FazaUSF

Britt and All - thought you might find this interesting! It was a column in the Tampa Trib today.... These Bulls Are Hoping The Party Is Just Starting JOEY JOHNSTON Published: Nov 20, 2005 TAMPA -- No Tasers, Please! Someone in the north end zone held up that homemade sign Saturday afternoon as the University of South Florida Bulls finished putting the clamps on Cincinnati, 31-16. No need for concern. The field's perimeter was lined by police and security officials. No one dared jump on the turf. No one made a bee-line for the goal posts. Besides, it wouldn't have been appropriate. Even USF coach Jim Leavitt was uncomfortable with being drenched by a bucket of blue Powerade. Yes, the Bulls had their sixth victory. But it wasn't a championship. Want Bowl, Will Travel. Again, the sign-holder shouldn't worry. The Bulls are bowl eligible and with their Big East Conference affiliation, they will undoubtedly be heading somewhere. We Want Sugar! Ah, yes. A real sign of the times at USF. The Sugar Bowl. It is one step closer. We've all seen the photographs of college football players, clutching a rose between their teeth. Or fans tossing oranges onto the field. Or jubilant supporters shaking sugar packets. It's your turn, USF. The bowl dream has essentially become real. At worst, the Bulls should be bound for the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. What's the protocol there? Tossing a muffler on the field? The protocol, according to Leavitt, is getting ready for Saturday's game at Connecticut. "We're not in a bowl game yet," Leavitt said. "We have a winning season, that's all. I told our guys if all they want is a winning season and going to a bowl game, they're in the wrong program." The Head Skunk By now, the nation has caught on to USF's story line. If the Bulls defeat UConn in what could be frigid conditions, then beat West Virginia on Dec. 3 at home, they are Big East champions. They likely would go to the Sugar Bowl. No way to stop it. Although, frankly, few outside of Tampa have embraced this warm-and-fuzzy story. Skunk in the BCS garden. That's what an ESPN.com story called the Bulls. "We're going to ride that theme out until we can't ride it anymore," USF running back Andre Hall said. Leavitt donned a black skunk cap -- with a USF logo -- to Tuesday's team meeting and referred to himself as "head skunk." He has received a few stuffed skunks from friends, including one he affectionately nicknamed "Pepe Le Pew." Saturday afternoon, USF receiver Amarri Jackson emerged from the locker room -- wearing Leavitt's black skunk cap. "I wear it everywhere," Jackson said with a smile. "Black goes with everything." Focusing On UConn Skunks of the Big East. "We're stinking it up," Jackson said. "It's an insult, but we feed off it." Rutgers took a different approach. When it became bowl eligible on Oct. 29, its fans rushed the field. Its players celebrated into the night. Rutgers hasn't won since. "We can't party yet," USF safety Johnnie Jones said. "That's only six [wins]. We want to decide the Big East championship right here at Raymond James. We couldn't do that without beating Cincinnati. We can't do it without beating UConn. Celebrate? No, sir. Not us. Not yet." But suddenly, you can see West Virginia from here. Almost heaven.

I have recently had a really bad feeling about our game against UConn. Something fishy.... I don't normally get it.... I'm kinda worried about an upset. I just really hope our boys don't go up there with big heads and have the cold weather shrink them down too far....

Tell her I said hey!! And the douchebags on this board making a big deal out of nothing are gay!!

LOL, I just notice you have over 4,000 posts, Mav. That's hilarious! I think it's awesome that you're a UCF fan, yet you are a Bulls Pen junkie. I respect that, and you actually seem to know a bit about what you're talking about. P.S. Next year, I repeat, Louisville will destroy us!!! P.S.S. Sorry Mav, but next year we will continue to OWN your team ;D

Whoa, where's this coming from, Griggsy? I've only seen Mike lay the verbal smackdown on "cee." Or are you "cee" with a changed name? What potential fans has Mike run off? I'd assume if someone had the desire to get a name on here, they're no casual fan, and if they are, I've seen none "run off" thus far. Mike was a huge student leader, and he was very involved with the school. The Senate President has a bird's-eye view of the internal aspects of the university like few other students can, and Mike was more involved that most Senate Presidents in such things. Of course, I was one of those few students outside of the presidency who involved myself in such things. But I have a huge respect for all Mike did while at USF.

Louisville will destroy us!

Actually, the St. Pete Times has as much circulation in Hillsborough County (including USF's campus) as the Trib, if not more. In fact, among most circles, the Times is known as a much better paper. The Trib is good for its graphical layout and pretty pictures, not nearly so much for the quality of its articles. I'm unaware of any statistic where 90% of deliveries in Hillsborough County are the Trib, and I would disagree, because the majority of white collar workers (particularly downtown) will tell you they prefer the Times over the Trib any day. Political science professors will also tell you the Times is one of the best newspapers in the state, if not the best. Besides, Athletics has its reasons for going with the Times. It probably has to do with how much the Times was willing to support the Bulls compared with the Trib. Frankly, I think the Times has done a good job as a sponsor. The Trib is only catching on to us now that we have a winning team in a BCS conference, which is just as bandwagon as the rest of Tampa.

What a sexy beast!

Actually, contacting SG would probably not be the route you'd want to take. SG this year isn't terribly supportive of event planning or Athletics. In fact, the executive branch isn't at all. I would contact Amabel Aqui, staff member who oversees the Student Bulls Club. They always plan away game trips for students and look for alumni to help subsidize the cost to the students. They have always been doing that, and are usually pretty good with accomodating the desires of alumni. Check out the link on the Athletics page here: http://www.gobulls.usf.edu/admin/bulls_club/saa.htm Brittany is also a Board Member (gurlybull) so I'm sure she could put you in contact with the right people. P.S. That's really awesome that you are thinking about doing that. I hope to be in that situation someday soon, to be able to give to empower a student.

