Atlanta Bull

Heard he's playing Russell Wison in the Russell Wilson Story on FX this fall.

Please leave at least one T-REX

Bianchi article on why UCF should join B12. In the associated video they say USF would be a good add for a travel partner. Lots of good points made about why FL schools should be in B12: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/ucf-knights/os-ucf-big-12-expansion-mike-bianchi-0414-20160413-column.html Dear esteemed Big 12 presidents, I know you're discussing expansion and a decision may come as soon as this summer, so I just wanted to drop you a note to let you know why UCF is the smart choice. And by smart, I mean really smart; smart as in more National Merit Scholars than the University of Texas; smart as in the highest athletic graduation rate among public universities in this country; smart as in the kind of fine academic institution of higher learning that would make the Big 12 proud to have UCF as a member. The reason I'm writing this letter is because UCF PresidentJohn Hitt and athletics director Danny White are too professional to publicly politick and pander to get into your league. Unlike some other potential Big 12 candidates (see Cincinnati), UCF isn't shamelessly shilling to get an invitation. Promoted stories from SportsChatter.com Gretzky family enjoying life on Instagram Golden State a footnote without championship Under Armour’s impressive stable of athletes While I'm sure UCF's leadership is working behind the scenes to educate you about the university's incredible potential, I wanted to make sure they aren't being too humble. In my mind, UCF should easily be the Big 12's top choice – geographically, demographically, athletically and academically. UCF football program sees record turnout at high school coaches clinic I really want to talk to you about academics, but first let me quickly remind you about UCF's location — smack, dab in the middle of the third-largest state in the union and perhaps the No. 1 recruiting hotbed in the nation. The Big 12 is the only conference in the southern part of the United States that doesn't have a footprint in the Sunshine State. If your conference has a vision of starting a Big 12 Network someday, it needs to have a presence in our football-fanatical pigskin peninsula. UCF is the second-largest university in the country with more than 60,000 students. If UCF's campus were its own metropolitan area, it would have a bigger population than four Big 12 cities – Morgantown, W.V.; Stillwater, Okla.; Manhattan, Kans.; and Ames, Iowa. Scott Frost impressed with turnout at UCF football coaches clinic Did you know Orlando is the biggest TV market in the country that doesn't have a professional football team? You know what that means? If the Big 12 comes to Orlando, it wouldn't have to compete with the king of all sports leagues – the NFL -- for football fans. That certainly wouldn't be the case in Cincinnati or Tampa. Orlando is a college football town first and foremost, evidenced by our three bowl games and several upcoming neutral site games. Orlando is the 18th-largest TV market in the nation and already has many more TV sets than some of the Big 12's other top candidates such as UConn (30th-largest TV market) Cincinnati (34) and Memphis (48). And while Orlando's market is rapidly expanding, those other markets are slowly shrinking. Orlando is the fastest-growing of the country's 30 largest regions, according to new population estimates released recently by the U.S. Census Bureau. Our region added more than 60,000 net new residents in the 12-month period ending July 1, 2015 (166 per day), growing our total population by 2.6 percent to 2,387,138. What's growing even faster than Orlando's overall population is UCF's scholastic reputation, which I know is important to academic-minded school presidents like yourselves. UCF's football program — and its overall athletic program — had the highest graduation rate of any public university in the nation last year. If UCF were in the Big 12 right now, it would be the second-most selective academic institution in the league, but first in number of degrees awarded. Among Big 12 members, only the University of Texas awards more Masters degrees per year than does UCF. But UCF has an even loftier vision. President Hitt points out that less than 10 percent of kids from the lowest socio-economic quartile will earn a college degree while more than 80 percent of kids from the highest quartile will earn those same degrees. "That statistic hasn't changed in decades," Hitt says. "We think it has to change. Higher education has the unique opportunity to transform lives for the better. To me, that is the definition of a great university. We want to help change the definition of greatness." Even the esteemed Washington Post has taken notice and wrote a few months ago that "[UCF is] in the vanguard of an insurgency that aims to demolish the popular belief that exclusivity is a virtue in higher education." Isn't it time for the Big 12 to also demolish the popular belief among uninformed elitists in the national media that UCF doesn't belong in the Power Five? Dear esteemed presidents, I urge you to look at the projections, the potential, the market size and the graduation rates and then make the smart decision. A decision — and a university — that will get smarter and smarter in the years to come. UCF to the Big 12. It's academic.

