Will we buy out the game or head to Lake Charles?

Buyout.

Going to McNeese is like leaving $800,000 on the table.

Drop it like it's hot...

According to the original press release it's a $250,000 buyout, so certainly not cheap. I wonder what will happen with McNeese's scheduled 2015 visit if we buy out next year's game?

RankinApp wrote:According to the original press release it's a $250,000 buyout, so certainly not cheap. I wonder what will happen with McNeese's scheduled 2015 visit if we buy out next year's game?

A game with a lower teir FBS is hard to get, I bet they keep it.

Purely speculation but we protected ourselves in the Michigan contract for a move to FBS so I would think we may have similar protections with the McNeese contract.

Yosef wrote:Purely speculation but we protected ourselves in the Michigan contract for a move to FBS so I would think we may have similar protections with the McNeese contract.

Wasn't the contract with McNeese made prior to the study getting done?

And the Michigan contract was done after the study was released.

I'm not sure on the timing of the former, but certain on the timing of the latter.

I say we go if they want us to. Lake Charles is a lot of fun. We're ineligible for bowl games so it's not like we need to protect our strength of schedule.

T-Dog wrote:I say we go if they want us to. Lake Charles is a lot of fun. We're ineligible for bowl games so it's not like we need to protect our strength of schedule.

I agree. I'm also all about upholding our end of the bargain and not setting a precedent that we'll just buy ourselves out of an agreement we made.

Would like to go back to Lake Charles, stay at L'Auberge Resort if we go there.

We will be a full confrence championship eligible FBS team. Unless the game is moved to Boone, it won't be happening.

Yosef wrote:

T-Dog wrote:I say we go if they want us to. Lake Charles is a lot of fun. We're ineligible for bowl games so it's not like we need to protect our strength of schedule.

I agree. I'm also all about upholding our end of the bargain and not setting a precedent that we'll just buy ourselves out of an agreement we made.

After all we don't need Montana's proclivity for reneging on contracts.

Another facet is that in 2014, FBS teams can schedule up to 13 regular season games due to the calendar.

ASUTed wrote:We will be a full confrence championship eligible FBS team. Unless the game is moved to Boone, it won't be happening.

It wouldn't surprise me if it were bought out (IMO this is the likely outcome). But, we will still be a transitional team and essentially not bowl eligible, so I could see the argument for keeping the game also.

I do not believe we will go to McNeese St. in 2014. I think the Sun Belt would frown on it and I don't think it would set a good precedent.

appst89 wrote:I do not believe we will go to McNeese St. in 2014. I think the Sun Belt would frown on it and I don't think it would set a good precedent.

I agree. I don't personally have a problem with us going to this game but I don't see it happening. As an FBS program, our payout for away games would very much higher (like Michigan), so flipping this game for a big BCS payout would be a windfall. An $800k to $1 million payout would more than cover the $250K buyout and pay out exit fee from the SoCon as well. Yes, that would be two BCS games, but we have nothing to lose in 2014 since we aren't bowl eligible and it wouldn't impact our conference standing.

I'm sure that they will understand, and appreciate getting a check to do nothing except schedule another home game.

Yosef wrote:

T-Dog wrote:I say we go if they want us to. Lake Charles is a lot of fun. We're ineligible for bowl games so it's not like we need to protect our strength of schedule.

I agree. I'm also all about upholding our end of the bargain and not setting a precedent that we'll just buy ourselves out of an agreement we made.

Buying out of a game isn't "breaking our end of the bargain". The contract says we have the choice between playing the game or paying them $250,000. If we chose the latter, we aren't breaking the contract.

$1MM > $250k

I also wouldn't worry about this setting a bad name for us. Everyone would understand if we take 4x the money.

appst89 wrote:I do not believe we will go to McNeese St. in 2014. I think the Sun Belt would frown on it and I don't think it would set a good precedent.

I understand your point and mostly agree, but somewhere in the scenario lies the ethics of honoring a commitment.

JCline0429 wrote:

appst89 wrote:I do not believe we will go to McNeese St. in 2014. I think the Sun Belt would frown on it and I don't think it would set a good precedent.

I understand your point and mostly agree, but somewhere in the scenario lies the ethics of honoring a commitment.

The commitment is to either play the game or pay them $250,000.

I never want us to buy out a game under normal circumstances. The circumstances surrounding this game are not normal. The kicker is that our new conference will likely not look favorably on us visiting McNeese.