NFL football is a business. And they seem to rake in plenty of money off a playoff system.

But see that's what's wrong. Why should there need to be a financial motive instead of logicality and a desire for equality and justice as motives? Oh well, I give up, guess you're right, gotta go with the flow. Besides, if I used that argument on anything other than college football, I'd sound like a smazza ;-)

That smells Republican ;-) But I appreciate the story, that's hilarious. Simply proves what I'm trying to say!!!

Okay. 56 teams in a single-elimination playoff season. That extends the season by approximately 5 games, with a few kinks to be worked out. Work those kinks right with 1st round byes and it could be 4 games. We're already extending the regular season by a game next year. So that's down to 3 extra to be played. Stick one after exams in the Dec. 20th range, keep the New Year's weekend games, and we've only got to find one more weekend to make it happen. And that's for 56 teams. Every other major sport has playoffs in college. We don't argue against their exams. Basketball teams play in the middle of the week and far more often, as just an example.

I would argue that a 16-team playoff is better than none at all. Technically, it could be argued that right now, the 26-30th teams are pissed they don't get in. And, the 16 teams up top can't ***** about which Bowl game they have to go to.

Call me annoyed. Call me outraged. Call me and say it ain't so..... While I am supremely happy that our young, little-known school could potentially make some National waves thanks to the BCS system, I will never understand such hypocrisy. I may be ignorant for never having known that Division I-AA football has playoffs, primarily because I attended USF after the move to I-A, and attending USF marked the first time I followed college football. This is all besides the point. So, unless someone can help me out and post otherwise, the main "touted" reason for I-A not having playoffs has to do with the extra games needing to be scheduled, extension of the season, and games interfering with students' exams. Naturally, we all know otherwi$e. There is nothing that speaks to me more deeply to expose the type of folks who are money-grubbing, big business-supporting, selfish bastards, than the idea that the very same league who won't overturn the Bowl system to instill I-A playoffs (i.e. a TRUE national championship game) runs a playoff system for other, less known football teams. I guess the exam scores of students in II-A schools don't mean anything, and extending their schedules is okay because nobody knows who they are anyways, right? No. What it means is that the money generated by the Bowl system, compounded with the financial and political pull these Bowl committees (and the cities behind them) have, is too luring for the dirtbags that run the show than doing the right, fair thing is. Fresno State just showed that USC just may not be the best team in the nation. Georgia Tech just showed amazing things can come from an unranked team. And hopefully soon, USF might show the nation how fortunate it is to be in a conference with a BCS tie-in. But in all honesty, if we cared about what is fair and what is right, we would ensure that the "National Champion" named each year was actually a champion. I guarantee the year that the Bucs went to the Superbowl and won would not have produced Superbowl rings if there was a BCS-like system in place, because the Bucs did not have one of the the best two records upon entering the postseason. But they worked their way up the ranks each game and ended up on top, proving they could beat anyone in the league. That's a championship. As much as I'll pay out the ass to go see USF in a bowl game, Bowls are nothing but cop-out, quick money-making schemes that in the end are pointless in truly determining the best team in the nation. If Div. II-A football can do it, so can Div. I-A. But I guess the world would have to be fair for something so silly as fairness to be instituted. The story I read which sparked this is on ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2231407

Yeah, I totally had you confused with Mike G. I heart the Berminator! P.S. TRUST me, they've got more than enough money.

HOLY HELL!!!!! I didn't even put two and two together!!! USF Mike B.... dagnabit.... no way in hell I would have messed with you in another forum a while back if I'da known it was you Mike!! I'm an idiot...... P.S. He's totally right Britt. I sent E-mails to current Senators asking that they make sure something like what Mike did happens again, but it would take our wonderful financially conservative leaders to concede that a bowl game wouldn't be "inefficient spending" or "unnecessary paperwork."

OK, I agree that we are being slighted. But in all fairness, we've played 2 less games than everyone else has at this point in the season. UCF is 8-3, we are 6-3. I guarantee we'll have way more votes than them if we beat UConn, making us 7-3, and you KNOW we'll probably be in the top 25 if we beat WVU, making us 8-3. Therefore, for the same record, we'll be doing much better that the UCheiFers. BUT, we sure did have to play a MUCH harder schedule than they did to get the recognition.....

Why do you always sign your name at the bottom of your posts? We can tell who posted.

Hey hey hey now.... While I appreciate the excited comments regarding my girlfriend's stunning good looks, let's keep in mind she is a lady.... Therefore, while FineAssBull may be a good name, I can tell you she's definitely not a "ho," as pimpin' as I might be. And, "that other guy" to which you refer..... actually, she got tired of HIS crap ;-)

Game over now!!!!

FRESNO IS TOTALLY ABOUT TO SCORE ON USC.... MAKING US THE ONLY TEAM IN THE NATION NOT TO TRAIL AT HOME THIS SEASON!!!! GO FRESNO GO!!!!

********. You obviously went to UCF. Let me introduce you to math.... There will be a Big 4 "LOOOOOOONG" before there will be a Big 5. P.S. FAU will probably make the 5th...... UCF might pray to make it the "Big 6" one day.... ;D

We may as well be the Universidad del Surte France. Just watch the AP Poll....

Yeah I really just wanted to post here so the top ten forums have me as the most recent poster. HAH!