Leavitt: Bulls to refrain from scheduling pa

[Brad]

Leavitt: Fans To Decide Future Of USF-UCF

Published: Jul 31, 2005

 

ORLANDO - University of South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt said the response to the first meeting between his team and Central Florida on Sept. 17 would help determine whether the teams play an annual series.

Leavitt said Saturday that he understood why fans of both schools have pushed for a game, but multiple circumstances have prevented meetings in previous years. He said the fans would decide if the Interstate 4 rivalry will take place on a regular basis beyond next year.

"It 60,000 people are there at a game like that, then there will be a chance that game will be played for a lot of years," Leavitt said. "If 15 people show up, it probably won't."

Leavitt said the UCF game will be representative of USF's nonconference games in the future. While the Bulls open this season at Penn State, Leavitt said the Bulls would refrain in the future from scheduling opponents that would rather offer a guaranteed payout than a return meeting in Tampa. USF cut its Division I-A teeth with one-off games against the likes of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Alabama.

"The No. 1 thing we look at is a home-and-home," he said. "We're not interested in the money games."

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[WoolyBully]

Leavitt said the UCF game will be representative of USF's nonconference games in the future. While the Bulls open this season at Penn State, Leavitt said the Bulls would refrain in the future from scheduling opponents that would rather offer a guaranteed payout than a return meeting in Tampa. USF cut its Division I-A teeth with one-off games against the likes of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Alabama.

You gotta admit, that's a sound marketing strategy. Given the "if 15 people show up" remark, and the fact that the Bulls are now in the Big East, we do need to focus on getting some "name recognition" teams in RayJ.  

I think it will be very interesting to see what the UCF/USF crowd is like. We - board rats - tend to over amplify the least little thing, so given the amount of text devoted to USF/UCF, it will be very telling to see how well attended it really is.

[lotsofbull99]

I heard UCF is bringing like 20,000 fans to the game

[Papa_Bull]

"The No. 1 thing we look at is a home-and-home," he said. "We're not interested in the money games."

That's why I think we will drop the second game @Florida and replace them with the home game with Miami in 2009.

Since that would have been a pay game for us, I don't know if there is even a buyout on OUR part. We might be able to drop them without any penalty.  

[Sir Robert Peel]

I heard UCF is bringing like 20,000 fans to the game

I do not know about 20K, but it will be at least 12K.

The rumor from the inside is that the first allotment of 5K is pretty much gone from UCF and UCF apparently is asking for another group of 5K.

[Guest]

I wonder what number Leavitt has in mind for a success?  Obviously we will have more than 15...

If ucfkinght2699 is right and its around 12,000 from Orlando... plus the "usual" 30,000 or so that USF brings to games... that would sell out the lower bowl...  plus if some of the more "casual" fans can be drawn out because of the "rivalry" factor, that could add to the numbers.

I think the bigger test will be whether or not USF fans will drive up I-4 next year... I think we will bring 20,000 to Orlando... it's a road trip that a lot of USF fans can actually make... the only cost would be a little more gas...

[Omniscientbull]

I don't know many who want to drive to that $hit hole town.  I avoid driving I-4 at all costs.

[Guest]

I don't know many who want to drive to that $hit hole town.  I avoid driving I-4 at all costs.

I-4 has gotten a lot better now that it is 3 lanes in each direction from 50th Street in Tampa most of the way to Orlando...

Besides... what you're saying is that you won't drive an hour to watch USF play because they are playing in Orlando??

You don't have to stay, ya know... ;-)

But there will be a number of USF fans who make a weekend out of it... drive over Saturday morning, take in the game, go to one of the parks on Sunday, and drive back Sunday night...

[Omniscientbull]

I won't be at the Citrus Bowl after dark.  They'd have to have their stadium ready by then.

[KNIGHTTIME]

I won't be at the Citrus Bowl after dark.  They'd have to have their stadium ready by then.

The Citrus Bowl is in a rough area, but I never heard if any major issues.