Bears Will Battle Cowboys in Deep Southland

McNeese State had no trouble with its Southland Conference opponents in 2007.

The Cowboys finished the regular season with a perfect 11-0 record, including 7-0 in SLC contests, before falling in the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Subdivision playoffs, a 44-15 defeat to Eastern Washington. The Cowboys have 49 letter winners - including seven offensive starters and five defensive starters - back for 2008, making them a solid choice to repeat.

The University of Central Arkansas surprised a few people, compiling a 6-5 record in the Bears' first year with a full slate of conference games and finished just one win away from sharing the SLC crown with McNeese State. The Cowboys defeated the Bears 41-14 in Lake Charles, La., in the final week of the regular season to win the league title outright.

McNeese State also finished ranked 11th in the final Top 25 poll. UCA, though, returns most of last season's team, including SLC Offensive Player of the Year quarterback Nathan Brown, and will once again be a strong contender.

While the Cowboys may have a target on their back, there are no doubt plenty of teams lurking. The SLC appears to be deeper in 2008, and last year's middle-of-the-road teams such as Sam Houston State, Nicholls State and Texas State expect to compete for the conference's top spot this time around.

There's a major change upcoming and a new face, both involving Lamar. Ray Woodard, a 20-year coaching veteran with 12 years of college experience, was selected to be at the helm for Lamar in May. Earlier this year, Lamar students approved a fee that would help fund the return of a football program dormant since 1989. The sport will make its return in 2010.

Headlining the players to watch in 2008 is Sam Houston State quarterback Rhett Bomar, a transfer from the University of Oklahoma who saw his first SLC action last season. Bomar is among the 26 quarterbacks named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm watch list and is the only one from the NCAA Division I Football Subdivision. He passed for 2,209 yards and 10 touchdowns last season in nine starts for the Bearkats. The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is presented annually to the nation's top senior collegiate quarterback by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation Inc.

The Bomar-led Bearkats are one of the up-and-coming teams in the SLC that could finish at or near the top. They'll host McNeese State for their homecoming game Oct. 18. However, a Sept. 20 battle with Kansas, winners of the 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl, highlights the schedule.

Playing larger schools isn't a rarity in the SLC. All eight SLC schools have NCAA Division I Bowl Championship Series opponents on their 2008 schedules. That doesn't necessarily predicate blowouts either. Northwestern State nearly scored a major upset last season against a BCS school, falling 38-31 to Ole Miss.