I am under the impression that the A&M AD's position that A&M will NEVER play a home and home with LSU again is still operative.

Is it not?? If it is not, do you have a link to his latest pronouncement??

an a&m vs. LSU home and home would seriously get back a ton of season ticket holders that byrne considers absolutely vital to the ath dept.

the leadership who did it is gone. its time to move on and if LSU is up for a home and home, make THAT our MARQUEE game OOC and then fran can get all the d1aa teams he likes.

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Well, if we start getting beat regularly, we'll just cancel the series

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hmm...wonder who was the last to do that?

Sam the Sam,

Go to this link:

http://www.aggieathletics.com/feature.php?type=1&Feature=375

He would entertain a home and home or a home and dallas.

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Look we have obviously not had a wildly successful bowl history. However who would have said that we were a bad team from '85 - '94 just because we weren't very successful in our bowls?

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Of course not! I never said we were a bad team, I said weren't weren't a top dog that could command any top team to come play us the way USC and others can.

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My only point is that I am not ready to consign us to the trash heap just because we have had a few lowsy seasons. Nebraska has been pretty paltry since 2002 but I don't hear anyone talking about them being some 3rd rate team on par with iowa state and missouri.

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I'm certainly not either. A&M is far from a 3rd rate team. In fact, a 10+ win season this year will restore some of that respect we had in that period you mentioned.

[This message has been edited by HTownAg (edited 5/31/2006 1:28p).]

HtownAg,

I didn't know USC had the power to control people to come play them. Or Texas for that matter.

Texas in fact is having trouble finding opponents for future non-conference schedules to play them.

Does Texas, USC, Ohio State all have the power to schedule big time opponents.

The only way you play this game is if it is home and home or home & dallas

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So I ask again, why does LSU want Dallas instead of a home and home? What is the big motivation to have a game in Dallas? Seems like it is just an extra hurdle and would be easier to negotiate a home and home and easier to make the money work as well. If LSU wants to play in Dallas so badly then lets alternate the game between Kyle Field and Dallas... or just as good, let LSU and tceh play in Dallas. They deserve each other anyway.

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The reason that LSU wants a neutral site game in Dallas is that in the years that LSU was the home team, they would be able to host recruits at that game (only the home team gets to). Thus, LSU would get a Dallas showcase for recruits, much like OU does in the years that they are the home team in the RRS.

Now, you may ask why we would want to enable that? The answer is that if LSU wants to do the deal, Dallas will find someone to play them--more than likely Tech, and that would not be a good situation. Thus, we should consider playing LSU in such a series simply to keep a school like Tech from moving up the prestige ladder by taking such a deal. It would have the side benefits of: (1) giving us the exposure in Dallas that the coaching staff wants; (2) getting a game that will get some national media attention; and (3) do something to satisfy all those fans who have been pining for a resumption of the A&M-LSU series.

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A&M is far from a 3rd rate team. In fact, a 10+ win season this year will restore some of that respect we had in that period you mentioned.

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AMEN

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Now, you may ask why we would want to enable that? The answer is that if LSU wants to do the deal, Dallas will find someone to play them--more than likely Tech, and that would not be a good situation. Thus, we should consider playing LSU in such a series simply to keep a school like Tech from moving up the prestige ladder by taking such a deal. It would have the side benefits of: (1) giving us the exposure in Dallas that the coaching staff wants; (2) getting a game that will get some national media attention; and (3) do something to satisfy all those fans who have been pining for a resumption of the A&M-LSU series.

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EXACTLY.

if LSU is going to play there no matter what, then it is better for us to play them and gain the dallas exposure than for tech or baylor or someone else.

We should accept only a home and home arrangement and that is it. Perhaps a deal at Reliant but no other location. The students will be hurt by a deal in Dallas as well. It would require an overnight stay plus the parking is horrible. No room for tail gating. Dallas and the Cotton Bowl is a horrible place to play. They have not discovered air conditioning yet.

With Texas and OU recently debating whether to keep their series in Dallas or move to a home and home (what did they sign? a 5 yr contract). There is obviously some +'s and -'s to playing on a neutral site every year.

Here is what I would do.

I would get Texas/OU, A&M/LSU and Tech/Ark to all agree to a home/home/neutral series where every 3rd year one matchup would be in Dallas.

This way all the teams keep some of their home games and still get exposure in Dallas every 3 years. The Cotton Bowl wins by getting long term committment and could afford to put some repair $'s into the Cotton Bowl.

I'd be up for LSU and our Ags going helmet to helmet. However, I don't think BB will do it as he seems to really like have a creampuff schedule.

