USFreak

Since apparently I'm UCF's biggest fan

Sep. 2 Kent State  

Sep. 9 at Boise State  

Sep. 16 at Kansas

Sep. 23 Oklahoma State

Sep. 30 at Iowa State

Oct. 7 Baylor

Oct. 14 Bye

Oct. 21 at TCU

Oct. 28 at Texas Tech

Nov. 4 West Virginia

Nov. 11 BYU  

Nov. 18 at Cincinnati

Nov. 24  Houston

With that slate of games there should be enough room for all the fans at the USF soccer stadium.  OCS dilemma solved!

1 hour ago, BULLSHTR said:

Fitting right in with the UCF fanbase. Very convincing.

When this OCS that has no plans, no funding, and no timeframe for completion magically appears on campus let me know.  A few more years of 1-11, 2-10 seasons should do it.  Go Golesh!

Split off another thread by moderator...

21 hours ago, Rocky Style said:

It will be a total dream when this happens.  Will be there!

"Total dream" seems pretty accurate.

23 hours ago, Triple B said:

It's not your issue any longer. You're a UCF fan now and just a graduate and casual observer of USF .... Why not just move along, stop bothering us and if/when WE get this thing turned around, you can come back.

That's actually the plan.  But in this moment of change I'm allowed to state my opinion on a public forum.  I'll fade into the tall weeds with the carcass of our fanbase soon enough.

We're you secretly running Twitter these last few years?

13 hours ago, Dave_Glaser said:

If we could just find a way to get over all the woulda, coulda, shoulda and focus on NOW. We need to commit now to becoming THE power in this new version of the AAC, invest in a good new stadium, and things will follow. So many people like to bemoan how UCF has passed us by. They did so by not whining and burying their head in the sand when we got the Big East invitation. They invested in their program, became the class of C-USA and have been rewarded. We just want to compare things to what they used to be. That’s gone. You have to plow forward and not continue to look back. Is the hiring of Alex an admission of failure? We have no idea until we see what he brings to the table. Could he be our Scott Frost or Luke Fickell? No one knows yet. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt at this point.

They really did.  While Leavitt had his boot on their forehead they really figured out a way to get a lot done.  They are basking in the results and we're grasping at straws.  I hope this Golesh lifeboat has a few paddles, a foghorn and maybe a battery powered lamp.  

"Streaming Golesh" sounds like something I just pumped into the toilet after my morning coffee.

1 hour ago, Mission9 said:

Let's not even consider the fact that going 3-28 the last few seasons might  contribute to them waxing nostalgic.   I can understand why they would.  Losing some games is not as painful as losing almost ALL games.  Your point might have relevance if the team had had a pulse the last few seasons.

Well said.

My bigger issue is the next conference realignment will likely be the last.  It will happen in the next 5 years and USF is poised to get passed over again.  A winless team with no on-campus stadium and a smattering of fans is what nobody wants. 

I can almost hear "but our TV market!"  

2 hours ago, Dave_Glaser said:

Yep, you proved my point. Since Frost left (not O’Leary), as I said in my original post (sorry about your reading comprehension)   they’ve been consistently competitive, but nothing special. They haven’t won many games that really matter. They didn’t beat Tulane yesterday, did they? And they didn’t beat UC in 2021. And they didn’t beat UC or BYU in 2020. And they didn’t beat UC or Pitt in 2019. So, right, they’ve won games but, to my original point AGAIN - “they haven’t won many games that really matter.”

And I knew that UF game would be mentioned. Seriously, they played UF’s 2nd and 3rd teamers in that game - one that was clearly more important to them than it was to UF.

I'll also add to your "they haven't won many games that really matter."

They actually got to play in games that could've mattered.  USF is worried about the next ugly uniform they are going to wear rather than trying to win a game that matters.  UCF has played in some big games (much bigger than USF for sure) but they've also racked up winning season after winning season.  USF has been a bootlicker for a while now.

I consider you a pretty steady hand in this stuff but a lot of what I'm reading about is a reach.  Simply put, UCF has eaten our lunch.  If you don't see that you are delusional or blind.