I wonder if Harlan is going? He might be able to learn how a small college that was a doormat in collegiate sports for many years now has many programs including football that kick the crap out of bigger schools. I lived in Houston in the 70-80s and they were a JOKE.

That would be one rockin conference! Miami and FSU have turned into pretty decent hoops programs, the right coach can make it happen.

This will be a breakout year, Willie finally got a clue how to use Florida talent on offense.

http://newsok.com/boren-says-big-12-expansion-decision-should-come-this-summer/article/5479305?custom_click=rss&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter The University of Cincinnati is excited about a possible invitation to the Big 12, and the Bearcats ought to be optimistic. But not because of some emails between UC president Santa Ono and OU president David Boren. The excitement should stem from the growing belief that expansion indeed is in the Big 12's future. Boren on Tuesday told The Oklahoman that Big 12 presidents have agreed that they need to make a decision, perhaps by this summer, on the reforms Boren has championed: expansion, a football championship game and implementation of a conference network. “We're in a fact-finding mode, we're in a data-gathering mode,” Boren said. “In other words, what will it mean to the stability of the conference? What will it mean financially to the conference? More from Berry: Read all the recent articles and blogs from Berry Tramel “We've sort of said to ourselves, come this summer, we're going to have to finally make a decision about what we do. We cannot indefinitely postpone decisions. That's what I had gotten frustrated about. I thought we were spinning our wheels.” But Boren says the presidents have agreed to research the numbers and let the data decide. “And I think a consensus is forming around these three reforms,” Boren said. “So I'm in a personal mode of patience. Trying to be patient, because sometimes it takes time to work through.” Cincinnati doesn't mind waiting. Like the other prime candidates — Brigham Young, Connecticut, Central Florida, Boise State — the Bearcats have no other viable options for inclusion into the Power Five conferences. The Cincinnati Enquirer released emails it obtained from Ono's office, in which Boren lauded Ono, writing, “…knowing that you are at the helm in Cincinnati makes me even more inclined to support your cause.” +2photos Very nice and quite possibly true and completely irrelevant to the discussion. First, I would assume Boren and other Big 12 power-brokers sweet-talk all kinds of potential expansion candidates. No reason not to. No reason not to encourage every potential school, to beef up their cause. Last October, Boren volunteered his pending campaign to push for expansion and other reforms. I asked him who he liked. He said he didn't care. He mentioned all the usual suspects. BYU, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Boise State. Maybe Boren has a personal favorite, but those Cincinnati emails are no clue. In fact, Boren said Tuesday that in the same way he favors letting the data determine whether the Big 12 adds new members, a title game and network, he favors letting the data determine who the new members would be. “I think people are being very sincere about trying to look at the figures and the facts,” Boren said. “Not be emotional about it or ‘I want this school' or ‘I want that.' “Well, what are their academics? What's their research base? How well do they fit our academic profile? How well do they fit our fan base profile? How many dollars in their market do they bring to the table? We're looking at all that. In terms of the network and those dollars, we're looking with our TV consultants to tell us.” NBA Trade Tracker: Keep track of the deadline deals Of course, not every question can be answered with facts and data. How important is geography in the expansion talks? That's not a data question. That's a subjective question. If the Big 12 decides to expand totally East, as it did with West Virginia, then Cincinnati is sitting pretty. If the Big 12 decides to add Brigham Young, which seems to be the strongest candidate outside geography, then Cincinnati could be competing with UConn for only one spot. If the Big 12 decides to add the two best football schools, the league could sweep up the West duo of BYU and Boise State. But Boren is promoting the data. The Big 12 might let the data do the talking. Cincinnati brings solid football and good academics. Cincinnati would not strongly impact the Big 12's network television contract, but Cincinnati potentially could impact the value of a conference network, since getting onto cable systems in Ohio would be a bonanza. Lots of moving parts. That's why first things first. If there were obvious candidates, the Big 12 long ago would have expanded. Oklahoma City Thunder: How Thunder fans would improve the roster at the trade deadline For now, the prime directive is convincing the holdouts that expansion is necessary and convincing Texas to give up The Longhorn Network for the greater good of a Big 12 Network. “What's good about it, I would say, no one's slammed the door shut on any possibilities,” Boren said. “We're doing what we should do. We're being prudent, we're being diligent. We're reviewing all the data." The Big 12 is in better shape than it's been at any time since the major realignment of 2011. Oklahoma made the College Football Playoff. The Big 12 has been dominant this basketball season. The financial TV payouts have been strong. But Boren says that's why now is the time to decide. "“It's a good time to act," Boren said. "Let's don't wait until we have a crisis or we're about to lose a member or two. We're stable right now, we like each other. Most people in the Big 12 want to stay in the Big 12. It's the right time to make progress.” So be optimistic, Cincinnati. Just not too excited. The data, not year-old emails, will decide your future.

