5-6 Louisiana-Monroe will play one of their most important games since moving to the FBS in the 1990s. The Warhawks must beat rival Louisiana to reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 2012 and appear in their second bowl ever.
However, the task is tall, with Louisiana holding a 9-2 record. Louisiana-Monroe hopes to overcome past bowl eligibility failures against the Ragin' Cajuns. On multiple occasions, ULM needed a win over Louisiana to solidify bowl placement but came empty each time.
2005 is ULM's lone Sun Belt conference title. Entering the final game of the season, ULM was 5-1 in Sun Belt play and 5-5 overall. A win over 5-5 Louisiana, who was 4-2 in Sun Belt play, would give ULM the outright conference title and bid to the New Orleans Bowl.
Instead, ULM faltered and lost 54-21 to the Ragin' Cajuns. Despite ULM defeating Arkansas State earlier in the season, their losing record of 5-6 lost them the tiebreaker to Arkansas State for the New Orleans Bowl bid.
Four years later, ULM entered the Battle of the Bayou with a 6-4 record and a 5-1 mark in Sun Belt play. Although they were a game behind Troy, who was undefeated in conference play, they could position themselves well for an at-large bowl bid. The Warhawks could make themselves attractive to a bowl with an open tie-in. All the Warhawks needed to do was bear Louisiana and Middle Tennessee.
ULM lost to Louisiana and lost the following week to Middle Tennessee. The losses proved costly as Boise State's appearance in that season's Fiesta Bowl created a chain reaction of events that led to the WAC vacating its secondary tie-in with the GMAC Bowl (now 68 Ventures Bowl) in Mobile and inviting outright Sun Belt champion Troy. Middle Tennessee received the New Orleans Bowl nod despite not winning a share of the Sun Belt. Had Louisiana-Monroe beat Louisiana and Middle Tennessee, the New Orleans Bowl would have likely opted for the nearby Warhawks instead of the Blue Raiders.
2016 offered a more chaotic scenario that involved a win over the Ragin' Cajuns. ULM entered the 2016 Battle of the Bayou on December 3rd with a 4-7 record, while Louisiana had a 5-6 record. Entering the first week of December, 73 bowl teams were eligible for 77 bowl slots. 5-6 South Alabama and 5-6 Louisiana needed wins to punch bowl tickets.
If South Alabama and Louisiana lost, ULM would receive a bowl bid at 5-7 due to Academic Progress Rankings (APR). Unfortunately, neither thing happened. Louisiana beat ULM 30-3 in a driving rainstorm. Louisiana's Anthony Jennings and ULM's Caleb Evans combined to complete five of their 19 passes for 31 yards and four interceptions. Meanwhile, South Alabama beat New Mexico State 35-21.
The odds are against ULM this week, as well as history. The Warhawks hope to flip the script and overcome past losses to Louisiana with bowl implications this Saturday.
