bullcocky101

culture of losing and irrelevance strinking again?

I have been a USF fan since they joined the Big East I went to every home game and many away games...I have cheered us through the rough patches when the wheels have fallen off our seasons, but I had the knowledge that next year could be better and we could compete for and gain national recognition and respect. I will still cheer them on, but I have family ties to other teams in the Big 5 conferences and would like to be able to watch a full game of the sport called football without turning my tv off in frustration in the 3 quarter because 3 out of every 4 plays we run are also disaster. Large UF and FSU watch parties are happening in the dorms Already...Holtz would have been gone in any other program that took itself seriously by now and you are seeing that now even the students aren't taking USF athletics seriously anymore. Every time I wear my USF jersey out of Tampa, nobody knows who USF is and I used to take joy in explaining that we were the up and coming team that beat so and so...now I know how Eastern Michigan fans must feel (most of them however root for U of M). I want to believe, but this is dangerous waters we are treading and no change in the off season will signal that USF football will simply become a novelty item in a sea of also rans.

I want to be a fan of a big time FBS program, but it looks like that is not going to be an option with USF in the future with the program in its current state and us getting relegated to the kids table. My friends and work buddies used to talk trash with me, but now they don't even include me in the conversations about college football...as if by being a USF fan, I can't be knowledgeable or care about college football. I am seriously contemplating just rooting for USF in all other sports and going for a better team in football like many of our current students do. I would lament having to do that, but something has to happen for us to stay relevant. This program hasn't received any good news in over 2 years!

This has gone beyond all realms of embarassment for the school, alumni, students and community...this team not only losses consistently, but plays at a high school level with even the most basic of fundamentals absent.

I like the toughness of this kid, good vision as well...if we lose JoJo, this guy might be a good get.

I thought basketball didn't start for another week.

He fires Cosh, publicly admits that he will never use the prevent defense in any situation that does not include us being up by 40 points with 2 minutes left to play, and wins out. That is the only way that I would buy tickets or support the team next year if he is coach. His cover 2 defense just stands in one spot and waits for the WR's to catch the ball and his 2 and 3 deep zones are a joke. If Holtz can go 6-6 and installs an aggressive style defense with a proven winner at coordinator, we should be good next year. With the weapons we have on offense, Woulard or whomever steps up as starting QB should have a field day. Bivins and spencer are the real deal on D and if we can get the right schemes under them...also our linebackers are talented. We need to be 6-6 however or we will start to bleed recruits.

I don't think a Big East team will ever be allowed to sniff the NC game unless we can get some good marketing or the playoff system expands further.

LOL we are the few and the proud who still care...I tried to give away the remainder of my donor seats on Craigs list and got 3 responses: 1 person said they would take them if I paid for shipping, another said he would take them because he was a huge University of San Francisco fan!?, the other would take them if I wrote him a check for parking...I eventually gave them to a student who was happy because he can now tailgate and get drunk longer. Point of story: best seats in the house have a market value of roughly -15 dollars a game. Yeah, this program is no longer relevant, but I will still watch them and cheer them on!

USF is starting to stand for unprecedented sustained failure.

During half-time, one of the ESPN announcers stated that an undefeated BE team should not even be in the discussion for the championship game...what is everyone's opinion on this? If that is true, does USF pull back on football funding and concentrate on other sports we have a chance to win it all in...assuming that is always the ultimate goal.

Holtz needs to win out and we need to go to the whocares.com bowl where USF can lose some more money do to unsold tickets for Holtz to keep his job. A 7-5 season is tragic with what this season should have been but it at least shows some improvement and he could change his defensive philosophy for next year. Anything short of that and no AD in his right mind could justify keeping him on...3 non-bowl seasons in a row and the entire program is likely up in smoke...a buyout is better than that.

For fun, I am interested in seeing some creative ways that Skip can give back to the USF community and the fans for the money he is being paid (since winning is apparently off the table). My idea is called the "skippy cab"...Skip will offer a cab service drive home fans after a home game who may have become too intoxicated to drive due in part to the horrible on field performance they have witnessed. The fans would seriously appreciate this and it would give credence to the idea that he is earning his money.

These are 18-23 year olds, not professional athletes in their 30's...you have to excite them and get them ready to play. It's not that hard to figure out.

