The self-loathing and pity party on this board is ridiculous. As a UCF fan, I would have loved nothing more for USF to join UCF in a Power 5 conference to see these two programs grow together and continue their rivalry, but rivalry's only matter when both teams actually try, and USF hasn't tried in many, many years. No money has been invested in their football program and it shows and sadly, it's probably too late at this point as the college football landscape is changing, and USF probably doesn't have the 10+ years it will take to grow their program when everyone else is going to be adjusting as well.
One other thing: I still find it amazing and hilarious that USF fans (especially ones on this board) still give UCF crap about their football stadium. No, it's not some modern day marvel, it's not the nicest stadium ever constructed, but you know what? It doesn't matter, and it never mattered. Very few people I'm sure ever sat in the stands thinking "wow I wish this stadium had chairs instead of benches" or "I wish it had some of those expensive suites for insanely rich people." The 50 million dollars UCF invested for on campus football was the single most important catalyst as to why UCF's program took off. It allowed students, fans, and most importantly alumni to be on the campus and see the growth first hand. It created a sense of community having it on our campus which means more donations to the college. That's a big part of the reason why the gameday experience is so incredible there. Say what you want, but that rust bucket, pop up stadium will be hosting Big 12 football in a couple of years, and USF will have been left behind.