Nice smoke screen B12. The decision has already been made or will be made BEFORE the summer. The announcement of the new additions will likely be on June 30 giving the new schools a start date of July 1, 2017 in the B12, just in time for the 2017 football season. We have seen this all before in all of the poched egg conferences USF gets into or left behind in. B12 (TX, OU) doesn't give a crap about travel partners for WVU. They will always be on an island in B12. If WVU had the academics they would be in ACC and not on an island. UCONN football is a joke and not B12 caliber nor EVER will be. UC has won in the past with excellent coaching hires who stayed for a few years on their way to major college programs. They will never be able to compete in B12 because they will never be able to recruit players or get a good coach. Houston should be in B12 but that will NEVER happen because of politics and too many Texas teams. Memphis, will never be able to compete because of recruiting. So if B12 was smart they would add USF/ucf because of recruiting, TV markets also a bonus. The only reason Baylor can compete is because they are located in Texas, otherwise they are Iowa St. Is the B12 going to make the smart decision?, 50/50 bet at this point.

Not sure why the Frog fans and Frog media don't like USF but they diss us every chance they get. I remember beating them in Dallas back in the CUSA days. I think they know USF can get the athletes to match them once they are on a level playing field.

If you read between the lines, B12 needs to get a foothold in SEC country/Florida: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sec-threatens-big-12-texas-004400560.html Devwah Whaley wasn't shy about his goal. During his sophomore year, it was obvious his final two years at Beaumont Central would be spent as the centerpiece to Toby Foreman's offense. "Coach," Whaley told Foreman, "I want to be a running back in the SEC." Whaley made it a reality when he committed to Arkansas on Jan. 2, giving Bret Bielema's offense a nod ahead of 10 other SEC schools who offered him a scholarship. A decade ago -- or even five years ago -- the notion would have been odd. Now? Whaley's pledge hardly raises an eyebrow. He's a small part of the SEC's growing attractiveness in Texas, which has translated into increased success pulling the state's top players in the state to SEC territory. That's been a major boost for the SEC, but it threatens the future of the Big 12. Texas, Florida and California have long been the states that supply the majority of the talent to the Big 12, SEC and Pac-12. Now, over the course of the last five years, the Big 12's foundation has shown signs of crumbling. Whaley and others like him are part of a growing trend. How far will it continue to grow? Are Whaley's reasons representative of the whole? And what does it mean for both leagues? Let's start with some facts and figures. Here are the number of top 50 players in Texas (via 247 Sports' composite rankings) who signed with SEC and Big 12 schools over the last six years. 2010 Big 12: 41 SEC: 3 2011 Big 12: 37 SEC: 4 Texas A&M announced plans to leave for the SEC in September 2011. TCU announced plans to join the Big 12 the next month. 2012 Big 12: 30 SEC: 16 (12 signed with Texas A&M) 2013 Big 12: 22 SEC: 18 (13 signed with Texas A&M) 2014 Big 12: 20 SEC: 13 (9 signed with A&M) 2015 Big 12: 27 SEC: 17 (10 signed with A&M) 2016 Big 12: 18 committed SEC: 18 committed (seven committed to A&M) The trend obviously peaked in 2016, and just two of the top 10 recruits in Texas are currently committed to the Big 12 (both Baylor). That's the same number Houston can claim, thanks to 13 wins and a Peach Bowl victory over Florida State for Tom Herman in 2015. Texas A&M was claiming the vast majority of Texas' SEC signees since joining the league in 2012, but this year, that changed. Ole Miss has a verbal commitment from the state's top talent, offensive tackle Greg Little. LSU claimed safety Eric Monroe and linebacker Erick Fowler, the state's Nos. 9 and 12 overall players, respectively. Whaley, at No. 15, is Arkansas' lone signee from Texas' top 50. "I played in Texas and turned down out-of-state offers," said Foreman, Whaley's coach. "Being from Texas, I'd like to see more kids stay in the state, but I understand. Everybody should go to the best place that fits them. You'd think with six big time successful colleges, we'd be able to keep all these guys." More and more, that's proving to not be the case. As social media and television access has grown, so has the worth of national recruiting. Not every SEC