McNeese vs Lamar to End Regular Season - Not so Fast

[TexasTerror]

Tip of the cap to BearFan101 for this one...

There will be at least four years in which Lamar and McNeese will not tangle during the last week of the regular season according to a policy the SLC is putting in place re: scheduling.

The SLC will be rotating who has the bye week in the final week of the regular season starting in 2011. This makes sense because that final week of the regular season is going to be very tough to fill, especially with the 11 games in 11 weeks that will unfold in FCS football (outside of the SWAC) starting in 2010.

The conference is sharing the burden amongst numerous schools. I'd think that UCA would see if Arkansas-Pine Bluff can get them in (perhaps a neutral site game in Little Rock). All the SLC schools will probably look mostly towards the SWAC, who has a bit more flexibility in their schedule.

The Great West Football Conference may have a team that is available, as could the Pioneer League. Would also figure that a school would do a home-and-home to cover both dates with school if they could.

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For the first two years beginning in 2011, the Bears will have an open date on the last playing date, a week before the beginning of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. That's an open conference date. UCA officials are free to schedule a nonconference game, but one at that date can be challenging.

"But that's only for the first two years," said Tom Burnett, SLC commissioner. "With nine teams, the open date at the end of the season will be rotated, and UCA is first in the rotation."

Theoretically, after the first two years of the late open playing date, UCA will not have a conference bye on that date for another 16 years (with the home-and-home rotation scheduling block among the nine teams).

As the schedule rotates, teams will have to move about their "rivalry games" a bit. But such a game only has special meaning at the end of the season if it decides a conference championship or a playoff berth. Otherwise, a true rivalry game has the same meaning any time it is played.

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[Guest abovetherim]

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[TexasTerror]

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What's that? Not a fan? I'm confused -- let me hear from ya, ABR3...

[Guest abovetherim]

"There will be at least four years in which Lamar and McNeese will not tangle during the last week of the regular season according to a policy the SLC is putting in place re: scheduling."

I'm not a fan of changing the scheduling policy. Did Billy Tubbs have something to do with this?

The rest of the information I'll need time to digest. I need more time to state an opinion.

[TexasTerror]

I'm not a fan of changing the scheduling policy. Did Billy Tubbs have something to do with this?

Not sure if Tubbs had something to do with this or not. Ultimately, the new changes to the FCS calendar (11 games in 11 weeks) will make it a burden on UCA to schedule a season-ending game each year. To me, it seems as if the SLC wanted to share the burden and make every team have the problem at some point along the way.

Did Tubbs have something to do with this? Can't say yes or no. This was not a basketball decision like his moving SLC games from Thursdays to Wednesdays, which means the SLC is lower on the totem pole for officiating crews than we were on Thursdays -- a Tubbs decision.

** UPDATE ** Was reminded that the Missouri Valley has nine teams which means they have the same situation. Perhaps the SLC and MVFC could come to an agreement between the two pitting the teams with byes together for two consecutive years.

[TexasTerror]

Promise Billy Tubbs had nothing to do with this. BTW, who is the AD for SHSU?

Bobby Williams -- his dad is one of the legendary players in Rice football history, who later became an NFL scout. BW was actually a position coach for the Kats football team under Ron Randleman, our long time head coach who guided us into Division I and retired in 2004.

[Guest abovetherim]

Did Tubbs have something to do with this? Can't say yes or no. This was not a basketball decision like his moving SLC games from Thursdays to Wednesdays, which means the SLC is lower on the totem pole for officiating crews than we were on Thursdays -- a Tubbs decision.

You can't prove the above is true. Sorry about deleting my prior post as it makes yours look out of place.

The question was who is the AD at SHSU. Thanks for replying. I'll take Billy Tubbs 24-7, 365, 52 wks a year over someone who is best known by the accomplishments of a family member.

[TexasTerror]

You can't prove the above is true. Sorry about deleting my prior post as it makes yours look out of place.

I've had plenty of conversations with individuals regarding Billy Tubbs and his influence around the league. It's no secret to anyone. I'm not outright saying Tubbs is a bad person or he is bad for the league, but there's no question Tubbs is doing what he can to "improve" the league, whether individuals and schools agree with his actions or not.

The question was who is the AD at SHSU. Thanks for replying. I'll take Billy Tubbs 24-7, 356, 52 wks a year over someone who is best known by the accomplishments of a family member.

