FazaUSF

I love half of this reply

I'll also say I HATE "money down" that's the dumbest **** that every school does, its as endearing as high-waisted mom jeans. I really miss when our announcer used to act like he cared, and said stuff like "First Dooooooowwwwwwwwnnnnnn BULLS!!"

YES, thank you. Beef Studs started in cell biology lab by yours truly and my buddy Ryan Capahi because we were refused membership with the "Green N Gold Guys." So we started our own group which has not missed a home game in 19 years. We had over 300 active painters in the heyday. I'm just thankful any still find it within themselves to show up and paint in our worst years. Beef Studs have gone strong every game for 19 years, the GNGGs fell off the map in down years. I hope to be a wrinkly old codger someday still watching the Beef Studs keepin it crazy in the student section

I do love me some Brookladdie! It's right up there with Lafroyge

Yes indeed! I do love off-the-beaten-path predictions, but that one would indeed have been left field in the next field over

You're really going to listen to CJS? Softie Yes this year will still be rough. I predicted 3-4 wins. Curious to see how NCSU stacks up against Clemson today. Watching FL hang with Bama was interesting, close game there.

Nah, I'm not starry eyed. I still have concerns about him, the biggest one being whether he and his assistants will get better at the X's and O's. One if the things that helped Leavitt to win was he put in huge amounts of time into watching film and devising game plans against what he analyzed in opposing teams (most of the time). He occasionally did get bested by the other side, not just the athletes on the field. Playcalling can be a very complicated chess match. I don't love what I've seen so far of that, but I also realize we don't yet have the best players we can get on the field and we aren't yet getting the best of what we can out of them. I'm not sophisticated enough in my understanding of the game to know whether the playcalling has failed the players on the field, or it's the other way around. I also realize most of the staff is young and learning and gaining experience. Keep in mind it is CJS' first head coaching job - there will be growing pains. Leavitt had years against lesser competition to work out all those kinks a new head coach has to learn. So no, not starry eyed. Just explaining that the right building blocks are there for something great. It remains to be seen whether that potential is ultimately realized, but it is far too soon to EXPECT that it should be by now.

Hey hey now, I was on the USF crew team. We had some darn good topless car washes. And we rowed at ungodly early morning hours between house parties. We didn't really beat anyone at any regattas cuz we had no boats of our own, being a club sport and all. But made some great friends I'd take over some Ivy snobs any day

Was great seeing you at that kickoff and hope you're back in action in no time. Shoot me a DM when you're ready to sip one!

With all due respect, and I mean that, this is why you're good at what you do, and not necessarily a legendary college football coach. Lots of examples in leadership, especially sports leadership, demonstrating that culture comes first and winning follows. Nobody sustains a winning program without a great organizational culture. It is true that great culture may not result in wins. But it is a must-have component for sustained success, and it is exactly what we've been missing since Leavitt left. The intangibles surrounding the program are very encouraging and growing right now. I get it - you're a W-column/L-column guy. It'll take another year or two before the fruits of the past year's labor will pay off. But it will be worth it, and we'd otherwise be looking at another rotating-door figurehead likely bouncing at year 3-4. If that happened again, any brief success would highly risk being fleeting, as we saw with the transition from Taggart to Strong. CJS is building a real foundation. The house won't go up as quickly as a log cabin, but the concrete foundation and block external walls will withstand the test of time and weather the storms far better. Don't get preoccupied with the log cabin to the east. We are down right now, but far from out, and we finally have a coach willing to put down roots and put in the sweat equity to sustain success here. Dang, it's about time!

Danielle and I are new, first-time Iron Bulls this year. Those who know me know it has long been a goal of mine, and I have slowly been stepping up donations every year when possible. We've worked HARD for everything we have, and finally my dream of joining the Iron Bulls became a reality. First, I highly recommend it. The folks you meet, the insider view, the benefits are all great. I've had the chance to chat with CJS, MK, the whole cast of coaches, and all the great staff at Athletics a bunch of times already. But I really appreciate knowing I'm putting my money where my heart is, and where my mouth is (when I'm doing a little trash talking at work). I know that roughly $700/month plus 4 donor seat football season tickets a year (donation is part of seat cost) isn't easy for most people, and may not be an annual top priority when dollars are limited. But y'all, we're all here because we want USF to succeed. I love knowing that I'm trying to be a part of that. No, of course you don't need to be an Iron Bull to support the school, but it's a huge help if you can, whenever you can, and an admirable goal to have. Loved seeing some Bullspenners at the Iron Bulls kickoff; not sure if they'd want to be named, but I hope they'll self-identify on this thread. John Lewis has been great finding ways to spread gifts out. Dani and I are blessed to have been able to make a donation to the IPF too, broken up in monthly payments over 5 years, which John found a way to customize perfectly for our situation. The total amount sounds kinda like a lot (at this point in life, anyway), but works out to a modest monthly draft on the credit card. I am not suggesting everyone drop everything else and become an Iron Bull and fail to pay the mortgage. But hey, maybe include it on your list of life goals. Maybe it's a 10 year goal, maybe a 5 year goal, maybe a 20 year goal. The place to start is to put it on there. When I heard the total number of Iron Bulls this year was a record high number, I was a little surprised the number wasn't higher. Of course we're a young school with a younger fan base than most other schools whose programs have been established for generations, and the economy hasn't been minting us all millionaires. But I bet there are more potential Iron Bulls out there if they just start to consider it for being on their list of life goals. We belong to an amazing university in USF; the fastest rising school in the country. Our current Athletics staff is the best overall I think it has ever been. USF has separated itself as a clear academic #2 in the state and has AAU membership in its sights. We're young, and we need all the help we can get. Not only is the worth of our diplomas growing over time, but we have a fantastic way to stay connected with USF via Athletics fanship and as donors. Dream big, Bulls! Let's all help keep Bulls Nation on the rise! Looking forward to hopefully seeing a future trickle of Bullspenners joining the Iron Bulls ranks over time

BYU 35-14 Mangum Weaver 296

Confirm I can!

