There comes a point in every football season when you have to make a decision.

You can either spend the rest of the year being miserable about what could have been, or you can accept that being a Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns fan sometimes requires a sense of humor, a short memory, and perhaps a good therapist.

After Saturday’s 35-31 loss to Southern Miss, I’m beginning to think all three should be included with season tickets.

Seriously, how many different ways can one football team find to make a Saturday stressful?

We’ve seen blowout wins. We’ve seen impressive performances. We’ve seen games where Louisiana looks like it could compete with just about anybody in the Sun Belt. And then we’ve seen games where I’m convinced someone replaced the entire team with a group of strangers who just met each other in the parking lot.

It’s been that kind of season.

But with four regular-season games remaining, I’ve decided to approach the rest of 2026 a little differently.

I’m going to try to have some fun.

Emphasis on try.

The Charlie Brown Experience

Several years ago, longtime Voice of the Cajuns Jay Walker wrote an article comparing the experience of being a Louisiana football fan to Charlie Brown trying to kick that football Lucy keeps pulling away.

I remember thinking at the time how perfectly that analogy captured the emotional roller coaster of being a Cajuns fan.

Well, Jay, here we are all these years later, and apparently Lucy hasn’t retired. In fact, I think she’s gotten better at her job.

If you’ve ever watched Charlie Brown attempt to kick a football, you already understand what it’s like being a Cajuns fan.

Every year, Lucy holds the football.

Every year, Charlie Brown approaches with renewed confidence.

And every year, just when he’s convinced this time will be different, Lucy pulls the football away.

Charlie Brown goes flying, lands flat on his back, and probably spends the next six months questioning his decision-making skills.

Sound familiar?

Against Louisiana Tech, we were lining up for the kick.

Against Troy, we finally connected with the football and sent it sailing through the uprights.

Against Southern Miss, Lucy apparently decided to return for an encore.

Good grief.

At this point, Lucy doesn’t even have to trick us. She could announce she’s pulling the football away, put it on the stadium video board, and we’d still come running.

But here’s the difference between Charlie Brown and me.

Lucy can pull that football away as many times as she wants, but she isn’t pulling my Cajuns fandom away that easily.

I’ve invested far too many Saturdays, too much emotion, and too many years into this program to let a couple of heartbreaking losses change that.

Although, Lucy, if you’re reading this, a conference championship every now and then would be appreciated.

And Jay, if you’re reading this, I’m beginning to think you owe all of us an apology for introducing Lucy to Cajuns football in the first place.

The Most Confusing 5-3 Team in America?

I’m not sure there’s a better way to describe this year’s Cajuns than confusing.

This is a team that went to Charlotte and won 34-7. A team that absolutely dismantled Troy 33-6. A team that has shown flashes of being really, really good.

And it’s also a team that lost by one point to Louisiana Tech and four points to a Southern Miss squad that had spent much of the season searching for answers of its own.

The most frustrating part?

Louisiana is not nearly as far away as some of these losses make it feel.

We’re talking about two conference games decided by a combined five points. A couple of defensive stops, a cleaner possession, or one different decision, and the entire conversation surrounding this season changes.

Instead, we’re sitting at 5-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play, wondering how a team capable of beating Troy by 27 points could turn around and surrender 35 to Southern Miss.

I’m beginning to think this team operates like a Louisiana weather forecast.

Sunny skies one minute. Thunderstorms the next. And just when you think you’ve figured it out, somebody tells you there’s a hurricane in the Gulf.

The Good News? There’s Still Football to Play.

Believe it or not, the season isn’t over.

Louisiana still has South Alabama, ULM, Coastal Carolina, and Georgia State remaining on the schedule.

And before anyone starts calculating which six-win bowl destination might have the best complimentary breakfast, I’d prefer we aim a little higher.

We’ve spent enough time celebrating bowl eligibility around here.

That’s not to say bowl games are meaningless. They’re extra football, extra practices, and another opportunity to watch the Cajuns compete.

But after experiencing what conference championships feel like, I think we’ve earned the right to expect more than a December participation certificate.

