The threat from ULL to LSU (long)

By state law, ULL is required to call themselves "The University of Louisiana at Lafayette". We all know that they wish to be called "The University of Louisiana".

At the moment, LSU is by far the preeminent athletic program in a state of 4,601,893 people. In terms of history, in terms of facilities, in terms of overall budget. That's not likely to change anytime soon.

Other schools in the state field better teams in some sports from time to time. This year, ULL baseball has beaten LSU head-to-head and has a better overall record. And in addition has been ranked number one in the country by one poll. La. Tech had as good as, if not better of a basketball team as LSU. ULL also has the best softball team in the state.

All of us Tiger fans are excited about the SEZ addition and what it means to LSU 's bottom line. LSU was the 4th -most valuable team in the nation last year, according to Forbes...

quote:

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4. LSU Tigers
Team value: $105 million
Revenue: $74 million
Profit: $48 million

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Forbes

..and that was with a stadium that sat 92,542. In 2014, LSU will break records for both revenue and profit, due to the new seating being mostly premium seating in a stadium seating 101,000.

ULL is not sitting still, however. They have a master plan in place to upgrade nearly all their athletic facilities: SPORTS FACILITIES - CONCEPTUAL BUDGET



The Cajuns' five phase plan is to expand Cajun Field by doubling the capacity to 62,304, and M.L. “Tigue” Moore field to over 10,000.

In short, ULL is trying very hard to become to LSU what Louisville is to Kentucky, or UCF to Florida. An in-state rival school enjoying unprecedented success, and siphoning away support from the SEC school in each state.

For those of you scoffing at the notion, cast your minds back to when Texas A&M was joining the SEC. Baylor held up that process with threats of legal action. And look at Baylor's athletic program now.

It's not out of the question that with these athletic upgrades, ULL could find itself invited to join the Big 12 one day.

Short term, LSU dominates the states' hearts and minds and will continue to do so. The LSU athletic department has shown it's willing to spend the money necessary to build and maintain some of the best facilities anywhere in the country.

Long term, however, the huge gap in terms of facilities between LSU and other in-state schools that exists today will most likely not exist tomorrow.

The silver lining in all this, is that the way this state is booming economically, our population is likely to increase a good bit. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and predict that within ten years, Louisiana's population will eclipse 6,000,000.

TL:DR version...don't sleep on ULL.