NorthoftheBorder

As a Lamar Alumn, I wish that LU would have the kind of success that Baylor has enjoyed this year.  Heck, even Aggies would love for TAMU to have that kind of success.  My girlfriends oldest son goes to Baylor so I have made a few trips to Waco this past school year.  Great school.

[quote name="coachacola" post="1228560" timestamp="1338905660"] [quote author=UNLV link=topic=100313.msg1228550#msg1228550 date=1338903605] [quote author=Green Menace link=topic=100313.msg1228544#msg1228544 date=1338902628] [quote author=UNLV link=topic=100313.msg1227968#msg1227968 date=1338568073] When you measure distants between 2 cities, use the downtown's and not the suburb. Using the Suburbs puts Beaumont 43 miles from Houston. 2nd, 1.9 million people makes round trips PER YEAR between Beaumont/Port Arthur MSA and Houston MSA. 29th busiest in the nation between MSA's. TX-Dot has the Crosby freeway, highway 90, as the second freeway that will eventually link the Beaumont area to Houston. [b]Ya know DFW, the future will bring a HBP, Houston-Beaumont-Port Arthur CSA.[/b] [/quote] Wow!  That's a stretch.  Bmt-Pt Arthur is an afterthought in the grand scheme of things.  Houston doesn't need us.  Hell, we can't even support an airline!  I'm a PA boy, lived there half of my adult life.  Pt Arthur died 40 years ago and nothing will bring it back. [/quote]Forth Worth doesn't have an airport with commercial flights. The point is, TX-dot has put a stop to Houston growing westward. Houston is now growing eastward. You need to check out the growth around Crosby and east of Mont Belvieu. When the Houston east growth catch up with what the west is today, Anahuac will be the east Katy. That population spill over will affect BPT. I think it already started. [/quote] Houston has been growing westward because it's nicer on that side of town.  East Houston is more industrialized so that tends to limit growth, but it's growing nonetheless.  Tx-Dot is slowly improving highway 90 and eventually it'll be a major highway between Beaumont and Houston. The BPT metro area population is at a all time high according to the 2011 census data at over 390K.  With more projects on the way I expect to see the population exceed 400K by the end of the decade.  I-10 between Beaumont and Winnie is next to be widened to 6 lanes, and the interchange at I-10 and Cardinal Drive will be redone, probably extending it to Washington Blvd and eventually Dowlen. Lamar will benefit from this growth, and as they develop the campus and the surrounding area will improve.  I doubt we'll see ever 30K students at Lamar but 18K to 20K would be good, especially if Lamar concentrates on engineering and business, producing graduates who will make good money. [/quote] The problem is that the money people of Beaumont have never really wanted major growth here and have been happy to do small projects and a leisurely pace.  All the while, forward thinkers in Houston have really driven corporate expansion and growth.  It will take forward thinking and agressive development and marketing to accomplish what you are saying Coach.  I agree with you and wish it would play out the way you have said.

[quote name="UNLV" post="1228550" timestamp="1338903605"] [quote author=Green Menace link=topic=100313.msg1228544#msg1228544 date=1338902628] [quote author=UNLV link=topic=100313.msg1227968#msg1227968 date=1338568073] When you measure distants between 2 cities, use the downtown's and not the suburb. Using the Suburbs puts Beaumont 43 miles from Houston. 2nd, 1.9 million people makes round trips PER YEAR between Beaumont/Port Arthur MSA and Houston MSA. 29th busiest in the nation between MSA's. TX-Dot has the Crosby freeway, highway 90, as the second freeway that will eventually link the Beaumont area to Houston. [b]Ya know DFW, the future will bring a HBP, Houston-Beaumont-Port Arthur CSA.[/b] [/quote] Wow!  That's a stretch.  Bmt-Pt Arthur is an afterthought in the grand scheme of things.  Houston doesn't need us.  Hell, we can't even support an airline!  I'm a PA boy, lived there half of my adult life.  Pt Arthur died 40 years ago and nothing will bring it back. [/quote]Forth Worth doesn't have an airport with commercial flights. The point is, TX-dot has put a stop to Houston growing westward. Houston is now growing eastward. You need to check out the growth around Crosby and east of Mont Belvieu. When the Houston east growth catch up with what the west is today, Anahuac will be the east Katy. That population spill over will affect BPT. I think it already started. [/quote] I remember 25 years ago this same thing was being mentioned.  I think that it could very well happen, but may take another 25+ years for it to really develop and BMT get any benefit.

