pwdonaldson

I'm here to eat crow.  Great win for you guys tonight.  Can't believe we couldn't hold on, but you guys proved you wanted it more, and in the end, deserved it more.  Good luck the rest of the season until I visit you guys as a Sam fan.

I'm not hijacking this board anymore, so I'm only going to comment on the Lamar and SLU game moving forward.  I'm also a Sam alum, so I'll be back to talk about that game and already have my tickets. My last comment on this thread is this: 50% of the teams that you would join in the WAC will be teams who have moved up from FCS to FBS to save the WAC.  These are the same teams people on this board are saying fans will not pay money to see.  For every Boise there are 10 ULLs, ULMs, North Texas', Arkansas State, Florida Atlantics, Troys, etc.

[quote name="LU4LIFE" post="848314" timestamp="1284602099"] pwdonaldson are you talking about Texas State or LAMAR can't sell out the 16k stadium? [/quote] I'm talking about Texas State.  You guys are going to sell out your first few games this year and maybe even the entire season, depending on your record midseason.  It's my personal opinion that your sellouts won't continue but as others have pointed out, I don't have any proof of that.

bigred360, you're right, it really isn't any of my business.  Sorry I hijacked your board.   I just get sick of seeing schools like Texas State, UTSA, Lamar, and etc try to make a move they aren't ready for.  I wish the NCAA would step in and review the criteria for making the move from FCS to FBS.  It seems as though everyone who enjoys some type of success in FCS (and even many who don't like Texas State) begin talking about the next level and you see regional rivalries destroyed, travel/expense budgets go out of control, and regional conferences fall apart. It's a complete waste of money to expand a stadium to 28-30k when you can't even sell out the 16k stadium you have.  That money could be going somewhere else in the university. Nevermind all of that, I just can't wait for this weekend.  I'll gladly come back on this board and eat crow if I'm wrong, but I can't wait until we deliver you guys a much needed reality check, even with our backup QB who's only played in one collegiate game.

You've talked about this topic to the point that even a visitor to your board is getting nauseous.  No one's even talking about this coming Saturday's reality check at Southeastern Louisiana, one of those little po-dunk Louisiana schools that you don't want to be in the same conference with. When you announce concrete plans to increase stadium capacity to 30k, then we'll start talking because there is no way you will continue to average 15k+ per home game.  Texas State will never get out of the shadows of UT.  Lamar and Sam simply don't have the fan support or population level needed.  UTSA.....maybe, if San Antonio shows they care, which to this point, they haven't. If the WAC continues with its rumored expansion plan, the Sun Belch may no longer be the doormat of FBS.  Seriously?  Games with Montana, Montana State, Louisiana Tech, Texas State, UTSA, San Jose State.....this is going to be a better fit for you than the Southland.  I would encourage all of you to look at McNeese.  They average more "real" fans than ULM and ULL.  They beat ULM and ULL when they play them.  They participate in a football playoff instead of hoping to be rewarded with a game in the New Orleans Bowl.  It CAN work in FCS and does work in FCS.  The grass isn't always greener on the other side my friends. As for reality......Hope to see some of you in Hammond this weekend where we'll show you what the SLC is like when there's tape on you.  You, just like Texas State, don't even dominate in the SLC and you think you are worthy of moving up to the next level.  Get a grip.  Win some games, win some championships, actually SELL OUT your stadium on a consistant basis, and then talk like you deserve it.

[quote name="coachacola" post="846603" timestamp="1284409725"] [quote author=becktobigs link=topic=72891.msg846595#msg846595 date=1284409003] All the other recent start-ups seem to be playing mostly home games against non-D1 teams their first year. and Georgia State lost to one of them.  Lambuth is an NAIA school making the transition to D2.  Bill Curry (he's 57-96 without the 3 years at Alabama) can really coach but at least I don't have to his constantly negative color commentary. [/quote] Attendance dropped from 30K for their first game to just 12K for this game.  I read that their season ticket sales aren't that great, they had a lot of students and walkups for their first game. [/quote] As you may be aware, Southeastern went through this process in 2003 and 7 years down the road, one thing is obvious to me: you have to build upon that initial support quickly.  Though you guys opened with a lot larger crowd than we did, we went from selling out our stadium with additional temporary bleachers in the first year, to fighting for support underneath the shadow of LSU in the next.  You guys don't have UT or A&M right down the road and already seem to have a pretty strong fan base, so hopefully you can keep the strong attendance going.  Student engagement and winning early are the keys.  A successful transition into SLC could make or break it, especially with many of your fans already talking about FBS.  Start losing to the Southeasterns, Nicholls, and Northwesterns, and it becomes harder to say you can compete with teams in the WAC and support of the average fan who don't care about teams in the FCS begins to wane.

Hello everyone! Can't wait for the game this weekend between Southeastern and Lamar.  Nice to have you guys back on the football scene.  If you want to chat with some Lion fans before the game, you can head to our board at this site: [Hidden Content] As for the stadium, game-day atmosphere, and team, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by all.  The stadium certainly isn't the largest in the SLC but I think it's a cozy atmosphere and there isn't a bad seat in the house.  The pre-game atmosphere is still a work in progress but the tailgating scene is picking up and we're hoping it will continue to pick up with a few winning seasons under our belt.  As for the team, most of our fans think this is the best team we've fielded since returning football to Hammond.  Lots of high expectations for this season. Again, welcome back to the Southland football scene and hope to see at least two thousand of you guys at the Berry this weekend :)