Bulls Series With UCF Likely Over

[mattegunz]

I agree with Joe on this issue. With only 7 conference games, why not play UCF every year. I hear the talk of 1 for 1s with BCS teams including 1 away and 1 @ home each year, plus the 1 pancake game, leaving 2 games remaining.

Who are we going to play ?  

The SEC has yet to sign a 1 for 1 with us, and considering their scheduling pattern I don't know if we'll get one ever from anyone besides maybe Vandy or Miss St.  

FSU and UF will probably never sign us to a 1for 1.  

Will we play Mid Ten and WKU? Those really pump me up.

Indiana and Kansas are BCS teams, and personally I couldn't care less about playing them. At this stage of the game, Beat them and nobody cares, lose to them and nobody cares (Nationally Speaking).  NO offense to them, but just like us, I wouldnt call them football powers right now.

The UCF game puts @$$e$ in seats, something that we are surely lacking in (and would need another thread to be devoted to the subject). So if you are going to replace them, replace them with someone who places behinds in seats. WVU and UL havent outdrawn them, and they're are biggest opponents on the schedule.

Here's my thing, If we aren't going to play UCF, give us someone we want to see as a replacement. Please, No FIU, FAU, Troy, Mid Tenn, WKU,  or other similar teams Doug and Jim.

[South_Florida_Flip]

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

How about not sending the guy anything at all? There is no reason to act like jackasses. The McMurphy article clearly states that Constantine tried to put an amendment through that was shot down. If he tried it again, then it would meet the same defeat.

[South_Florida_Flip]

Who are we going to play ? 

1 for 1 with BCS programs and 2 for 1's with non BCS programs. That formula has worked well so far from a scheduling standpoint. If you're going to get a program to agree to come here twice for only 1 trip to their place, then you take that all the time.

[E.T.]

I have no problem playing UCF.

... At this stage of the game, Beat them and nobody cares, lose to them and nobody cares (Nationally Speaking).  ...

Same can be said about UCF, and they are not BCS.

The UCF game puts @$$e$ in seats, something that we are surely lacking in ... WVU and UL havent outdrawn them, and they're are biggest opponents on the schedule.

False:

2005

UCF = 45,159 (first ever game between the 2 with lost of excitement)

WVU=45,275 (after a very disappointing loss against UConn)

And this is/would be a game only every other year. Money should not be a main reason to have this game.

Here's my thing, If we aren't going to play UCF, give us someone we want to see as a replacement. Please, No FIU, FAU, Troy, Mid Tenn, WKU,  or other similar teams Doug and Jim.

Be sure to email them your thoughts.

USF's attendance will continue to grow because of USF, not opponents.

[Guest]

1) KL is right. Sending a lot of email to Constantine would only provide evidence that the USF fan base does, in fact, consider UCF a rival.  The best thing, from that stand point is to ignore them.

2) We will play UCF again in the future.  The 2008 game won't be the last, just the last in the current series.  Expect sometime in the next decade there will be another series with the Knights. 

3) And it won't be unbalanced.  I don't see UAB or USM or ECU signing a 2 for 1 with USF, why should UCF.  Sure, we are BCS and they aren't... but they also aren't Sun Belt.  Expect a couple of 1 and 1 series in the next 10-12 years.

4) Attendance in every sport is based on the opponents the home team plays.  To be sure, some sports have more demand than supply of seats (Buccaneers for example)... but look at the way the Devil Rays attendance goes way up for the Yankees or Red Sox... or the Lightning's attendance when Philadelphia or Boston comes to town.  A home game against FAU will never draw more than a home game against UCF.  I believe that USF will get to the point where we are selling out our games, when it won't matter who we play.  But for now, the opponents have a significant impact on ticket sales.

[USFMikeB]

As of right now, under the present scheduling guidelines, ucIF will only be scheduled if they agree to a 2-for-1, which they have gone on record as saying they will not do.  That may change in the future when our schedule becomes better filled out, but don't expect Woolard to make a change until we have better breathing room.  If ucIF makes it into a BCS conference, then I expect we'd see 1-for-1s signed pretty quickly.