As much as I did call for Leavitt to return, it's true that Leavitt's best years are past him. CJS is planning to be here longer term. He may not turn down overtures from Alabama at year 12 like Leavitt, but I also feel he will be here for the better part of a decade. I think he plans to put roots and grow and win for a while. Let's give him a chance to make his mark. He got handed a pretty tough job with the dumpster fire that Strong left behind. It really is a shame how terrible of a coach Strong turned out to be. CJS has really put in hard work to change that culture. Anyone would need several years to undo the damage from Strong.

I agree, I am not seeing great progress from Fortin. It really seems that McClain gives us the best chance to win; the players feed off of his energy, and he has a shot at growing into a Flowers-type QB for us. Just needs time, coaching, and practice.

The program is in the midst of a pivot forward. The culture change is becoming evident on the field and not just in the locker room. We played hard, for 60 full minutes. Still a long way to go, but its great to see the players believe in each other enough to keep fighting as a team. The culture Strong left was toxic. Absolute shame what a terrible coach he really turned out to be. CJS's leadership is helping give our boys something to play for. Let's hope we keep that momentum going in the right direction. Go Bulls!

I agree. I think this season we make some good progress. It's still a 4 win season, maybe 5. But changing the toxic culture Strong left behind has taken a LOT of effort. Now we're building real culture. Next we've got to recruit the right personnel into that culture. CJS will learn lessons along the way, but this program is in the midst of a pivot forward. I also see a lot to like in McClain. Improve the receivers and please lord let's work hard on those corners. Help that young OC understand his personnel and make calls to better suit their skill sets. CJS has his work cut out, but those efforts are starting to become evident. Still a long slog ahead

My humble prediction... UF 42-7 Mangham Weaver 256

There will be about 30 at the Faza tailgate in lot 5. Looking forward to it! We will not lose the tailgate.

The ads are getting to be a bit much. It's kinda interrupting most aspects of reading and posting, at least from mobile. Also, saw this ad today... That's some ole buuuullllllsheeeyit

Welcome to 2021. This is what just about every school is currently doing, and most were doing over the past few years. Coincidentally, most pro teams are doing it also, as are professional events in general. Wouldn't prefer USF fails to get with the times. If anyone is alienated, I feel for them, but the times move on and we all move with them. Otherwise, there are plenty of clouds to shake fists at...

Understandable frustration from the OP. Yes, this is exactly how UCF fans felt in 2003 when their team had 30 years of doing nothing under its belt, and USF was invited to the Big East with 6 years of football under its belt. Yes, UCF has gone all-in and sold out in favor of football success, and it has worked for them. It has also tarred their institution's reputation greatly, and conference realignment aside, political and educational circles in the state will always respect USF far above the diploma mill to the east. The revamped Big 12 will be the latest iteration of the tallest midget conference, and USF will for a time be relegated to a lower status. My hope is the AAC does not invite FAU or FIU, especially because Taggart is likely to have FAU on a winning spree soon. But, now is not the time to deprive USF Athletics of the support of its most staunch supporters in its time of need. True, Mark Harlan and Charlie Strong really set us back. But Michael Kelly is the real deal. Jeff Scott and crew will have the football team back in shape soon. And if the last 20 years and beyond have taught us anything, there will be realignments every several years or a few times a decade. The focus has to be on improving ourselves for the time the next round comes. If we have an IPF, football success, continued academic success, and the RayJay starts getting better attendance again for a winning team with a winning culture, we can position well for the future. I'm as unhappy with the news as any. But I'm not surprised. I think we were one coaching hire away from a different result, had Harlan chosen better than Strong. But things still look great for USF's future, even if it has been a decade of setbacks lately. Go Bulls!

Remember last year, he had little time to recruit, one single practice before the pandemic shut everything down, and a toxic leftover culture from a coach who did no coaching and had no leadership skill to speak of. The year was known to players as a throwaway, which I know firsthand. This is really kinda year 1 when it comes to the X's and O's, whereas last year most coaches around the country had to bust tail just to help their players navigate all the pandemic stuff and very little investment comparable to a normal year could be pursued with respect to the details of football play. Can't be in the gym together, can't practice, can't go to class, all meetings on Zoom, etc. This year, the culture has changed because that has been a major focus and could be done around the pandemic stuff, and the roster won't be much different outside of the housecleaning losses. This is really comparable to a true year 1. Which is why I think folks need to be patient, and I don't expect year 3 will be a typical year 3. There won't be a magical turnaround year 3 because year 1 was a burner, year 2 is the true year 1, and year 3 is the true year 2. Give it time. The foundation is being set, if you pay close attention to the sidelines and the intangibles of the program.

Hey, anyone in Raleigh getting together tonight?

A perfectly fine and fair approach. I'm just predicting that in 5 years I will be able to return to this thread and consider my IPF and CJS predictions good ones