signee from Texas' story reflects Whaley's. "What you hear is that SEC is the best conference, period," said Kirk Eaton, who coaches Cy Falls in the Houston area. "That's what adults and radio, and sports talk radio, is what they're talking about. That's not what I hear kids saying,". His linebacker, Trey Baldwin, signed and enrolled early at Missouri. "I haven't had a kid in five years say I want to go to an SEC school," Eaton said. "They just want to be wanted. The whole Texas A&M thing, 'We're in the SEC' thing drives me crazy. A&M likes to toot their horn that they're in the SEC. I think that's the alums and sports media talking." Granted, the SEC's recent run of national titles and a wide lead in NFL draft pick production has confronted every recruit in the state with an inconvenient truth: The SEC has proven itself as the home of college football's top programs. "I don't think that's SEC," Eaton said. "I think that's Alabama and LSU. ... Our kids just don't talk conferences. They just don't." The S-E-C chant assures that the league's 10 schools who haven't won a national title during its most recent run don't mind capitalizing on the four that have won a trophy. It's played out on the recruiting trail. Of those 10, Ole Miss and Arkansas have capitalized most in Texas. "Nothing substitutes winning," Eaton said. "When you are playing for those national championships and winning and you're on TV and you have your own network -- there's a Longhorn Network, but I don't know if anybody even has that channel. Everybody has the SEC Network. Winning came first, and the SEC Network came second. There's no substitute for winning." Players signing with SEC West teams are guaranteed to play a game in Texas every two years. While Texas A&M's SEC entrance is the easiest explanation for the SEC's windfall within the state, it's not the only factor. "[The Big 12] needs Texas to get good again," said Mike Farrell, Rivals.com's national recruiting director said. "That's the biggest thing. They're the juggernaut and the one that keeps most of the in-state kids in when they're good and they've been bad. That's where it starts. If Texas is good, other programs can drum up attention from Texas kids who want to play Texas because UT didn't offer them." TCU and Baylor have capitalized on Texas and Oklahoma's recent slides to field the Big 12's best recruiting classes in 2016, even despite Oklahoma's run to the playoff last season. However, neither TCU nor Baylor boasts the historical panache of the Big 12's resident powers. Expecting either to annually field top-10 classes is asking a lot. With Texas down and Oklahoma suffering an eight-win season in 2014, this year's recruiting results shouldn't surprise. "I do know that our kids, if they run down the hallway and see an SEC coach walking in the hallway, they do get excited," Eaton said. "It's what they know. "They have a short attention span, though. If OU had won that national championship, they'd be more excited about them." So where is the trend heading? Is 2016 an outlier? Is it a warning of what's to come? Or is it the new normal for Big 12 programs, at least until Texas returns to prominence? "I think it's maybe plateaued," Eaton said. "It's probably close to plateauing," Foreman said. Schools like Alabama and LSU can't overextend their recruiting efforts to far into Texas without drawing the ire of in-state high school coaches, a dynamic that could cost them signees in future classes. "They spot pick," Farrell said. "Alabama plucked away A'Shawn Robinson. This year, Greg Little (to Ole Miss), Erick Fowler (to LSU). Ole Miss just happened to be the one that could say, 'We're losing Laremy Tunsil. You're the next Laremy Tunsil.' LSU recruits Texas, but they take care of their own guys. If SEC programs focused too much energy in Texas, that would hurt them, but they're too smart for that. They pick and choose the right guys for them." It's a vicious cycle for the Big 12. It has to win to recapture recruits' wandering eyes, but without those signatures, it's a lot harder to win titles. "The SEC brand is so strong, they're going to continue to encroach on other areas," Farrell said. For all the anecdotal cases, top recruiting classes generally hoist trophies a few years later. For now, Baylor (No. 12) has the highest rated recruiting class among Big 12 and Texas schools,according to Rivals.com. Just two other schools are in the top 20. Texas, at No. 45, is hoping a late push for uncommitted prospects will push it up the rankings. However they do it, reversing the trend is paramount to the Big 12's future.