[Grateful Dad]

If ucIF makes it into a BCS conference, then I expect we'd see 1-for-1s signed pretty quickly.

The only way I would agree that this could be a rivalry is for 1) UCF beats us AT LEAST ONCE (is that asking too much??) and 2) they become BCS.  Instant rivalry, yearly series.

As I have said before, you can't just proclaim a rivalry.  It has to be developed through animosity.  And that animosity must be genuine and the product of one side taking something away from the other.  It is hard to have bad feelings for the little brother, no matter how annoying, who really just wants to be like you.  Now, if the little brother kicked your @ss and stole your girlfriend you could develop some bad feelings.  But that just hasn't happened and doesn't look likelly in the near future.

If those two conditions above are met, you couldn't stop this from developing into an instant rivalry if you wanted.  I really don't mind if the series continues at this point, but my interest is waning for a team that can't beat you.

I am part Sicilian.  I don't forget.  I still want Southern Miss.  I have more bad blood for them than for the ugly girl who just wants to be asked to the dance.

[Joe]

Money should not be a main reason to have this game.

E.T.

It's not like USF is swimming in money. Ya we just got 2.2 Million, for the whole atletic department. However, for the schools we want to be on par with in a few years, 2.2 Million is less than they make on a saturday in fall.

This game should probably end, however:

a) It's kinda fun

Grabs the interest of casual USF fans

c) Gets the students involved.

d) Draws fans period

We've come along way, but for every step we've come it's gonna get harder to get to the top. Louisville spent almost $200M to get their football program to the top, it's been there for a few years, and hopefully they'll maintain. However, they needed every penny they could get when Schellenberger started pushing for that type of funding and support. The top 10-15 teams in football are constantly there because they get 20-30 Million in booster fees, they make 3-5 Million on a fall Saturday, they make 75-80 Million in revenue off of football.

So yes, any game that is avantageous to USF financially should be a big reason for having a game.

I'll quit my money rant, however, I agree with most above do not email that senator. Most the info about him came a year ago, he might not even be thinking about it anymore.

[mattegunz]

I have no problem playing UCF.

... At this stage of the game, Beat them and nobody cares, lose to them and nobody cares (Nationally Speaking).  ...

Same can be said about UCF, and they are not BCS.

The UCF game puts @$$e$ in seats, something that we are surely lacking in ... WVU and UL havent outdrawn them, and they're are biggest opponents on the schedule.

False:

2005

UCF = 45,159 (first ever game between the 2 with lost of excitement)

WVU=45,275 (after a very disappointing loss against UConn)

And this is/would be a game only every other year. Money should not be a main reason to have this game.

Here's my thing, If we aren't going to play UCF, give us someone we want to see as a replacement. Please, No FIU, FAU, Troy, Mid Tenn, WKU,  or other similar teams Doug and Jim.

Be sure to email them your thoughts.

USF's attendance will continue to grow because of USF, not opponents.

I stand corrected on the attendance numbers. That number must be tickets sold, and yes I know that means more money, because there was nowhere near 45 k in actual attendance at the WVU game.

[flsportsfan83]

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.

That was in 05.  What I am seeing from other boards NOW, is a level of respect and the realization that we are a developing power.  I see that all over the place, whether it is the AU boards, Miami boards, everywhere.  We are getting some serious respect all over the place now.  Now, hopefully we don't disappoint, but live up to it

TX, I just glanced at the Rivals Miami and Auburn boards and any threads about USF are just canning us as a "good team" and thats about it. In fact there is a very large thread on Miami's board that says we're not worthy to play Miami, basically the thread is Miami fans crapping all over ET while he's defending USF.

If we beat them a few times we'll get the respect no doubt, but its just hard for me to say we're going to develop a rivalry with Miami when, like we have been with UCF, their fans won't ever give us a shot to develop something. I don't mind the UCF game going, really it was fun and thats it, but I really don't expect much from Miami other than 5 more games.

ET is in Lala Land..... If UCF had their ET we would all be laughing at him as well. I like ET but his views on USF are far from reality. To be honest I think smazza's views are closer to reality than ET.