widerberg

Apparently, we are trying. Just nobody wants us. Yet, at least . . . "The ACC has also been also contacted by Connecticut, USF, Cincinnati and Navy. None of those schools are being sought after by other leagues, meaning that if the ACC moves to 16 schools there's no rush to add one of them now. Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/pete_thamel/11/28/louisville-acc/index.html#ixzz2DX1iujHp"

Not to be funny, but who's even in the BE now for 2014-2015? I've lost track. And, wasn't there supposed to be more ACC news yesterday? Like the GOR? Which BE team was getting a lifeline, etc.?

1. I'm numb to all this at this point. That goes to our performance on field and conference realignment. Football has stopped being fun for me. 2. Having said that, so long as the Little 5 champ still gets to have guaranteed access to one of the 6 upper tier bowls, maybe it's a good thing that Rutgers, UConn, and Cincy leave. It'll make it easier for us (once Skip is long gone) to actually win the conference and make one of those big bowls. 3. The really really bad thing will be Rutgers, UConn, and Cincy leaving, Skip staying, and us losing to and watching UCF go to one of those bowls. It will happen. Wait and see.

For what it's worth, I thought this statement by Joker was classy and oh so true (and I could only wish I'd be hearing this from Skip). "We, as coaches, are measured on results," Phillips said in a statement. "We didn't get the results we had worked and hoped for, therefore change is needed." Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/11/04/kentucky-fires-joker-phillips.ap/index.html#ixzz2BMIXvKsg

Congrats!

If I understand correctly, the provision for at-large would be a top 15 or 20 ranking. With the way things are going, I could absolutely see a Big East champion not being ranked high enough to make it in. Unless there's some rule that the power conferences can only send 2 teams per year, I'd imagine the bowls would rather have the number 3 Pac-12, SEC, Big 12, etc. team than the #1 Big East team. Most every fan in the country probably would, too.

Awesome. Jeesh. And a few weeks ago I moaned about the Big East not being included in all this "power conference" talk and was talked off the ledge by some on here regarding this 7th bowl and what it could mean for us non-power folk. Now, this may not be happening (probably won't) and . . . times just get more and more bleak for USF football. violation on the field. violation coach. violation for a conference. violation, violation, everywhere violation.

Conference

Mike, my detectors are all jacked up these days.

Bull94, as I said before, all fair points. I'm just not confident that the way things are shaking out is going to be good for us. I know we'll never get SEC or Pac 12 money, respect, or exposure as a conference, but it feels less like status quo and more like regressing. Maybe I'm just projecting my disappointed in our on-field performance on this whole conference/bowl/play off thing. When it's all said and done, though, we are who we are and we'll play where we'll play. I just wish we (USF and the Big East) could have leveraged all of this expansion and general chaos into something better than it appears we're getting. C'est la vie.

All fair points. The problem, though, is everyone else watches ESPN. We need that exposure (hopefully we'll get some with NBC soon). Being officially removed from the marketing machine that is ESPN (and the rest of the mass media) and its coverage of CFB cannot be a good thing. I would think this has to impact recruiting (maybe not locally), it would impact merchandising, brainshare of casual fans, etc. etc. Like it or not, CFB is a caste system and we just became the untouchables, or maybe a step or two up. Certainly, we're not in a good spot. Since our (as USF) on-the-field performance isn't exactly lighting any fires, it's even more important to be a part of a conference that's getting good promotion in the media.

No. I'm upset that the Big East has been relegated. We used to be bottom of the BCS (sometimes ACC was, allegedly). But, we were still BCS. Now, the Big East (deservedly, probably) has been swept together with the rest of the riffraff. That is going to be a major blow to USF and our football for years to come. We're officially outside looking in. Blame performance. Blame ESPN. Blame whoever. But we used to be part of the Big Six. Now there's a Big Five and we ain't one. That's what I'm upset about. We (as a league) didn't push hard enough or grease enough palms to come out of all this at the Big Boy table. We all knew this was happening, but now's it's looking more and more official as the **** Five get their own bowl to shut up and go away. It's just a hard pill to swallow, whether it's just what we deserve or not. I was still hoping somehow the Big East would manage to attach itself exclusively to a good, traditional, name bowl and somehow push for a Big Six again.

Yeah, because everyone is saying Skip should have delivered the National Championship this year. THAT's the only issue. Please. You're saying Skip is doing great? We should extend him again?

Um, this sucks. So, the Big East is now officially an also-ran? No more even pretending? The Big Five all get their own pretty high end bowls and we're now stuck in the **** Five, fighting it out for the last scrap? How insulting is that? Yeah, I know we're only 16 years old, etc. etc., but fact is we are/were in a BCS/AQ conference and now we're officially on par with CUSA, MAC, etc.? This doesn't sound good at all. Not even a little.

^ This right here is the truth. I've been too bummed to do anything but lurk on the board for most of this season. I appreciate those who are not calling for Holtz's head, just as much as those who are. But, for those saying ridiculous things like "well, what if we win out?", what possible evidence have you seen of any kind of skill or plan that would lead to us winning out? Short of mass food poisoning or a forfeit of the opponent, how are we going to win out? How can we stink it up for 2 years and then suddenly have everything fall into place and become a powerhouse? That's more deluded than calling for Holtz's head based on actual, observed reality that we've all witnessed. Based on what has actually happened on the field, the much likelier scenario is that we don't win any more games this season. That sucks.

As others have said, every BE team has a formula to beat us. I'm thinking we take Temple but likely drop every other conference game. Also, I really don't see how in the world we can take Miami or FSU. Not this year.

Well there were *actually* people (a small minority, granted) on this board arguing that it was ridiculous to not expect the team to go undefeated. Someone ACTUALLY said that. Clearly there are some real idiots here. Thankfully, I think they are a very small minority, they just also happen to be the loudest, most obnoxious, and most attention-starved. Well, there's undefeated and there's playing/coaching like ****. Subtle difference, maybe, but a difference nonetheless. Also, I don't think as fans (many of whom have invested money and time in the program) it's unreasonable to want/expect consistency in play and some leadership and skill from our upper classman. I mean, Jeebus, if we're loaded with upper classman now, what are we going to look like in a rebuilding year? Having said that, Go Bulls!

Matt, all those teams had winning years, too. LOTS of winning years. That balances perceptions and gives fanbases something to hold on to, that their team will get back to winning because they've done it before, no matter how bad they happen to suck now. What have we done? Beat some teams we shouldn't have, but epically flopped in conference. Never finished the season ranked (even UCF can say they've done that). The closest we've ever been is on the cusp, only to collapse. That's the frustration. And it feels like the same ol' same ol' this year, and last.

Humidity? ;-)

And rest of conference.

I'm sad.