(Dave, obviously I'm posturing here.  Don't take the above seriously like I'm insulting you.  It is more just how I write and you know that by now. :-))  

2 hours ago, Dave_Glaser said:

Yep, you proved my point. Since Frost left (not O’Leary), as I said in my original post (sorry about your reading comprehension)   they’ve been consistently competitive, but nothing special. They haven’t won many games that really matter. They didn’t beat Tulane yesterday, did they? And they didn’t beat UC in 2021. And they didn’t beat UC or BYU in 2020. And they didn’t beat UC or Pitt in 2019. So, right, they’ve won games but, to my original point AGAIN - “they haven’t won many games that really matter.”

And I knew that UF game would be mentioned. Seriously, they played UF’s 2nd and 3rd teamers in that game - one that was clearly more important to them than it was to UF.

Wait, what?  They went 25-0 and lost M. Milton in our game.  They may have won that Fiesta Bowl game with him playing.  I'm not getting your point outside of the fact it is 2022.  They've played in bowl games every year since that game - granted, not BIG bowls but still.  What has USF done?  UCF has played in some legit NY day bowls and USF is 3-33.   I know there is hatred there but you can't deny they've been unbelievably successful where we simply haven't been.  We're an unmitigated disaster.

21 minutes ago, Dave_Glaser said:

UCF had no better guarantee of winning when they hired Scott Frost than when we hired Charlie or Jeff. It worked out, so I guess that means they look like genius, but it just as easily could have flopped. It’s easy to Monday morning QB that. They took a risk with an unproven coordinator (and a couple really good QBs from Hawaii) and it ended up being the right fit. Since then, they’ve been consistently competitive, but nothing special. They haven’t won many games that really matter.

So now is when we say, “yeah, but look at them compared to us.” I get it. Charlie was a disaster, but who predicted that one? Not me. Anyone who says they saw that coming when we hired him is a liar. I don’t see that as a failure by the administration. That one falls square on Charlie. And Jeff? That guy had everything stacked against him from day one. He couldn’t overcome those SIGNIFICANT obstacles and is now gone. I’m not completely convinced that if we had a couple guys who made a play here and there that led to a few wins (UF, Cincy this year, Tulsa/UCF last year) that we wouldn’t be on track to turn it around right now.

The “failure” by the administration was taking for granted that big time success could be had without consistent investment in facilities, etc. But if you’re sitting in RJS on that Friday night when we stunned WVU or on the road at Auburn, are you thinking - we need to do more to keep this going. Probably not, but they should have. And ultimately, the failure that many see was the decision to fire Jim. Looking back, perhaps that’s right. Maybe he was going to take things to the next level. Or maybe he had done all he was going to be able to do. We’ll never know.

Will Alex be the guy that turns out to be our Scott Frost? We’ll find out soon enough.

The crazy thing is I forgot about Charlie Strong. I actually had to look it up.  And yes, on paper he would have been a top choice of mine.  Man those guys really underperformed.

And yes, Frost after the 0-12...sheesh.  But as I pointed out USF is now what 3-33?  

And to say UCF hasn't won much (and yes I stole from Wikipedia):

Under George O'Leary's leadership, the Knights won four C-USA Eastern Division Championships (2005, 2007, 2010, 2012), and two Conference USA Championships (2007, 2010). O'Leary also led the Knights to The American conference championship in their first year in the league (2013), earning the conference's automatic berth to a BCS bowl game. In 2014, the Knights clinched back-to-back conference championships. The Knights won The American conference championship in 2017 under head coach Scott Frost, and again in 2018 under head coach Josh Heupel for the program's second set of back-to-back conference titles.''

In terms of Bowl games:

2013 Fiesta Bowl they BEAT No 6 Baylor

2017 Peach Bowl they BEAT No 7 Auburn

2018 Fiesta Bowl lost to No 11 LSU

Last year they beat a downtrodden UF...but still, they beat UF

Beat Tulane yesterday and they'd be playing in the Cotton Bowl vs. USC

But you know what? That's something. What's USF doing late December/early January.  Licking their wounds and trying to rally with this no-name coach over cheesecake and hot chocolate.