[quote name="UNLV" post="1227053" timestamp="1338343732"] [quote author=coachacola link=topic=99866.msg1226925#msg1226925 date=1338317742] Titletown2 does have a point that Lamar needs to win in football, but not entirely for the reasons he gave.  LAMAR needs to win because they are not in a big media market and don't have a large enrollment.  And even then they may not get invited to a FBS conference, that's what App. State and Georgia Southern just found out. Even if LAMAR stays in the SLC for a while, they can still expand the stadium to 25K+ and fill it, like App State, Montana, and other FCS schools do.  Butler, Gonzaga, and others have shown that you don't have to be in one of the big conferences to compete nationally in basketball. I think FBS is inevitable for LAMAR, it just won't happen overnight. [/quote] Assertion Size of the Lafayette media market is not exactly impressive, and that's never going to change. Farmer's response Farmer doesn't buy the notion that schools in or near major metropolitan media markets necessarily bring substantive media value to a conference. "I think you have to dig a little bit deeper," he said.  I don't think it's realistic to say, 'So and so brings the Dallas media market to the table,' just because they're located (near) Dallas. And I don't want to pick on anyone." Like, say, North Texas, which is bringing its claim to a Dallas media market that largely ignores it to Conference USA — much like FIU and a Miami media market in which FIU is a relative blip on the college and pro sports-scene radar. "I can say the same for San Antonio, Miami, Atlanta," Farmer said, referencing one metro market — Atlanta — which is home to incoming Sun Belt member Georgia State. "I don't think they bring (those media markets) to the table. [Hidden Content] [/quote] I like ULL's Athletic Director's spunk.  I would rather have a dreamer that see's the glass half full than a realist who see's it half empty and can only see the reasons why it can't be done.

[quote name="coachacola" post="1226925" timestamp="1338317742"] Titletown2 does have a point that Lamar needs to win in football, but not entirely for the reasons he gave.  LAMAR needs to win because they are not in a big media market and don't have a large enrollment.  And even then they may not get invited to a FBS conference, that's what App. State and Georgia Southern just found out. Even if LAMAR stays in the SLC for a while, they can still expand the stadium to 25K+ and fill it, like App State, Montana, and other FCS schools do.  Butler, Gonzaga, and others have shown that you don't have to be in one of the big conferences to compete nationally in basketball. I think FBS is inevitable for LAMAR, it just won't happen overnight. [/quote] Coach, I have a bad feeling that if the big schools get their way with football and get down to 4 or maybe 5 mega-conferences that will then play for a BCS type National Championship (probably then they will do the playoff) in football, once they get this done in football, they won't stop there and they will work hard to limit the NCAA basketball tourney, and probably all sports.  There may be  second tier FBS which would include the Sun Belt and a few other conferences included in NC play for all other sports, but I bet they will exclude FCS caliber conferneces.  This as much as any reason is why LU needs to make the move, sooner rather than later.  JMHO! 

Lamar in this conference re-alignment issue is acting like the person that  lives on the beach and knows a hurricane is coming and watches the news  trying to make a decision on when and if they should evacuate. They procastinate on making a decision and then all of sudden the water has risen and they are trapped and can't get out and just have to ride out the storm and see where the surge takes them.  They have no control over where they will land on high ground.  They are at the mercy of the storm. If LU really does want to move up, they need to be proactive.  I don't see that happening. I think at this point football will always be FCS/3rd tier.  What scares me is that the big schools at some point will try to shrink the pool of teams who can play in the NCAA basketball and baseball tournaments, and that could be whittled down to the top 2 conference tiers (the current FBS schools) and LU could find the basketball/baseball teams playing in a FCS  type tournament which will further shrink revenues and fan support.  This would be for all sports by the way.  JMHO!!

