From the main board:
Open letter from LaTech AD
Dear Bulldog Nation,
As you are aware, the Louisiana Tech football team with a 9-3 record was not selected to participate in a bowl game this season. All
of us are tremendously disappointed for the team, especially the 32 seniors, who will not receive an opportunity to represent the school
one more time on the football fi eld.
I hope this letter will help you understand the timeline as well as provide accurate information regarding the bowl selection process.
We entered this season knowing that the WAC had just one bowl agreement and the champion of the conference would participate in
that designated bowl. Since we were not conference champions, we were in the at-large pool looking for a bowl that might have an
opening. This is one of the reasons it was so important for us to receive an invitation to Conference USA for next season. Conference
USA has contracts with fi ve bowl games.
Working closely with both the commissioners of the WAC and CUSA, we were told by the Heart of Dallas Bowl and Liberty Bowl
there was interest in having Louisiana Tech play in these games. The possibility of an offer from both bowls was strong, but hinged on
the Big 12 getting two teams into the BCS, which meant, for the most part, that Oklahoma and Kansas State needed to win and Kent
State needed to lose.
On Thursday, November 29th we signed a written agreement with the Liberty Bowl that we would play in their game if no Big 12
Conference school was available.
The Independence Bowl, which had issued an invitation to Louisiana Tech on Thursday, called Saturday morning and said they needed
a decision before the end of the Oklahoma game. I told them I needed to confer with our head coach and president before making a
commitment. At no time did anyone turn the bowl invitation down, we simply asked for more time.
Collectively, we decided the chance to play on New Year’s Day in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, if we were traded from the Liberty Bowl
to the Heart of Dallas Bowl or in the Liberty Bowl, was a special opportunity for our program and a logical next step since we had
played in the Independence Bowl and Poinsettia Bowl in recent years.
We decided to ask the Independence Bowl to give us the day, Saturday, to see how the games played out so we could have all the information
we needed to make the best possible decision for the university and program. This was communicated to the Independence
Bowl Saturday morning.
I spoke with the Liberty Bowl later Saturday morning and told them we were being asked to make a decision by the Independence
Bowl and I needed to know their decision. They told me and WAC Commissioner Jeff Hurd that the Liberty Bowl would invite LA
Tech to the Liberty Bowl regardless if a Big 12 school was available.
The Independence Bowl called back Saturday afternoon and told LA Tech they had moved on to an agreement with the Mid-American
Conference.
Kent State had lost their game Friday night and on Saturday both OU and KSU won their games. We felt there was a strong chance
the Big 12 would have two teams in the BCS thereby placing us in the Liberty Bowl or the Heart of Dallas Bowl game.
On Sunday, NIU was moved up to 15th in the BCS, knocking OU out of the BCS Sugar Bowl and pushing all the Big 12 teams down
a notch and fi lling up the Heart of Dallas Bowl with a representative from the Big 12. Iowa State, a member of the Big 12, was left
without a contracted bowl game, entered the at-large pool and was taken by the Liberty Bowl, eliminating that spot for Louisiana
Tech. This occurred despite the Liberty Bowl committing to both LA Tech and the Commissioner of the WAC on Saturday they
would select LA Tech.
We felt every step of the way we were doing what is in the best interest of the program and student athletes. No one is pleased with
the outcome but at least now you are accurately informed of what transpired.
Sincerely,
Bruce Van De Velde
Athletic Director
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