31 minutes ago, zarnozdabull said:

That is disgusting. 

Did you graduate from or attend USF?

Absolutely 100% graduated from USF.

But since "UCF is not our rival" it doesn't matter, right?

Sorry, better brand of football and experience and I have a blood relative to allow me to do it.  The matchups our over and I think USF's 1-11 season will be fine without me pulling for them to move from the cellar to the crawl space.  Get your **** together USF and I'll buy a sweatshirt or something.  ******* goons.

13 minutes ago, WhoRUSF said:

This is an amazing resume for a team that just started football, and for you to frame it as a negative for coach Leavitt deserves many downvotes. 

Indeed.  Dude did more with less than anybody ever except MacGyver.

58 minutes ago, Bull Awakening said:

I never heard of Leavitt before USF hired him so maybe there is hope??

What the hell?

1 hour ago, joniscoming said:

GD it. Reading this board today is annoying but this cracked me up. 

Thanks.  I try to do my part.

This will forever be the biggest letdown...

Kids, this Christmas is going to be the best.  You are getting a puppy...err...a pony...no wait!  You are all getting socks and underwear!

1 hour ago, Rocky Style said:

I think you need those too.  They buy tickets and infuse money.  But yes the casuals in Tampa won't be back until they hear USF is good again from some other casual sports fan.

Everybody makes like this was some happy accident we are where we are.  It isn't.  It is years of sheer incompetence.

I'm not as well heeled as some but I was ready to do my part.  But this is like putting money in FTX.  Sure we were a high flyer but right now it is a shell game with an emperor that could use a new wardrobe.

1 hour ago, Bull94 said:

I'm not missing the point. you abandoned the program.

you are part of the reason we aren't able to build great facilities and hire big name coaches.

I'm not an island here bud.  Check the attendance.  Judy set a lot in motion when she showed Leavitt the door.

1 hour ago, Gatorbull325 said:

Chase away a fan? If yougive up on your team, you werent a fan to begin with. If you are from Tampa and watch the Bucs, they sucked for like 3 decades b4 they had success. That is how it goes for certain teams. And once we start winning again those BANDWAGON fans will be back. Im not worried about losing fairweather fans. 

Ha, yeah USFreak wasn't a fan.  That's a laugh.

32 minutes ago, Brad said:

I don't call it "pissing and moaning" whatever that means....is that like a venereal infection or something? 

Yes, it would be nice to have confidence Golesh can win.  I think Freak's reach back to Leavitt is about confidence to win.  He'd seen it, then.  We have seen the last two coaches fail (unless you credit Charlie for Quinton and the gang he tried to slow down).  Taggart, when considered a success, was into his third year...I don't think it's unreasonable that fans are discouraged that we may not win games now.   Discouraged it may take more than one year.  Discouraged that we missed out on experienced head coaches.  Discouraged how the hiring process went.  Discouraged with a former QB tweeting out "we got played".  Discouraged, perhaps, that they had to look up this guy to see who he was.

What ultimately happens is we lose some fans, maybe gain some fans.  Some will go back to being a part time fan.  Showing up for the first week of the season to see what's new and make decisions from there.  I think we need to be understanding. 

But, over the years many have said they spend more time with family, go on trips, find new hobbies, etc.  They don't complain, they just fade away.  Doesn't make them bad.  But it makes them gone.  Freak, I'm glad you care.  I hope you don't fade away but "piss and moan" until we get this fixed and hopefully that is very soon. 

Well said.

33 minutes ago, Gatorbull325 said:

Quit your whining. "Go UCF"? Man you need to shut your crying, woe is me, stuck in the past in Levitt a$$ and get over it. This is who was hired and all we can do is roll with it. If you dont want 2 be a fan anymore then go to the UCF board. 

That's what you need to do.  Chase away what little fanbase remains.

45 minutes ago, Dave_Glaser said:

We all need to stop acting like USF is the only program that’s gone through lean years. Go take a look at the histories of Baylor, Kansas State, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Tulane, South Carolina, Wake Forest, etc. and you’ll see plenty of pain. All of them are Top 25 or on the verge these days. No program is immune. I’m quite certain their fans reacted the same way ours are now - it’s forever, it’ll never change! It does.

