Louisiana Schedule Preview Part One: Games 1-6

For the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns, the first half of the 2014 season was a brutal piece of work that nearly took them out before the season really got into gear. The Ragin' Cajuns have learned from that mistake with a 2015 opening half that is very tough but not as bad at the very beginning.

Kentucky: The Ragin' Cajuns come into this season looking for break the 10 win plateau for the first time in school history and a win on the road over an SEC program would be a great way to start. The Wildcats are fianlly getting over Joker Phillips' disastrous tenure and have recruited very well in the last two seasons. Kentucky is young but very talented and will pose a severe problem on the Ragin' Cajun defense. Louisiana will show well but don't have the horses to get the win.

Northwestern State: After falling on the road to Kentucky, the Ragin' Cajuns head back to the friendly confines of Lafayette to face Northwestern State in a game that dates back to 1909. This is the first meeting since a 49-28 win in 2005 and this game's edition should be right around that same score, if not more one sided.

Akron: The Zips were a very quiet 5-7 last season and coach Terry Bowden has slowly moved them into respectability during his time at the program. Akron has a pretty nasty defense with lots of FBS transfers that was dominant at times and arguably the best defense in the MAC last fall. Akron is a mess on offense but are similar to Temple in that if that offense can be respectable, then the Zips can compete with nearly anyone in the G5. Expect a tough matchup but the Ragin' Cajuns to pull out the hard fought win.

Louisiana Tech: In this rivalry that dates back to 1910, the Ragin' Cajuns are looking to break the seven-game losing streak to the Bulldogs. Last season was the first meeting since 2004 with Louisiana Tech winning 48-20. The two teams are much closer this fall than the 28 point spread and Louisiana should play this game very tough with the game in doubt in the fourth quarter. That Bulldog defense will be tough to break in the final minutes and unless Elijah McGuire runs wild, a win may be too much to ask for this fall.

Texas State: So far in this matchup, the Ragin' Cajuns have matched up very well versus the Bobcats with two consecutive 24-point wins. Louisiana has been able to do what Texas State best, run the football, better than the Bobcats and should be able to do that again this fall for a third straight win in the series.

Arkansas State: Sometimes two team just hate one another for reasons that defy explanation. This bitter rivalry is one of those and also tends to be one of the games of the year in the Sun Belt. The Red Wolves return quarterback Fredi Knighten and an offense that put up video game numbers last fall. Despite the electric offense of Arkansas State, the Ragin' Cajuns should be able to earn this tough win and start the season 4-2.