Louisiana is going bowling for the fifth consecutive season after defeating Texas State 41-13 for their sixth victory in 2022.
Now, the Ragin Cajuns will await their bowl fate this weekend. According to many different bowl projections, there are several possibilities for the Vermilion and White.
Most Likely
As it stands now, the Cajuns have two bowl destinations that are equally likely. USA Today and Sports Illustrated have Louisiana partaking in the Frisco Bowl on December 17. USA Today has the Cajuns playing San Jose State, while SI has BYU as their opponent.
The other one is the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, which is the fan favorite. It’s on December 23 at 2:00 p.m. so it would be the perfect start to a Cajuns’ fan’s Christmas holiday weekend. Athlon Sports has Louisiana facing Memphis while ESPN’s Mark Schlabach lists UNLV as the matchup. However, the Rebels fired their coach Monday and would only get into a bowl game with an APR waiver considering they went 5-7 in 2022.
Still Possible
Two bowls that are still in the discussion are Sun Belt tie-ins, with the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and the LendingTree Bowl in Mobile. Kyle Bonagura of ESPN has the Cajuns playing North Texas at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of South Alabama, while CBS has Louisiana returning to the Caesar’s Superdome for a matchup with former Sun Belt foe Western Kentucky.
The Cajuns have played in the LendingTree Bowl one time, being a 27-17 victory over Miami (Ohio) in what was Billy Napier’s first bowl win at Louisiana. The New Orleans Bowl has been a familiar friend, with the Cajuns making six trips since 2011 and having a record of 5-1.
Cajuns fans and even the administration are looking for something new, which is why the Independence Bowl in Shreveport would work so well. Fans from Lafayette can easily travel, it’s at a convenient time, and it satisfies the bowl from an economic standpoint.
Head-Scratcher
Sporting News broke out their latest bowl projections Monday, with Louisiana slated to play in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa against San Diego State. There’s no doubt it would be an incredible experience for the university and the student-athletes, but it seems unlikely considering this was the first word of the Cajuns being linked with the Gasparilla Bowl.
Regardless of where Louisiana ends up, five straight bowl appearances are something to be proud of.