TexGator

1) There are sports other than football. Yes, football drives a lot but adding the Bulldogs is like adding a P4 school for the other sports. 2) Hawaii is a football-only member. 3) The original MWC was jettisoning the "New WAC"- now, they're poaching from elsewhere. Just saw they're looking at Toledo, Northern Illinois, and Texas State. This is geting weird.

Well, the Mountain West is at the point where it's either: - Add schools like Gonzaga, UTEP, Hawaii, Montana & Montana State, Texas State, Idaho, the teams in the Dakotas - Dissolve We shall see how it plays out.

Glad we've moved up in the rankings. More interested in the "Just win" mindset. If we go 8-4, we're probably not making the playoff. Just keep choppin' wood and rankings become irrelevant. Big test this week!

The WAC Conference WOULD HAVE BEEN a great idea, if the promises of turning it into an FBS conference hadn't been hollow (doubling those non-conference football game paychecks would have been helpful). Born and the other ADs should have done more work on getting assurances that plan was legitimate before joining- then again, that might have been how they got out so easily... that the membership agreement had some "out" clauses that O'Malley was able to exploit the moment he arrived on campus. I am a fan of blooming where we're planted but also paying attention to the way the trade winds are blowing. Joining a conference like the Sun Belt (where we still have relationships and there's no empty promises) is something we should listen to... but not something we'd go into "all willy nilly"- the biggest difference a move to the Sun Belt, as an example, is that it automatically brings more revenue through being a multiple-bid league in several sports, conference money for bowls, and bigger paychecks (suddenly, the 12 FBS schools in Texas and those in Louisiana are all having to make bigger financial promises. A paycheck game even going from $300K to $500K is enough to fund all the scholarships for an entire Olympic sport (other than baseball/softball)... from 1 game. Doesn't take the success that JMU is having in their reclassification to make it lucrative... but it isn't something we should do just to do... or even just for the money because we know the financials of CFB are going to change soon (even if we've been saying that for a decade and it hasn't happened yet)

I'm sure they're having those sorts of talks already. We can't be reactive; we don't pay him as much as he could make as a coordinator on the P4 level and it's not isolated to Lamar. After UIW's run 2 years ago, Kinne was deciding his 2023 fate between: - Bigger salary to be TAMU Offensive Coordinator - Smaller salary to be the Texas State Head Coach He bet on himself and now has the bigger salary and the Head Coach job but it was about 50% more money to take the Texas A&M OC job under Jimbo than it was to be a HC... and that's on the FBS level. There are even position coaches who make what Rossomando makes so, if we want him to stay, we need to start getting compensation, financial and benefits, locked up.

It's a win. It's not the way you want to have to win, but a pair of wins where they had to grind it out in the 4th Quarter are still a pair of wins... one in an upset, one staving off an upset. Now, to head up to Conway.

The biggest issue is that O'Malley is the first AD who has the alumni feeling like he has vision for 10+ years down the road, even if he's plucked up by another school before then (related to that- I'm really glad UH didn't steal him). Every other AD of the last 30 years always felt like they weren't a "the buck stops here" person- every success was for their resume and every misstep was someone else's fault. The move FROM the Sun Belt a quarter-century ago was the right move as they were struggling in a lot of ways. The influx of money from their online M.Ed. program (if you saw those 2009-2012 School of Education graduations, you know just how lucrative those were, and well-timed for the return of football) brought the campus back to life. The WAC Conference move would have worked if O'Malley had been shepherding the department when it happened. Instead, it was a lot of hollow promises of making the WAC an FBS conference, which never happened and resulted in NMSU and SHSU moving into C-USA and a world of uncertainty for those schools. Related to coach's post- 25K by bowling and adding seats on the East side of the stadium would make the stadium a destination for a lot of events. Having someone connect like JOM could actually benefit LU by potentially making it the location for the D2 or D3 Championship Game for a decade. Neither has a long-term home right now (and D2 is literally playing in a HS stadium- a nice HS stadium in McKinney ISD Stadium, but a HS stadium none the less). Having some events that get eyeballs on the stadium would help with sponsorships that would defray the cost of a renovation.

