Dr. Jeff Cass, dean of Arts and Sciences at ULM, has issued a challenge to the Hawkeye and its sportswriters: “put up or shut up.”

The first-ever Team Hawkeye vs. Team ULM Pick ‘Em Challenge will pit the five sportswriters of the ULM Hawkeye against Cass and an assortment of figures from the ULM and Monroe area in a weekly contest of picking football games.

“I always find competition stimulating, and matching wits with the Hawkeye’s sports team suggests that,” Cass said.

“I have no doubt that I can pick teams with the best of them. If it were that easy to select winners, we’d all be millionaires. That’s why they play the games,” he continued.

Competing for Team Hawkeye will be Cass, sociology professor Dr. Neil White, Aramark Foodservice Director Robert Hoag, mass communications senior Orrin Sanders, and Ouachita Citizen sports editor Cody Futrell, who is a former Hawkeye sports editor.

“We have a diverse array of talent, and I have no doubt that we shall prevail in the fight for selection dominance,” Cass said of his team.

Cass is confident that Team ULM will not only beat Team Hawkeye, but the match-up could be a lopsided affair that leads to another competition later in the future.

“When Team Hawkeye loses this match, they can challenge Team ULM in a grudge match in Oozeball in the spring. Mud volleyball is my specialty,” Cass said. “While I appreciate the enthusiasm of Team Hawkeye, I am afraid their youth and inexperience are no match for the wits, wisdom and experience of Team ULM. Sorry, but in a smackdown, my team will take on all opponents. ”

However, Team Hawkeye will not go down without a fight, and it is willing to showcase its sports knowledge.

“I give props to the ‘ancient wisdom’ of Team ULM for its bold prediction,” Hawkeye sportswriter Anthony Drummer said. “However, it is obvious they are too old to match up with Team Hawkeye. It’s a new day and a new generation whose sports knowledge can’t be matched. You may have age and experience on your side, but this fall semester Team Hawkeye will be taking you to school.”

Games featuring ULM, Louisiana Tech, LSU, Tulane, ULL, Grambling, the New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys will be fixtures, while weekly marquee college games will complete the rest of the schedule.

Viewers can find the standings and the picks each week on the Hawkeye website: https://www.ulmhawkeyeonline.com/.