From ESPN, Feb. 1: Next three months could determine future of Big 12 Ever since its members overwhelmingly shot down the notion of implementing a conference network, the Big 12, for almost a decade now, has been riding a roller coaster. Twice, the league almost dissolved. And it’s been whittled down to 10 members, while losing its championship game along the way. As a result, the perception of the Big 12 has gradually suffered, and not just in the eyes of those from the outside, either. Oklahoma president David Boren, one of the Big 12’s most influential power brokers, has resorted to calling the conference “disadvantaged.” Later this week, the Big 12’s presidents, chancellors and athletic directors will congregate at the conference office in Irving, Texas, to kick off what figures to be a defining three months. League leaders are set to meet again in May. These won’t be the usual routine discussions about rules and budgets. Instead, these talks could set the course for the future of the Big 12, and, perhaps, whether the conference ultimately has a future at all. Oklahoma president David Boren has big plans for the Big 12, including creating a conference network. AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki And in the end, it could boil down to an old Western standoff, pitting the Big 12’s two founding members against one another. On one side, Boren has made his aims clear. He wants a conference championship game. He wants to expand back to 12 members. And, above all, he wants a conference network. "I'd like to plant the seeds for a resolution," Boren told reporters last week after an Oklahoma regents meeting. "I hope that resolution will not be a shootout. I hope that resolution will be one where everyone reaches a common goal as to what we're going to do.” Boren no longer seems interested in incremental action, either. He wants all three, together and soon. "What I hope we'll do is do a lot of talking about it and hope that we get some kind of a timetable laid out in front of us, during which time we'll act," he said. "Let's hope this is going to be in the next few months to a year or whatever.” That will partly hinge on whether Boren can begin drumming up support for his cause -- so far, only West Virginia president Gordon Gee has publicly supported the notion of expansion. But mostly, it will come down to Texas, and just how far the Big 12’s other flagship program is willing to meet Boren behind closed doors. So far in the realignment era of the Big 12, Oklahoma has been the one to blink first. In 2011, the Sooners attempted to pressure Texas into relinquishing the Longhorn Network by flirting with the Pac-12. Texas, however, called Oklahoma’s bluff. The Sooners, who didn’t have a firm invite from the Pac-12 unless the Longhorns came along too, were forced to accept Texas’ status quo. This time around, though, Oklahoma might not be bluffing. Boren hasn’t exactly come out and said that he’ll take the Sooners to another conference if he doesn’t get his way. But he sure has insinuated as much. “I think if -- if -- we can get the Big 12 on the right track, if this comprehensive plan could be adopted, then I would rather stay in the Big 12,” Boren told the Tulsa World last month. “I think that would be to our advantage. But it’s something that we really need to have happen. Certainly, my first choice, if we can get the right things done in the Big 12, the right steps taken, especially these three, then I think we ought to stay in the Big 12. “If it just doesn’t happen, then I try to think long-term.” Boren understands that Oklahoma has leverage the other Big 12 schools don’t. If the Big 12 ever dissolved, the Sooners have the tradition and the following that would assuredly land them a spot in another Power 5 conference. That wouldn’t necessarily be the case for the rest of the Big 12. Texas, of course, would have a landing spot, too. But the Longhorns most likely wouldn’t be able to take the Longhorn Network with them to the Pac-12, Big Ten or SEC, which already have conference networks in place. That is leverage Boren clearly won't be afraid to use to push his agenda. What is unclear is how the Texas brass will react. DeLoss Dodds and Bill Powers, who played hardball with Oklahoma and the rest of the Big 12, are no longer around. Instead, the Longhorns have a new president in Gregory Fenves and a new athletic director in Mike Perrin. Would they be open to compromising with Boren and whatever supporting contingent he is able to cobble together? The answer to that could begin to materialize as soon as this week. "I'm not out to embarrass Texas," Boren said. "I'm not out to make them financially worse off. This isn't any kind of motivation to do anything to Texas that makes them worse off. I just think we've got to think about ways to transition away from that, that will keep them whole and be fair with them.” One myth percolating about the Big 12 is that it’s destined to dissolve, no matter what steps the league takes. But the truth is this: As long as Texas and Oklahoma are committed to making the Big 12 last, the conference will continue to exist. This week, we’ll begin to find out just how willing the two schools that first dreamed up the Big 12 are to making it work. http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/109392/next-three-months-could-determine-future-of-big-12

