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FazaUSF

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Posts posted by FazaUSF

    MBB Rankings?

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted · Edited by FazaUSF
    Spelling error corrected

    Rankings are a kiss of death for us. Better to stay under the radar. Win the conference, get into the dance, stay unranked and underrated and better things will happen than if we get fanfare and a larger target on our backs.

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    Conference realignment "Rumors" "tweets" "etc"

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    Much as we all would love it, the ACC clearly has no interest in us. It took schools in California and SMU and has not remotely considered USF. I think our only chance at getting in the ACC would be if FSU and/or Clemson leave... yet they have nowhere to go, and if they did leave, it waters down the conference. Somehow, I think we have better chances with the B1G and B12, though UCF will protest and I have zero interest in interacting with that fanbase any further. B1G would obviously be a pipe dream, though recruiting FL and away games in winter in balmy Tampa would seem to have some potential appeal for those schools. The loss of Lee Roy Selmon and the lame duck years prior to AD DW's retirement really set us back - we remain the only prior BCS school outside of a P4 conference except for UConn, having self-selected back to independence. We're making great moves now, but the window of hope is ever shrinking at this point.

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    Future Scheduling Strategy and Input

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    I love the aggressive scheduling philosophy we have had since MK took over! How jacked up were we all when we entered the half tied with Bama and took a 1-score game into the 4th quarter against Nick Saban? That game got mentioned pretty frequently during Bama's playoff discussions. I remember rushing the field when we upset a ranked Bowling Green team coached by some guy named Urban Meyer. We were deemed "coach killers" when we beat Bowden at FSU and Randy Shannon at UM and they got fired soon after, among others. We can't beat Miami, FSU, & UF unless we play them. We can't get street cred playing Middle Tennesee State (no offense to the Blue Raiders, who have been fun to play in the past). The last time we played UF we had one heck of a great tailgate and Gator fans know they were really lucky to get away with a W that game. Fans come out for those games. WE love coming out for those games. TAMPA loves coming out for games against big competition.

    Our goals are lofty; we won't get there by getting into the playoffs with a cupcake schedule. We want to cut our teeth in solid competition earlier in the season - not get exposed after making it to the playoffs by playing subpar competition. Maybe we don't need to play Bama every year. But I would argue that picking off teams from the SEC and the B1G would be ideal. All those alumni from the midwest love a trip to Tampa, and shoot, tons of their alumni have retired here and come out for their games. We shouldn't be shooting low, we should be punching upwards!

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    Boca Bowl - USF Fan Tailgate in Lot 6 / Blue Lot

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    Just wanted to invite everyone who wants to make sure and tailgate with fellow Bulls fans at the Boca Bowl!

    We will meet up between 2:15pm and 2:35pm in Lot 16, outside of the FAU Graduate College and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

    At 2:40pm, we will take W University Dr and caravan in to Lot 6, which is also called the Blue Lot on FAU gameday parking guides. We will be waiting outside the lot to open so we can all get in at the same time and therefore tailgate together. The spots are $20 each.

    Overflow parking will be in Lot 7, also known as the Yellow Lot. If you arrive later, feel free to park in overflow and meet up with everyone in Lot 6. I suspect you'll be able to see all of the green and gold flags and tents.

    I would love if someone wanted to coordinate food - I haven't been able to do that, so this will be potluck of course.

    Looking forward to seeing you all there. GO BULLS!!!

    USF Fan Tailgate Parking for Boca Bowl - Meet 1415pm at Lot 16 then Caravan at 1440pm to Lot 6 (Blue Lot) to park.png

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    Students

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    On 10/16/2023 at 10:08 AM, Outlaw said:

    If they want anyone besides diehard fans to show up the team needs to earn the fans interest back. Last two games have did the complete opposite. Anything short of a win this week against the huskies is setting up for bad attendance for the remaining home games. The last two games and homecoming was so embarrassing it driving away super fans like @FazaUSF.  The coaches have to get more creative on offense, the defense needs to get back to the basics  they are lost, and please for the love of God show some us you want to play to win again. Looks like the coaches and players were just going through motions  for the most part. 

    Show us something and anything to bring back the hope we had for two games. 

    Yes, this time, I plan to stick to my guns. I have never deliberately missed a home USF football game. 

    Tomorrow, I will deliberately skip the game against Temple. I am not even sure I will watch it on TV; I didn't watch the last few away games.

    You can all revoke my USF fanship card or tell me I'm "fairweather" though I would argue that the past 23 years' worth of evidence says otherwise. I won't stop donating, I won't cancel my membership as an Iron Bull, and I really do hope this is a blip in the grand scheme of my fanship. 

