ULM seems to get bashed more than othe schools on this site. Just wondering do any of y'all respect ULM? Like ULM? Care about ULM? We seem to be left out of most conference realignment talk.
How bad are the teams we actually beat? When we actually win.

I would like to know opinions. Are most people bashing ULM superior enough to play at ULM?

I was kinda surprised when Memphis gave UL-M a home-home...I can't imagine we recruit Monroe very hard, lol...but hey, we ain't afraid!

I respect ULM.

You won my respect when you upset Alabama, and then had that monster 2012 season where you shocked the college football world.

(05-07-2017 07:56 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  I was kinda surprised when Memphis gave UL-M a home-home...I can't imagine we recruit Monroe very hard, lol...but hey, we ain't afraid!

do you recruit Monroe?

I'm not hard on ULM due to the school. I think they are trying to do too much with too little.

In Texas we don't have the same issues you do in Louisiana, so I can't really speak for that. But UTA won zero men's SLC championships in the 1970's as we tried to make football relevant. There were several SLC FB teams that went 3-2, but the whole department was non-competitive. Baseball started making strides, somehow with only four scholarships allowed. But there were a lot of last place finishes. I think that losing mindset starts to take hold of the athletic department. Say what you will, but when UTA dropped football, every sport became fully-funded (something ULM doesn't do) and we emphasized winning in everything (save basketball, but we played at Texas Hall). Baseball became nationally-relevant, the track teams appear in the top 25 often, tennis and golf usually are at the top of the conference, which ever that is and now that basketball has a quality home, we have garnered national attention.

All that is to say we have made every sport a priority and therefore have a winning culture top-to-bottom. I can't imagine being recruited to go to a school that openly says we care about football one, basketball two and field other sports. I'm of the mindset that if you field it, try to win at it. ULM says we field it to keep football in FBS.

I always root for the underdog, and there is no bigger underdog than ULM among the FBS schools. But you get what you pay for and UTA's budget is larger than ULM's. I just don't know how sustainable that is.

(05-07-2017 07:56 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  I was kinda surprised when Memphis gave UL-M a home-home...I can't imagine we recruit Monroe very hard, lol...but hey, we ain't afraid!

With their normal schedule of actual P5s, I'm sure their fans are equally as surprised. Probably more upset though.

You've had the love of stAte fans ever since that day you whipped the Razorpiggies.

(05-07-2017 08:05 PM)Golota Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 07:56 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  I was kinda surprised when Memphis gave UL-M a home-home...I can't imagine we recruit Monroe very hard, lol...but hey, we ain't afraid!

do you recruit Monroe?

OK, I'm not gonna lie, I don't know if any of these places are close to Monroe...Amite, Destrehan, Reserve, Patterson, Port Sulphur, Marrero...that's where our Louisiana kids are from.

ULM does more than most with half the money. I'm a fan. I'm not a fan of university systems that share the same name. Directional has more reach particularly when marketing or branding. My only beef with the UL schools.

(05-07-2017 08:17 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 08:05 PM)Golota Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 07:56 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  I was kinda surprised when Memphis gave UL-M a home-home...I can't imagine we recruit Monroe very hard, lol...but hey, we ain't afraid!

do you recruit Monroe?

OK, I'm not gonna lie, I don't know if any of these places are close to Monroe...Amite, Destrehan, Reserve, Patterson, Port Sulphur, Marrero...that's where our Louisiana kids Bama, TCU, LSU, recruit Monroe pretty heavy.

Bama signed 3 guys including Cam Robinson a few years back.
Don't know what the LOL is about for Monroe recruits. LSU built a national champion team off NE Talent. 3 out of 5 starting OL Saban NC year were from Monroe including Andrew Whitworth.are from Monroe area.

Monroe is among a favorite road trip for me to make-not only is it the shortest trip for me to make but I have had some damn good times in funroe Louisiana

With that said, I must admit The struggles of ULM are very apparent and I've never met a ULM in person

To be perfectly honest, I don't know much about ULM and had never heard of them until joining the Sun Belt. Y'all have fielded some great teams, but the only real impression I have of y'all has come in your down years unfortunately. The bulk of what I know about ULM is that compared to the rest of the SBC y'all have a very small student body, a very small budget, pretty nice facilities, and pretty nice academics. I know that ULM has the potential to right the ship in regards to athletics but just what I see from face value, that's the impression I get.

I have appreciated ULM ever since we played them in the 1980's (in our independent days). Seems like our games have always been close in football, whether it was I-AA or now FBS. While we are working out of some of our lower budgeted times, we also have had a penchant for getting the most out of a dollar and that is never a bad habit to be in.

One of the DB's on their 1987 National Championship team works for me. We always have a small, friendly wager on the game.

(05-07-2017 09:02 PM)Golota Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 08:17 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 08:05 PM)Golota Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 07:56 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  I was kinda surprised when Memphis gave UL-M a home-home...I can't imagine we recruit Monroe very hard, lol...but hey, we ain't afraid!

do you recruit Monroe?

OK, I'm not gonna lie, I don't know if any of these places are close to Monroe...Amite, Destrehan, Reserve, Patterson, Port Sulphur, Marrero...that's where our Louisiana kids Bama, TCU, LSU, recruit Monroe pretty heavy.

