Rutgers is understandably facing a lot of scrutiny for scheduling Texas Southern next week in lieu of, you know, an actual competitive contest. Not only are the Scarlet Knights scheduling two FCS schools this season, but in Texas Southern and Howard, managed to find some of the worst football programs in America. I wanted the inside scoop on just how bad TSU really is, so I asked a friend from Houston (Couggggggs), and he agreed to share a few brief thoughts with you all.
TSU's original name was Texas State University for Negroes. The name was changed by the state only because of federal pressure. It's fairly obvious where the local stereotypes go on from there.
These days when TSU's administration isn't robbing the university blind with landscaping fees, it's fighting to stay open; the foes being the racist white establishment at the Universities of Texas and Houston (UH is actually all-Indian, not white). UT or even UH absorbing TSU would be like South Korea absorbing the North, so it will never happen. TSU is forever doomed to limp along as a bottom 10-percent school without a single good program to show for itself, and a law school that's not actually accredited. At least until Houston's actual government (the real estate developers) covets the university's land, and the county finally eminent domains them out.
Football wise, their only notable achievement in the last 70 or so years is producing Michael Strahan. They're dead in the water for lack of money. They had Bobby Reid from Oklahoma State last year just for fun, and only managed four wins (only one of these came from a NCAA team).
As for marching bands, the real reason historically black colleges have football, RU managed to even screw that up, drawing the worst of the bunch, the Ocean of Soul. Like most things TSU, it was fairly decent once, but due to mismanagement and flat out theft, they can barely pay for equipment now. So expect to win halftime as well for what that's worth.
In my book, Michael Strahan alone is enough to make up for any faults and misdeeds.
By the way, there's a story ("Second Chance U") in the latest ESPN Mag detailing TSU's new coach Johnnie Cole, and his plan to turn around the program with a myriad of FBS transfers. He's apparently quite the figure in the Houston Independent School District. Probably will be up on ESPN Insider at some point this week.