HEADING INTO ‘08 — Southeastern head coach Mike Lucas takes the Lions into his second full season in 2008. The Lions have made strides under Lucas but the rest of the Southland Conference could be stronger as well. SLU were picked to finish seventh by both the conference coaches and sports information directors at the SLC Media Days last week. John Lenz/Daily Star Files

HOUSTON—For a conference that fancies itself as "the SEC of I-AA", embarrassing was about the only applicable word for its FCS playoff showing last season.

After an outstanding undefeated run through the meat grinder Southland Conference schedule, the McNeese State Cowboys collected a No. 2 national seed — then went out and got wasted by Eastern Washington 44-15 in the opening round of the playoffs.

Coming on the heels of the Cowboys’ 31-6 first-round blowout at the hands of Montana in 2006, the result came like a dash of cold water in the face of the Southland's football pride.

"We'd like to see some guys have some success in the playoffs, and that's the true measure," Texas State coach Brad Wright mused at the SLC Football Media Days this week in Houston. "Beating ourselves and playing against ourselves is good. But you want somebody to come in first and then you want that guy to keep on going.

"(That final score) was a little scary," Wright conceded, "but you never know. I wasn't there and I don't know all that was going on. I know they had some injuries."

Indeed, the Cowboys last season won the league despite losing the 2006 SLC Offensive Player of the Year, Steven Whitehead, plus their top running back (Jamie Leonard) to injuries. Then, for the playoffs, last year's SLC Player of the Year and Philadelphia Eagles third-round draft pick Bryan Smith plus starting defensive tackle Kenneth Lundy were shelved with injuries.

That part Wright understands.

"I think there were some things going on that go well beyond the score, things that effect the team and how the team feels that day," Wright said. "If you throw in those three guys we just talked about, if they're in the game, it can change those other 19 guys who are on the field."

Which is why most of the league downplays the significance of that 44-15 score in judging the merits of Southland football.

"We all have games like that; it just happened at the wrong time," Northwestern State coach Scott Stoker said. "It was one of those games where they're clicking on all cylinders and you're not, and you can't do that in the playoffs. You've got to be on four straight weeks to be able to get there.

"I wouldn't put a whole lot of salt into (that score)."

Cowboys coach Matt Viator sees it the same way.

"We lost some pretty good players as the season went on," Viator said. "Eastern Washington had a pretty good team — they almost beat (eventual champion) App State the next week — and we didn't play very good day."

Still, not too many would disagree that the Southland has not been its usual self the past couple of years as virtually the entire league chose to rebuilt virtually at the same time. Perhaps a better measure than the playoff results is the league's record against other FCS programs.

The past two seasons the SLC has had a losing record in games against outside teams at the I-AA/BCS level. And those two losing seasons broke a streak of 10 out of 11 non-losing seasons against outside foes.

Still, as Wright notes, those playoff results are always written in bold headlines.

"I think people seem to judge that off the last two years because we were beaten pretty good in the first two rounds," Viator said. "You might be able to say that in ’06, because Montana was just better than us. But last year I really believe there are several teams in our conference that could have played with Eastern Washington.

"But you have to play good, and we didn't. I think if we get in that position again we'll be better off, having gone through it. But we won't talk about that again. "

Sam Houston State coach Todd Whitten scoffs at the notion that Eastern Washington's victory says anything significant about the worth of the conference.

"Football's a funny game," Whiten said. "I think McNeese was a top-five team in the country (last season). The thing with the playoff system, you go out there and have a bad day, and you're done. I think McNeese was very, very legitimate. You don't go 11-0, you don't rout Louisiana-Lafayette — they just played very solidly all year long, a very good football team in all phases, and in week 12 they didn't play as well.

"That just happens. Appalachian about week four had one of those; somebody beat them. I don't read anything into that at all. I saw, up close and personal, North Dakota State. Outstanding. Along the lines of McNeese in terms of personnel. There is no doubt McNeese could have played with anybody last year," Whitten said.

And while there are good and great teams sprinkled across the country, Southland coaches believe that the top-to-bottom power in their league eventually takes its toll on whoever survives it.

"Every week you're having to play the best you can play," said Nicholls state's Jay Thomas, who took a team to the playoffs in 2005 and lost to Furman 15-12. "It's real physical; it's a black-and-blue type league. You get to the playoffs, sometimes you don't have a lot left in the tank.

"I'm not knocking any of the other conferences out there, but from top to bottom, our conference, I look at it as the best. We've got speed, we've got size, we've got quarterbacks, we've got big running backs that can run, safeties that can hit. I think it's the most competitive league in the country."

Stoker agrees.

"You might say it was a little slack (the past couple of years), but we beat each other up so bad," Stoker said. "The coaching in this league, you're not going to out-coach a lot of people. Everybody knows what you're doing and what to do. It's just a brutal grind of who can stay healthy — not just in the non-conference, but when you get into conference play it's such a physical league."

Viator is glad his coaching counterparts have his back on this one. He'd love to have a chance to reward their faith, and those same coaches have picked his team to do just that.

"This conference is tough," Viator said. "I don't think you can talk about playoff (scores) and all that kind of stuff. I would feel really good if we're fortunately enough to have that chance again."