This was a Tulane decision, and I don't like it.
In addition to the $350,000 the Wave will have to pay Mississippi State, it deprives fans of a chance to see how Curtis Johnson's team stacks up with an SEC team in what will be his fifth year. Sure, Tulane plays at Wake Forest in 2016, but the Demon Deacons usually are not as good as a lot of now-power five schools. Mississippi State has become a solid program under Dan Mullen and would have been a good measuring stick for Tulane.
Look for Tulane to replace Mississippi State with an FBS opponent that will agree to a home-and-home series, but definitely not a team from a power five conference. I'm thinking South Alabama or Rice or some team like that.
That's weak.
Of course, the more important task is building a legitimate winner. After last year's letdown in the AAC, Tulane needs to prove it can contend at the top of its new league, starting next fall. If the Wave succeeds, the decision to drop Mississippi State will look even worse, as if the Tulane administration does not think it can compete with average SEC teams. If the Wave struggles again this fall, it will simply wipe another L off the schedule from 2016.
In addition to the $350,000 the Wave will have to pay Mississippi State, it deprives fans of a chance to see how Curtis Johnson's team stacks up with an SEC team in what will be his fifth year. Sure, Tulane plays at Wake Forest in 2016, but the Demon Deacons usually are not as good as a lot of now-power five schools. Mississippi State has become a solid program under Dan Mullen and would have been a good measuring stick for Tulane.
Look for Tulane to replace Mississippi State with an FBS opponent that will agree to a home-and-home series, but definitely not a team from a power five conference. I'm thinking South Alabama or Rice or some team like that.
That's weak.
Of course, the more important task is building a legitimate winner. After last year's letdown in the AAC, Tulane needs to prove it can contend at the top of its new league, starting next fall. If the Wave succeeds, the decision to drop Mississippi State will look even worse, as if the Tulane administration does not think it can compete with average SEC teams. If the Wave struggles again this fall, it will simply wipe another L off the schedule from 2016.