The Sun Belt West race has become more complicated, and Louisiana no longer controls its own destiny. But there’s still an opportunity to finish strong, put pressure on the teams ahead, and build some momentum heading into whatever comes next.

More importantly, there’s an opportunity to show that this program can respond to adversity rather than simply explain it away.

I’d also like to make one small request.

Can we please win a game without requiring a fourth-quarter cardiac evaluation?

Just once?

A nice, comfortable 31-10 victory where the outcome is decided before the final two minutes would be wonderful.

I’m not asking for much.

Okay, maybe I’m asking for a little.

Four Games, Four Opportunities

First comes South Alabama on November 7, following a much-needed open week.

The Jaguars have become one of those opponents that reminds us just how competitive the Sun Belt has become. There’s no reason Louisiana can’t compete and win, but showing up with a recognizable defensive game plan would certainly help.

Then comes ULM.

Ah, Monroe.

A game that always seems to carry a little extra emotion, regardless of records. It’s another opportunity to remind our neighbors to the north that Louisiana football still runs through Lafayette.

And frankly, after everything this season has put us through, beating ULM would at least provide a few days of uninterrupted happiness.

Coastal Carolina comes to Lafayette on November 21, followed by a trip to Georgia State to close out the regular season.

Four games.

Four chances to remind everybody that this team is capable of playing quality football.

Four chances to build something positive.

And, knowing our luck, probably four more opportunities to discover new and innovative ways to raise my blood pressure.

But who’s counting?

It’s Okay to Be Frustrated and Still Love This Program

One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that some people seem to believe being a good fan means never criticizing your team.

I couldn’t disagree more.

You can love Louisiana football and still be disappointed in the product.

You can support the players and still question coaching decisions.

You can appreciate the good moments while refusing to pretend the bad ones don’t exist.

And you can demand better without abandoning the program.

In fact, I would argue that those expectations are exactly what make this fan base special.

We’ve seen what Louisiana football can become.

We’ve celebrated championships. We’ve watched this program reach heights that once seemed impossible. We’ve seen what happens when the right players, coaches, and leadership are all moving in the same direction.

That’s why the setbacks bother us.

It’s not because we’ve stopped caring.

It’s because we care enough to know what this program is capable of accomplishing.

The day we stop getting frustrated over losses like Southern Miss is probably the day we should start worrying.

Because that would mean we’ve stopped expecting better.

And I’m not ready to do that.

So, What Now?

Well, I can tell you what I’m going to do.

I’m going to enjoy the open week.

I’m going to spend a Saturday not wondering why an opposing running back suddenly looks like a Heisman Trophy candidate.

I’m going to convince myself that the extra time off will cure whatever strange football illness has occasionally infected this team.

And when November 7 rolls around, I’ll be right back watching the Cajuns.

Probably optimistic.

Probably convinced we’ve figured something out.

Probably saying something ridiculous like, “You know, if we win these last four games and get a little help…”

Because that’s what we do.

We convince ourselves.

We get excited.

We get frustrated.

We complain.

And then we show up again.

That’s the beautiful, maddening reality of loving college football.

Would I prefer to be writing about an undefeated conference record and dreams of hosting another Sun Belt Championship Game? Absolutely.

Would I prefer fewer articles discussing missed opportunities and more articles celebrating meaningful victories? You bet.

But until then, I’m choosing to enjoy what’s left of this season while still holding this program accountable for what it should become.

Because despite everything that’s happened, there’s still something special about a Saturday in Lafayette, seeing the vermilion and white, hearing the band, and watching the Cajuns run onto the field.

That feeling doesn’t disappear because of a bad fourth quarter in Hattiesburg.

Or a one-point loss in Ruston.

Or a season that hasn’t exactly followed the script we envisioned.

So go ahead, Lucy.

Hold that football.

Tell me this time will be different.

Give me four more reasons to believe.

I’ll probably come running toward it again.

But here’s the thing: You can pull the football out from under me. You can knock me flat on my back. You can even make me question why I keep doing this every single Saturday.

What you can’t do is make me stop being a Cajuns fan.

Now, if somebody could just teach Charlie Brown how to play defense in the final two minutes, we’d really be getting somewhere.

C’est tout Va te faire foutre, Lucy !

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