WAFB says Western Illinois Lethernecks to replace Marshall??????? Is it possible that this is the only team they could make a deal with? Very bad job by Skip, Radikovich, and whoever else is involved if this is the case. A 1-AA team is ok once every 5 years or so, but 3 out of the last 4 years is ridiculous. Replacement game or not, Skip and them should at least be able to find a team people knew existed.
I think that the SEC should band together to prevent having things like this happen to schools in the conference. I bet Marshall would have second thoughts about cancelling the game if they knew that no SEC school would play them in the next 5 years. We were doing them a favor more than they were doing us a favor. Having a penalty greater than money could do wonders in making teams fulfill contracts.
I think Colorado State, Kansas State had open dates then. The problem is the damm 7 home game crap. We would have had to play a home and home series and give up a home game in a future season. Damm the 7 home games. It is preventing us from playing the big dogs and I hate it. Skip needs to get his head out of his ass and schedule like were a top team. By the way Arizona in not a (Big) game.
Guys, as bad as this is you should have expected it. There was no way LSU would take the chance to upgrade the game to a....Kan St, etc. LSU admin and staff think they have added a "tough" game for '03 with AZ.....well unless something drastically changes ie...players start responding to Mackovich's abuse...AZ will suck....hell Marshall would beat them. The truth is they did not add a tough game they added a "name" game. Although there were other teams available you can bet most consider their '03 schedule final and are looking at '05 and forward now. The ones who were available probably had their open dates where they wanted them and didn't want to change it. Or, had another big payday game locked up and didn't want to change it. And a final theory. LSU probably approached some teams about dropping a game and picking LSU up. in response the team probably said "Ok, you pay the buy-out". And with LSU being so money-hungry and greedy this day and age they won't come off a penny.
We are also trying to find a team for ULM in 2004. Since we are playing them in 2003, their scheduled game in 2004 is being cancalled. Look for another lowly 1AA team to come to Tiger Stadium. SE Louisiana here we come.
Although we would kick the livin $hit out of em....this game intrigues me. A Mumme with a Woody How can you pass that up.
The advocate says it could also be San Jose State. We have got to have stricter contracts that cannot be bought out so late. I really do not think LSU is greedy with their money. There is nothing wrong with trying to make a profit.
they recalled the press release about western ill. Dandy says they are working on a contract with san jose. I believe that if they would schedule kstate that it would be the game of the week and espn would be there and everything. It would be on tv so that should come close to making up for the lost revenue of not having the 7th home game the next year. Who cares if we lose half a mill its worth it in the end due to a bug bump in strength of schedule that could get us a better bowl with a bigger pay out which wuold make up the difference.az is not a big game. Thats like somebody from the pac 10 scheduling kent. and calling them their big oc game. Az sucks ass I'm sorry to say it but they do. About playing these little schools WE HAVE NOTHING TO GAIN FROM IT AND EVERYTHING TO LOSE. If we win the pollsters say so what your supposed to win by 40 if we lose they are like damn you suck. I would love to see the sec coaches adopt an unoffical policy like MIKED said. If we are going to play a 1AA team atleast play an instate school like McNeese, southern, northwestern state, or grambling. McNeese or Northwestern are always at the top of 1AA. McNeese almost beat Texas A&M 2 years ago, held with Miami better then some of the big schools did 3 years ago and only lost to Nebraska 38-14 last year. I don't think we should ever play a 1AA team but if we have to why not try to keep the money instate god knows the state could use the money. this is how i would like the schedule to look 1. warm up game. A state school to keep the money here. Would like it to be LaTech. ok mid major. easy win but good enough to show us were we need to improve. would give them a pay day and exposure. 2. Texas A&M. At one time on of the top 10-15 rivalries in cfootball. Gives us more exposure in the south texas area. 3. bye week 4. another big name oppenent. somebody who is consistantly a Top 20 national team like VaTech next year. Preferablly a Team from florida like fla. state or maybe USF, Cali or a pac 10 team around cali like UCLA, Stanford, Oregon or Oregon State, or Maybe even Texas to give us recruiting exposure. Just make sure its not somebody that has good ties to Louisiana so it doesn't really help them out too much. Or just play any team were there area has a good track record of producing quanity and quality recruits Like Penn State or NOTRE DAME. 5. miss state they hardly ever contend for west title just a easy game to get rested a little and work out kinks. 6. bye week 7. sec east opp. 8. sec east opp 9. sec east opp. 10. ole miss. tough opp. rivalry game. tough but most of the time a win. 11. bama. another tough rivalry game. can win, but can lose too. I think we will win more then we will lose in the coming years and turn the series around. 12. Tulane. old rivalry game. Pretty easy win keeps the money instate and would be sellout 9 out of 10 times. most of the time a blow out would let us rest some before the final stretch. 13. ARK. big rivalry game. usually in race for west. 14. Auburn. Prolly our biggest rival right now due to recent bad blood. as of late has decided west more times then not. Both teams on the rise. The reason I think it should be last is because does everybody remember the 2001 game for the west crown winner takes all? Their was such a build up for that game. I would like to see this every year. What do ya'll think? What kind of schedule would ya'll like? It would give us a good strength of schedule, recruiting ties, keep moeny in state(everybody knows we need any help we can get), probable sell out of every game+tons of revenue, and it would give us 6 or 7 home games every year. I look at it this way to be the best we have to beat the best. Look at MIAMI this past year their co schedule included Fla state, Fla, ANd Tenn. Fla State(not that they are better then us) had Miami, Florida, and Notre Dame.Auburn now has USC and GaTech two big name oppenents. We need to catch on and start scheduling better and make the buy outs big if we are going to play smaller schools.jmho though tell me what ya'll think.
You've got my same idea Triple 7. For our OOC schedule, rivals Texas A&M and Tulane should be home-and-home alternate games every year. Them, plus two rent-a-wins (one in-state, one out-of state) plus SEC schedule should get us seven home games and put us at a decent strength of schedule every year, maybe enough to make us a consistent BCS team every year. Here is how I would play it. 12 game season (let's face it boys, 12-game schedule is here to stay) with two open dates. Week 1: Warm up game with in-state opponent. Louisiana Tech, ULL, ULM on three year rotation. Week 2: Texas A&M (most likely home and home, but I'd be open to a neutral field like Houston) Week 3:Warm up game with strong mid-major (Middle Tenn. St., Marshall, South Florida, Fresno St., Southern Miss, etc.) Week 4: Open date Weeks 5,6,7,8: SEC schedule (open with a West, then three East teams) Week 9: Open date Week 11, 12, 13: SEC schedule (West games, preferably Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss) Week 14: Play Tulane (home and home) for "Rivalry Week." Game would at least make Fox Sports South if not ESPN. Week 15 (Friday or Sat. after Thanksgiving) Arkansas. Would love to have this game in Shreveport every year. It could eventually come to rival OU/Texas for status as best "Red River Rivalry." Especially if Hogs/Tigers are duking it out for division title like has happened in the past. Like it or not, I think Arkansas, not Auburn, will become our most important rivalry, and this would augment it. They'd have to expand Independence Stadium again after a few years to hold the people. By the way, many BCS caliber programs get by just fine with six or even five home games (doesn't seem to bother USC or Florida. UCLA played five last year too)
I think if one of the OOC games was one that is somewhat regional, many fans would still be able to make it without much trouble. Playing A&M in Reliant would be pretty cool. I wouldn't be totally against LSU vs Ark in Independence Stadium but there needs to be an expansion to Indy Stadium for it to happen. I am also itching for a trip to either Austin or Tallahasse.
