I don't know if it's quite as bad as some of you are thinking. I don't think it will necessarily "kill us". Granted it does hurt ther perception, but it won't automatically keep us out of the NC game. Two years ago we made it with a I-AA opponent, and the strength of schedule component still in, so it's possible. I'm not saying I like the idea, but I'm just saying that if we take care of business, and win the rest of our games, and don't allow App St. to make a game of it early as we did w/ Western Illinois, I don't know that it will be that big of a deal. If we smoke our competition all year, and truly embarass App St. (a 76-0 score would be nice), then the voters will see the light.

Or at least be looking at how it will effect us in getting to even a lessor BCS Bowl or New Year's Bowl as well.

Re: This Stinks Totally

I've been asking for years for this: If the ADs + head coach are dead set on playing a cup cake then schedule the likes of Tulane, Rice, Baylor, Duke, Indiana, SMU, TCU every year. The AD decided to raise ticket prices and surcharges to help the football program keep up with the rest of the SEC and that's fine, but at least give season ticket holders value for their dollars. Every year LSU will try to play 7 home games, with 4 of those being SEC games that leaves 3 non-conference games and if the AD + HC wants it then these three games should be tiered. For instance next year's schedule of non-conference foes: Arizona State - a very quality non-conference opponent, good dollar value. North Texas - lowest D-1A conference in the country, not very good dollar value. Appalachian State - 1-AA opponent, no dollar value. Now if Radakovich, Skip, Les Miles..etc. wanted a decent tiered schedule then it should've been Ariz. State, (preferably a BCS conference mid to low level opponent like Duke, Baylor, Kansas, Indiana or at least a mid-major conference opponent ala Marshall, New Mexico, USM, TCU), then the cupcake like North Texas.
I've always been in favor of playing either Tulane or Rice every year (mabye 3 for 1), renewing the Texas A&M series and then play another quality BCS opponent like Texas, OU, Arizona State, Florida State, Ohio State or Notre Dame. But I know the AD + HC won't do this because they will always want to play at least one home rent a win thereby guaranteeing seven home games in most years.

Re: press release ..

The answer is quite simple (a three-part answer).

1.-Many, many fans believe this team is ready to make another title run.

2.-We're two months removed from an event we never thought we'd see: an undefeated SEC champion shut out of a national title shot, in part due to a "soft" schedule.

3.-LSU fills an open date with a "soft" team.

Pretty clear to me why people are up in arms over this. If this were last year and all were hoping for an 8 or 9 win season, fine, no problem.

That's not the case now.

Re: press release ..

We also have to remember this...the reason LSU is in this situation is because the AD let the likes of Marshall, Va Tech, Houston..etc. out of contracts waaaaaaay to easily IMO. Making the buyouts of these contracts 2/3 the value of the deal may prevent some of this nonsense from happening in the future.

Ready for some more info that'll make you feel all warm and fuzzy on this one? Turns out this "division 1AA power" had a very un-powerhouse record of 6-5 in 2004.

Before you jump to the conclusion that they must have faced multiple Div 1A teams who beat them up, they faced only one Div1A team in 2004.

In that game, they lost by the score of 53-7.

The "mighty" Div1A team that whipped them by 46 points? Those world-beaters from Laramie, your 7-4 Wyoming Cowboys (final 2004 CFN.com poll ranking: 49th). :thumb: :nope:

Good grief! If LSU's in the thick of a three-horse race in 2005, expect this pathetic excuse for an opponent and their schedule to be brought up, oh, about ever ten minutes by the talking heads who, to no small degree, also vote.

At the very least, I'd like to see someone from the AD give some background about how they settled on Appy St.

Just because the AP poll is no longer in the BCS doesn't mean it's going away. People have been conditioned to look to the AP poll for seventy years; they won't ignore it now just because it's once again on its own.

Not to mention the $96 for 2 tickets to watch a 1-AA team. And that's the low end of the contribution scale.

There's an awful lot of criticism here and very few facts. No one has to like playing a 1-AA team but shouldn't we hold off on the lynching until the full story is known?

I agree that there may be some extenuating circumstances, but nothing that would make me believe that they had to schedule a D-1AA team this far in advance, heck they could wait until Agust to get one sof these teams to come.

And this is one of the reasons that it doesn't wash no matter what they say. Buyer beware, even with your college.

You are correct, because Appalachian State had to ask Elon College, one of its conference opponents to move its home game in order for the Mountaineers to come to Baton Rouge on Nov. 5.