RMF5630

Doesn't matter now, looks like Rice according to CBS. I have less of a problem with Rice than ECU, but still would prefer a BCS level team. As least Rice was in the SWC, counts for something, doesn't it?

Let the negotiations begin. Becoming a successful BCS program reminds me of towns legalizing gambling. At first, the town has all the control. -You can only operate during these hours. -Only these types of games. -It is restricted to only these areas. Once the town is in and invested in the infrastructure to support the gambleing, the power goes to the casinos. -We can't make a profit, so either we expand our hours or leave. -We really need (game of choice) to make it work or we have to leave. - We need to expand to other parts of the City or we leave. The poor town has invested so much in their new gambling industry they have to agree. So it is with successful coaches and Universities. I love it. Capitalism at work. Friedman would be proud!

I have no interest in seeing USF play ECU, period. I want a BCS conference team. We worked too hard as a school and football team to go back down to being excited to play a Conf-USA team. Sorry ECU, but as a bowl opponent you bore me. Give us Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl. I can get excited about that match up.

Hey, let's face it, USF's biggest problem is going to be keeping the staff together. The bigger programs from more glamorous conferences are going to come calling. UM and NC State are in the ACC, which has a better national reputation. If Leavitt or one of USF's Assistants get offers that better their family's position, they will take it and rightly so. If CJL gets a great offer at a school where he can win a NC, he would be stupid to say no. USF needs to convince him and his staff to stay and it needs to be more than he is from here and likes it so this is a good job for him. CJL get it while you can, because as soon as you start losing they will not think twice in firing regardless of where your family lives. Break the bank, if you can!

I am not concerned about Leavitt. I am more concerned about our Assistants.

This team overachieved because of how young the talent is and the lack of a D-IA RB. The staff deserves big time kudos for pulling out an 8 win season with a team this young. That is overachieving. This team could have easily been 6-6.

I want to play a BCS conference opponent. The C-USA thing, been there, done that. ECU would be a dreg of an opponent, same with a MAC opponent. Bottomline is the only thing that helps USF is beating BCS conference opponents. Playing ECU as an out-of-conference opponent to fill out the schedule is one thing, a bowl no way. That would be a disappointment after finishing 8-4 and beating WVU. Give me OK State in the Texas Bowl. Losing a close game to an OSU would be more beneficial than beating a C-USA team.

Unlike last year, the 2006 version of USF overachieved to come up with a 8-4 record with a win against WVU on the road. The Coaching Staff deserves a hand for winning 8-games with a young team, injuries, and suspensions. Personally, I think the HC always get too much credit and blame. The Assistants are what make a program go. Burnham, Frey, Franks, Reichal, Clark, and Dawsey deserve the credit. Great job in 06.

However UCONN did it, they did. That helps for Bowls, even if it is not that accurate.

You are right about the Louisville facilities and the pride of ownership that goes with it. It was not fancy, but there were seats, not benches, and design was very intelligent. You knew you were at Louisville. The endzones even said it! There was no whited out Buc flag behind their logo. As for the band, I think the HOT needs some serious work and an overhaul.

We better get used to playing in bad conditions or find another conference. Maybe the Sun Belt where it is always warm. Look at where we have to go: Pitt Storrs Morgantown Newark Cinn Louisville The only decent conditions is Syracuse. We will continue to lose late season games if we do not learn to play in the cold.

Wow. Talk about a shame. What a tragedy. He was always a good guy, every approachable. I remember saying that he was so nice off the field, it is hard to believe that he was such a hitter on the field. Also, well dressed. Man, that sucks. I am very sad to hear it. My condolences to his family.

So you would have us believe that you, who (obviously) haven't been to a HOME game this year - since H.O.T. has not played Bohemian Rhapsody even ONCE this year - were at Louisville and saw their band's great pagentry??!?!?!?  Even though chicky (who was clearly at the UL game and attends ALL home games as a cheerleader) in another thread said that H.O.T. blew UL's band out of the water??!? Riiiiiiiiiiiiight  :  :  :  : Some Bull fans move. Louisville was the closest game so I drove 7 hours one way to watch. How often do you drive that long to see USF? Also, the facilities and the pre-game blew anything that USF has done out of the water.

I am so sick of this comment!!! 10 years is a long time to develop a band. Geez, the band has had almost 3 full classes graduate! OSU, Wisconsin, ND all these bands replace people every year and they seem to be able to teach them what to do and how to do it. It is an excuse that does not hold up. I'm sorry, but the band in college football does make a difference and there are many fans that are more interested in an enjoyable show than how many yards per carry the team averages. The average fan is way more interested in the total experience than the nuts and bolts of the game. Want to attract guys? Attract women. Want to attract women, create an "event" atmosphere. Sure, there are a couple of hundred that are really interested in our offenses line calls, but the most are there for the experience of the event of seeing their school win. Stadiums are not full of die hard fans that know whether #81 pushed off or was interferred with. THey are full of a mix of people of various ages that are there for the event. A USF football game is not an event. It is a football game. The game at Louisville last night, was an event and the place was packed, the band played a big role, and the atmosphere was fun. It is not comparable to RJ, sorry but it is not.

