WoolyBully

@Ricky the Bull @Friscobull, yeah, in days gone by Chamberlain was a pretty good school; had lot of Carrollwood kids.

right down the street from where the Mrs. used to teach.

Yes, there is that.

You mean me? It's all about 'are you a college football fan' versus the 'I'm a USF football fan...exclusively'. I'm in front of the TV for about twelve hours per Saturday in the fall. There's some great football being played (entertainment value) almost every weekend. I was a NCSU / FSU fan long before USF showed up.

Yeah, it's feasible that U of SF is the next great G5 team. Who else is in the running for that moniker? UTSA?

Whaddya mean? Why does an athlete owe any sort of "loyalty" to fans? You mean, forego a revenue opportunity for some altruistic reason? Or were you saying that the NCAA/universities have no loyalty to fans? Fans are a revenue stream. It's a business relationship. Wanna see play at the highest level? It's gonna cost. And you - the fan - gets to demonstrate your loyalty to the team by continued active participation in the funding process. That's just how it works. We speak of fans being 'loyal' to the team, through thick and thin, winning and losing. I don't think I've ever heard of a team / athlete being 'loyal' to their fans as this might be a one-way street. "I'm loyal to the city and fans, right up to the point where my next contract gets signed. Know a good moving company?"

I'd be willing to slide some chips on that coming to fruition.

Various corporations, as well as the United States federal government, have bribed me to show up and sling code for them - for decades. The bribes were deposited into various types of accounts (checking, savings, investment). Universities have been bribing young men and women to sweat profusely where the compensation used to be just books, bed and bread (and dare I say the occasional cash in an envelope, job for our brother, car from the local dealership). It will now include folding green presented in public. It's very difficult for me to get amped up and bent out of shape by the idea of us (the earthlings) not maximizing the return on our opportunities, wherever they may be. Is it less than optimal that some of us () are not able to bribe the better athletes to entertain us? Do we cling to the myth of the 'level playing field' or 'wanting it to be fair'*? Sure, subjectively speaking. But it is sort of like the divide, have versus have-not, that we see everywhere else. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with complaining about how the machine runs, but there is a point where acceptance ... * - I never wanted fair fights. I always wanted to be the bigger, faster, stronger one - 'cause that always seemed to work out well.

For some reason, I get a "Bullspen can't handle this request...try later" sort of message. Hence the double entry for this topic. Feel free to kill one of these threads. Thanks in advance, DR

"Jerry Richardson Stadium was built in 2012, just before Charlotte's inaugural football season in 2013. Its current capacity is just north of 15,000. The first phase of construction will increase the total capacity to 18,170, with a second phase of construction to come in the future. Other phase one additions to the stadium will include a new tower with press box and premium seating, a number of suites, club-level seating, a team dining area, and more. " https://athlonsports.com/college-football/charlotte-49ers-jerry-richardson-college-football-stadium-approved-for-expansion

Why? Why does the 98-pound weakling who can't deadlift twenty-five pounds need protection? If you can't keep up with the pack, maybe you should find some other autumn afternoon activity to fill the hours. I hear pickleball is getting really popular and the start-up costs are minimal. This is a business run by the haves to the detriment of the have-nots. Today would be a great day to embrace it.

"... bringing college hoops fans even more compelling storylines during the most exciting time on the college basketball calendar." And let's be honest. It gives us even more opportunities to gamble, which is what sports is all about anyway. What, exactly is a 'compelling storyline' and what does that have to do with play on the court? Are we trying to be the college rendition of the Pro Bowl (which thankfully is now deceased)? The NCAA tournament works. It's phenomenal. Anything else is also ran (yes, the NIT is also ran). So let's try to copy it in hopes that someone watches, and we can sell commercial airtime. Like so much else in life that's really great, eventually - true - you reach a point where you've had your fill. Don't be the Mister Creasote of sports. 'It's only wafer thin!'

Yeah, if you're tallying upsets, I wouldn't peel off a lot of layers of the onion. That was a down year (7-6) for FSU, but again - a win is a win, regardless. Same with three three-point wins over Auburn & Notre Dame. Not resounding wins, but they are wins, nonetheless.

On the plus side, once March Madness expands to 96 teams, we're done with the 'everybody gets a trophy' NIT which gets rid of the 'travel logistics, portal considerations' line of thinking. What we could do, if we really wanted to, is slam the portal shut until the clock ticks zero on all post-season play. Just something to ponder as there is always room for improvement.