    That FAU game was the absolute worst game I've ever endured as a USF fan. We've lost worse. We've lost harder. We've lost to even more lowly opponents (McNeese). We've lost much more over the past decade.... shoot we've done just about nothing BUT lose over the past 6 years. The team has lost heart before too - most of them didn't give two 💩 for Charlie Strong's final year. You could hear them smacktalking their coaches and even the fans on the sidelines during the games, particularly during the Wisconsin game. 

    I didn't lose heart then, though I did lose confidence in the team having a winning season for every year since Strong's first. Winning isn't what keeps me a fan.

    The team and the coaches claimed ahead of the FAU game that "it's just another game on the schedule." Yeah, we've heard that before, and it usually means "we don't have any special interest, or really, any particular interest at all in winning that game." Some might even say it was stated to lower expectations and that coaches saw a loss coming, I don't know. I don't think I've heard that statement about any other games we've played this year. It certainly wasn't stated ahead of the game against Alabama. But that team against FAU showed little to no preparation, little to no fight, little to no heart, and certainly had no fire for anything but exiting the field that game against FAU. The coaching staff stuck to the same terrible playcalling that every team has had figured out since game 4, and did the team no favors in coming up with answers to help the players be put in positions to better succeed in the chess match against the FAU coordinators. That didn't hurt. The team showing no heart hurt, especially in the only game outside of Alabama that they should have shown out for. In front of a well-populated Homecoming crowd, for fans that don't come to every other game. Their chance to show all those fans how great our team is - the chance to persuade them the team is worth showing up for more games. Nope. No interest. No effort. If the effort was there beyond showing up and going through the mechanics, it wasn't the least bit apparent.

    An in-state opponent. One our school is supposed to be decades ahead of - in age, in football, and in Athletics prowess. Of course that may not mean we win on the gridiron every time we play them.

    56-14 is every bit as bad as 64-12. 

    It's worse. At least UCF had been around a lot longer and had a much more established football program. 

    As far ahead of UCF as we were when we beat them 64-12, FAU is ahead of us now. They showed it on the field in direct competition.

    Our coaches couldn't come up with the lamest of game plans. Our players couldn't come up with a lick of interest in beating FAU on the field. They showed it, over and over, play after play. They didn't care to be there, they didn't care to be playing FAU, and they didn't care that they utterly failed to show up for their fans.

    Team didn't care to show up for its fans. That's where I draw the line. Tomorrow, I don't care to show up for the team. It's the first time that's happened, and I hope it's the last.

    Because for once, USF Football is going to have to earn my attendance back.

     

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    Football Attendance

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    The expected attendance for the Alabama game proves that Tampa will come out for USF games when we play opponents with popular appeal.

    The American conference no longer features any of those.

    We have GOT to get into a real conference. Everything changes immediately if we join the ACC or the Big Ten. Not convinced the Big 12 would really do that anymore with who are now members... maybe a couple of them would have a decent draw in Tampa but not the majority. Glad to see we're making good moves for our positioning, but really disheartening to see the ACC take CA teams over us.

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    AAU

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    13 hours ago, Cubanbull said:

    Getting into AAU, is a great accomplishment for USF and it will help increase research money and ability to recruit quality faculty and students.

    The effects on athletics or alumni will be minimal.

    So as an alumni, I celebrate the accomplishment. 

    I respectfully disagree.

    This is the "big boy's table" of academia. Yes, we have more goals to accomplish, such as breaking the top 25 rankings of public universities (which, frankly, the criteria used for which are pretty objectionable and highly debatable as legitimate/appropriate criteria).  Of course I agree that it will be a boon for research and recruiting faculty and students.

    The effects on alumni includes the worth of their degree and their competitiveness for achievement (including publishing, jobs, and graduate programs admissions). Already, I have seen it in my circles. Particularly among the medical and research side. Suddenly, some seem to recognize that an education at USF matters - and is respected. It is not just the neighborhood 4-year commuter school... it is SOMETHING to have a degree from USF. It may not be everywhere or in even the majority of academic circles. But trust me, some industries actually give quite a darn about AAU membership as a factor in assessing the education someone received. I also do not debate whether that should be the case.

    The effect on Athletics may be subtle, and quite unlikely to be immediately realized. But.... when you have conferences like the SEC who only keep Vandy for its academic creds (and automatic wins), conferences like the Big Ten who only invite AAU members (such as Rutgers, the perennial athletic doormat, and the disgraced Nebraska), and conferences like the ACC who care somewhat about academics may need to backfill when the SEC and B10 come calling for their other schools - it makes a small but not insignificant difference.