That would be the more cost-efficient alternative... to build a new arena elsewhere (maybe down next to The Beck) and then push the seating around. Definitely would be interesting to have some crazy students each end zone making life hell for teams when there's that key goal-to-go situation. But the first thing is to build the momentum that is starting. I remember how exciting it was back in '91 when the WBB team was hot and got to host a tournament game ("Thank you, Sesame Street Live!"). If basketball or football had postseason play in front of them, the community would show up.

Related to your points: 1) While Lamar is seen as "take anyone," they actually are decently selective, and the dropouts are people who couldn't hack it, or life got in the way. 2) If the university is buying frat/sorority houses, what's the guarantee the chapters are going to buy them off the university? Colleges usually don't own Greek Organization housing- the chapter does and they decide who can live here. Also, what Greek societies don't have a house and want one? Housing is pretty affordable around the LU campus. 3) So, where are you wanting the school to build a new stadium? I'll tell you that I am closer to "tree hugger" than "drill baby, drill" and I think it makes a nice and unique backdrop for the university, given how Lamar grew up with the evolution of the petrochem industry. 4) I'd be all for having freshmen live on campus, but they'd need to fundraise to have more money for students to be able to afford it. Lamar doesn't have a glut of housing for those additional students to live on campus so you're talking about housing for hundreds more students to make it logistically feasible. 5) Scholarship money, in general, is needed. Too many schools are creating programs to help lower-income students for Lamar to not step up and do the same. If providing more opportunities for current students is the roadblock in the way of becoming, for example, a Sun Belt school again, the focus needs to be on building up what already there before expanding the offerings on the field, so to speak.

Doesn't look like it's ANY extra seating. $60M for a press box, concession stands, and some awnings is a BIG price tag. ... and Bowers, according to TexasBob's Stadium List, has a smaller seating capacity. They have a LOT more space to expand it- wonder why they're not even expanding seating to the goal lines. And, no, I don't have $100M.

I don't have a true feel on President Taylor, but I do have a feel for O'Malley- he's a builder. I feel like he's a conference commissioner or university president in 5 years. You are spot-on right that bigwigs love bragging rights. There are some big checks that people will need to write, and Lamar has corporations and people who can write those checks. A move to FBS would definitely require a tiered approach where you don't shake every tree for $1M but does require a few trees that can bear that fruit. Just saw the plan to upgrade Bowers Stadium. I haven't been there in a while, but it's not an utter dump so, if their price tag is $60M, ours is probably close to that. The biggest issue is the logistical space with how tight the quarters are being bounded on 3 sides by a refinery, a highway, and an arena. But, the real impetus for SHSU moving up was a pair of coaches (Fritz and Keeler) that have gone a combined 120-39 before making the announcement of the move. Lamar has had 2 winning seasons since 1979.

Great win! Build it in the trenches and you 100% get games where you run the ball >40 times for >200 yards.

Unless the rules for qualifying for a bowl change, where all wins (incl. all FCS games) count, there's still value in moving up for schools. But you have to accept that you're unlikely to pull the "App State" (or NIU) and get an actual win over a P4 school in their house. That win tonight over a ranked non-conference team is helpful. Not saying I'm 100% on the "move up" bandwagon- just that the discussion can be had and that O'Malley is both well-respected and well-known throughout the NCAA, including in the G6 conferences. The Sun Belt and CUSA are going to start searching for new dance partners before the music stops.

They went into both games with everyone assuming the final results were pre-determined. This is the first REAL game. Rosso will have them ready for this.

