Every sports fan knows that in the South, college football is king. The McNeese State Cowboys are no exception to that. Since the program was founded in 1940, it has quietly become one of the best in the state of Louisiana outside of LSU and a powerhouse at the FCS level. Of course, as an FCS program, it’s usually easier to find cheap McNeese State football tickets than it is for FBS programs. However, given the program’s success and a vast collection of rivals, last-minute McNeese State football tickets always seem to be in high demand.

Southland Kings

McNeese State played its first season of football in 1940, but things started to pick up for the Cowboys when they joined the Southland Conference in 1972. In less than a decade, the Cowboys won the conference championship three times, earning a trip to the Independence Bowl each time. McNeese State enjoyed another string of success in the 1990s, winning the Southland four times from 1991 to 1997, culminating in a trip to the I-AA Championship Game in 1997. The Cowboys returned to the title game in 2002 at the beginning of a stretch of six Southland titles in nine years from 2001 to 2009.

State of Rivals

In addition to a tradition of on-field success, a slew of rivalries has helped to fuel interest in McNeese State football over the years. In-state rivalries with Louisiana and Northwestern State are the most bitter rivalries for the Cowboys. McNeese State also has a pair of border rivalries with Lamar and Central Arkansas. Despite playing once before becoming yearly adversaries, the game between McNeese State and Central Arkansas has been dubbed the Red Beans and Rice Bowl, quickly becoming one of the most intense and balanced rivalries in the Southland.