Back to SLC NOW?

[WildCard]

Lamar announced just before noon today (7/11/2022) that they are going back to the SLC as full member for 2022-2023. It will be interesting to see what type of football schedule they can come up with in July. They have already taken the 2022 football schedule down.

 

https://lamarcardinals.com/news/2022/7/11/baseball-lamar-university-prepares-for-early-move-to-southland-conference.aspx

[lamarfan360]

Wonder who ponied up the money to make this move possible a year early?

[geezer]

The same one that bought Dr. Taylor and Jeff O'Malley. I have absolutely no reason to see anything but a low class and failing athletic department at this time. Since there were never even any rumors on why Born left, do you suspect now that he didn't go along with this bad move. Haven't season football tickets already been sold based on the schedule that in now moot.

[puddin tane]

The same one that bought Dr. Taylor and Jeff O'Malley. I have absolutely no reason to see anything but a low class and failing athletic department at this time. Since there were never even any rumors on why Born left, do you suspect now that he didn't go along with this bad move. Haven't season football tickets already been sold based on the schedule that in now moot.

 

i think returning to the Southland is a helluva lot better than the WacK.

[geezer]

i think returning to the Southland is a helluva lot better than the WacK.

 

Curios, why do you think the Southland is better. Lamar has proved it can lose to every school in both conferences. Lamar was a least a mid-level performer in most of the sports in the WAC. Football and men's basketball were the worst and when you do that bad the only direction is up. McNeese is the only school in the Southland with equivalent facilities. Granted the rivalry with McNeese is a strong one. Both conferences are using D2 move ups to sustain their numbers. The Southland does have the benefit that all conference games are just a bus ride away, but does that make up for other things? I guess maybe as a fan that might travel to an away game or two, but do you really want to go to HBU? Is the return about football? Is playing your conference basketball tournament in a high school gym better? Just wondering.

[WildCard]

I never understood what the appeal of the WAC was. It has been a revolving-door conference since it's most prominent members left to establish the Mountain West. The only reason I can see for preferring the WAC over the Southland is that several Southland members left a big hole in that conference. WAC members can't wait to find some place to go.

[SportsGuy]

We do not have the money for the WAC, plain & simple.

 

Born was out due to personal reasons, really no ones business

Edited July 14, 2022 by SportsGuy

[geezer]

We do not have the money for the WAC, plain & simple.

 

Born was out due to personal reasons, really no ones business

 

I would like to see the real numbers. It is easy to say but when I look at last year in football the two long road trips were Northern Colorado and Eastern Kentucky. Neither of these were WAC contests although Eastern Kentucky was part of the ASUN-WAC, so maybe you count them in the conference football travel costs, but I would argue if you Lamar is going to have a solid program, they're going to have to make those kinds of trips to get good FCS non-conference games anyway. Baseball traveled to UTRGV, which it has done often times in the past for non-conference games. Basketball made the most games at the western division's locations, but even there Lamar has made those kind of road trips for non-conference games in the past and will continue to need to make them to build a quality schedule. What the WAC doesn't have going forward is Sam Houston and the failure to get McNeese to join. I believe that for some key fans those are the real reason for the move. If you want to believe it is travel costs for the WAC then I suggest Lamar look at D2. Lamar either needs to have a vision to become a top tier mid major athletic department or it will always be in the bottom of whatever conference it is in.

Edited July 14, 2022 by geezer

[puddin tane]

Travel costs, the extra numbers of days of missing class, and the general who gives a shite about those western schools

 

its pretty simple fricking math

 

we will still have travel games out of conference. Just not piling on the travel costs by having conference games a thousand miles away.

 

I know youre gonna miss that emerging cal bapist rivalry game. Just turrible.

 

go root for sfa. They are still WACking it

Edited July 14, 2022 by puddin tane

[geezer]

Travel costs, the extra numbers of days of missing class, and the general who gives a shite about those western schools

 

its pretty simple fricking math

 

we will still have travel games out of conference. Just not piling on the travel costs by having conference games a thousand miles away.

 

I know youre gonna miss that emerging cal bapist rivalry game. Just turrible.

 

go root for sfa. They are still WACking it

 

Nah, I will still root for Lamar to kick McNeese's ass, and it really is ok if the McNeese rivalry was a catalyst for the return, but I just don't believe travel costs is anything more than an excuse. Lamar could have probably scheduled many of the SLC teams for non-conference games to reduce the cost difference. My main conflict with returning, especially moving up the date is that Lamar has probably burned bridges to offers from other conferences in the future if the athletic programs ever improve. Besides, I know you hate mediocracy as much as anybody.

[coachacola]

Is it more prestigious to go winless in the SLC or in the WAC?

[lamarfan360]

Is it more prestigious to go winless in the SLC or in the WAC?

 

Well the Southland is a better football conference and the WAC is better in basketball.

 

I have no idea how LU is going to do in football as several players have left the program.

 

But I bet the Cardinals will finish in the top 3 in conference in MBB.

[geezer]

Well the Southland is a better football conference and the WAC is better in basketball.

 

I have no idea how LU is going to do in football as several players have left the program.

 

But I bet the Cardinals will finish in the top 3 in conference in MBB.

 

I will hope so, but I can guarantee you last year's team would not have fared much better if they had been in the SLC. Lamar lost to fourth place out of eight Corpus Christie. I watched the Corpus game, and it was one that Lamar could have won. Some would even say should have won, but Lamar lost. My hope is that whatever all the problems were last year between those that left and the new recruits the performance improves. Hope that Brooks is a better coach than last year suggested or Lamar is in trouble. Again, I hope for improvement in football but after one and a half seasons I am not sure that Lamar has the coach to get out of the basement.

[puddin tane]

Well the Southland is a better football conference and the WAC is better in basketball.

 

I have no idea how LU is going to do in football as several players have left the program.

 

But I bet the Cardinals will finish in the top 3 in conference in MBB.

 

More than several! Id go with quite a few. If youre ever bored, count up all of morgans signing classes and see how many are still here. I think the half the team must be walkons.

[puddin tane]

WacK, Slc, 22-5a, small school TAPPS, football and basketball woulda had the same results. They sucked