Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime

[dawggonit]

I know I am going to get hammered even writing on this forum and expressing my opionion, but we have got to change our attitude about Tech Football if we are going to make a respectable climb into a viable mid major college football program. First, let me commend the players for a gutsy performance against a solid Tennessee football team. I thought with just a couple of calls we would have either been ahead or tied a halftime. I watched the game and when J. Cage got hurt I watched Bicknell walk onto the field scratching his head and I know he was thinking what the hell are we doing here and now my best defensive lineman is hurt. Tech has been competitive with larger schools in the past, but to play Miami, Tennessee and Auburn within a four week period cannot be good for a teams confidence. I am in favor of occasionally playing larger schools more like once a year instead of two, three or four times. If you look at what Boise and Fresno and Marshall have done in the past, Tech clearly can compete with those teams, however, not to take anything away from Boise and Fresno, they have not played the level of competition that Tech has played this year. Washington has not been a good team this year and we are also finding out the Oregon State and Kansas State aren't living up to their expectations either. Fresno and Boise are good football teams that much is clear, but we have played Fresno very good every year with the exception of one. We have beaten Boise once since joining the conference and played them very close each time.

This is my solution to the problem.

Lets start scheduling teams like Southern Miss, Tulane, maybe even Vanderbilt and one major opponent yearly, not three. Also, up until this year we start playing the big schools early in the season. Lets continue to put ULL and Arkansas State and teams like that on our schedule early to give the Dawgs some momentum going into ONE major football foe before we start the season in conference play. I realized we need the money to fund our other athletics, but its time to start seriously considering a conference we can dominate like the Sunbelt. We have two or three good years in the Sunbelt and conferences like Conference USA will come knocking. I like the WAC and its a good conference but we cannot afford it anymore. As far as coaching, it would be tough for Bobby Bowden to win with our schedule even with Florida States players.

I like our chances against Fresno State this weekend and I live in central LA and I will be there, but it will be a very sad day in Ruston if we don't have at least 25K to watch the first ranked team to visit TECH in Ruston.

Sincerely,

Dawg Faithful

GO Dawgs!!!!

[faninmonroe]

I know I am going to get hammered even writing on this forum and expressing my opionion, but we have got to change our attitude about Tech Football if we are going to make a respectable climb into a viable mid major college football program. First, let me commend the players for a gutsy performance against a solid Tennessee football team. I thought with just a couple of calls we would have either been ahead or tied a halftime. I watched the game and when J. Cage got hurt I watched Bicknell walk onto the field scratching his head and I know he was thinking what the hell are we doing here and now my best defensive lineman is hurt. Tech has been competitive with larger schools in the past, but to play Miami, Tennessee and Auburn within a four week period cannot be good for a teams confidence. I am in favor of occasionally playing larger schools more like once a year instead of two, three or four times. If you look at what Boise and Fresno and Marshall have done in the past, Tech clearly can compete with those teams, however, not to take anything away from Boise and Fresno, they have not played the level of competition that Tech has played this year. Washington has not been a good team this year and we are also finding out the Oregon State and Kansas State aren't living up to their expectations either. Fresno and Boise are good football teams that much is clear, but we have played Fresno very good every year with the exception of one. We have beaten Boise once since joining the conference and played them very close each time.

This is my solution to the problem.

Lets start scheduling teams like Southern Miss, Tulane, maybe even Vanderbilt and one major opponent yearly, not three. Also, up until this year we start playing the big schools early in the season. Lets continue to put ULL and Arkansas State and teams like that on our schedule early to give the Dawgs some momentum going into ONE major football foe before we start the season in conference play. I realized we need the money to fund our other athletics, but its time to start seriously considering a conference we can dominate like the Sunbelt. We have two or three good years in the Sunbelt and conferences like Conference USA will come knocking. I like the WAC and its a good conference but we cannot afford it anymore. As far as coaching, it would be tough for Bobby Bowden to win with our schedule even with Florida States players.

I like our chances against Fresno State this weekend and I live in central LA and I will be there, but it will be a very sad day in Ruston if we don't have at least 25K to watch the first ranked team to visit TECH in Ruston.