[quote name="Green Menace" post="1225662" timestamp="1337883032"] [quote author=UNLV link=topic=99866.msg1225627#msg1225627 date=1337875447] Don't get smug on CUSA. The SBC is a better conference than CUSA and will be for a few years. CUSA will get raided before SBC by the higher conferences. Those conferences will take CUSA best which will push CUSA further down. Think about it, if the SBC and CUSA  play a play in game for the BCS playoffs, does it make a different which conference Lamar should join? [b] I will advocate for Lamar in the CUSA because 5 schools, Tulane-UNT-Tech-UTSA-Rce[/b], is a bus trip away. That is extra money spent on athletics and not travel. You and UNT should be thinking the same way because CUSA is no longer a step above the SBC. Especially if the SBC undumb itself by adding App st and NMSU with its MBB. BTW, If the BIG 12 takes FSU, Clemson, G-tech, and ND in 2014, ECU and maybe Southern miss is gone from CUSA. Also, there are no more big markets CUSA can go after so that play is off the table. CUSA needs more swim teams. I think Lamar might still add swimming. [/quote] Exactly why I'm glad UNT is out of the SBC.  Traveling is much better for our fans with Tulane, Tech, UTSA, Rice, and Tulsa.  As it stands now, with the teams that will make up CUSA in 2013, the conference is still better perceived than the SBC.  And it will definitely be better for UNT financially because of the TV money and bowl games that will be available. But, really, in the grand scheme of the college football landscape, with the four, 16 team conferences being formulated with 64 teams, will the Sun Belt, CUSA, MWC, and Big East conferences really matter?  Everyone knows where this is headed and not all of the "name" programs will be invited.  The Big East will be a shell of its former self after the final raids take place.  Houston, Boise St, Memphis, UCF, Louisville, UConn, etc., won't smell the "elite 64".  The networks control the money stream, and they'll decide who will make up the elite 64. Say hello to the new Div. 1A and Div. 1AA. [/quote] Your right on target Green Menace.  It is just a matter of whether LU can make it to the second tier or stay in the third tier.  I prefer the 2nd myself.

[quote name="SportsFan1016" post="1225102" timestamp="1337713105"] Hopefully they give him the boot. It's what the program needs he is doing nothing but destroying it. [/quote] I like Gilligan and he has done a great job over the years. This thing happens more often than not in that someone with great long success and tenure doesn't know when to retire.  Paterno was a recent example and you see it with pro athletes.  He may just not have the fire to get it done like he use too.

[quote name="Tigersvoice" post="1224971" timestamp="1337700443"] [quote author=UNLV link=topic=99866.msg1224967#msg1224967 date=1337699933] Florida st and Clemson to the BIG 12.  [Hidden Content] Some rumors has ND joining too. BTW, Lamar is bigger than Clemson. [/quote] Is that for real?  Do you mean just the Beaumont campus or all of the locations that have Lamar in their name? [/quote] Clemson has a total student population of about 19,500 and sits in a town of about 14,000.  However they are about 30 minutes from Greenville which has a population of about 650,000 and the metro area for Greenville is about 1,200,000.  LU is 90 miles from a 6.3mil metro area.  That 60 miles may make a big difference.

I think the 4 major conferences Big 12, PAC12, Big Ten and SEC will all have 16 teams and you wind up with 64 NC eligible schools.  Who the final players will be is being worked out right now.  This could accelerate pretty quickly.  Outside chance you wind up with 5 16 team conferences and 80 NC eligible schools, the last made up of ACC, Big East and some CUSA teams.

Great article in The Sporting News recently on Mayweather.  The guy has done a great job of promoting his own fights and has changed the way business is done in the boxing world.  That said, the "circus" that surrounds his day to day life is more entertaining than anything else that could be staged by a team of comic geniouses!!!!

[quote name="BrenhamFan" post="1222384" timestamp="1337096490"] [quote author=knows2much link=topic=99986.msg1222367#msg1222367 date=1337092947] Every big school, in every state....and most small schools....do some form of recruiting.  Those schools that don't get beat. [/quote] Once you become a successful program, their is no need to recruit.  We have parents that move here all of the time to get exposure for their kid.  It helps them get noticed by colleges. (mainly football & baseball) [/quote] I noticed that with SLC when Dodge was in his run of state titles.  All of a sudden he had kids of former Cowboys moving in to be on the team.

