I like the idea of ULL eventually being known as Louisiana, just like UT-Austin is known simply as Texas. Just like UC-Berkeley is known as California. Just like UNC-Chapel Hill is known as North Carolina. Etc., etc., etc. ULL deserves the distinction over ULM because ULL is bigger and has a better hold on Louisiana. ULM will eventually move back to Div. I-AA, I think.
The reason they are called Texas and North Carolina instead of UT-Austin and UNC-Chapel Hill is because they are the original school in a system. ULL is part of the University of Louisiana system along with Tech, ULM, and like 8 other schools. They are not the University of Louisiana though. They need to find a name like University of Acadiana.
Those at ULL that really pushed for the name change were attempting to rid themselves of the regionalized aspect of the name, i.e. SOUTHWEST. In their misguided minds, they felt that this was keeping them from getting more respect from fans in other areas of the country. That part about UT being Texas, UNC being North Carolina, etc. is exactly what they were hoping to achieve. Get the legislature to dub them The University of Louisiana and they would become simply "Louisiana" and Presto...instant respect. Unfortunately for them, politics and politicians being what they are, the thing got amended to what it is today: A bunch of UL-Whatevers. What the cajun braintrust (oxymoron?) doesn't realize is it's not what you are called, it's what you do. Respect is earned. Build a winning program and quit worrying about what LSU is doing and we can peacefully co-exist. I want to be a ULL fan AND an LSU fan but every time I listen to Lafayette Talk radio I get pissed off and turn against Ragin Cajun athletics, or, more appropriately, the Tiger Envy gang.
I thought the legislation that allowed them the name change forced them to use Louisiana-Monroe or Louisiana-Lafayette ONLY. No University of Louisiana. Perhaps the city name is in microtype.
no, their official name is the university of louisiana at lafayette/monroe...i believe. I could be wrong, it's happened before.
Part of the reason both schools changed names has to do with University of Louisiana System charter. For one school to be allowed to change its name another school had to. Initially they wanted all the ULA system schools to be UL fill in the blank. Nicholls would be U LA Thibodeaux for example. NLU was the only school to go along.
My point is that of the four states I mentioned among others (Wisconsin-Madison), all schools are a part of the state system, and one becomes "the" state school. I like dichotomies. I root for all louisiana schools, but I probably root for ULL above some of the others, except LSU and my two alma maters (and then again, I tend to follow ULL more than my alma maters). I know a lot of LSU fans don't care for ULL and I know a lot of ULL fans don't care for LSU, but I like them both. And I wish ULL could develop into Louisiana. And then there could be a true/good rivalry between LSU and UL.
The Saints will win the Superbowl before that happens. USL will always be LSU's bitch (or one of LSU's bitches like Tulane is)