I think you can make a pretty good arguement that College Football IS about profit/loss. However, as much as I love the business of College Football, that cannot enter into the equation. USF needs to split or sweep the next two games. That would give the program credibility and something to build on. Right now, if we win either of these games it will be viewed as Louisville or WVU playing poorly, not USF beating them. Look at last year, we beat Louisville decisively, yet ask most non-USF fans and they will tell you Louisville was a better team and USF got lucky. That has to change for USF to be a big time player.

I think we have the two sports reversed. Basketball would sell better at the St Pete Times Arena and football would sell better on campus! A lot of successful programs play b-ball in downtown arenas off campus, but few attract more football to pro stadiums. At the Forum, USF bball would get the city crowd and business clientele. I would bet they would double attendance at the forum.

What about my statement is not true about the National Perception of USF not traveling well?  How can it be disrespectful if it is a true statement?  Go to some of our rivals sites and read what is written about us.  Also, the empty seats do look like crap on TV.  That is disrespectful?  If so empty seats must appeal to you.  Answer the following questions: Does a team's following effect Bowl Selection? Does USF sell out the lower bowl for most home games? Did USF sell its allotment of tickets to the Meineke Bowl? Does the rest of the country think USF has poor fan support? What in any of my comments is untrue?  Nothing, it is unpleasant, but not untrue.  We should be able to discuss the unpleasant aspects of our program's existence without fear of being harrassed or worse censored.  As for Bulliever, anytime he has censored one of my posts, I e-mailed and told him how my comment was pertinant to USF.  We may not have agreed upon the language, but at least he knows where I coming from and I DO NOT call out individuals for their opinions because I don't like what they say.  Unlike some people.

Why would someone be on thin ice for voicing an opinion? If we have reached the point where you cannot even question an action what is the point of the message board? To sit around and all tell each other how rosy everything is? How everything is perfect in USF land? I may not agree with everything people write, but I think they have a right to say it and deal with the responses. I hope we are not censoring that much content.

Why shouldn't the schools make money of off the athletics? Who is fronting the capital to build facilities, pay coaching staffs, provide scholarships, and provide these players access to the next level? You make it sound like it is bad for the university to make money off of their investment. What do you think pays for the other sports? Some philanthropists doing all this for betterment of man-kind? The university has every right, no has a responsibility, to maximize its profits from the investment made in these players. Not to mention the fairness to the other 85 athletes that don't break the rules and the coaches. What about the coaches? They did nothing wrong, yet now have a better chance of losing the next two games. When they negotiate their contracts don't you think wins and losses are part of the equation? If not, why are 10 to 15 coaches a year fired? Why, because they do not win, which means they don't make money. So, as I said those players need to play or pay back the money invested in them.

As we have been saying, the way a team travels plays into bowls. Once you get to a certain level, it is more important than being a good football team. The Meineke Bowl is going to bite us, the national perception is that USF does not travel well and has a poor fan following.

No, we NEVER had a chance to get him. The story in Tribune was a plant just to get Huggins' name out in the media again. His recruiting tactics have already been questioned since he's been at Kansas State, he has health issues and was arrested for drunk driving after having a massive heart attack. Yeah, sounds like the guy we need  :. That is true, we HAVE really built something here at USF in basketball. We would not want to risk our legacy on a chancy hire like Huggins. Hey, we beat Buffalo. Big East watch out. Three years under Huggins would have at least gotten us a base of players to work with. We hired a guy from the MAC. Western Michigan or Cinn? Which one is a better b-ball school?

Jeff is taking one for the old man! He'll be rewarded. Watch he'll pop up as a head coach for a CUSA or lower end MAC team. This buys Bobby a year or two of reduced pressure to retire, not that the pressure will affect his decision. He is there until HE say it is time to go.

That is a totally appropriate position for a High School coach to take.  He is right, at the High School level, it is the coaches responsibility to HELP mold the character of their players. High School students are children and need to be treated as such. However, at the college level these players are adults and need to be treated as such.  Paternalistic actions are out of place in a business.  Mentoring is fine and even life education, but the University has made a substantial investment in each scholarship athlete.  The University and coaches deserve the right to recoup that investment.  Treating them like children and letting them walk away from that type of investment does not serve the purposes of the player or institution.  The player needs to understand that either they play or they PAY BACK EVERY PENNY the school invested in them.  That will teach them a lesson.  Watson will go on to sign a professional contract and not think twice.  Meanwhile, USF, the coaches, and the other 83 kids that don't break the rules will go into the WVU and Louisville games undermanned and not having their best chance to win.  This could mean the difference in 100s of thousands of dollars and the seniors best shot at a bowl.  Sorry, MAKE THEM PLAY or PAY BACK THE SCHOLARSHIP. ÂÂ

My views on this are well known. I don't believe that this is an adequate punishment for scholarship athletes. The University invested a lot of resources in these two. The only place the University can recoup that investment is on the field. Punish the hell out of them. Have them perform community service, void their scholarship for their last semester, run them until they can't stand anything but taking a loss on the investment. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying this just about USF, but in my opinion the industry as a whole is using the wrong approach. A lot of money is invested in these athletes, they are not kids, and the school should be able to recoup that investment.