Bulls Series With UCF Likely Over

[USFan]

Thumps up because I feel so sorry for them and I’m tired of hearing their lame excuses every year.

It's old and boring now.  Bring on UM.

BTW, I think we have an obsessed state senator...

TAMPA - Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said it is "doubtful" he will require the University of South Florida to play a C-USA team in 2009, meaning USF's series against Central Florida likely will end after the 2008 game.

As part of USF's exit agreement from C-USA in 2004, the Bulls were required to play at least one football game against a C-USA school for five seasons, until 2009. USF and UCF played the past two seasons, with the Bulls to host the Knights Oct. 13 at Raymond James Stadium and to visit UCF in 2008.

"Although we are two years away, it is doubtful we would require a one-game series that wouldn't be returned," Banowsky said.

In 2005, USF defeated UCF 31-14 at RJS before the third-largest home crowd (45,139) in USF history, and last season USF won 24-17 in Orlando.

After 2008, there are no more scheduled games between the schools, located 98 miles apart.

"I sure hope they find a way to continue the series, though, as rival games like UCF-USF are very important to relatively young programs," Banowsky said.

USF assistant athletic director John Gerdes said the Bulls' scheduling philosophy is to host a Division I-AA team annually in addition to playing at least one home and one away BCS opponent.

"That's why we're excited about having locked up such [home-and-home] series with Miami, North Carolina, Kansas, Indiana and Michigan State," Gerdes said. "While our current series agreement with UCF will likely conclude with the 2008 game, we will also continue to schedule games with in-state opponents as we have now done with Miami, Florida, Florida Atlantic and Florida International in addition to our current four-game UCF series.

"We will continue to consider UCF in that context."

USF coach Jim Leavitt, who was married Wednesday in California, was unavailable for comment. Last year, he said USF-UCF "seems like an awfully good game," but he said he was more concerned with the Miami series. USF and UM will meet for five consecutive seasons beginning in 2009.

UCF coach George O'Leary has said he was in favor of playing USF annually. "I can't get a 12th game better than South Florida," O'Leary said last year. "From a distance and fan base standpoint, I think it's an ideal game to play."

UCF AD Keith Tribble, who is on vacation, also was unavailable for comment.

Although Banowsky and C-USA won't require a fifth contest, Central Florida grad and state senator Lee Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs, has threatened to use the Legislature to continue the series.

"I don't want to get involved, but USF better darn sure play this game," Constantine told the Orlando Sentinel last year. "It's ridiculous for them not to play this game. Florida-Florida State needed a nudge from the Legislature to get their series going, so maybe we need to give USF a nudge, too."

A few years ago, Constantine tried to get an amendment passed to force an annual USF-UCF game, but it failed.

http://www.tbo.com/sports/bulls/MGBNB9NBT3F.html

[BullsFanInTX]

YES.  Thank you.

Now, everyone FLOOD Constantine's email inbox telling him he better stay out of this.

[Joe]

It's a fun game, not one that I necessarily want to end. However, if we're gonna end it, we gotta do it now. Don't let it propel into anything bigger or regular in the minds of both fanbases.

For reasons I won't go deep into I think we're gonna be to Miami is going to be what UCF is to us. To Miami we'll never ursurp FSU and Florida as far as interest in the game. Although I can see it as a FSU/Georgia Tech type game, which has some heat.

As far as full scale rivalries go, UCF is our best chance because of geography, school size, lack of real rival already. Other teams WVU (Pitt, Maryland), Louisville (UK) have other games that mean more to them, mixed in with the geographic distances between the fanbases that help make rivalry games great.

Anyways, I hope we don't get some state action where USF has to be the Mercy F for poor little UCF.

[SeaBull]

constantine.lee.web@flsenate.gov

That Lee Constantine??

[Sunil]

Most important thing in that article everybody is missing...CJL got married??  And the bullspen didn't even get a chance to throw a bachelor party....

[SeaBull]

It's a fun game, not one that I necessarily want to end. However, if we're gonna end it, we gotta do it now. Don't let it propel into anything bigger or regular in the minds of both fanbases.

For reasons I won't go deep into I think we're gonna be to Miami is going to be what UCF is to us. To Miami we'll never ursurp FSU and Florida as far as interest in the game. Although I can see it as a FSU/Georgia Tech type game, which has some heat.

As far as full scale rivalries go, UCF is our best chance because of geography, school size, lack of real rival already. Other teams WVU (Pitt, Maryland), Louisville (UK) have other games that mean more to them, mixed in with the geographic distances between the fanbases that help make rivalry games great.

Anyways, I hope we don't get some state action where USF has to be the Mercy F for poor little UCF.

I agree that we'll be UM's UCF but what IF we beat them in 2009?

Would we have to win a national championship or steal one away from them during the regular season for them to respect/hate us?

I want a rivalry just as much as the next but we're barking up the wrong tree - a non-BCS type - with UCF...or they could just join the ACC and be instant rivals ;D

[BullsFanInTX]

It's a fun game, not one that I necessarily want to end. However, if we're gonna end it, we gotta do it now. Don't let it propel into anything bigger or regular in the minds of both fanbases.

For reasons I won't go deep into I think we're gonna be to Miami is going to be what UCF is to us. To Miami we'll never ursurp FSU and Florida as far as interest in the game. Although I can see it as a FSU/Georgia Tech type game, which has some heat.

As far as full scale rivalries go, UCF is our best chance because of geography, school size, lack of real rival already. Other teams WVU (Pitt, Maryland), Louisville (UK) have other games that mean more to them, mixed in with the geographic distances between the fanbases that help make rivalry games great.

Anyways, I hope we don't get some state action where USF has to be the Mercy F for poor little UCF.

That is certainly true right now Joe, but if we go to a BCS game within the next 2 years and/or play Miami in a bowl game, for example Meineke after this year and beat them, they will change their tune about us fast.  I actually think if we beat AU, they (Miami) will really start to change their tune.  Don't forget, on the Miami boards, some  are very vocal against the USF game, but a very good percentage, probably over 50%, are actually FOR the USF/UM game.

[BullsFanInTX]

constantine.lee.web@flsenate.gov

That Lee Constantine??

Yes, that one.

Bull Nation, tell Mr. Constantine to stay out.  We are moving on to UM.

[USFan]

For reasons I won't go deep into I think we're gonna be to Miami is going to be what UCF is to us. To Miami we'll never ursurp FSU and Florida as far as interest in the game.

That's fine with me.  It's part of the food chain and I'm happy where we're at right NOW.

We have shown that we can beat the lower tiers when we were younger.  Now we have to forget about our younger brothers and start hanging out with our older brothers.

[Joe]

I just don't know about Miami. They are always going to think they are better than us, even if we beat then a couple times. I was at the game in 2005, and their fans really didn't give 2 craps if we were in the Big East or D--IAA Big Sky.

I mean in some ways the same could be said for UCF, what happens if (knock on wood) they beat us this year. Do we recognize them as a rival? Probably not.

In all likelihood Miami will not ever recognize USF as a main rival. Not while FSU and UF are out there along with Virginia Tech. Further, they will always throw their chests out and yell 5 titles, dominant, yada yada yada. As for beating them in the Meinke, these are the same Miami fans that claim the Peach Bowl blowout loss to LSU was because they really didn't care about the game. I seriously doubt they would put much stock in the Meinke game.

While I don't really visit other boards, I will go on a limb and say the majority of the Miami fan base wants an annual game with USF about as much as the majority of our fanbase wants one with UCF. There is no freaking way their fans want the USF game for the same reasons we don't want UCF. If they lose it only hurts them and helps us, not vice versa.