Why are we hating on UCF in Big East?

[swamprat]

I guess I am in the minority. I would not mind them in the conference. Natural rival that we already hate and if our coaches are doing their jobs, they won't hurt our recruiting any more than Charlie Strong being at Louisville.

Besides, most of the graduates from their School of Port-A-Potty Maintenance are doing a bang up job on game day down at Ray Jay, now. I think they should be allowed to come into the stadium, spend their money, and use those straws for something else at least once every other year.  :moon :moon :moon

[Danm1983]

I've always defended UCF for some of the facts that they bring to the table. They still have a ways to go on the field, but they're not a bad option. In the end, it will be up to the big heads at the Big East headquarters.

The whole Big 12 leftovers option is gone. The fact is, the BE will not usurp any team from any other BE conference lest that conference cease to exist, and the chances of that involve a decimal point and ALOT of zeroes before you see a one (i.e. .0000000...1% chance). The only outside shot the BE has is Boston College, and that seems to be a non-issue, and it has no legs. People need to get these fantasies about other "bigger" teams out of their head. Notre Dame...won't happen, they hold all the cards and wear the pants in the ND-BE relationship. Maryland...charter ACC member, they like where they're at. VT won't ever happen unless you lobby to get Virginia too (again, no chance). Temple, Villanova...might as well just add Stony Brook and Charleston Southern while we're at it (seriously?).

I wish I could find the chart, but over the past few years, the Big East has ranked pretty well on the list of BCS conferences. It was #2 or 3 on paper last year, and #3 or 4 when spread out over the last 3-4 years, consistently coming up right behind the SEC and in the mix with the Big 12 and Pac 10 for how well we perform on the field. We've been better than the Big Ten and ACC as a whole (our conference doesn't lose to FCS teams at least!). Unfortunately, we are a "smaller" conference, full of newbies, and people will not perceive us to be strong until we put out a national championship team. Period. We have 2-3 teams that are historically good, and one or two others that are recently decent, and a few that kinda slip in and out of the spotlight from time to time (USF is one of those). People don't see 100+ year traditions at our schools, even though Pitt, WVU, and Syracuse all have those...and Rutgers, though theirs is more of a bland history and less of an illustrious tradition of winning. In the end, we have no where to look but down, and to give others a shot, just as we, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Connecticut, were given less than a decade ago.

No one is to say if we invited UCF or ECU into the league that they'd do well. Or that they wouldn't do well. ECU is now in an unknown period with a coaching transition, as is Memphis...and Memphis never was great to begin with. UCF is consistent, but needs to be consistently BETTER.

We all know the pros and cons of adding UCF or ECU. I'd love to add both if possible, but the way the BE rolls, you can see how difficult it is to make a decision on ONE team. I won't even get into the mess that is the basketball side, in the fact that the league seems scared to dismiss anyone not performing...even an anchor of a program like DePaul seems to get preferential treatment, despite not being in the league any longer than the 4 newbie football squads, and producing about as well as adding the local high school team...all while residing in no man's land in regards to the BE footprint. Marquette is in BFE, but at least they strengthen the conference.

To me, the normal drive-by USF fan will have a somewhat apathetic dislike towards UCF, but the overly-vested-interest fan (aka, the enraged forum poster) is the one who relegates their hatred to the level of a Republican scoffing an abortion bill, and would ban UCF and USF from being allowed in the same sentence if it were possible. All because they had a few bad alcohol-induced encounters with opposing fans on one of four September Saturdays. I'm sure there are plenty of Rutgers fans who hate us in much the same regard...beat us down every year, and deal with some of our own annoying fans.

In the end, I do hope the BE does something. If it's UCF, then good. I went there before USF, and I enjoyed the experiences I had. I enjoyed my USF experiences as well. If it's ECU, then better luck next go around UCF, and best of luck to ECU...still a good road trip.

If it's Memphis...well, I sure hope the BE knows what it's doing.

[callmesuperman]

I guess I am in the minority. I would not mind them in the conference. Natural rival that we already hate and if our coaches are doing their jobs, they won't hurt our recruiting any more than Charlie Strong being at Louisville.

Besides, most of the graduates from their School of Port-A-Potty Maintenance are doing a bang up job on game day down at Ray Jay, now. I think they should be allowed to come into the stadium, spend their money, and use those straws for something else at least once every other year.  :moon :moon :moon

I don't like ifs. Should UCF remain in an inferior conference; where they belong; we know they will have a hard time competing with us for recruits, rankings, national attention,.... If they join the BE anything can happen and we could find ourselves behind UCF in the pecking order of things eventually.

USF has the option to block them from joining. If we don't we would be handing them BCS status. Maybe you can call me sellfish but I don't think it is in our best interest to help UCF.

Let them win a few games against quality opponents first, or maybe 1 bowl game,... and then maybe. In the meantime the BE should stay put unless they can add Houston and TCU, or perhaps only Memphis or Temple; teams that could help the BE.

[Bull Dozer]

Apparently the internet world doesn't match up with the real world....

http://sundaygazettemail.com/Sports/201006170957

[IncrediBULL]

No need to weaken conference any more.  USF and other schools would be better off lobbying other conferences to add them.  I am thinking ACC for USF. 

BE will either be dead, or simply a mid major, once all of the expansion scenarios take place in the next 18 months. 

Unless ACC falls apart by being raided and the ACC left overs come to BE.  But if that happens, why not keep room open for them.  There is no rush in adding UCF and ECU and Memphis because they will still be available for 18 months.  Wait and see how this shakes out first.

[bulldozier1]

I was thinking if WV was in support of bringing in ucf.  Then USF should counter with support of bringing on Marshall. I wonder how they would feel about that.

[Danm1983]

They wouldn't like it, but they wouldn't hate it as much, but it may have to do with more of the respect they have for Doc Holliday.

[smazza]

what is it for usf I SAY?

IF USF DOESNT get something they should be against it 100%

[callmesuperman]

No need to weaken conference any more.  USF and other schools would be better off lobbying other conferences to add them.  I am thinking ACC for USF. 

BE will either be dead, or simply a mid major, once all of the expansion scenarios take place in the next 18 months. 

Unless ACC falls apart by being raided and the ACC left overs come to BE.  But if that happens, why not keep room open for them.  There is no rush in adding UCF and ECU and Memphis because they will still be available for 18 months.  Wait and see how this shakes out first.

Great point! It is not in the interest of the football members of the BE to add any members at this point since it would make it harder to merge with ACC teams if both the ACC and BE are raided. So it best for the league to stay put at this time.

[bulldozier1]

Do anybody believe that USF have been lobbying privately to other conferences? To name a few. West Virgina, Pitt, Rutgers, Missou. I do. Like ucif has been lobbying to get in to a BCS. This is what I think what happen. BE members talked about bringing in ucif if we lose any members. Fast forward to a few days ago. Word got out that there was something brewing with the BE. Ucif people heard that and assume that they were going to expand. But in actuality, something else maybe brewing about a TV deal. Whatcha think?