BaltoBull

hahahaha my idea months ago of course they should breakaway from ncaa and big 5 big 5 will soon break away from ncaa Yep. I've been saying this for a while too, although I am more of a proponent of the AAC and MWC breaking away and doing their thing exclusively. So many on here kick and scream about the P5 excluding schools. So we turn around and do the same thing? Just wondering. Yes. In my opinion, there are more than enough schools in both conferences to create an interesting league of similar, like-minded institutions.

hahahaha my idea months ago of course they should breakaway from ncaa and big 5 big 5 will soon break away from ncaa Yep. I've been saying this for a while too, although I am more of a proponent of the AAC and MWC breaking away and doing their thing exclusively.

Question, is there still going to be the BCS type ranking system that uses the computer/human poll combination that will determine the G5 AQ? Or will it just be one the human polls? That is a good question, I don't know the answer to that. My premise for our number one vs. MWC's #1 is what I think the likelihood of the "BCS Bowl slot" being taken away from the G5. I truly believe this is inevitable. I'd like to see the G5 do something preemptive. Alas, they probably won't.

And the hits keep coming! No kidding! The American invites Memphis and they still can't land their hometown bowl game, just sad!...I guess the new created mystery bowl will be the one with our champion vs who knows who. I've been saying for a while now our champ needs to play the MWC champ. Now more than ever, I think this is what will ultimately end up happening. We need to break away and do our own thing. At this point, it looks like we will be forced to anyways.

No, it really doesn't. Those on top don't stay there, ever. That is absolutely correct. Those at the top do change ... in their respective worlds. The point they're making is that the P5 and G5 will be on 2 separate planets starting 2014, for the most part. Nope. How do you think it is not going to be a different world? The entire process and set-up for the BCS landscape will be changing. To play at a highly competitive level, the "BCS" or what will become the "P5" level, you will need top talent, top coaching, top facilities. The first step will be to be able to keep top coaching staffs. When the P5 begin to realize their windfall of cash, the salaries of head coaches and perhaps more importantly the assistant salary pools will begin to escalate. The P5 programs are going to be earning close to $20 million just from their media revenues. Throw in the crazy amounts being thrown around from the new bowl contracts, etc then compare that to the mere pittance of about $2 million dollars a year for the American conference. Next throw in the bowl situation. P5 conference have pretty much locked in the top tier, 2nd tier and most of even the third tier bowls. The G5 are left with meaningless bowls (in the national scope of things) with the exception of the one slot left for the 70 or so rest of the teams. Another important aspect, and I think most people are overlooking this aspect, is that when we get to 2014 and the new system starts, Strength of schedule will become one of the most important factors of the college rankings. More than it ever has. Since a lot of the conferences have increased their number of teams, there will be less out of conference scheduling openings down the road. Since the strength of schedule will become more important i expect that the P5 schools will look to schedule other P5 schools for out of conference games. Now, mix in the media coverage. We can't even get a freaking blog on ESPN. This all leads us to the talent available to recruit. One thing learned from our jump from CUSA to BE is that the best players want the opportunity to: play for a great coach, have the opportunity to play for a national championship (no matter how realistic that chance is), play in good bowls and play on national TV. When you are locked out of that (and to be clear, I am saying G5 teams will now be locked out. Before there was still a chance, after 2014, by design, G5 teams are locked out of all that). I am not sure how any program not part of the P5 will be able to keep a good coaching staff together for any period of time and recruit enough top tier players to be able compete with the P5 programs. You will always be able to land a few players here and there and bring home transferees, but it will be tougher than ever before to go from looking in to getting in. Prior to this new deal going in to effect, if there was a way that a coaching staff could find a way to put it all together, (TCU, Utah, Boise, NIU even USF to some degree) there was a reward at the end of the tunnel. I don't see how any program will be able to stay at a higit.h enough level over the course of enough seasons to make a big enough mark to break through. There will always be a season or two of flash in the pan programs, but sustained success. i don't see it. I agree.

You're right, Eric is good people. I hope he and his wife, Liisa both stay.

Time will tell. I've given you the numbers, Hem.

At least someone agrees with me. Thank you!