With the Mountain West Conference being poached of its top members (and likely more of them leaving soon to backfill the PAC12), it looks like we'll start the next round of realignment in college sports. That said, if the Sun Belt or C-USA called, would you want O'Malley to take the call- knowing there would be a HUGE fundraising effort (probably $30M+) to upgrade/expand facilities, including probably needing to double the capacity for Provost Umphrey Stadium? Obviously, moving to FBS wouldn't get SEC or Big 12 teams to play football games in Beaumont, but the paychecks for non-conference would be bigger; the football TV deal isn't as lucrative as you'd think (~$700K annually so the paycheck games would be the main driver of additional revenue). That ballpark of $30M = ~$200/student annually for a decade to pay for those facility upgrades, less what's fundraised from alumni and corporate partners. I'm sure they have it in the endowment (among unrestricted funds) to front the money, but I'm leery both ways: - Leery of making the move because of the previous moves not paying off - Leery that P4 Football will split itself off creating a whole different paradigm in the next 5 years - Leery of not being aggressive since backfilling the Pac-12 might be the last domino for a decade and, if the Cards want to play musical chairs, the music might suddenly stop w/o anywhere to sit.

Definitely going to enjoy watching this one on ESPN+ ... don't want to go and it end up being a rain game.

Anyone actually going to the game? Interested in going (family's making a trip but I'm staying back... could make a day trip of this). Don't want to drive 5 hours round trip to sit by myself scrolling my phone during timeouts.

I 100% agree. It takes a while to kick someone out of a league since you have to give them time to meet standards. If you want something in less than 8-10 years down the road, it's easier to simply start a new league. While it didn't pay off for Lamar, Louisiana Tech, Arkansas State, Southwestern Louisiana, New Orleans, and UTPA doesn't mean it can't. C-USA and the Mountain West thrived... one with the scraps of conferences, one with the "haves" of another conference.

Lots of great talent! Can't wait to see them in the Red & White!!! We are definitely bringing in the best talent in the history of the program. Keep building... and let's win us a playoff game or two (or more)!

I disagree. To me "Playoffs or bust!!" means Rosso's out if they don't make it. He's building something, in my opinion, that could be the best year in Lamar Football history (or at least since they brought it back) but that doesn't mean it's necessarily mean they have to be in the FCS Playoffs like they were in 2018. Every break went that team's way in conference. I've got it as: Texas State: LOSS Mississippi Valley State: WIN Weber State: WIN Texas Southern: WIN Central Arkansas: WIN Stephen F. Austin: WIN (Homecoming) TAMU-Commerce: WIN Northwestern State: WIN (sitting in the driver's seat for the playoffs- knowing 2 of 4 might get us in... 3 of 4 DEFINITELY gets us in... but have the top 3 in the conference up next)) Southeastern Louisiana: LOSS (Provost Umphrey is rockin'... if we do win it, we're getting some major rankings love) Incarnate Word: LOSS (would have it as a win, if it was in Beaumont) Nicholls: LOSS McNeese: WIN That record would put us 4th in conference and I don't see the Southland getting a 4th team. 2 definitely, 3's the limit.

D2 and D3 teams are good for November, if you can't get a decent opponent otherwise. But, yes, we need as many D1 teams on our schedule as possible. More importantly, we need to win. We're a 1-bid league so the guys need to impose their will over anyone they take the floor against.

Hey Big Red Nation- We're all watching the Caribbean and concerned about Beryl. As 90% of us are probably either in the Houston or Gold Triangle areas, my thoughts are with all of you in the next 4-5 days. Let's hope we all make it through the storm safely and can celebrate getting through it by talking about young men and women playing games again in a few days.

He develops talent. There are two kinds of assistant coaches- the kind that get you a raise and the kind that get you fired. He seems to be the former. Plus, he seems to be a pied piper- bringing players who were committed to Iowa with him.

I hope this means he also got a decent raise. There's an energy around this program that will serve them well and is attracting talent.

It's a different game than when Gilligan coached. Davis is coaching this version of the game pretty damn well.