POLLS: Coaches #18, AP at #19

[Held_AccountaBull]

uh old news

[Bull Martin]

I think if we beat KU by 7 we'll leap to the top ten.  I feel a lot of votes would put us their just to keep the BEast relevant.

[Cow Pie]

The KU game will be packed, but unless the media hypes it like they did the WV game the average Tampian won't know how important it is... too many people have their heads up the Rays rear to notice that USF could thunder ahead this year.

[jd77]

The KU game will be packed, but unless the media hypes it like they did the WV game the average Tampian won't know how important it is... too many people have their heads up the Rays rear to notice that USF could thunder ahead this year.

I "have my head up the Rays rear" more than anyone. I have lived and mostly died with this team for too many seasons not to be caught up in the excitement.  But, I can tell you there is nothing I am looking forward to more this week than the Friday night game vs Kansas.  So give us Rays fans a little more credit will ya?  ;D

[Sunil]

Wouldn't get too worried about it. If we keep winning, polls take care of themselves more or less. However, this is exhibit A in the argument against playing UCF regularly under the current BCS system. Blow them out, and we stay relatively the the same ranking. Lose and we drop out of the poll altogether. Survive with the W...we drop in the poll anyway. 

[Cow Pie]

So give us Rays fans a little more credit will ya?   ;D

Well I'm not talking about true Ray's fans, I have more respect for y'all then any other Tampa fans, I'm talking about the average band wagon jumper that hops from team to team in the Bay area only when they are on a roll...

If you have been a Tampa sports fan you know the drill - when a team is doing bad you can't give tickets away, and if your lucky maybe a few thousand people (the true fans) show up - however when a team is on a roll then everyone crawls out of the wood work and becomes an instant fan that is until the team stumbles or looses then every one jumps back off the wagon and on the wagon of the next best team or in some cases none at all.

[jd77]

So give us Rays fans a little more credit will ya?   ;D

Well I'm not talking about true Ray's fans, I have more respect for y'all then any other Tampa fans, I'm talking about the average band wagon jumper that hops from team to team in the Bay area only when they are on a roll...

If you have been a Tampa sports fan you know the drill - when a team is doing bad you can't give tickets away, and if your lucky maybe a few thousand people (the true fans) show up - however when a team is on a roll then everyone crawls out of the wood work and becomes an instant fan that is until the team stumbles or looses then every one jumps back off the wagon and on the wagon of the next best team or in some cases none at all.

I have only lived here 8 years, but I can tell you that is the case in every city. I am not sure why Tampa fans beat up on each other about that.  The Yankees were only drawing 26K to games in the mid 90's including 96, the year they came back from the abyss and won the World Series.  The Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks are constantly in the bottom 5-7 teams in the NHL in attendance.  Those are 2 storied franchise in "hockey towns."  But, they haven't been good in a while so people stay away.  When I was growing up in MD in the mid 90's and Camden Yards opened and the Orioles had the highest payroll in MLB and were always in the playoff race....every single game was sold out.  You couldn't get tickets to Camden Yards.  10 years of losing and now that place is a ghost town unless the Red Sox and Yankee fans buy the seats.

[BullsOnThaRize8]

exactly and ucf can take a moral victory in dropping us in the polls but live with the fact they are the team that is bad enough to drop someone by keeping the game close.

I don't know how much hyping this game needs. I don't think we need the espn undefeated segments this year.  This is a huge game for us mentally. It is not a season ender by any means if we lose. This is merely a test for our team. If we want to continue to turn the pages for our program we need to win these games. Beating ranked opponents is something we always take pride in. Ucf doesnt seem to be able to join into that conversation. I thought the game up at Kansas was awesome and I can't wait for Friday to get here.