Sincerely,

Dawg Faithful

GO Dawgs!!!!

Dawg Faithful,

I think most people on this board will agree 100% with you. The problem is that our administration is addicted to the big money game payouts like a crack head is addicted to crack.

There is no long term athletic planning in Ruston (there might be at Ruston High) - I think most fans are tired of playing LSU, Tenn, Miami, Penn State, OSU, Michigan State, Auburn, aTm week after week and more often than not getting pounded.

I think we are in a serious rut with little to no hope of getting out until there are new names and faces leading things in Ruston.

[bustle]

Lets continue to put ULL and Arkansas State and teams like that on our schedule early to give the Dawgs some momentum going into ONE major football foe before we start the season in conference play.>>>>>>>>>>>>

OOOOhhhhh. good plan.

keep the Cajuns on your schedule.... those easy wins are good for momentum!!!

BWAAHHAHAHAHAH!!!!

[oledawg66]

I agree!

[aubunique]

Bustle, it was actually an easy win.

[aubunique]

dawggonnit, you are at least the fifth person to post basically the same suggestions in the past five days!

[oledawg66]

Not to mention many of us who have been calling for change since we first saw the '04 schedule.

[dawg80]

Lets continue to put ULL and Arkansas State and teams like that on our schedule early to give the Dawgs some momentum going into ONE major football foe before we start the season in conference play.>>>>>>>>>>>>

OOOOhhhhh. good plan.

keep the Cajuns on your schedule.... those easy wins are good for momentum!!!

BWAAHHAHAHAHAH!!!!

All razzing aside, I think Bustle is a doing a good job of rebuilding ULL's program. Face it, he started in a very deep hole. But this year the Cajuns are showing real improvement.

While ULL is slowly edging up, Tech under Bicknell is backsliding, or at best, treading water. If we continue to play every year, it won't be long before ULL beats Tech. Heck, you almost did this year.

Of course, I'm hoping for a much needed coaching change, one that will put things right, like: Tech 77 ULL 14. Now, that sounds about right to me. :icon_wink

Good luck the rest of the way, Cajuns.

[Badgerwolf]

I know I am going to get hammered even writing on this forum and expressing my opionion, but we have got to change our attitude about Tech Football if we are going to make a respectable climb into a viable mid major college football program. . . . This is my solution to the problem.

Lets start scheduling teams like Southern Miss, Tulane, maybe even Vanderbilt and one major opponent yearly, not three. Also, up until this year we start playing the big schools early in the season. Lets continue to put ULL and Arkansas State and teams like that on our schedule early to give the Dawgs some momentum going into ONE major football foe before we start the season in conference play. I realized we need the money to fund our other athletics, but its time to start seriously considering a conference we can dominate like the Sunbelt. We have two or three good years in the Sunbelt and conferences like Conference USA will come knocking. I like the WAC and its a good conference but we cannot afford it anymore. As far as coaching, it would be tough for Bobby Bowden to win with our schedule even with Florida States players.

I like our chances against Fresno State this weekend and I live in central LA and I will be there, but it will be a very sad day in Ruston if we don't have at least 25K to watch the first ranked team to visit TECH in Ruston.

Sincerely,

Dawg Faithful

GO Dawgs!!!!

Guys this post is not intended as a slam so please do not over react. The following was extracted from an article in the Sunday Denver Post; it will be hard to get a large Southern crowd to show up for FSU even though they are a good football team. Your diehard fans will show up, but that is not enough you also need the casual fans if you are to fill the stadium.

"Out here in the lost time zone, folks love their college football. Not that anybody else in the nation cares. Or notices. . .

Try as their teams might, the Western Athletic and Mountain West conferences cannot earn stars on the football map. For all their victories, Colorado State and Hawaii make agate type in the New York Times, not national headlines. . .

Apart, the WAC and Mountain West are nobodies, double-secret societies, playing the best college football nobody recognizes."

[Bossdawg]

Who reads the New York Times for sporting news, yuppies?

