Conference realignment "Rumors" "tweets" "etc"

[Brad]

11 minutes ago, Triple B said:

And it should have been made a reality back then if there was any way possible. Not sure it would have automatically changed where we are conference wise, but definitely couldn't have hurt football wise.

It shoulda been a stadium...

We're way off topic...but.

It was clear from the moment we walked into RJS that RJS had to be a temporary home if we were to be at all serious about football.  Yes, I know Leavitt liked playing there, he said it helped him recruit.  He wanted Spring Games there.  But as a fan, alumnus and donor it sickened me being in that place  - it was not home.  Pirate ship, colors, couldn't paint endzones, everything about it. Remember the ordeal to put an In Appreciation 8 x 10 plaque in the stadium?

I made the case to a couple of administrators back then in season one of RJS football (they thought I was nuts).  I was told it would be at least ten years. So that was what, 1999 (first year in RJS)?  By 2009 we were beginning our descent.

But we did build administration/baseball/softball/soccer etc.  Football, the cash cow, remained at RJS. 

We had a team that got great national press EVERY GAME - showing the trailer and where we had come from (using car lights to illuminate the "practice field") how the program that had been built, the upsets, the season of practice and preparation, Auburn, the NFL picks, etc.. 

Then with no significant gain in football investment, the Big East crumbles and we fire Leavitt, fracture a fan base and erase our exciting past.  Sponsors/Donors flee.  The iron was hot (or very warm) and we completely whiffed.  

Yes, I am trying to put it behind me.  The opportunity was there...it was STARING US IN THE FACE but USF mis-stepped to put it lightly.  I'm hopeful in believing we have people in the seats NOW that realize what we MUST do.

[Rocky Style]

51 minutes ago, Triple B said:

I'm at 2767 because of Hidden posts ....... which is kind of staggering considering there are 67 pages worth of stuff that wasn't deemed appropriate for this thread.

I got 2704 pages of gloriousness.

Edited June 6, 2023 by Rocky Style

[John Lewis]

5 minutes ago, Brad said:

It shoulda been a stadium...

We're way off topic...but.

It was clear from the moment we walked into RJS that RJS had to be a temporary home if we were to be at all serious about football.  Yes, I know Leavitt liked playing there, he said it helped him recruit.  He wanted Spring Games there.  But as a fan, alumnus and donor it sickened me being in that place  - it was not home.  Pirate ship, colors, couldn't paint endzones, everything about it. Remember the ordeal to put an In Appreciation 8 x 10 plaque in the stadium?

I made the case to a couple of administrators back then in season one of RJS football (they thought I was nuts).  I was told it would be at least ten years. So that was what, 1999 (first year in RJS)?  By 2009 we were beginning our descent.

But we did build administration/baseball/softball/soccer etc.  Football, the cash cow, remained at RJS. 

We had a team that got great national press EVERY GAME - showing the trailer and where we had come from (using car lights to illuminate the "practice field") how the program that had been built, the upsets, the season of practice and preparation, Auburn, the NFL picks, etc.. 

Then with no significant gain in football investment, the Big East crumbles and we fire Leavitt, fracture a fan base and erase our exciting past.  Sponsors/Donors flee.  The iron was hot (or very warm) and we completely whiffed.  

Yes, I am trying to put it behind me.  The opportunity was there...it was STARING US IN THE FACE but USF mis-stepped to put it lightly.  I'm hopeful in believing we have people in the seats NOW that realize what we MUST do.

Part of the conversation I had with @Triple B pretty much falls in line with what you wrote.

On July 1, 2005, the official day that we joined the Big East, we should have announced our intentions to build a Stadium (and IPF) and start the funding at that time. I cannot fathom how much money would have come through that fund from 2007 - 2010 alone.

[BullyPulpit]

16 minutes ago, Brad said:

It shoulda been a stadium...

We're way off topic...but.

It was clear from the moment we walked into RJS that RJS had to be a temporary home if we were to be at all serious about football.  Yes, I know Leavitt liked playing there, he said it helped him recruit.  He wanted Spring Games there.  But as a fan, alumnus and donor it sickened me being in that place  - it was not home.  Pirate ship, colors, couldn't paint endzones, everything about it. Remember the ordeal to put an In Appreciation 8 x 10 plaque in the stadium?

I made the case to a couple of administrators back then in season one of RJS football (they thought I was nuts).  I was told it would be at least ten years. So that was what, 1999 (first year in RJS)?  By 2009 we were beginning our descent.

But we did build administration/baseball/softball/soccer etc.  Football, the cash cow, remained at RJS. 

We had a team that got great national press EVERY GAME - showing the trailer and where we had come from (using car lights to illuminate the "practice field") how the program that had been built, the upsets, the season of practice and preparation, Auburn, the NFL picks, etc.. 

Then with no significant gain in football investment, the Big East crumbles and we fire Leavitt, fracture a fan base and erase our exciting past.  Sponsors/Donors flee.  The iron was hot (or very warm) and we completely whiffed.  