    That we are on academic parity with the top research institutions in the country is quite meaningful. Athletics did not get me in to a great graduate school nor did it give me a great education (because I was not an athlete at USF), but it is a strong way to continue ties with the university that made me who I am. Academics got me into a great graduate & medical school (MD+MBA) and helped me ultimately make money. I probably should donate to UM since its degrees really empowered me to produce financially... but USF made me who I am (after my parents) and got me there. Athletics will keep me coming back over time and maintains that connection to the university when I have limited ongoing academic needs. AAU membership makes my degree worth more, and I am proud to have been a very small part of it (first graduate with the Honors College Research Major, for example, and published in multiple fields). 

    I can see how some may wave this off, but honestly, I must declare that it is HUGE. 🤘

    • Upvote 6
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    AAU

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    On 6/1/2023 at 6:54 PM, Hokies4Life said:

    Yeah, I'm sure FSU is really shaking right now. Also, University of Miami is a part of the AAU, and I'm sure their academics blow you guys out of the water. 

    Um, who are you? As both a USF grad and a Miami grad, I can tell you, Miami's academics do not blow USF away... 

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    AAU

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    This is incredible!!

    A huge testament to decades of work by the USF community - professors, students, researchers, leaders, and yes, definitely President Judy Genshaft. Donors, community business and research partners, city and state leadership supporting our ambitions, the list goes on. It is a HELL of an accomplishment.

    We join at the same time as Miami (founded in 1925) and Notre Dame (founded in 1842)? WOW. Not to mention only UF was a member in Florida previously, now Florida has 3 members when many states have none. The value of a degree in Florida (well, at many institutions, anyways) is clearly stellar.

    I am also personally very happy that the worth of our degrees is appreciating in leaps and bounds. Both of my alma maters joined the AAU, though we all know that Miami doesn't need the reputational help as much as our young USF.

    Of course, in this forum, we all can't help but remember that Nebraska getting admitted to the AAU (and soon after getting kicked out) led to their Big Ten invite. I think we aren't in that conversation just yet, but there is a tiny crack with some daylight trickling in - perhaps Miami gets a B10 invite and the ACC needs to backfill..... one can dream anyway......

    Cannot even start to name the number of people who have played giant roles in this, including those throughout the Honors College in addition to those named by Mike Stuben above. What an awesome day.

    PROUD TO BE A USF BULL!!!

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    Away Tickets are On Sale!

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    I'm sorry y'all, you know I'm a giant fan. But that slate of opponents isn't terribly motivating to want to pay and travel to go see. I've been to Navy a few times; if I hadn't, that would be the only interesting one. Memphis the city is somewhat cool if you haven't been. Jeez I miss the BE.

    The reality of our new conference is setting in.... not really any home games I'm excited for the opponent either. Our opponents are barely collectively what we played in the first 6 years of our football program. The risk of getting shellacked 69-0 by Bama was worth it the last time we played them about 20 years ago, and it was an amazing away game trip. Now? Yeesh. The pain of that Wisconsin loss and all the losses the past 6 years to anyone with a pulse is still depressing me even now to the point where I have to wonder whether I'd rather just tailgate for that game because it avoids the heartbreak I will inevitably have when we can't hang with Bama for even a quarter. I am hopeful Coach Go is the man and his staff can whip us back into shape. But dear lord.... please give us a chance to upgrade conferences before seeing OUR team as really the only draw to games loses its lustre for all but the most hardcore of the fanbase. I'm hopeful the new stadium will add to our appeal for a conference like the ACC, which is of course seems like just a silly dream after the last round of ascensions. But until and if that ever happens, I'll make due with coming to games only to see our team play and caring nothing for the basement level opponents, but I can only hope the fanbase sticks around for the same until the new stadium boosts our future prospects.

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    Board passes $22M for stadium design

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    What does everyone want to see in the new USF football stadium? I'll be in a focus group the designers are holding on Monday, and I'll pass on all the suggestions. Top wishes? What should be in it? What should it look like? Attractions? Ways to keep alumni involved and attract students to spend time there? Ways to make gameday better? Any and all ideas and feedback appreciated!

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    Rough day at the sports bar

    in USF South Florida Bulls Athletics

    Posted

    On 3/18/2023 at 7:19 PM, Brad said:

    Showed up in my USF shirt to watch NCAA basketball and had multiple people ask me if I had a team in the tournament. When I responded that I did not but was a fan of South Florida in Tampa -  USF - I got the expressions of people that might’ve been on Triple Jeopardy.  Then, that sort of uncomfortable nod like they knew who I was talking about.

    I did have the pmeasure of a guy telling me about UCF and FAU.

    We need to multiply efforts one hundredfold -  this is part of the problemo.  

     

    Where's USF? Is it in Miami?

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