the games. And for the most part, I'd say, that they're not at Tech games, and they're not going to be at Tech games either, because of the old rivalry. NLU sports, in their ~50(?) years of existance have been BUILT almost entirely on that rivarly. Those old school people hate Tech. But what about 20years from now? 40years? If they were in different divisions, perhaps people in N.La could pull for BOTH Tech and La-Monroe instead of dividing up what is already a pretty sparse potential fan base to begin with. I think that it could be a win/win for Tech and La-Monroe -- Tech continuing to improve our teams and crowds, winning and increasing our stature in 1a, and being the big dawg (pun intended) in North Louisiana; and ULM playing in a more regional 1aa conference, with similarly situated schools, saving money, and drawing larger crowds because they'd be more competitive. Or maybe not.

    $.02

  15. #15
    Big Dog Jetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really niceJetstorm is just really nice Jetstorm's Avatar
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    Well, Turbodawg, that's a good post. Let me add something to that. My parents are both Northwestern St. alumni. My dad played football for them back in the 70s. Back then they were bad. They stunk, as a matter of fact. From 1973-75 they won three games. Back then, NSU and Louisiana Tech played in the State Fair Classic at Independence Stadium every year, and even in the darkest years for Northwestern, the crowd at that game almost always topped 30,000. They didn't beat Tech very often. In fact, the five years my dad played at NSU (one redshirted), they never beat Tech. The Bulldogs lead the all time series with Northwestern 18-4-2. But when they did beat Tech, it was always a cause for huge celebration. It's funny, A.L Williams was the head coach at NSU when my dad was there (I also had the good fortune to be coached by Williams during my time at Cedar Creek High School in Ruston). When he finally beat Tech in the early 1980's, Tech promptly brought him in as their head coach, then fired him a few years later because he couldn't beat Northeast! Just goes to show you how intense the rivalries used to be. At Tech, losing to either NSU or NLU was absolutely unacceptable, and the Tech boosters made sure there was absolutely no misunderstanding about this. When Tech went 1-A in 1988, the State Fair Classic ended. I often wonder what would have happened had Tech decided to stay in the Southland. Northwestern St. is now a 1-AA powerhouse, so I'm inclined to think that rivalry would have become a lot more competitive. Of course, we'll never know, unless NSU decides to go 1-A and convinces Tech to get the State Fair Classic going again. I doubt that will ever happen. NSU is happy being a big fish in a small pond, instead of the other way around.

    As for ULM, I don't know if they will make it. I hope they do, but the fans won't come to watch a loser. And there are a lot of Old Guarders over there longing for the good ol' days of NLU/NSU and Southland football and 1-AA playoff victories. They're still not over the name change, they hate it. But the only way that program is going to be fully revived, and the only way the Tech/ULM rivalry will be fully rekindled, is for ULM to win. And winning can't happen without first having a brilliant head coach and a brilliant athletic director who have intelligence, football savvy, recruiting skills, and a long term vision of growth for the program. Maybe they can find their miracle worker, I don't know. But they are running short on time.

    P.S.- Some NSU fans are still carrying the State Fair torch. My dad absolutely can't STAND La. Tech and ULM. For all those Tech fans who don't want to play ULM and UL-Lafayette, I got news for you. Old traditions die hard. Some never die at all, they just fade for a few years and return when the time is right. So I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss a renewal of the ULM and ULL series. Deep down, you know you love sticking it to the Cajuns and Indians, and you want to make sure they always know they will NEVER be as good as Tech. You can't do that unless you schedule them and beat them every few years or so.

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