so where are we?

[bullsmania]

Right on Mike.  I think a lot of us get caught up in the Florida football hype and have been spoiled by our mighty Bulls.  We expect so much from a young team.  Granted, they usually deliver, but come on, with the recruiting frenzy in Florida, I think we are doing great.  We have got to remember, we are only 10 years old.  Look at the tradition and history FSU, UF and UM have.  Years and years of football and lots of ups and downs.  We will be there one day.  And enjoy the Papajohn bowls of today because it is a bowl, and it is postseason, and down the road, we too will have our downs and we will have to look back at these seasons as fond memories.  

[MikeG]

well said Gene

I'm thankful for all the great people I've met over those ten years

[E.T.]

...

I'm thankful for all the great people I've met over those ten years

Agree ... I have met some great friends because of USF Football, this board and The BULL Backers.

[smiley=GoBulls.gif]

Not being able to go to all the games this year(only FIU & UCF), I really know how much I Love this program because how much I miss it. It definately is a major part of my life and a void that is tough . . .

Go BULLS !!!

[BullDoug]

It takes bowl games like this to build a reputation.

I think this needs to be slightly revised.  It takes bowl game wins to build a rep. See the movie, Making of FSU.   8-)  In my opinion, USF is about 3 to 5 yrs ahead of the football curve.  Not as good as possible but pretty good by D1A standards.  Beating UL and WVU definitely creates the perception this program is dangerous.

[smazza]

I was thinking about the program and what is going on what with our second bowl game at a so-so new venue with a smaller than average payout and what some feel is a less than attractive opponent.

Where are we as a program I asked myself?

Right where we are supposed to be-- earning our stripes.

It takes bowl games like this to build a reputation. And it is important that stress to all our Bull brethren how great it would be for them to make it to the bowl game. We need to show people we can bring fans. They know we can play football-- more or less -- with the big boys.

So I feel good about the whole thing and hope it all works out. I anticipate a decent crowd from both schools, a good game that is entertaining (and hopefully a win for the Bulls), and some nice press locally since we have plenty of separation from other things going on. If the massively struggling Bucs game that Sunday gets more press than our bowl game-- I will be a little upset. It will afterall be about the only news we see about USF football until the spring time or during signing day.

Anyway-- just thought I'd chime in with those thoughts. The ones who we really need to step it up right now is the Tampa community and our alumni to fill those seats and pick up their end of the deal.

GO BULLS!!

I don't think I could have said it better myself.

I nominate this post for the Hall of Fame.  Some here may disagree, but it embodies a true Green and Gold spirit.

usf should be competing for BE championship not  4th place

this upcoming bowl game means squat.we are playing a cusa opponent that we are suppose to beat

usf is doing terrible(so far) in recruiting when we should dominate our big east brothers

when you have access to talent that usf does one should be competing for titles

[smazza]

If you are not happy with where this program is today, something is wrong with you.

This is not saying that we are not expecting a better season in 2007 and beyond. So relax Dark Siders!

It has been only 10 years and we are on the verge of great things happening.

People can say we "lucked" our way to the Big East, but this program showed it was competitive and the school stepped up and build a GREAT Facility. These were strong factors that had nothing to do with luck.

I would say the biggest piece missing is a larger fan base ... history has shown that it will take time. If alums are not coming now, there is no amount of marketing to get them to come. We are now depending on current and recent students - OUR TARGET ! and the bandwagon fans will come soon.

Go BULLS !!!

something is wrong with you for being intolerant of other's opinions

[Ferdinand the Bull]

  How about finding ways to bring in people who would like to come to the games but can't afford to.; for example a young family of four (or more) would have a hard time coming to the game when you consider either tickets, eats, and/or baby sitters. mayb e we can come up with a family pack in  the north end zone where it can be possible for these young families to come. At the same time you are building up a fan base for the future.

    As for the Bulls being lucky, they say that luck is where preparation meets opportunity. It took a lot of years to get football at USF. The first President of USF disdained sports  and had the college built in such a way that there would be no sports. Gosh, I believe it was almost  10 years before Basketball was played.

    There were a lot of people who wanted to have football and were silenced over the years, espec ially in the beginning. Ask Larry, who used to write for the Oracle in those beginning years.    

  That's why I think that USF doesn't have to apologize for being around for such a short time.

[MikeG]

you can't win them all but getting there is a good sign. I'm sure we all want to win them all of course-- but I could stomach a loss, say in a BCS bowl game.

[Paisa el Toro]

I'm content with the state of USF athletics today. However, I think USF as a whole needs to do a better job of getting the local media behind us. The local media doesn't do enough to create a sense of ownership between the Bay area and USF. We all know that USF is Tampa Bay's university, and we all support her unconditionally. If we are able to get the media to just gush over us it will go a long way to connecting with the general population of Tampa. Until we create a sense of ownership between Tampa Bay and USF, we won't get over that hump in support.

Fielding competitive, winning teams will do that, but I think more can be done in the interim, like doing joint ventures with the Tampa Chamber of Commerce to encourage some business folks to start coming to the games on a regular basis. Another thing that would be great is get some of the Middle Schools and High Schools to compete with each other to see which school gets the highest attendence. The winning school gets a visit from Jim Leavitt, Matt Grothe, a Pizza Party, etc. That way we start targeting kids so they can hopefully grow up wanting to be a part of this program.

Just some thoughts.

[72bull]

Bulls football ... more excitement per dollar than any other sport around.