Gameday or Gustav?

UPDATE: The LSU-Appalachian State game kickoff time has been moved to 10 a.m.

Another year, another season for LSU football and another blog post! Let's get to the nitty-gritty on this stuff though, because there's a lot to talk about.

• All signs point to Andrew Hatch getting his shot at the starting QB role beginning Saturday with the game against Appalachian State. ESPN.com lists Hatch as the starter.
  
  
• Will the game even be played? That's the debate that's going on right now in the Athletic Department as the administration is hunkered down in a meeting to determine the status of tomorrow's game. No word yet, the latest commentary is from Herb Vincent and he did not provide any indications. As of 11:30 a.m., the meeting is still going on.
  
  
• As of now, Tropical Storm Gustav is slated to hit the mainland U.S. sometime late Tuesday or early Wednesday. The projected landfall has continually been pushed back because of Gustav's erratic path and slow movement. Continued word out of New Orleans is that contraflow will begin Saturday, which may very well have an effect on the start of the game.
  
  
• Back to some sports stuff: App State shocked the football world when they beat Michigan at Ann Arbor last season in the Big House. Michigan, then ranked No. 5 and a championship contender, fell completely out of the Top 25 and struggled to get back there later in the season. Will that happen to LSU?
  
  I'll bet against the Mountaineers. The LSU defense is just too strong and will contain Armanti Edwards. This may not be a rout, but expect the defense to hold App State under 20 points, and the offense will hopefully gell well enough. I'll take LSU 38-17.
  
  
• This is the first time in history a Bowl Subdivision Champion has faced a Championship Subdivision Champion (formerly division IA and IAA).
  
  
• In non-sports related LSU news, the University is open for business today (Friday). In addition to the time of the game, other emergency procedures and class cancellations are being discussed. LSU will be closed for Labor Day on Monday. Cancellations for Tuesday's classes will be announced no later than today at 2 p.m. With the slowing situation of Gustav, I would also expect a decision on Wednesday's classes, too. Follow updates at www.lsu.edu.
  
  
• Follow Gustav and Tropical Storm Hanna at www.weather.com.
  
  
• For continued updates on Gustav and the game, check out www.lsureveille.com.

Herb Vincent Applies for Athletic Director Position

You heard it here...well...you heard it here second, but Senior Associate Athletic Director Herb Vincent has tossed his name into the hat for the soon-to-be-vacant Athletic Director position.

In my last post, I mentioned that, even though the initial list of candidates had been narrowed to include Verge Ausberry, I wouldn't be surprised if Vincent got in on this.

And now he is.

Check it out at www.lsureveille.com.

Quick Notes on LSU Football

I apologize to anyone who was reading my posts (thanks for doing so!) for the long delay in new posts.

It's 3 a.m. and there's other stuff to be done, so I'm just going to make a few quick notes on the LSU football team.

• Yes, the Ryan Perriloux situation has taken another turn as you've undoubtedly heard. Check out www.lsureveille.com for the best information on Perriloux.
• For the record, I'm ready to see what Jarrett Lee can bring to the SEC.
• Get excited! You heard it here first: pushover Homecoming match-ups are a thing of the past. Victory in next season's game isn't necessarily guaranteed, though it's likely. I'll just refer you to our 2008 schedule and let you look for yourself at the slated home games. I'll tell you this: It's an SEC opponent. :)
  
• I'll be putting in for away tickets to Gainesville and Auburn for certain, and I have enough priority points to get them. I have relatives in South Carolina, so that's also a possibility. If I can somehow attend the Arkansas game, it will be the first time, and last time, that I've made every game on the schedule as a student.
• I've been told that, even though the announced list of Athletic Director candidates has been released, that the opportunity to file for candidacy has not passed. And looking at the current list, a potential candidate that has NOT applied that would seriously contend is none other than Senior Associate AD Herb Vincent. Don't rule him out of applying, and I'd take him over Verge Ausberry, although word on the street is that "in-house" is out for this position.
  
• The band isn't "out on the field," but they are moving. The Golden Band from Tigerland won't be in its usual stadium corner spot; they're going to be stuck in the middle of the Student Section. This has potential to affect Greek and organizational student seating, producing a domino effect that might cause problems for freshmen tickets.
• There will be an Athletic Ticket Forum March 6 in the LSU Student Union. I will get the time of that to you soon, but it will be in the Atchafalaya Room. Students can pose concerns about the ticket process, including Priority Points and the postseason distribution process. Attend this event!
• All of LSU's championship football trophies from the beginning of time will be displayed in the Union Art Gallery all day Wednesday, March 5 and until 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 6. That includes the glorious crystal ball from January's Richard Dickson-led thrashing of Ohio State. Dickson went to high school with me, and by now all of you should know his name, number, position and level of awesomeness, which is, unfortunately, incomprehensible by the limited capacity of the human brain.