It's never going to happen but it does have some interesting options. It would seat about 40K I think. Concessions and parking already set up. Bars and night life within walking distance. USFSP campus within walking distance. I would think USF would want the roof modified to be open to allow for natural grass. It's not perfect but they could make it more Bull friendly than Tampa Stadium. Maybe USF could get a good deal on it and use it until an OCS is built on the main campus.

Buckhorn talking about putting stadium in low income housing project. http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/following-rays-vote-spotlight-turns-toward-tampa-park-apartments/2261567

How the hell can Providence College have a top 25 team and USF can't? New BE is crushing it this year so far.

USF needs to get so good in football the next few years the B12/rest of P5 MUST get USF into a P5 conference. It didn't help Boise but their market sucks. It definitely helped TCU. That's asking alot but consecutive 10+ wins would certainly help.

If he stays and there is any realignment (B12 invite) in the next few years, it will help if we have a "SEC caliber" HC. Not to mention Herman staying at Houston. B12 might want to add USF and Houston if they have solid, high caliber coaches in place. Good for AAC as well.

Rece Davis said the AAC has been playing good football this year. Also said CWT has done one of the best coaching jobs in College Football this year. It was also good to hear positive comments from Jessie Palmer about USF in the game on Thanksgiving. He hasn't been too kind in his comments about USF in the past. All it takes in winning and your head coach is a genius, your players are awesome and your students/alumni are better looking and smarter than everybody else with a worse record than you.

Let's get this thread started again boys, USF if the best team in the best market for the B12, bring it! (In turn Publix subs will become the official sandwich of the B12)

Agreed, if CWT had stuck to what he believed in (Harbaugh offense, the crappy assistants who got canned, keeping QB from scrambling/making plays) then this would have been his last year. He's lying if he said he didn't want to keep his 1.2M job and looking like a complete idiot in front of all his family and friend in the Bay Area. CWT has grown the MOST of any player or coach in the past 12 months.

Dual threat QB's do very well at USF at that's all we should be recruiting moving forward, especially since there are alot of good ones in Florida. If Mack stays he will shatter the career rushing mark, would be nice to see his projected stats if he stays.

Yes it does: The project also brings USF closer to qualifying as a primary residential campus under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Learning. That classification is given to universities where 25 percent of undergraduates live on campus. The new dorms should boost USF’s housing capacity to 6,500 and, ideally, 18 percent of the undergraduate population. USF housing is at capacity now with 5,600 of 40,000 students calling campus home, said spokesman Adam Freeman.

If Navy wins, do they move into the top 25? If all other top 25 AAC teams win today (Temple with the biggest challenge) that would be 4 AAC teams in top 25. Can Memphis win out and make it to the playoffs? College Game Day at Temple, a commuter school in Philly? After being at James Madison last week? Temple, Houston and Memphis HCs all going to P5 schools after this year?

Every year its 'whoever is doing well in AAC get to the big 12' story. It's like musical chairs, the school who is doing well in the year they decide to expand gets the ticket, haha! They don't need any more schools to keep making big bucks. They still have 3-4 teams ranked every year. How the hell Baylor and TCU now dominate the conference blows my mind. It's all about offense in the B12, that's what most people want to watch on TV, its exciting, it brings fans to the game. The top schools figured that out a long time ago.

USF was #1 play of the day this morning on ESPN college show. Receiver caught about a 40 yard pass from Flowers with his knees.

This is a boom or bust offense