[GonzoDawg]

I know I am going to get hammered even writing on this forum and expressing my opionion, but we have got to change our attitude about Tech Football if we are going to make a respectable climb into a viable mid major college football program. First, let me commend the players for a gutsy performance against a solid Tennessee football team. I thought with just a couple of calls we would have either been ahead or tied a halftime. I watched the game and when J. Cage got hurt I watched Bicknell walk onto the field scratching his head and I know he was thinking what the hell are we doing here and now my best defensive lineman is hurt. Tech has been competitive with larger schools in the past, but to play Miami, Tennessee and Auburn within a four week period cannot be good for a teams confidence. I am in favor of occasionally playing larger schools more like once a year instead of two, three or four times. If you look at what Boise and Fresno and Marshall have done in the past, Tech clearly can compete with those teams, however, not to take anything away from Boise and Fresno, they have not played the level of competition that Tech has played this year. Washington has not been a good team this year and we are also finding out the Oregon State and Kansas State aren't living up to their expectations either. Fresno and Boise are good football teams that much is clear, but we have played Fresno very good every year with the exception of one. We have beaten Boise once since joining the conference and played them very close each time.

This is my solution to the problem.

Lets start scheduling teams like Southern Miss, Tulane, maybe even Vanderbilt and one major opponent yearly, not three. Also, up until this year we start playing the big schools early in the season. Lets continue to put ULL and Arkansas State and teams like that on our schedule early to give the Dawgs some momentum going into ONE major football foe before we start the season in conference play. I realized we need the money to fund our other athletics, but its time to start seriously considering a conference we can dominate like the Sunbelt. We have two or three good years in the Sunbelt and conferences like Conference USA will come knocking. I like the WAC and its a good conference but we cannot afford it anymore. As far as coaching, it would be tough for Bobby Bowden to win with our schedule even with Florida States players.

I like our chances against Fresno State this weekend and I live in central LA and I will be there, but it will be a very sad day in Ruston if we don't have at least 25K to watch the first ranked team to visit TECH in Ruston.

Sincerely,

Dawg Faithful

GO Dawgs!!!!

No you will not get hammered for expressing you opinion. However you will get nailed for rehashing opinions that have been expressed over and over again. I don't know how far you can go back to read old post but that might be helpful for a newbe. I'm willing to cut anyone who is new here some slack and any new ideas would be welcomed. Not that you are doing this but another thing that will get you trashed is to claim that you are a Tech Fan and trash Tech. Maybe someone could set up a thread for new "posters" to bring them up to speed. By the way, I like to go up against the big boys but I agree that four really tough games, three on the road is too much.

[SportTechFan]

Of course it is a challege to play 3 BCS Caliber Schools every year - but how do you replace the revenue - $500,000 per game (approx 6% of TECH's Athletic Budget)? Isn't it a recruiting plus to say to a recruit "if you come to TECH you will get to play 3 BCS Schools a year, and be on National TV." And - last time I asked SO. Miss, Memphis, Louisville and Tulane were not willing to schedule games with us - too much to lose, and nothing to gain from their view point.


SO - here is a partial solution. THE 500 CLUB - composed of 500 Loyal TECH Football Fans who will give/pledge an additonal $1,000 per year for 5 years to the TECH football program (over and above their current contributions - no cutting back on the academic contributions to particpate) with the stipulation from the AD that only two (2) BCS games will be scheduled each year unless 66% of the members of THE 500 CLUB by written ballot approve the scheduling of a third BCS opponent.


I will join - are there 499 more of you out there?


SportTechFan

[Champ967]

Sure ... I'm in. But I, like everyone else, would want to see that as part of a long-term strategic PLAN for Tech's athletic excellence. Without that kind of written committment, what reason do I have to believe that my contribution will be used for the purpose intended?

That said ... Great idea, MM!

[Dawgbitten]

497 to go. I have to see a plan first.

[Cool Hand Clyde]

What came first the chicken or the egg?

The university asks us to "have faith" and donate more to the cause. The supporters get mad because the coach isn't fired, pull their donations, and stop buying season tickets.

Will we see an athletic plan or will we go broke first?

This is better than the Nextel series!