I just watched Fresno State beat Pac 10 team Oregon State. Last week Fresno lost to Tennessee by a pretty good margin but it wasn't a blowout. Next week Fresno plays at Oklahoma. Two years ago Fresno beat Wisconsin, Oregon State and Colorado who were all ranked at the time and rose to number 8 in the polls before losing to a couple of teams in their own conference. All of these games were probably scheduled as rent a win games by the big boys. The announcer said that the Fresno coach asked Bobby Bowden how to become one of the big boys and Bowden told him you do it by playing the big boys. It worked for Florida State who wasn't nationally regarded much higher than Fresno has been at the time Bowden became the coach. Other teams at the same level as Fresno in recent years have elevated their programs to a higher level. Southern Mississippi, Louisiana Tech and Louisville have beaten teams like Alabama, Florida State and even LSU. Its incredibly tough for a mid major team like those to stay at that level once they have achieved it . LA Tech has been down for the last couple of years and Southern Mississsippi is still a decent team but down from the last few years. Louisville might be almost at major status and it wouldn't surprise me to see Louisville become the 12th team in the ACC or join the depleted Big East. There are a couple of threads going on this forum right now debating whether LSU should resume playing Tulane every year. Tulane recently came close to dropping to Division III status or dropping football alltogether. The whole point of this is that there are teams like these who will schedule the big boys and while they are happy to have their rent a win money they don't just roll over and die like a USL. Fresno State tonight gave a really gutsy performance with their starting quarterback out with an injury and the backup who played incurred an injury to his shoulder on the side of his throwing arm and still got them in position for a game winning field goal. Teams like this deserve a chance to play LSU a lot more than Tulane who wants to play the Tigers but only if they can get a home and home arraingement so they can reap the revenue that LSU fans would bring to the Dome.
USL doesn't roll over and die either. They gave South Carolina everything it had, and damn near beat an SEC team. Good post. I enjoyed the read. I remember games like UAB and Miami of Ohio and realize no win is a sure win... Geaux Tigers.
ULL has a good coach now, and I wouldn't be surprised if they become more competitive over the next few years. They might even make the New Orleans bowl.... not that that is very hard to do.
Of all the rent a wins mentioned, along with Fresno St, only Tulane has recently gone undefeated. Why am I the only one here willing to give them credit for that. Or the fact that Tulane also made and won a bowl last year. The drop to DivIII had more to do with money, than talent. Tulane is not a state school, they do not get state money to run a football program. So they had to make a decision if football was worth saving. This kind of thing will never happen at LSU b/c LSU is nicely supported by the state of Louisiana and does not only survive on donations and tutition. Ill has no problem playing Ill st every year, and that goes for a lot old in state rival games. No one is saying Tulane is on the same level, but that something special was lost when Tulane get replaced by Troy st and ULL.
