Future non-conference opponents
- Thread starter NUCat320
- Start date
You seriously think the fact that we played Rice in Houston back in 2010 had any impact whatsoever on He'Bert's commitment? The kid was in elementary school at that point.
FBS schedules is listing a game at Rice next year. I certainly hope that it happens, but there's been some speculation that it won't.
OK, since some think playing Tulane is not good for the program, then swap the for Louisiana Lafayette and party in New Orleans. Also would like to see a game somewhere in Florida and Colorado works for me as well. Ditch the MAC programs for awhile. You beat them, so what and you lose to them and well see last season.
Switching from Tulane to UL-Lafayette would just mean playing a slightly better football team in a worse tourist location (unless you're down for the two-hour drive from New Orleans to Lafayette)... even less upside.
I know for a fact that he was in the stands for the game and was also at the awesome purple party that Willycat organized beforehand. All he could talk about was Northwestern football and his dream of being a Wildcat, and he said he never would have known about the school if they hadn't come down to Houston to play Rice.
First, I drive 2 plus hours to NU home games. So a 2 hour drive is not bad or you can take Amtrak or Greyhound and leave the driving to others. I would likely choose to spend a night in Cajun Country and the rest of time in NOLA and attend a Purple Party victory party.
I bet the jambalaya and gumbo is more authentic in Lafayette. Probably more likely to include rabbit.
And the people are way more difficult to understand.
Take the good with the bad.
Note: I've heard that both ULLafayette and ULMonroe refer to themselves as "the University of Louisiana." It's like NU v NU, except both have an equal claim. (The school in Lincoln is UN, as we all know.)
NU wants to play 7 home games a year, and the only way to do that in 2018 is to dump the Rice game and schedule another game in Evanston.
So every other year (like this past year) when NU plays five away conference games, they will schedule all three of the OOC games at home? That really limits the options for the OOC schedule, especially since no FCS teams are allowed. Basically, we're going to see a MAC team at home, a non-P5 team at home (e.g. Nevada), and then a home and away series with a P-5 opponent (likely an "academic peer"). No road trips to Rice, Tulane, or Lafayette.
So what we're really debating in this thread is the one OOC road game that NU will play every other year. And it's going to be against teams like Duke, BC, Syracuse and Cal. Not much room to get creative with scheduling here.
The next we play in Louisiana, I hope it's at the Sugar Bowl. Not much point in us playing Tulane, ULL, or ULM. Houston (Rice) or Dallas (SMU) would be much better from a recruiting perspective.
Basically, yeah. One of the many reasons people didn't like going to a 9 game conference schedule.
And it's close to where you live. You forget the altitude factor, which is significant.
Do you ever take AMTRAK to NU games? It used to be $190 round trip.
There are a lot of good football players in Louisiana and enough with good enough grades to get into NU. Stanford has six kids from there on their roster. Dunno why we would write that state off.
I wouldmn't want to play at Louisiana Monroe, the city has a paper factory astride it and the whole place smells like rotten eggs. I asked a motel clerk about it and she said "Oh, Lord, we don't even notice that any more".
I wouldmn't want to play at Louisiana Monroe, the city has a paper factory astride it and the whole place smells like rotten eggs. I asked a motel clerk about it and she said "Oh, Lord, we don't even notice that any more".
Yet NU doesn't get many recruits out of Louisiana. Bates seems to be well connected in Texas as well and gets quite a few kids from that region. Maybe it's just that Texas has a lot more Power 5 prospects but still feel a game in Louisiana and also somewhere in Florida would aid recruiting in those states.
Great list!
FAU would mean we get to see Lane Kiffen in person. Exciting.
North Texas would mean a homecoming for two our of 2017 commits (Brown and Jackson) who are from Denton.
I have a cousin who attended UL-Monroe (formerly known as Northeast Louisiana), but I've never been there. Great opportunity.
Old Dominion....I've got nothing.
ODU Monarchs are in one of the most fertile recruiting areas in the USA. I would guess that most players would have difficulty with NU academics but UVA gets an occasional player.
An early season game against ODU would be a great road trip -reasonable opponent, great beach, Williamsburg nearby
No one is writing off Louisiana. We seem to get a player from La in every other class or so. But there is little point in playing there when Houston and Dallas are so near, and offer deeper pools. I think east Texas is pretty much Louisiana with Cowboy hats.
Plenty of hats in Louisiana too.
Your statement made me think of a quote from Treme, the David Simon HBO show about New Orleans. In it, a roofing contractor amazes a couple of locals by keeping his word that he'll actually show up and complete the job in two days. His response - "I'm from the state of Texas, ma'am. No disrespect, but y'all got a defective work ethic down here". Funny scene, and there's some truth to it. East Texas may look like Louisiana, but there's a cultural difference. I like New Orleans, but it's a different world over there.
NO is the most unique city in the country.Plenty of hats in Louisiana too.
Your statement made me think of a quote from Treme, the David Simon HBO show about New Orleans. In it, a roofing contractor amazes a couple of locals by keeping his word that he'll actually show up and complete the job in two days. His response - "I'm from the state of Texas, ma'am. No disrespect, but y'all got a defective work ethic down here". Funny scene, and there's some truth to it. East Texas may look like Louisiana, but there's a cultural difference. I like New Orleans, but it's a different world over there.
Yes. It's uniquely unique. It means there is no other US city that is anything like it.
I agree. Go watch Treme if you haven't done so already. From the creator of The Wire. Both excellent shows, though different.
Tulane would be good, they are getting better with a great new coach, but a game we should win. Good town, good academic school, but it would best not to be the first game of the year. The end of August in New Orleans can be really hot for a football game.
Alabama
LSU
Clemson (only because they are national champions)
Florida State
USC
Oklahoma
Texas
Notre Dame (automatic win)
BRING 'EM ON
