The thrill is gone....

[usf97]

I know what you mean Jim. It has changed. I would say your average Boise State, Southern Miss or BYU fan would say the exact same thing. 

You enjoy it but it is different. 

I would liken it to if all the small market MLB teams were suddenly regulated to AAA? In the last 15 years, only 1 small city team has won the world series but each year you know there is a small chance. If you suddenly told the Rays or the Brewers, yes you can compete but regardless of what you do, it won't matter. It would change your emotions about the team. 

[Brad]

2 minutes ago, Triple B said:

 

If by "our" I assume you're referring to yours and puc's line. The line of demarcation for USF football was BE to AAC ......

Puc was referring to the beginning of the end, not the end of the end.  

Granted, had USF not botched the Leavitt deal, he may have left after the Big East failure.

[BullsOnParadeTG]

We lost CJL after the 2009 season. It has been 9 years already. It might be time to let it go. 

As far as being in the AAC. This is where we are for now. Like Brass said I am sure the administration wants to be in a better conference too. We just have not found our in yet. But a bunch of fans not buying tickets and complaining isn't helping. Actually it is hurting. 

I prefer to go to the game and have a great time with friends and family. Accept the Bulls for what they are today and hope for better. They will get there. 

[puc86]

4 minutes ago, Brad said:

Our line of demarcation, BC to AD...

Still, you gotta hope and pray we can get back to a good conference and run it the right way.

Oh I definitely do but sometimes it’s hard not to lose the faith; I understand completely how people get here and how the AAC just doesn’t do it for them anymore. That first decade video was amazing and full of home, I probably wouldn’t enjoy a second decade one if it ever existed and can only hope there is reason to make a third decade video we all can enjoy. 

[puc86]

7 minutes ago, usf97 said:

I know what you mean Jim. It has changed. I would say your average Boise State, Southern Miss or BYU fan would say the exact same thing. 

You enjoy it but it is different. 

I would liken it to if all the small market MLB teams were suddenly regulated to AAA? In the last 15 years, only 1 small city team has won the world series but each year you know there is a small chance. If you suddenly told the Rays or the Brewers, yes you can compete but regardless of what you do, it won't matter. It would change your emotions about the team. 

I feel the position we are in is far worse than either mlb example as current small market teams get to share in mlb payouts and luxury taxes that keep them afloat and occasionally they get a punchers chance and if they moved down they would know where they stood have a proper budget and compete for a championship. We get to live a lie where we pretend we  are on the cusp of making it as we continue to spend to compete while making 1/10 the money as those we are competing with and moving further behind. The aac is the single worst position to be in in all of sports, we are the mansion built in the hood comping out at pennies on the dollar as we try to over develop our way out of it.

[BullsOnParadeTG]

5 minutes ago, puc86 said:

I feel the position we are in is far worse than either mlb example as current small market teams get to share in mlb payouts and luxury taxes that keep them afloat and occasionally they get a punchers chance and if they moved down they would know where they stood have a proper budget and compete for a championship. We get to live a lie where we pretend we  are on the cusp of making it as we continue to spend to compete while making 1/10 the money as those we are competing with and moving further behind. The aac is the single worst position to be in in all of sports, we are the mansion built in the hood comping out at pennies on the dollar as we try to over develop our way out of it.

So what is your fix? Do you prefer to sit out the seasons until they are in a conference you like? Could we do better? Yes and we will. I am not disillusioned to believe we are on the verge of a title shot but you work on the house you have until you can sell it and get a better one. You don't sit there poking holes in the walls waiting for a new house to show up. 

Edited August 3, 2018 by Nick Carroll

[puc86]

19 minutes ago, Brad said:

Puc was referring to the beginning of the end, not the end of the end.  

Granted, had USF not botched the Leavitt deal, he may have left after the Big East failure.

It certainly didn’t feel like the best of times for the program; granted the dissolution of the Big East probably was overall worse for the program but CJL’s dismissal was the dusk that preceded the darkness that became our program. Thanks Woodard, CSH and aac.

[puc86]

25 minutes ago, Nick Carroll said:

We lost CJL after the 2009 season. It has been 9 years already. It might be time to let it go. 

As far as being in the AAC. This is where we are for now. Like Brass said I am sure the administration wants to be in a better conference too. We just have not found our in yet. But a bunch of fans not buying tickets and complaining isn't helping. Actually it is hurting. 

I prefer to go to the game and have a great time with friends and family. Accept the Bulls for what they are today and hope for better. They will get there. 

Maybe when things feel better than they did before he was dismissed would be a good time to get over it; where is the getting over the plateau i was promised because if this is the other side of the plateau I want my other side back.

[bullstampede9922]

1 hour ago, puc86 said:

But you recognize it has been and therefore could be better? The stadium environment is dead and nothing like we know it can be and has been. More cowbell won’t fix it all we need is more P5.

I miss those days in the Big East playing a ranked team on a Saturday night with a rocking stadium crowd.  I'll never forget those West Virginia games.  The energy was electric.  I guess I'm always comparing now to then and it's disappointing that we've regressed so much as a fan base.  I was soured on college football when the Big East teams went their separate ways and it began the conferences of haves and have-nots.  

[Mission9]

The opinions on here pretty much sum up what has happened with attendance and why USF was left behind.  Marketing and name branding. I had hoped that the AAC in general would be able to overcome those obstacles.  The ratings on TV have been decent.  Still, perception and name branding rule what people care about.   While the team has won 29 games in that stretch, many did not pay attention.  During the 07-09 stretch, the team did not win  as many games yet the crowds were much larger since the teams were ones which were easily recognizable, generally better, and there was a hope they were actually playing for something.

The last 3 years USF has played the following P5 teams:  FSU,Maryland, Syracuse, Illinois, South Carolina, and Texas Tech.  Taking FSU out since they are elite, do you really believe that those other teams are superior to Memphis, Houston, Navy, Temple, and last season's UCF team?  No, you don't.  But those AAC games don't matter as much (to casual and regular fans) because they are not the name brands that the others are (except maybe Navy). Someone mentioned the chicken and the egg.  Unfortunately, our chicken was executed.  We know that if USF was in the Big 12  there would have been at a mimimum 45 to 50K fans in the stadium for our out of conference games against Illinois and Syracuse.  The difference being the hope that the team was playing for something.