I promise we all want them to be competitive with those programs, but they haven't been able to do it consistently due to a combination of lackluster recruiting and coaching. Why doesn't Lamar get the same quality of athletes and coaches as those other programs? Money. Every one of those schools you mentioned has at least 5% more of an athletic budget to work with compared to Lamar. ACU's financials aren't posted online because its a private school.  Lamar athletic budget: $13.6 mil. T