Skip & Miles have both said that they want one quality OOC opponent on the schedule each year. Arizona St, Virginia Tech, Arizona - there's nothing to complain about there. We are going to get our cake & eat it too. We get the quality games & renew a traditionally in-state rivalry (no more calling Ole Miss or Auburn are true rival - they have their own true rivals). We get the exposure. We also make more money. Sounds like a good plan to me.
For the first few years it does appear that we will have the Tulane game in addition to the marquee games. I like the Tulane series. I just want to see it in addition to matchups with BCS teams, rather than INSTEAD of. Only time will tell if we get at lease one big name a year on the OOC schedule.
Not to worry DH, there will be more. We have Arizona State here in 2005, there in 2008, Arizona here in 2006, and Virginia Tech coming in 2007. Apparently, Texas and Texas A&M refuse to play us. I really hate that, because TAMU would be the other cornerstone of my ideal OOC schedule. Right now, the Big East and the Pac-10 seem most willing to trade home-n-homes, and the Big Ten and Big 12 the least willing. ACC, it depends on who you're talking two. I'm would first try pursuing home-n-home arrangements with the upper half of the Big East (Pittsburgh, West Virginia, UConn, or Louisville) and most Pac-10 schools we haven't already played. I'd also try some middle-of-the-pack Big 12 schools (Texas Tech or Missouri) and also advertise a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 deal with a top-notch non-BCS school (Utah, Fresno State, Boise State, TCU, Memphis, etc., etc.) Even with 12 games, it's gonna be harder to get quality opponents (BCS or non-BCS) to play at Tiger Stadium for nothing more in return than a check, even $700,000.
Here are my thoughts on what I think (and hope) Skip will do. Our 2006 and 2007 schedules are already set, so let's start with 2008. We know we have 4 OOC games each year and Tulane will be a home game in the even numbered years. I think Skip will schedule a series with a big name school. In 2008, we could play on the road at OU (fill in your team here) and that would leave us with 7 home games. In 2009, OU would visit here and we would play Tulane in the Dome, still giving us 7 home games ... actually 7.5 home games based on the agreement with Tulane. The other two OOC home games each year would probably be filled with another cream puff and a mid-major type team. I believe this is the direction Skip is going based on his comments this week. I'll be pissed, like most of you, should Skip pull a fast one on us and schedule 8 home games every other year, leaving us with Tulane as our only OOC road game.
I love it because I live in New Orleans. Woo hoo! And do you realize that 40,000 LSU tickets in the Dome is WAY OVER HALF of the entire Dome? It will be a fun night in New Orleans fo' sho'.