MMW

When we were in the Big East, Syracuse fans were the ones complaining the loudest and fighting to get into the ACC. They were nasty towards USF. If they got the boot I might overdose on schadenfreude

OK, fair enough. As pessimistic as I am about USF's chances, I am even more skeptical of Miami's. I just don't think they meet the profile.

Would they need USF is they take Miami? What Miam has against it is the fact that it a smallish private school. Isn't the rest of the B1G big state schools?

Great article and basically is the counter to the argument I have been making about our fanbase over the past couple of days. I love reading it but it is like daydreaming about winning the lottery. I would love nothing more that to be wrong. OK, this first one is the very definition of sneaky as South Florida isn’t on the radar of a Power Four move. But consider that South Florida is an AAU member and has a huge enrollment (hovering around 40,000 undergraduates). Bringing the Tampa television market (ranked No. 11 nationally) would be a huge get for the Big Ten Network. So there are some good selling points here. Now, does USF move the needle with football or basketball? Truthfully, no. There would be a ton of work for USF to do to get to the Big Ten level and the fan interest is seriously lacking. But the same could be said for Rutgers and Maryland when they entered the Big Ten in 2014. Could USF make a similar step up? But considering the market they bring and the fact that they are in a recruiting hotbed, this might be a forward-thinking move from the Big Ten to secure a top-15 market

So you all agree that our fanbase is contingent on who we are playing. That is not going to help us. Nobody seems to understand that we need to be excited to see OUR team play against anybody. That would be the kind of fanbase that we would need. We don't have that, not even on this board it would seem. We might get into the ACC but it will be in its death throws like the Big East was. When it falls apart or gets watered down into the next AAC everyone will be miserable again. I think we were spoiled by that Big East invite.

I agree with this but the velvet rope is determined solely on fan support, not winning, not OCS, AAU. As a thought exercise imagine a team that can packs every stadium and jacks the ratings of every game win or lose. They will get all the attention whether deserved or not. Think Notre Dame on steroids. That team can write it's own ticket. It will sell more t-shirts, bring in more revenue, more eyeballs on screens etc. This is why I think teams should be creating a better game day experience for their students & fans - like building an OCS. They should be doing everything possible to increase their fan base. Create a carnival like atmosphere where people come to enjoy themselves regardless of the outcome. Pictured below is that NOT happening. The people sitting in the stands are dedicated and deserve a lot of credit, but they are there to see a team win and quite often leave disappointed. I know because I was one of them. We probably all are. On campus USF can bring in a band or host a frisbee contest or face painting for little kids. Would you invite a program that was only able to generate this kind of buzz?

I don't understand why the G5 would want a playoff system. It would only create the perception that they are a AA league. They are but why would they want to cement that?

I am honestly not so sure about that anymore.

Why do you feel it weakened the ACC? Other than distance, Standford and Cal are good additions IMO. SMU is what it is. This is what I am thinking. Eat or be eaten.

So it sounds like we were obligated to play them. But even if we weren't, they were VERY popular games and highly attended. By that reason alone the games should have happened - the fans wanted it. Unless the argument around here is for some esoteric reason that only makes sense on a message boards, we should not play a team down the road because it would give them a small advantage. If we didn't play them it would seem like we were afraid to play them for some reason. I think there was some truth to that.

Now more than ever I think USF's upside is insane. TV Market, OCS, AAU, surging revenue generatng programs, facilities, recruiting. If we were invitied to a more prominent league I think things would be next level. Imagine having B12 or ACC coming on campus to play week in and out. What that would do to recruiting and ticket sales would be insane. With the ACC we would also be rubbing acadmic shoulders with the likes of Standford, Cal, Duke, GT etc. I also think we would fair well against those teams.

There has been some poo pooing around here by some poster over AAU status. It will not get us into the B10 but we would show up on lists as potential candidates they could consider. Not bad recognition.

Claire was pretty sexy.

The ACC was so two weeks ago. We have moved on to the B10

When the Powerball is up to a billion I might run in and put a couple of $ down. It is a fun game where I get to fantasize about what it would be like to win that much money. In that light, indulge me on what getting into the B10 would do for this program.

You are not going anywhere. We are all in this together.

Huh?!?!?

This is the first I am hearing of this but it would be awesome. The Claw is rarely used and maybe USF Golf could make a deal with the Tampa Palms Country Club to use their course. It is right next door.

I have 4 kids between the age of 17-21 so I have looked at a lot of schools in Florida. My wife and I discouraged USF due to it being too close to home. If I was being honest, another reason was the lack of student life on (no OCS) and off - no night life or college town shops or restaurants. You step off campus and you are in suitcase city or temple terrace. With the AAU status, new dorms, new stadium and the new development that comes with it USF is shaping up to be a near perfect school (I am happy to list why I feel that way). That is with or without an ACC invite.

This is how I've always felt. I actually live near USF and I hate driving to Ray Jay. It's a great stadium, no doubt, but it's a professional stadium dedicated to the bucs and we are guests there.

I can't imagine there are any guarantees in this environment. I wouldn't be surprised if they were told not having a stadium hurt their chances.

This is hubris on their part. I get it, I am sure they have gotten it into their heads they would dominate in any league but there is no denying they have had an easier path.

Who would likely be a ACC candidate from the B12?