re: Why doesn't LSU play good teams before SEC play?

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LSU has scheduled 2 big conf schools OOC along with the standard slate of Louisiana schools pretty much every year since PM has been here what is wrong with that?

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because usually 1 of the "big conf" schools are usually cold weather schools that suck, with no baseball history.

a lot of times both arent very good


there are enough teams in Texas and Florida and even in our own state that we shouldnt have to go above the mason dixon line to schedule these shitty teams. I dont know if PM is doing favors to coaches from his time at ND or what, but i dont see the allure of schedule Princeton or Wake or Illinois or Villanova.


in baseball, conferences hardly matter. just schedule some teams with a pulse. I mean this is PM's 5th year, and its safe to say CSF is easily the best OOC series he has scheduled, with no close 2nd.

So money money money. As a fan of LSU I expect this from the administration, but not from FANS.

Dude, FWIW, our non-conference season schedule VARIES from year to year. In addition to playing Tulane, Southern, Southeastern, and UNO EVERY year (all perennial post-season contenders except UNO), LSU has also played (among others): Pepperdine and Kansas in 2010; Central Florida, Illinois, and Villanova in 2009; Indiana, Michigan State, and Southern Miss in 2008; Stetson and Central Florida in 2007; Houston, Rice, and UNLV in 2006; and Arizona State, Rice, Houston, and Alabama-Birmingham in 2005.

And when it comes to scheduling, the AD's and coaches of BOTH schools have to agree to a contract. Why on earth do you think LSU can just schedule anyone they want an time they want and the other school will just fall on its arse with acceptance?
Scheduling is not an easy endeavor.

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As a fan of LSU I expect this from the administration, but not from FANS

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Says the fan of the school with 2,000 people in the stands on a good day.

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When teams like Cal St Fullerton travel, they lose approximately 2,000 in ticket sales for every game they don't play at home. LSU would lose over 10,000 per game given up.

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I am not asking LSU to travel and i dont think the original poster was either.

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Since he has been here, the OOC schedule as included Kansas, Illinois, Pepperdine, Central Florida (two 3-game series), Indiana, Wake Forest, Michigan St., Southern Miss, and Cal St Fullerton.

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and i would overall, that is pretty horrible competition, minus a few of those programs.

and lets not forget

Lipscomb
St marys
duqenene
stetson
cenetary
william and mary
holy cross
princeton


i think being able to get fans out to the Box regardless who we play is a huge luxury, but it can also be sort of a curse, considering we dont have to have a good schedule to draw people to the park

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What makes you think the other warm weather schools with good programs want to give up selling 15,000-18,000 tickets for a lost three game series?

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they don't have to be great programs.

a team like USM for example, just played a weekend series AT Troy.


teams of that caliber will leave a weekend at home to come play at LSU.

CUSA alone has some decent teams that would come here to play.

Weak schedule killed Brady a few years in hoops

It would take us like 3 games to get going in the conference

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without having to return the visit.

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Why not go play at Texas or UCLA or Oregon or that 2-bit school in Fullerton

Being tested on the road is valuable prior to conference play.

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that would come here to play.

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Where is "here" exactly for you? Privateer Park?

You're fighting a losing battle here. The bottom line is that the point of these early season weekends is to tinker with lineups and pitching rotations, get as many different arms as much work as possible in determining a weekend rotation, find yourself a 1-2 combination on the mound, along with some setup guys and a closer...all the while winning ballgames while doing so.

When the level of competition elevates, our lineup is pretty set, and the pitching rotation has finally found some sort of an identity. It's the same process every year.

This isn't football or basketball where early competition is going to pay dividends down the stretch in crunch time. You ideally reach your peak in baseball late in the conference schedule.

As for now, we're still tinkering with lineups and pitching rotations...who cares who we're playing.