I'm down for KP. The players love him and he is a great recruiter. He also coaches with passion...seeing Addazio's passion made me think I want some of that!

At least Zook had a winning record... 24-18 before he was canned and penned one of the worst hires in Florida football history.

Agreed, the current situation goes beyond my greatest nightmares of what could happen to us...we have no bragging rights, no pride left...really nothing as fans to hold unto...all we can do is take our picks from...well every other college football program's fans and remind ourselves of how valuable our USF degrees are.

I will pitch in 20 bucks

I Like how when a coach like Saben slaps a player or whips him around by his facemask on national tv he doesn't get fired...in fact I recall a particular announcer applauding him for being a good old fashioned coach. I'm not saying that behavior is right...I just don't think the particular incident with Leavitt was nearly sever enough to fire him. Maybe reprimand worthy.

we might only win 2 games this year...next year we might only win 1...

I am writing this from my own experience as a USF alum and supporter for the past 10 years and I would like to hear other opinions and input as to perception and personal experiences.To me, being a USF Bull is a mindset. It is about pride in where we have come from and the sacrifices that were made to bring the school to where it is today. We put up with a ton of sh** as a team, as a fan base, and as a university while finding a way to keep our heads held high. As a team, we have been consistently crapped on by ESPN and the media (many times even the local papers have bigger UF and FSU sections than USF), Rutgers came in and stomped on our logo one year and destroyed our (the bucs) locker room, we don't have a stadium to call our own, our conference fell apart around us, and most of our players were looked over by the bigger name schools in the state. Up until the hiring of Skip we played with a chip on our shoulder as a team and saw greater results with far less heralded talent than Skip is currently dealing with. Perhaps it is just me, but in the past our teams played with a certain "fu** you" attitude, meanness and intensity even if they didn't always win. As a fan base we are constantly being told why we are not good enough, people always ask "who is USF?", we get confused with other schools constantly, generally more Gator and Noles stuff is sold at local stores, we are outnumbered in our home city by fans of other teams, we were outnumbered in our home stadium in what was heralded the biggest home game in our history! We are constantly on the defensive for our school because...we have to be (nobody else will)! Our fanbase used to have the attitude that we could take down anybody, anytime, and anywhere and now it is "we suck, maybe everybody was right, well we are a young program, excuse, excuse." The mentality of what it means to be a Bulls fan has changed dramatically from what I have seen in the past year or two. As a school, we are crapped on by the legislature (disproportionate budget cuts and poly tech BS), the ranking systems, and other schools. I know personally that I took slack whenever I chose USF over UF and FSU. We do have traditions at USF and first and foremost is the mindset. Maybe Skip has never been in the position that many USF fans have had to deal with, but he needs to get over being a "fighting Irishman" and get some fire in his belly and learn to be a Bull before it is too late. I would like nothing more than a reporter with some balls to ask coach Holtz "what does it mean to you to be a Bull?" because that to me is more important than a win or a loss in any particular game. Sorry for the rant, it is something I felt that I needed to get off of my chest however.

embarassed to be a Bull under Skip...the program is beginning to suck in oh so many ways. Still hoping for a win against Temple lol.

I would love it if Skip did something to fire up the team, fanbase, and state that he is all in. Let's send a big f-u to FSU by breaking a spear at mid field or something. This is our field and we'll be dammed to let an interstate rival beat us on it! I want to see some anger and passion out of the staff this week.

A few people on this board have mentioned that the FSU game has lost its luster due to the recent collapse of yet another season, however it has become more important. The spirit and pride of the school is at an all time low. Many students have taken up cheering for alternate schools with such statements as "oh, i'm an Oklahoma fan" or "I'm a FSU fan even though I cheer for the Bulls". It is time the team put some pride back into saying "I'm a USF fan!" at least for a week by beating FSU. This game is more important than ever. I will be there loud and proud because pride is what college football is all about and I would like nothing more than to ruin FSU's title hopes.

I personally miss the wally/Leavitt days where USF had the identity of a mean and tough defense that was going to come after you and hit you hard. Those days were exciting with a gutsy coach that called fake punts and pushed the issue. The Holtz years have not only been unsuccessful but boring as well...