Bama signed 3 guys including Cam Robinson a few years back.
Don't know what the LOL is about for Monroe recruits. LSU built a national champion team off NE Talent. 3 out of 5 starting OL Saban NC year were from Monroe including Andrew Whitworth.are from Monroe area.

the 'lol' is normally we schedule home-home series to either recruit or fill the stadium...playing Ga State (Atlanta) and USA (Mobile) offer good recruiting opportunities in big metros...we play teams like Ole Miss, Miss State, and Mizzou home-home to fill up the Liberty Bowl. (we have home-home deals with every team I've listed above)

ULM doesn't do either IMHO

(05-07-2017 08:48 PM)Oldyeller Wrote:  ULM does more than most with half the money. I'm a fan. I'm not a fan of university systems that share the same name. Directional has more reach particularly when marketing or branding. My only beef with the UL schools.

?

1994 3-8
'95 2-9
'96 5-6
'97 5-7
'98 5-6
'99 5-6
2000 1-10
'01 2-9
'02 3-9
'03 1-11
'04 5-6
'05 5-6
'06 6-6
'07 6-6
'08 4-8
'09 6-6
2010 5-7
'11 4-8
'12 8-5
'13 6-6
'14 4-8
'15 2-11
'16 4-8

One season above .500
Four at .500
18 losing seasons

(05-07-2017 09:24 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 09:02 PM)Golota Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 08:17 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 08:05 PM)Golota Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 07:56 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  I was kinda surprised when Memphis gave UL-M a home-home...I can't imagine we recruit Monroe very hard, lol...but hey, we ain't afraid!

do you recruit Monroe?

OK, I'm not gonna lie, I don't know if any of these places are close to Monroe...Amite, Destrehan, Reserve, Patterson, Port Sulphur, Marrero...that's where our Louisiana kids Bama, TCU, LSU, recruit Monroe pretty heavy.

Bama signed 3 guys including Cam Robinson a few years back.
Don't know what the LOL is about for Monroe recruits. LSU built a national champion team off NE Talent. 3 out of 5 starting OL Saban NC year were from Monroe including Andrew Whitworth.are from Monroe area.

the 'lol' is normally we schedule home-home series to either recruit or fill the stadium...playing Ga State (Atlanta) and USA (Mobile) offer good recruiting opportunities in big metros...we play teams like Ole Miss, Miss State, and Mizzou home-home to fill up the Liberty Bowl. (we have home-home deals with every team I've listed above)

ULM doesn't do either IMHO

I get that but Monroe is pretty good recruiting area.

My first exposure to ULM, ULL, Troy and the Sun Belt as a whole was from NCAA 2004, I always remember ULM and ULL were usually at the bottom of the Sun Belt standings in my dynasty. I remember the 2012 ULM team because of the Arkansas win and then ESPN made a huge deal when y'all hosted Baylor on a Thursday. I thought that was pretty cool, seeing your stadium packed and y'all should've beaten Baylor.

Everyone looks at ULMs budget and decides to bash us off of that. Well, we aren't leveraged with student fees like others in the Belt. That bubble may soon pop for them, yet we won't be affected. We actually transfer less money to athletics than the state allows, so we have money available we can utilize if need be. Lastly, we didn't swell our budget trying to attract other conferences like some others. So, as those schools who did swell their budgets now look for a way to generate alternate revenues to sustain those budgets, we are not in such a panic mode because we kept our finances in line with reality. Therefore, let's not look and ridicule, because as the chickens come home to roost for other programs, we will not be under such a crunch to make something happen when the football revenue recession hits the rest of the G5 schools.

(05-07-2017 09:27 PM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 08:48 PM)Oldyeller Wrote:  ULM does more than most with half the money. I'm a fan. I'm not a fan of university systems that share the same name. Directional has more reach particularly when marketing or branding. My only beef with the UL schools.

?

1994 3-8
'95 2-9
'96 5-6
'97 5-7
'98 5-6
'99 5-6
2000 1-10
'01 2-9
'02 3-9
'03 1-11
'04 5-6
'05 5-6
'06 6-6
'07 6-6
'08 4-8
'09 6-6
2010 5-7
'11 4-8
'12 8-5
'13 6-6
'14 4-8
'15 2-11
'16 4-8

One season above .500
Four at .500
18 losing seasons

That's one more winning season than UTA has had over the same time period with roughly the same budget. Some would say, and I'm one of them, that proves his point. Someone has to finish last.

I'm not going to bash ULM. They are who they are.

Who they are is a program with the lowest budget in the FBS...and that's by a wide margin....and there is NOTHING that would indicate that's going to get better. There is no season ticket base and, therefore, no way to generate revenue.

Someone said facilities are "nice". When the end zone facility was built, it was the first new athletic construction on campus in more than 30 years. No...the facilities aren't "nice." They are antiquated.

There has been some on field success. ULM was in the NCAA tournament in baseball five years ago. There was the bowl game. Men's basketball had two good years recently. But other than that, what?

The problem with ULM is there's nothing to indicate it's going to get better. Matt Viator is a very good football coach and ULM football is going to improve. But one of the reasons ULM looked so bad in the last bowl game is players were sent home after the season until bowl week because the school couldn't afford to house them.

The lack of student fees is a hindrance. But the Cajuns have put nearly 50 million dollars into facility improvements with more planned. McNeese State is constructing a badly needed on-campus basketball arena. They don't have student fees, either.

Perhaps a change in leadership would help. Despite Nick Bruno's posturing, the man doesn't care about athletics. As you said, ULM doesn't use all the money they could use. That's on Nick Bruno.

In my professional opinion, if there is a consolidation between CUSA and the Sun Belt, ULM could get left out. There just doesn't seem to be anything to indicate there are good things ahead.

None of this is personal. I'm just saying what most of us see.