We were spoiled by how quickly we were relevant and it’s showing more now than it ever has. I understand the admiration for Jim Leavitt. I have the same admiration for what he built, but it doesn’t mean it ends with him. Did Bama’s success end with Bear Bryant or did they face some lean times and come out the other side? How about Cincy now? Is it over for them with Luke Fickell leaving? Is it possible it will mean some tough years ahead if they can’t immediately re-create what they had under him?

A fan sticks with it and expects to reap the rewards at some point. We look like we’re in a deep, dark hole at the moment, but nothing is forever. If you’re willing to give up like our pal USFreak and say it’s hopeless and will never be any different, that’s a choice you make. Remember, you can come back if the shift happens, but that doesn’t mean we look at you the same way as those who moaned, groaned, gnashed teeth but stuck with it.

I was a kid of the 70s growing up in NY State and rooting for the Giants. That era produced some of the worst and most futile teams in franchise history. Didn’t matter  - I pulled hard every Sunday. Then came the 1980s and guys named Simms, Taylor, Parcells, etc. and all those lean years turned into the greatest fan experience ever, culminating in a Super Bowl in 1986. If you watched those 70s Giants, you would have said it would NEVER happen. When it did, it was one of the best memories of my lifetime for me and my Dad. Wouldn’t have been the same if I walked away and started rooting for the Niners - or UCF.  

What you are describing is fine if we were in the NFL.  32 teams, salary caps, some parity.

USF has just made so, so, so many missteps.  I think you are conveniently ignoring that.  UCF is a shining example because for everything we did wrong they made a positive, long-lasting move (and yes I'm not ignoring their 0-12 season.  USF has just had basically three of those now and when you do something like that you have to dig out.  

USF is years away from a ficticious on-campus stadium that will take money and excitement to build.  I've seen Florida HS football games with more passion and fans.  They've lost that.  I did think this was a decision point moment where we could have shifted the tides.  Sadly, I'll be referencing this post in 3 years when this school is still playing for 3-4 wins in the AAC, recruits and fans have zero interest in this program and we're on the prowl for the next coach.

The good news Dave is there are plenty of good seats available.  When the Bucs were playing in the NFC Norris the Packers, Bears, Vikings, and Lions fans loved coming down to warm Tampa and sitting front from for $12.  30 years have passed and you can get a better ticket than that for $10 to watch the Bulls.

1 hour ago, Bull94 said:

you haven't been to a game in 8 years. why do you even care who we hire?

I think you are missing the point.  I'm not an anomaly.

You build success and we simply haven't.  Blind fandom only exists for NY Jets and Mets fans.

2 minutes ago, Bull94 said:

perhaps you should change your name to ucfreak and join their boards.

Why, because I'm spitting truth?  

I'm not that into UCF but certainly I like visiting the campus, their gameday experience and their success was no accident.

But no, I own no UCF gear outside of a coffee mug.

4 minutes ago, Bull94 said:

guarantee you will be back if we win aac and we have a playoff game at home.

If that happens the Eagles will have gotten back together.

8 minutes ago, Dave_Glaser said:

You all missed guys named Flowers, Mack, Adams, Johnson, Wilcox. Pretty good players who won a lot of games.

Watched a few.  Knew it was short-lived so didn't get too excited.  That's the thing...with our decision making we aren't building a program.  We are building a "year."

We've talked forever about how USF is in a football "hotbed" of talent.  We haven't won a FCS game in 3 years?  We've never competed for an AAC....AAC championship?

8 minutes ago, Bull94 said:

that's the definition of fair weather. I'm sure you'll be back when we're winning the AAC and going to playoff games. Of course you'll tell us all what great fans you are and that you didn't just jump on the bandwagon.

If we are still in the AAC I'll never be back.  Tuning on ESPN and cracking a beer isn't tough.  But nobody is buying a season ticket while we are in the AAC.

Exhibit A:  The Stands on Saturday