YES!!! Have a straight playoff. I still think Aresco's idea of a nationwide conference can take off if others are willing. Blow everything up, take the teams with the most potential from AAC, MWC (MAC and C-USA?) put them in a 'conference' with four tightly-geographical divisions. Rip off the NFL, but take the concept and sell it to the networks. I think if teams from the other conferences see the potential, they might bite. It would be completely foreign to what I love and grew up watching (not that it isn't already). Exactly. It already is different. Remember, Florida State and Miami rose through the ranks as INDEPENDENTS before the disparity of budgets, contracts and networks created the Davids & Goliath's of today. They also had FAR, FAR, FAR shittier years than we've ever experienced. They had more ****** years than we've had our football program. Don't know that much about Miami, but check out the 1970s seasons before Bowden got there. It's a different era, and it's not an apples to apples comparison. I'm against independence because, while we're not making much $ in the conference, at least we're making something. We're not guaranteed to make one red cent as an independent. Plus a couple crappy bowl tie-ins are better than no bowl tie-ins. No matter what bowl we might end up in, it's going to be televised and it would be best for us to blow out a terrible opponent in a bowl where people can see, vs. maybe having a decent season but no bowl invite because we were independent and another team got our spot. A crappy TV deal is better than no TV deal. If we were independent, I'd have to try to pirate some satellite to be able to watch USF games on BH 37 or whatever it is, because that would be the only channel carrying the Bulls. I think the notion to go independent is beyond nonsense for the Bulls, but I get the desperation some of us are feeling as our situation appears to continue to get more and more bleak by the day. Balto's not arguing we should go independent ... just advocating creating a new division between FBS and FCS .... I think. YES - I've been beating this drum for a while.

YES!!! Have a straight playoff. I still think Aresco's idea of a nationwide conference can take off if others are willing. Blow everything up, take the teams with the most potential from AAC, MWC (MAC and C-USA?) put them in a 'conference' with four tightly-geographical divisions. Rip off the NFL, but take the concept and sell it to the networks. I think if teams from the other conferences see the potential, they might bite. It would be completely foreign to what I love and grew up watching (not that it isn't already). Exactly. It already is different. Remember, Florida State and Miami rose through the ranks as INDEPENDENTS before the disparity of budgets, contracts and networks created the Davids & Goliath's of today. Do you think Boise State, for all of their success and emulating FSU's 'play anyone, anywhere' will be anything more than an interesting storyline on ESPN's coverage of the ACC and SEC? Contract bowls, conference (and team) networks and the conferences consolidating power in general have already irreversibly changed the landscape of college football. It's time for USF and the others shutout to do something different, IMO.

My main problem with the bowls, especially the 'marquee' bowls now moving forward is the selection committee. Once you come to terms with the fact that the important bowl games will essentially be reserved for the anointed few and that for all intents and purposes, college football is largely a beauty pageant, it (for me at least) becomes a whole lot easier to say f*** it. It's a game we simply cannot win for a number of reasons. I don't understand the emotional attachment to bowls. What history do WE have with them? I can see lamenting the loss of never being able to play in the Orange again, if the Bulls had actually played in it, but to me, it's chasing the carrot on the stick. Fighting tooth and nail to be given the chance and paying for the 'privilege' of playing in what will likely be the newest incarnation of the Poulan Weed-Eater Independence Bowl by clinging onto this notion does not appeal to me. I want to see in a few years how many P5 schools are profitable. Sure, they are making more money now. But, the costs for everything has just gone up as well. Bet me that bowl tickets wont become more expensive now that sponsors, increasing the payout will have to recoup losses. Those losses will be imposed on the schools playing in the games in the form(s) they are now - only more so. It's the same game - just with more money on the table. I think we are witnessing the 'bubble' of college football. At some point, it will pop - won't it? Let the P5 keep their bowls and let the G5 blaze new trails with a true playoff format.

YES!!! Have a straight playoff. I still think Aresco's idea of a nationwide conference can take off if others are willing. Blow everything up, take the teams with the most potential from AAC, MWC (MAC and C-USA?) put them in a 'conference' with four tightly-geographical divisions. Rip off the NFL, but take the concept and sell it to the networks. I think if teams from the other conferences see the potential, they might bite.

Yeah, because USF can't compete with the juggernauts such as: Auburn, Notre Dame, North Carolina, NC State, West Virginia, Louisville, Florida State, Miami, Syracuse, Clemson, Kansas, or TCU? Lol... Wow, inclusion in the P5 must be a big deal if schools like Syracuse, Kansas, NC State and the mighty UNC are considered juggernauts in college football. Lol...

