re: Does LSU Owe It's Football Success to Tulane Leaving the SEC?

Not to troll LSU but Tulane leaving the SEC did give LSU a bit of a nudge in the right direction. Tulane, after all, not only left the SEC (which wasn't the super conference we know and love) but they also began to ease money out of athletics.

Instead of two in state schools fighting for the best recruits you had one school getting the lion's share and another getting what was left.

Another big factor contributing to Tulane's exit is that while they still played SEC opponents they didn't get a steady dose of them. Which meant the rivalries that went with those games faded away. Fewer rivalry games means less fan attention and fewer big name players.

What if Tulane had stayed? Well, I hate to say it but the writing was on the wall for Tulane anyway. Tulane was the team for New Orleans sure, but LSU was the team for the entire state. LSU was going to pull ahead sooner or later. Tulane would likely find itself in the same spot as Vandy, having a hard time being competitive as a smaller school with higher standards.