Bulls Staking Their Claim In State

[E.T.]

Bulls Staking Their Claim In State

By BRETT McMURPHY The Tampa Tribune

Published: Dec 23, 2006

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. - As significant as the University of South Florida's second consecutive bowl berth was this season, the Bulls accomplished something even more impressive.

Just check out the BCS rankings:

No. 2 Florida

No. 40 USF

No. 52 Florida State

No. 62 Miami

That's right, Seminoles and Hurricanes fans, you are no longer second fiddle in the state. Not this year, anyway. The Bulls have stampeded past FSU and Miami and have a legitimate claim as the state's second-best team this season behind Florida.

"I'm really impressed by what South Florida has done and, yes, given the rotten state of the ACC, I have no problem at all saying the Bulls are the second-best team in the Sunshine State in 2006," ESPN's Pat Forde said. "Neither FSU nor Miami did anything remotely as impressive as winning in Morgantown."

Even Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi, who called USF a "renegade program" earlier this year, is a believer.

"I don't think there's any question USF is the second-best team in the state this season," Bianchi said. "Not only that, I think they have the best chance of any team in the state of going to a BCS bowl next year.

"Miami and Florida State will be going through massive offensive transitions next year. Florida loses its quarterback and most of its star players. The Bulls have the nucleus of a bowl team returning, they have the most exciting quarterback in the state and they get Louisville and West Virginia at home."

USF (8-4) goes for a school record-tying ninth win today against East Carolina (7-5) in the Papajohns.com Bowl at Legion Field. While all six of the BCS computers rank USF as the state's second-best team, the ultimate experts - the Las Vegas oddsmakers - also rate USF second.

A spokesman for America's Line, which determines the official point spreads in Las Vegas, said if USF played FSU or Miami on a neutral field, the Bulls would be favored - by 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 points against FSU and 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 points against Miami.

"Based on what we've seen for the past two years, you have to start asking that question [if USF is second-best]," CBSSportsline.com's Dennis Dodd said. "The average Miami or FSU fan would laugh in your face, but it's the here and now, and [uSF] seems to be on the uptick. I think this a great offseason for South Florida to start asking that question."

Dodd said USF probably would need to win a Big East title for the "Big Three" to become the "Big Four."

Todd Wright, national sports talk radio host for The Sporting News and college football TV analyst for Sun Sports, said the Bulls are making strides.

"While the Bulls finished with a better record than both the Seminoles and Hurricanes and also had the signature victory neither FSU nor Miami had, there's still this feeling that USF has to remind people about its merits rather than it speaking for itself," Wright said.

"The last two seasons have produced progressively worse football in Tallahassee and Coral Gables, but it's not a long enough stretch to suggest that USF, even if it had won the Big East one of the last two seasons, is now a better program overall."

USF coach Jim Leavitt said the Bulls have to prove it on the field.

"To be a part of that group, you have to beat those guys," Leavitt said. "We have to beat them. You know that, I know that. Everybody in state knows that. We won't get accepted unless we beat them."

Forde said USF would have been a bigger national story if not for all the attention received by Louisville, Rutgers and West Virginia.

"If [those three] hadn't stolen the show early, people would have paid more attention to USF's season," Forde said. "Alas, the Bulls are probably accustomed to being overshadowed. But as long as they keep Jim Leavitt and he keeps getting players like [quarterback Matt] Grothe, they're going to be a legit contender in the Big East - and in their own state."

Bianchi said the Bulls are quickly closing on UF, FSU and Miami.

"Well, with all the drug suspensions and academic casualties, the Bulls are well on their way to being a big-time college football program," Bianchi said.

See MORE at the bottom:

http://www.tbo.com/sports/bulls/MGB6E9DI1WE.html

[E.T.]

That last line could SHOULD have been left off  > it's an idiots opinion and gives the casual fan the WRONG image!

I still hear from people about our games with Western KY & Buffalo  :

[Grateful Dad]

Easy, bro.  It's OK.  I see that as more of a shot at Bianchi.  Brett is just providing fuel for the team and for Leavitt.

Remember me posting how I rode to the stadium at Kansas with Leavitt's parents?  CJL's mother told me that Bianchi's comments truly hurt Leavitt and that it bothered him that his children would have to read that in the paper.  I wish it weren't printed, but I wouldn't go after Brett.  Go after Bianchi.  He's just p.o.'d because he doesn't have college football in his town.  Brett is just exposing him for the butt that he is.

The casual reader doesn't know squat about college sports and probably wouldn't be reading that anyway.  If you want to stampede anyone, stampede the idiot who said it in the firstplace.  It is probably more of that forced rivalry crap coming out of OTown.

Four hours until we do the Birmingham Stomp!!!!