I wish the inevitable split would just happen, the 'haves' take their toys to their side of the sandbox and we, the MWC and the best of the rest below them pick up the pieces and make what we can with them. If this means calling it Div. 2 or whatever, so be it. To me, it is better than being kicked in the mouth over and over again and being bashed at every turn. If it is indeed our destiny, as it seems to be indicated by television and bowl contracts, why fight it at this point? So everyone sees brushed out of the room kicking and screaming? We're still headed for the door, folks. The chances of us competing in a meaningful way with the juggernaut programs is a farce anyways. Break away, figure out what to do and start winning games in a conference with like-minded schools you can play competitively against.

Things in the BCS have were not 'fair'. The new 'playoff' system they have developed for themselves is the furtherest thing from 'fair'. That's why I've not wanted anything to do with it for a while.

I have said it before and I'll say it again, I am perfectly happy with where we are - 'prestige' be damned. The AAC is the best fit for us right now and maybe, moving forward. Whatever happens, as long as we are in a conference of similar, like-minded urban-based schools, I will be happy.

Exactly.

So we should get out of the crappy conference that we can't win a title in to go somewhere else where we'll be the whipping boy so that people on here can complain about how we aren't dominating the new and better conference because, what the he!!, aren't we in that Florida hot bed of talent? Does that about sum up every possibility? Run on sentence was intentional before you start blasting away. I completely agree with you. To me, until we start generating more fan interest, more alumni dollars and more (read: any) championships there is no reason to go to the B12. The "Florida hot-bed" is a myth for us.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry when USF's hopes to grow the athletic program are largely based in the chance the more affluent conferences' fail to succeed in the system they themselves established and rigged in their favor. #THINK DIFFERENT Excellent post!

I played LAX as a kid growing up in Maryland. While I was playing, I was in the best shape of my life. This is an awesome story about a 6 foot 7, 320 lb, 40-year old freshman who played LAX at Catonsville - CCBC outside of Baltimore I remember from a few years ago: http://www.baltimoresun.com/videogallery/69418762/Sports/40-year-old-CCBC-Catonsville-freshman-dominates-lacrosse-league I would love to see a USF lacrosse team.

Good grief, those are terrible. They are not even worth the 'bull' pun.

