The ucf Experience

[UCF_rustbucket]

1 hour ago, Gismo said:

I would love an on campus stadium. However, it won't solve our attendance or 'game atmospshere' issues.

Disagree with the second point, it's a world of difference. Being able to tailgate on campus and have students walk from their dorms is pretty awesome. I've had decent parking lot tailgates for MLS and bowl games at camping world but there's nothing like seeing Memory Mall and other parts of campus packed with people.

 

But you're right about attendance. An OCS is just a bandaid. It'll give you a boost because of that new wow factor but if the fans aren't genuinely interested and the team isn't winning, it'll go back to pre-OCS numbers.

[206BULL]

1 minute ago, SpeedBull said:

This sums it up perfectly. The WVU is the pinnacle of USF home games in the home of the Pewter Pirates and it doesn’t compare to the 45,000 seat “rust bucket erector set” for a game day atmosphere.

The atmosphere at UCiF games gets that way a small handful of games each year. Typically their stadium looks just as empty as Ray Jay except it’s aluminum shining through instead of red seats. 

[JTrue]

6 minutes ago, SpeedBull said:

This sums it up perfectly. The WVU is the pinnacle of USF home games in the home of the Pewter Pirates and it doesn’t compare to the 45,000 seat “rust bucket erector set” for a game day atmosphere.

No idea what it looks like for a regular game. I was there when Texas came for the opener and all the other USF games there. Texas was meh. No one knew what they had or what they were doing, but it was fun. The other USF games were a blast, but the atmosphere wasn't electric by any stretch. But yesterday was everything you'd want from an OCS. Never once did I say, "Yeah, but this place is a dump." UCF absolutely killed it yesterday on all marks. 

Edited November 26, 2017 by JTrue

[SpeedBull]

15 minutes ago, 206BULL said:

The lack of support for this team in the community. We packed Ray Jay on a weekly basis in the mid 2000s and never dreamed of using it as an excuse to attend games. If anything my friends and classmates saw playing at Ray Jay as a positive. Attendance is down everywhere and in every sport in this country. Just because we sink a couple hundred mil into a shiny new stadium we are not fixing that, we will see an increase for a couple of seasons because people like shiny new toys but it is not a long term solution(see band aid analogy). 

 

Hopefully some one day it makes sense but it does not in this current climate. If you or anyone else say “I’ll attend more games because it me on campus” I call bull ****. I agree you will for a few years but will treat it the same as Ray Jay soon enough. Want proof of why I believe that? Look at attendance trends for every single team after a new stadium was built in every sport. As soon as that lipstick starts to fade the pig rears it’s ugly head once again. 

 

 

You can call BS all you want. I really dislike Ray Jay for Bulls games. I think it effing blows. You can’t hear the band. It’s a sea of red and pewter. It’s about as sterile as The Trop for Rays games. It sucks.

In the early and mid-2000s the program was young, fresh and new. It didn’t matter as much. And yes, back then there was a certain novelty to being in an NFL stadium.

Now it’s 2017. We are a 20 year old program that has many signature wins and a good (albeit small) core of hard core fans. The program has outgrown the “upstart” reputation.

What I am witnessing is that UCF, that program that Leavitt dismissed and many of us (myself included) thought was inferior to USF.....they have surpassed us. If they have not surpassed us, they are right in the verge of doing it. They have an identity....They have excitement on campus. 

USF better wake up and realize what’s going on. The days of us being thought of as superior to UCF are long gone.

 

Edited November 26, 2017 by SpeedBull

[206BULL]

5 minutes ago, SpeedBull said:

You can call BS all you want. I really dislike Ray Jay for Bulls games. I think is effing blows. You can’t hear the band. It’s a sea of red and pewter. It’s about as sterile as The Trop for Rays games. It sucks.

In the early and mid-2000s the program was young, fresh and new. It didn’t matter as much. And yes, back then there was a certain novelty to being in an NFL stadium.

Now it’s 2017. We are a 20 year old program that has many signature wins and a good (albeit small) core of hard core fans. The program has outgrown the “upstart” reputation.

What I am witnessing is that UCF, that program that Leavitt dismissed and many of us (myself included) thought was inferior to USF.....they have surpassed us. If they have not surpassed us, they are right in the verge of doing it. They have an identity....They have excitement on campus. 

USF better wake up and realize what’s going on. The days of us being thought of as superior to UCF are long gone.

 

But their OCS is not the reason they have surpassed us. Again it’s hardly ever packed if you cared to watch any of their normal games it looks just like Ray Jay. If you read their boards they typically ***** that the students show up to tailgate then head home. An OCS is not the reason for our apathetic fan base. And after the first couple years we’ll be back to normal. Look no further than the UCF fan in this thread stating the exact same thing. 