Yes, I am trying to put it behind me.  The opportunity was there...it was STARING US IN THE FACE but USF mis-stepped to put it lightly.  I'm hopeful in believing we have people in the seats NOW that realize what we MUST do.

I am one of those that will eat crow and say that I was totally wrong about RJS being better for the program. I think it was in the short-run, but by 2012 we should have been debuting a brand new stadium. I will still never forgive ESPN for decimating the Big East. If you want to point to one moment that essentially put USF football back to square 1 it was when ESPN colluded with Pitt and Syracuse to destroy the Big East. 

[Bull Matrix]

8 minutes ago, John Lewis said:

Part of the conversation I had with @Triple B pretty much falls in line with what you wrote.

On July 1, 2005, the official day that we joined the Big East, we should have announced our intentions to build a Stadium (and IPF) and start the funding at that time. I cannot fathom how much money would have come through that fund from 2007 - 2010 alone.

Yeah but I don’t think many of us knew that the Big East would eventually fall.  Same thing could be said today regarding these super conferences. I foresee many of them breaking in to smaller conferences especially when the new playoff formats begin. It will be very interesting. I do believe USF is on the right track. They didn’t rush it just to say they have an OCS. From what I been this OCS will be a game changer

[jjlovecub]

18 minutes ago, Brad said:

It shoulda been a stadium...

We're way off topic...but.

It was clear from the moment we walked into RJS that RJS had to be a temporary home if we were to be at all serious about football.  Yes, I know Leavitt liked playing there, he said it helped him recruit.  He wanted Spring Games there.  But as a fan, alumnus and donor it sickened me being in that place  - it was not home.  Pirate ship, colors, couldn't paint endzones, everything about it. Remember the ordeal to put an In Appreciation 8 x 10 plaque in the stadium?

I made the case to a couple of administrators back then in season one of RJS football (they thought I was nuts).  I was told it would be at least ten years. So that was what, 1999 (first year in RJS)?  By 2009 we were beginning our descent.

But we did build administration/baseball/softball/soccer etc.  Football, the cash cow, remained at RJS. 

We had a team that got great national press EVERY GAME - showing the trailer and where we had come from (using car lights to illuminate the "practice field") how the program that had been built, the upsets, the season of practice and preparation, Auburn, the NFL picks, etc.. 

Then with no significant gain in football investment, the Big East crumbles and we fire Leavitt, fracture a fan base and erase our exciting past.  Sponsors/Donors flee.  The iron was hot (or very warm) and we completely whiffed.  

Yes, I am trying to put it behind me.  The opportunity was there...it was STARING US IN THE FACE but USF mis-stepped to put it lightly.  I'm hopeful in believing we have people in the seats NOW that realize what we MUST do.

Amen!

11 minutes ago, John Lewis said:

Part of the conversation I had with @Triple B pretty much falls in line with what you wrote.

On July 1, 2005, the official day that we joined the Big East, we should have announced our intentions to build a Stadium (and IPF) and start the funding at that time. I cannot fathom how much money would have come through that fund from 2007 - 2010 alone.

Agreed. None of us can fix the mistakes of the past. All we can do is make decisions now moving forward to do it right, which is what the university is doing and we should all be proud to support that.

[John Lewis]

1 minute ago, Bull Matrix said:

Yeah but I don’t think many of us knew that the Big East would eventually fall. 

That shouldn't have been a concern on 07/01/05.

[Bull Matrix]

Just now, BullyPulpit said:

I am one of those that will eat crow and say that I was totally wrong about RJS being better for the program. I think it was in the short-run, but by 2012 we should have been debuting a brand new stadium. I will still never forgive ESPN for decimating the Big East. If you want to point to one moment that essentially put USF football back to square 1 it was when ESPN colluded with Pitt and Syracuse to destroy the Big East. 

Nah don’t worry too much about the past. Besides I believe USF will eventually be able to stand on their own and not have to worry about what the Syracuse & Pitt’s of the world do. USF is positioning themselves pretty strong for the long run. USF fans need to get over the conference realignment BS. Those super conferences are just temporarily imo 

[GoBulls84]

19 minutes ago, Brad said:

 

But we did build administration/baseball/softball/soccer etc.  Football, the cash cow, remained at RJS. 

 

TBF, and I know this has been discussed here and elsewhere before, those programs were in NEED of better facilities, where football was in a top notch home already (even if rented). I do agree, however, that there should have been more emphasis on football facilities far sooner than we eventually came around to it.

The second best time after the Big East introduction (as John said) would have been when Pam Iorio was grandstanding after TSA denied our ability to play a potentially conference-deciding game at home at the end of the season in favor of freaking Monster Jam. As soon as they said "We may have to start looking at our own stadium if the TSA won't play ball," they should have actually done the legwork, started fundraising, etc.

[Bull Matrix]

1 minute ago, John Lewis said:

That shouldn't have been a concern on 07/01/05.

It wasn’t and USF did the right thing. The only thing I believe USF messed up was how they handled the Leavitt situation. If there is anything that I wish USF could of done better it was letting Leavitt go. The OCS was always eventually going to come and I agreed with Leavltt to not rush that and end up with a cheap POS OCS