(11-22-2016 07:14 PM)techdawg28 Wrote:  

(11-22-2016 06:33 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(11-22-2016 06:07 PM)Saint Greg Wrote:  

(11-22-2016 05:43 PM)AndreWhere Wrote:  

(11-22-2016 04:48 PM)wh49er Wrote:  Why doesn't LA Tech play at least one home game there every year?

Having floated similar ideas among USM fans, I can tell you that there's a significant part of our fan base that wants to have as many true home games (i.e. games in M.M. Roberts Stadium) as possible. They don't care if we can get better opponents at Ladd-Peebles or the Superdome. They don't care if it will help the program financially or help expand the fan base to play elsewhere. These people won't drive to Mobile, New Orleans, or Jackson for a game under any circumstance. They suck (and I could even call out people here), but these people exist and may even be in the majority at some schools.

Same here. I don't think you'll see Tech playing another regular season game in Shreveport. There are a group of fans that are dead set against it. The last game we played there was great with a big game atmosphere.

It has to be the right opponent.

Which is why we won't have 40K against WKU (even for a conference championship). That crowd against Maryland was for our first bowl at the current version of FBS (we played in the Indy Bowl in 1977 in front of a much smaller crowd). You've also got to factor that like most bowl games you get people who buy tickets regardless of who is playing, which sets a baseline for the bowl that isn't there for a regular season game. And even a regular season game has the advantage of pre-marketing for a long time (unlike a conference championship game that won't technically be determined until Friday afternoon).

When we play an A&M, Oklahoma State, Cal, or Miami it makes sense to play in Shreveport because our stadium only seats 30K. But when we have tried to play conference games there, you just end up with the same (or fewer) people in a bigger stadium (which looks worse).

It's not the end of the world to play in Shreveport, but it isn't nearly as good of an experience. When the stars align it's a nice option to have.

You've also got lazy non-football fan students that will go to the Joe because they get to yell and let loose, but probably won't want to go an hour away. I don't like such people, but they exist.

Playing big name teams in Shreveport I see as both good and bad. The good side is that people in Shreveport that aren't necessarily Tech fans can see an ad saying "Oh hey! Tech is playing Texas A&M here in Shreveport. I guess I'll go check that out." You also get casual alumni that aren't huge football fans that say "oh, we're playing here in Shreveport? Sure, I'll go."

The bad is that, as I said above, some lazy students may not come and it feels (to me) disrespectful that we can't host a big name school in our own stadium. I personally would love to see those big schools in the Joe. I understand Independence is larger, but I would still vastly prefer seeing them in the Joe, especially seeing the Joe full.

Also, I've never been to Independence, but I've heard that some Tech fans don't like that stadium. True?

Those schools don't want to come to Ruston. Mississippi State has and will again next year. Most of the hate for Shreveport and the Independence Bowl comes from a grudge some Tech fans hold for the bowl not inviting Tech more in the 90's...and for the 2012 bowl fiasco.