Edited November 26, 2017 by 206BULL

[JTrue]

21 minutes ago, NewEnglandBull said:

Great post. One day when the kids are out I am king to sneak down for one of those games. I feel like I really missed something yesterday. 

Yesterday was the perfect storm. It's the first time we've ever played them when both teams were good. Perfect start time. Weather cooperated. National broadcast. The sun, moon, and planets all aligned. Aside from the loss, it was great.

[snarling Bull]

3 minutes ago, SpeedBull said:

You can call BS all you want. I really dislike Ray Jay for Bulls games. I think is effing blows. You can’t hear the band. It’s a sea of red and pewter. It’s about as sterile as The Trop for Rays games. It sucks.

In the early and mid-2000s the program was young, fresh and new. It didn’t matter as much. And yes, back then there was a certain novelty to being in an NFL stadium.

Now it’s 2017. We are a 20 year old program that has many signature wins and a good (albeit small) core of hard core fans. The program has outgrown the “upstart” reputation.

What I am witnessing is that UCF, that program that Leavitt dismissed and many of us (myself included) thought was inferior to USF.....they have surpassed us. If they have not surpassed us, they are right in the verge of doing it. They have an identity....They have excitement on campus. 

USF better wake up and realize what’s going on. The days of us being thought of as superior to UCF are long gone.

 

They surpassed us only after the Holyz New Era. Some walealthy folks got what they wanted and now we reap the benefits. 

Other schols play in NFLDtaduims just like we do. Pitt played on campus at Pitt stadium for years and play at Heinz Field now much farther from campus than Ray Jay 

we have been to on campus stadiums who had no fountains and ran out of water 

as much as I dislike the red seats and other rules at Ray Jay it’s a much better venue than many on campus stadiums we have visited. Everyone with a ticket actually gets a seat and if you aren’t able to stand the entire game, you can actually see the game

[JTrue]

9 minutes ago, snarling Bull said:

They surpassed us only after the Holyz New Era. Some walealthy folks got what they wanted and now we reap the benefits. 

Other schols play in NFLDtaduims just like we do. Pitt played on campus at Pitt stadium for years and play at Heinz Field now much farther from campus than Ray Jay 

we have been to on campus stadiums who had no fountains and ran out of water 

as much as I dislike the red seats and other rules at Ray Jay it’s a much better venue than many on campus stadiums we have visited. Everyone with a ticket actually gets a seat and if you aren’t able to stand the entire game, you can actually see the game

No you haven't. I can't believe I'm defending this, but the water fountain game was for Texas in the opener in 2007 and it was ******* miserable. But water fountains were installed long before USF ever played there the next year.

Stick to blaming Holtz for working his own charity golf tournament instead of watching a flag football game on campus.

Also, your typing makes smazza look like Merriam-Webster and Kate Turabian's love child.

Edited November 26, 2017 by JTrue

[SpeedBull]

6 minutes ago, 206BULL said:

But their OCS is not the reason they have surpassed us. Again it’s hardly ever packed if you cared to watch any of their normal games it looks just like Ray Jay. If you read their boards they typically ***** that the students show up to tailgate then head home. An OCS is not the reason for our apathetic fan base. And after the first couple years we’ll be back to normal. Look no further than the UCF fan in this thread stating the exact same thing. 

An OCS isn’t a magic bullet, but it’s just a neccessity in my opinion. It just has to happen if we are to be taken seriously. So many say “there’s no evidence that attendance will improve”. Well you know what? There IS evidence that it WON’T improve staying at Ray Jay. 

Ever notice how Wendy’s and Chili’s have all done facelifts on their restaurants? Why do you suppose they do that? The menu is the same. Do they think loads more people are going to discover their restaurants? No, they do it to freshen up the brand. To enhance the customer experience. Business is business.

The game day experience is the product. The team and the University is the brand. It all has to get better. Change is necessary. 

[Triple B]

28 minutes ago, JTrue said:

I was there for WVU. Yes, it was a great atmosphere. But, you're lying if you think yesterday didn't smoke every other game you've ever seen as a USF fan. 

 

16 minutes ago, SpeedBull said:

This sums it up perfectly. The WVU is the pinnacle of USF home games in the home of the Pewter Pirates and it doesn’t compare to the 45,000 seat “rust bucket erector set” for a game day atmosphere.

Could be mistaken but that's not what he said. Looks to me like he's saying every other USF home game besides 2007 WVU doesn't compare to Friday's UCF/USF game .... and I believe him ... but I also think one of the reasons for that is that there's never been another USF home game with anything close to what was on the line last night, which I imagine added mightily to the atmosphere .... and then you add to that the way the game on the field played out and you have a fantastic experience that had little to do with where it was played.