Yes, he may have a father with accomplishments, but there's no question our athletic department is at a whole new level. For three of the last four years, we won the Commish Cup. Sounds like a lot of nothing, eh? SHSU used to finish sixth to eighth regularly before our AD took over and many told him SHSU could never do that -- well, we did. Three years in a row.

Academically, we are the "academic flagship" of the conference. Over the same few years we have dominated in athletics (and this continued into this year) -- we have placed more individuals on the Commissioner's Honor Roll than any other SLC school in addition to having the highest GPA. Sure, Lamar and a few other schools don't have football, but we continue to outpace Texas State-San Marcos, who claims to be the academic giant of the conference and for the schools that do not have football, you'd think the football GPA would bring our GPA down, but somehow -- there we are, at the top of the SLC and actually inching very close to a 3.0 cumulative GPA for the whole department!

New baseball/softball complex. New scoreboards at all facilities. New track and field complex. An increase in conference championships. Solid hires in men's basketball, baseball and football -- three most important sports.

I'd rather have our guy over Tubbs any day. We're forward moving, not backward thinking. And doesn't your Assoc AD really handle the day to day operations? Know he did when Billy was doing basketball, but I figure his role couldn't have diminished that much...

ABR3 -- let's stop here. Don't want to get into an argument regarding ADs. We each think the world of our own. Yours has ultimately given you football, soccer and soon -- softball. That's great stuff. Your athletic department is heading in the right direction, ours is definitely going that way. Back to the original subject at hand, I'm dropping the argument after this post after lending credibility to what our AD has done...

[Guest abovetherim]

Texas Terror get your head out of the sand. Lamar is better in every sport except maybe baseball since he (Billy Tubbs) returned to Lamar University.

As I've stated before I'm not falling into a trap of arguing with you or anyone else on this forum.

Billy Tubbs doesn't need me to defend him and his accomplishments.

Edit: Thanks for updating your post. I will agree with your statement and we'll just agree to disagree. 

[TexasTerror]

Never said Lamar was not better in every sport (except baseball). I see the progress. Can't question it, never have, never will. As I noted, SHSU is better off with our AD. Anyhow, as noted in the above post -- that's all of AD vs AD...your AD gave you football, that's a gift because you can't be a Texas school and not play football...

And thus, we talk about football...

There'll be a few years with no McNeese vs Lamar to end the season. Could bolster attendance if the game is earlier in the year, especially if one team is slumping (we saw that when PVA&M vs TXSO was at end of year -- crappy attendance, compared to much better as they typically play at beginning of season)...

Then again, figure each school will still maintain the high attendance and nice gate from having the other on the slate. Can't hurt being however far the schools are from each other down I-10...

ABR3 -- wanna join me in getting UT-Arlington or A&M-CC to get football so we do not have this issue? Though, nine conference games may be too much -- at least, we can avoid the lack of rivalry game in the final week. Perhaps we can do some sort of rotating schedule of some sort like some conferences do.

[UNLV]

Terror would blame Tubbs for a super nova 90 billion light years away.

[Guest abovetherim]

Texas Terror, I lived in the Forth Worth area for about 6 years so I know a little about the average sports fan. Plus, the Cowboys moving to Arlington next year it is going to be difficult to get people excited about UTA football. You have TCU, SMU, UNT and the Dallas Cowboys to compete with for the entertainment dollar.

[KFDM COOP]

8) What have i missed tonight? 

[Guest coachacola]

A lot can change between now and whenever Lamar or McNeese has the bye week in the final week of the season.  The SLC may be FBS by then, the SLC may change the policy, the number of teams in the conference may change, McNeese and/or Lamar may be in another conference.  If Lamar and McNeese handle this right they can both make some good money from this game each year.  They'll probably find a way to keep it as the last game of the regular season.

[TexasTerror]

A lot can change between now and whenever Lamar or McNeese has the bye week in the final week of the season.  The SLC may be FBS by then, the SLC may change the policy, the number of teams in the conference may change, McNeese and/or Lamar may be in another conference.  If Lamar and McNeese handle this right they can both make some good money from this game each year.  They'll probably find a way to keep it as the last game of the regular season.

Figure the amount of teams in the conference will change by the time Lamar and McNeese have to worry about this, could be at the conclusion of UCA's two years (plus one year into another school's) with the folks in San Marcos looking to jet the conference.