Nor do you, my friend. Optimism, meet pessimism. And every chance you've gotten to pitch your idealism, even saying we could win a national championship if memory serves me...you've jumped on as well. One of us is right and one of us is wrong in how this will all shake out. But, come on Hem, games are won by the quality of the coaches and the players, right? Sure it can only help. We've got one of the best rated coaches of the offseason, good job Woolard. Given the state of USF's facilities (did I miss something? do we not have excellent facilities? Yes, we do.), lack of history (true) and 'brand presence' (hand in hand with lack of history) compared to the big dogs in the B12, how many recruits do we steal from Texas, Oklahoma and the others? Will being in the B12 allow us to steal recruits from the other "P5" conferences? Did being in a BCS conference help us before? It's all about perception. Did i miss something or did we not just pull the 49th best class in the country off of a 3-9 year? Lets see who we've already "stolen" (all of these are your Power 5 and beyond) http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Chris-Bivins-116358 (Arkansas, USC, etc) http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Sean-Price-96638 (Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, UF, etc) http://rivals.yahoo.com/usf/football/recruiting/player-D'Vario-Montgomery-115466 (Alabama, Arkansas, UF, FSU, LSU, etc) http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Andre-Davis-101257 (Arkansas, Miami, FSU, TxTech, etc) http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Todd-Chandler-73802;_ylt=AjRvYorCluL0nWjuAFWzw6hDPZB4 (Kentucky, Miami, USC) http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Terrence-Mitchell-91473;_ylt=ArGfDSZrXXcwq0VjOtTcZuZDPZB4 (FSU, Miami, Georgia, Tennessee, etc) http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Derrick-Calloway-130494;_ylt=ArkF_PoTAyMxVZ1rc4_uoOJDPZB4 (UF, TxA&M, Miami, Ohio State, TxTech, etc) http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Lamar-Robbins-133638;_ylt=AhSzl.VkmVpnu.ArzNF2IA9DPZB4 (Auburn, Michigan St, Oklahoma, etc) I could keep going but I think you've got the picture by now I think history already played this out in the Big East and for the most part, we lost recruiting battles (we did?). We lost a lot of conference games as a result (I'd say that has more to do with coaching than talent, we have the talent). No depth as a result of not being able to sign a lot of quality players (we have quality players, please go look at our roster and see where the rest of them were offered before choosing USF). Maybe you do, but I just don't see it playing out any differently in the B12 (I see us taking MORE recruits than we already do from "P5" schools a la FSU, Miami and anyone else). There are only so many players, the same number as there were before and almost all of them will make the same choice recruits made before them - go to the school with prestige. (or create their own legacy, ill leave that to the recruiters and our coach to pitch..which he's done a good job of so far) Go to the school with history. Etc... I hate to admit this as well, but the moment USF signs with the B12, the perception will be they are the 'fifth' conference for having to stoop to the level of having to sign USF / UCF, Cincy, UConn, whoever...I think the B12 is cognizant of this in some form. I could be wrong. (BS. The Big12 is only Behind the SEC in terms of a power football league. Adding USF/Cincy/Whatever would not change that) Sure, attendance will suffer. Donations will likely decrease due to the resentment of fans and some of them will RUN to put on their orange and blue, but what can you do? (do you best to get out of the AAC and into a P5) We can't change what is happening, but I think I am looking at things from a rational point of view. (No, we can't but I hope our Administration IS) At this point, I've figured out for the most part how one thing will play out. I thought it had been obvious for a while. I will be pleasantly surprised if things turn out for the better of USF. However, at this point I will not be crushed, disappointed or bitter. I've already grieved. (Agree to disagree) Hey Hem, do you mind if I PM you with my response? We could play it out here, but honestly, since what I will have to say is long and rather detailed, I'd rather keep it off the board. I don't mind if you want to share, post or decorate with it later. You made some valid points and I believe I have a few to bring to your attention as well. I appreciate our dialogue and hope it can continue. I am not asking to do this to waste your (or my) time. Thanks!

Doesn't look like their football fans need anything to "get them through it". They must just enjoy college football and watching their school/hometown team play ... and they've been doing it for quite a while. The MAC has been in existence for almost 70 years. The youngest football program in the conference, that whippersnapper Ball State, will celebrate 90 years next year. You've got the generational thing there just like you do with the big boys but just on a smaller scale. Harkens back to the day of the University of Tampa. You didn't really go to watch the other team or the huge prize at the end of the season. You went to watch the Spartans play. The BE experiment was definitely a double edged sword. I think it sped up some badly needed facilities upgrades but it also created, for lack of a better way to put it, a false image in the minds of some of our base. Bingo!

Being discussed here as well: http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=633507

Nor do you, my friend. Optimism, meet pessimism. And every chance you've gotten to pitch your idealism, even saying we could win a national championship if memory serves me...you've jumped on as well. One of us is right and one of us is wrong in how this will all shake out. But, come on Hem, games are won by the quality of the coaches and the players, right? Given the state of USF's facilities, lack of history and 'brand presence' compared to the big dogs in the B12, how many recruits do we steal from Texas, Oklahoma and the others? Will being in the B12 allow us to steal recruits from the other "P5" conferences? Did being in a BCS conference help us before? It's all about perception. I think history already played this out in the Big East and for the most part, we lost recruiting battles. We lost a lot of conference games as a result. No depth as a result of not being able to sign a lot of quality players. Maybe you do, but I just don't see it playing out any differently in the B12. There are only so many players, the same number as there were before and almost all of them will make the same choice recruits made before them - go to the school with prestige. Go to the school with history. Etc... I hate to admit this as well, but the moment USF signs with the B12, the perception will be they are the 'fifth' conference for having to stoop to the level of having to sign USF / UCF, Cincy, UConn, whoever...I think the B12 is cognizant of this in some form. I could be wrong. Sure, attendance will suffer. Donations will likely decrease due to the resentment of fans and some of them will RUN to put on their orange and blue, but what can you do? We can't change what is happening, but I think I am looking at things from a rational point of view. At this point, I've figured out for the most part how one thing will play out. I thought it had been obvious for a while. I will be pleasantly surprised if things turn out for the better of USF. However, at this point I will not be crushed, disappointed or bitter. I've already grieved.