S'port Games

[RealityCheck]

Just when I think some of you people have half a brain, I see a stupid post like this one from RealityCheck.

Without Shreveport, you "smart" guys better get used to playing in the Sunbelt. Because --outside of the WAC-- it's the best conference you'll ever see. No conference --certainly not CUSA-- wants to play all of their conference games in Ruston. Rather, they will REQUIRE La Tech to have a tight alliance with Shreveport.

For example, if La Tech gets invited to CUSA, I GUARANTEE you, the "eastern" CUSA schools (primarily Marshall, UCF, and ECU) will require that we let them fly into Shreveport and play in the Indy Bowl stadium rather than bus all the way to Ruston and back. Same will probably hold true for UTEP.

So, you better start building a fan base in Shreveport, or just give up the whole Div 1A idea. Nobody (conference) is gonna want Tech without Shreveport.

And don't forget that playing in Indy Bowl Stadium is also a recruiting tool for Tech. Fact is, kids like playing in a 55K seat stadium with nice artificial turf and a big screen Jumbotron the same size as their home town. They like "state of the art" facilities, so get used to it.

Taking away one of Tech's "recruiting" advantages is not the answer. The bottom line is, Shreveport has the demographics to boost growth, while Ruston offers less.

As I've stated before, it's not Shreveport's fault that a 4-5 La Tech team playing against a 2-7 Tulsa team didn't draw flies at Indy. Nope, that's our own damn fault. LA Tech has posted LOSING seasons in 4 of the past 5 years. What did you really expect?

HD

Louisiana Tech should only accept an invitation to C-USA (an invitation I am not holding my breath for, BTW) with NO STRINGS ATTACHED.

If you think that Shreveport is essential, a full slate of Shreveport games against C-USA opponents would be the death-knell for Tech in Division I-A. There is only one C-USA school that Tech could consistently average over 20,000 for in Shreveport--Tulane.

NCAA rules prohibit more than one home game away from the primary home stadium to count toward membership requirements. With 5 I-A home games required in 2006, Tech could play two games at HD's Joe Aillet Stadium alternate home site only in a 6-home game season. That strategy would destroy all recent gains in student attendance at a time when that recent increase is a significant part of the cushion that Tech currently has over the 15,000 required average attendance mark.

[oledawg66]

Who brought the fans to the Texas A&M game?--Aggies

Who brought the fans to the OSU game? - Cowboys


Those schools along with our fan base provides the 30K plus, and I agree with everyone that UTEP and the Tulsa games were horrible. (Of course, that would suggest that the committed Tech fan base is lacking.)

As I stated in my first post, Texas A&M one year, OK State the next year, Baylor the following, those kind of teams on a consistent basis will work. Big 12 schools that are close to us with a large fan base who want to watch football and lose money after the game at the casinos.

Still have to agree with you 100%. The Shreveport fan base (which is an oxymoron) does not provide the fans in the stands. Even the Indy bowl committee knows that because they are always concerned about bringing in teams that will bring fans. If our fate is tied to Shreveport, we are doomed, doomed I tell ya, doomed.

[Dawgpix]

My .02
Next year my understanding is we have 5 home games in a row? If so, . . . . ..

5 straight home games. Where'd this come from?
Please re-check your facts.
tm

[RealityCheck]

Next year my understanding is we have 5 home games in a row?

Incorrect. The North Texas game is the ONLY confirmed home game date so far--October 22. The WAC office will not release the conference schedule until February or March, and I can guarantee that no team in the league will ever play more than two straight conference games at home.

[TYLERTECHSAS]

hookdown is absolutely right.No,I repeat NO WAC schools in Shreveport.Only BCS schools that can draw some passion.WAC games draw alot of passion in Ruston and even tulsa would have drawn 14k in ruston and our season Average would not have plummeted.Baylor,Kansas,A&M,LSU maybe but WAC should stay at JOE.

DITTO!