If he does though, then he gets off the S***-list, IMO (except with respect to Fran, but that's another thread altogether).

Would love the tiggers to have a home and home with us. Plus, if we were to beat them we can recruit well in their state.

Our record agains LSU in the last 10 years of the series was very good. If the early games of the series that allowed LSU home field advantage for 15 straight years were elminated we would be up on the series. That is what Bear Bryant did for us in the 50's. He made commitments to play big teams on their home field. Examples: OSU, Michigan, LSU, GA, GA Tech, etc. We were killed. Never again. I do not care if we do have a cream puff schedule. Home and home only.

Houstonag, the big difference in this case is the neutral site whereas in the example you used, Bryant travelled directly into enemy territory. We wouldn't be going to Baton Rouge to play LSU, we'd both be going to Dallas. For arguments sake, let's assume that your position is the one we take: only accepting home and home. Now let's assume that the Cotton Bowl does strike some deals and you have the following during the weekends of the month of the State Fair, all will be heavily promoted to maximize regional and national interest:

OU vs. tu
LSU vs. Tech
Ark vs. Okla St.
TCU vs Baylor

These are just matchups I pulled out of my ass but as I understand it, this is similar to what the Cotton Bowl is trying to line up.

While we sit by and stubbornly stick to our home and home policy, we watch not only our B12 South brethren, but also non-conf neighbors enjoy the benefits of a well promoted series of games that garners TV exposure, recruiting exposure, MONEY, and schedule strength improvement.

In the meantime, while we fumble around for opponents who want to play us home and home (a tough task according to Byrne) we are stuck playing the high exposure slate of ULL, Ark St, McNeese St., and La Tech for our non conference games. .

Look, in a perfect world, we'd get the home and home series that we all want. We don't appear to have programs like Notre Dame, FSU, etc knocking down our doors to play us home and home, hell if anything programs are cancelling series (FSU, Mich St., Air force) But if this deal goes down this way, as the second largest program in the state, we may not be in a position to pass it up and watch our main competitors reap the benefits.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love nothing more than a home and home and agree that its the way to go 100% of the time but in this case, its possible we might have our hand forced and if the money is right, I could very easily see Byrne doing it.

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A little aside from the events of the day in football recruiting: I’ve had too much email suggesting that we renew the LSU rivalry. I won’t do that, and there are many reasons, some of which I’ve talked about in this column before. But today brought to mind one of the main ones.

Even though we had verbal commitments from some outstanding student-athletes from our state and region, LSU came hard after them on the final day. That’s a common practice and this is not to denounce it. The point is, I’m just not interested in giving them any added access to our athletes in Texas by giving them a game on our turf.

So let’s put that one to rest and move on.

Texas A&M Athletic Director Bill Byrne

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http://www.aggieathletics.com/feature.php?type=1&Feature=55

I understand your model but if we just play our current schedule, win the games we are supposed to win, win a few more we are not then in the long run we will be in the drivers seat. In conclusion just win the Big 12. Playing these bigger programs does bring risk of injury. There are enough big teams on our schedule in the Big 12 to give us national attention. We just need to win them.

Vito, that's all well and good, but if Tech decides to play lsu in dallas then lsu will still get their foot into texas for a recruiting advantage.

In that case, it makes sense for us to play LSU in dallas so that it is us, and not tech, who will also gain the recruiting advantage in dallas and get the exposure from the game.

NYAggie,

I'm not scared of tehc. I don't care what they do.

I understand why LSU wants more recruiting exposure in Dallas. I don't understand why A&M does. If we start winning games against tech, ou, and tu we will have more than plenty of recruiting exposure in Dallas. If we don't.... well, we will probably just continue on a steady diet of mediocrity.

To me , either a home and home, or a Dallas and Kyle Field rotation would work for resumption of the LSU series. That way LSU gets their home field recruiting exposure in Dallas which is really what they are after particularly since they expect to dominate us. An annual game in Dallas makes no sense to me from an A&M standpoint. LSU would stand to benefit much more than A&M.

There is no reason not to schedule LSU again. I don't care whether it's home and home, or in DFW.

BUT, as I stated in my post above, you have to put things in your contract if you know you are dealing with dishonesty on the other side. An enforceable liquidated damages clause, secured by a performance bond, would do it.

Bring them on. I doubt if LSU, even in our present state, will ever be able to beat A&M again.

Trust me on this one - it would not be a bad idea for a Neutral venue if the Series was renewed - many of us that made the trip to Red Stick in the 80's can attest to the rudeness displayed by the Tigger fans - I am too old for fist fights