A 4 yr job over a Juco job is not so hard to understand.  Hopefully the new guy will keep up what Cross started.

UNLV you need to change your title of this thread to "I hope....." as their really is no tangible evidence for any of us "out of the loop" fans that LU is even pursueing a FBS invitation with the Sun Belt or any other conference.  This is all fun to speculate for us fans that would like to see LU make that move, but really I cannot deduce from anything I have seen or heard that the Cards will try to make the move.

[quote name="UNLV" post="1220388" timestamp="1336664175"] North, If Lamar wants to move, Lamar needs to act soon. The conferences want all FCS to move up quickly as to shake off that FCS image fast. Cola, I disagree with your timing and conference. Lamar can go FBS for 2013 if the invite is before July. I don't think any conference will allow to Lamar snail pace it's way in. Lamar is not that attractive. Also the conference may not necessary be the Sunbelt. Sam Houston might get the Sunbelt call. [/quote] Alright so now give us your best prediction of what conference you think it will be if not the SBC.  I am thinking that it will be the SBC or no FBS for LU at this time.

So at least give us your reasons for why you think this might happen soon.

[quote name="PhatMack19" post="1212867" timestamp="1334870202"] [quote author=westend1 link=topic=99136.msg1212862#msg1212862 date=1334869199] I have curved the ball like that many times.      ;) [/quote] I said on purpose! [/quote] And got it to gland where you wanted it to land!!!!

The kid has talent!  I was hoping he could use it at LU in some capacity?  He had game breaking moves and running skills.  Although I didn't think he was ready yet to captian the offense at QB, he could have grown into that position or made the change to another position (receiver?). Hate he is leaving!

[quote name="coachacola" post="1216886" timestamp="1335896311"] SDSU and Boise should stay in the MWC. ECU should go to the Big East. Marshall should go back to the MAC. Lamar should go back to the Sun Belt. Simple as that! [/quote] I like it Coach but I don't think they want us and I am afraid it is as simple as that.  By the way the BRI board must be down I can't get on there.

Lets face it.  It is a major market issue and Tx St is in the Austin & San Antonio markets (as is UTSA).  UNT is in the Dallas/FW market.  La Tech seems like they will be able to skirt the major market issue because they have been FBS for awhile now.  The terrible reality is HBU being a startup with football has a much better chance that LU.  LU did not do what it needed to do back in the 90's to position the University for FBS.  Oh well, they are still my Alma Mater and I support them 100%.  My hope that they would be able to go FBS in football sometime in the future is for all practical purposes dead.  So, for the love of pete, lets make it the goal to be a national championship FCS program!

Who do you have AAW?

AAW less competition at the QB spot!  Intelligent kid who had real leadership qualities and was an overachiever.  He was undersized and could have been really good but the truth was he was never going to get the job because he couldn't win the "beauty contest" so he was going to be used only like he was against SFA last year.  Woodard did the usual politcally correct speak.

[quote name="BLUEDOVE3" post="1197625" timestamp="1331826248"] Vermont was a better [b]team[/b] ;) [/quote] Vermont played solid team basketball with a lot of energy, seemed like they wanted more and LU reverted back to one on one basketball for most of the game.  Standing around on offense and really didn't have the energy or enthusiasm.  I was concerned with Roccaforte being there they would revert back. 

My feeling is it is a real distraction for he LU players having Roccaforte there and could be a hinderance to them winning the game.  They may just revert back to last season's losing way's.

[quote name="AggiesAreWe" post="1195738" timestamp="1331475621"] [Hidden Content] [/quote] Great stuff!!! And he won 3 NC's!! Never forget his quote after winning his last one against LSU when they were down by 8 or 9 with about 3 minutes to go and he said he was worried IU would lose until he looked down the side court and saw Dale Brown sitting on the LSU bench and then he new they had a chance to win!!  Vintage Bob Knight!