What we have lost as a fan base

[puc86]

3 minutes ago, Nick Carroll said:

Partially true but also I can only speak of my reality. I can name probably 10 people that usually use one of my 6 season tickets each week that would definitely buy a ticket to a conference championship game at home. I know this because those same people buy tickets to go watch the UCF games when they are played in Orlando. 

Yes I am speaking from my small bubble but that is what I have control of. It is easier than poking holes in the whole program. Worry about what you can control. 

That is a reasonable approach to life and I have no doubt that you and yours will show up in mass but when predicting an overall event we would need to look at how much motivation this will give the general populous and while it would be great if an AAC championship would be the secret sauce to draw them all in there really is nothing we can point to in our fandom, the AAC or similarly situated events that would make that likely. 

[BullsOnParadeTG]

3 minutes ago, puc86 said:

That is a reasonable approach to life and I have no doubt that you and yours will show up in mass but when predicting an overall event we would need to look at how much motivation this will give the general populous and while it would be great if an AAC championship would be the secret sauce to draw them all in there really is nothing we can point to in our fandom, the AAC or similarly situated events that would make that likely. 

Well they just need to advertise the Corgie races and they would fill up the 3rd bowl. 

[puc86]

4 minutes ago, Nick Carroll said:

Well they just need to advertise the Corgie races and they would fill up the 3rd bowl. 

It's worth a shot. 

[Dave_Glaser]

20 hours ago, Calibull said:

If you're honest aside from Basketball the Big East really wasn't that relevant.  All I'd hear were announcers trashing the conference.  Maybe having a Bowl bid... but actual relevancy... nah not in football. That left with Miami, Virginia Tech, and yes... Boston College. 

This is DEAD ON. Big East football was trashed annually by the media - despite huge bowl wins like WVU's over Georgia and Oklahoma. They were treated the same as UCF's over Auburn and Houston's over FSU - with a shrug. There is little difference in perception nationally between the AAC today and the former BIG EAST when it comes to college football. Yes, the BE was a BCS league, but most of the pundits thought it shouldn't be after the first round of conference hopping that brought us in, and they were happy to run their mouths on TV and in print to say so. If you don't believe that, you weren't paying attention in those days. 

[BullyPulpit]

Just now, Dave_Glaser said:

This is DEAD ON. Big East football was trashed annually by the media - despite huge bowl wins like WVU's over Georgia and Oklahoma. They were treated the same as UCF's over Auburn and Houston's over FSU - with a shrug. There is little difference in perception nationally between the AAC today and the former BIG EAST when it comes to college football. Yes, the BE was a BCS league, but most of the pundits thought it shouldn't be after the first round of conference hopping that brought us in, and they were happy to run their mouths on TV and in print to say so. If you don't believe that, you weren't paying attention in those days. 

The difference was they were talking about how the Big East wasn't worthy. They don't even mention the AAC now until a team is 10-0 or 11-0 and then it is to trash them. I have previously highlighted how the Big East perception was different back then. West Virginia was preseason #3 with 1 first place vote in 2007. That would NEVER happen with an AAC team. NEVER. The Big East may have been a bottom rung on the ladder, but it was still part of the ladder. The P6 narrative of the AAC is fun, but no one takes it seriously. Despite not feeling that the Big East was worthy, the media was forced to take it seriously and provide fair and ample coverage because of its ties to the BCS. 

[BullsOnParadeTG]

4 minutes ago, Dave_Glaser said:

This is DEAD ON. Big East football was trashed annually by the media - despite huge bowl wins like WVU's over Georgia and Oklahoma. They were treated the same as UCF's over Auburn and Houston's over FSU - with a shrug. There is little difference in perception nationally between the AAC today and the former BIG EAST when it comes to college football. Yes, the BE was a BCS league, but most of the pundits thought it shouldn't be after the first round of conference hopping that brought us in, and they were happy to run their mouths on TV and in print to say so. If you don't believe that, you weren't paying attention in those days. 

I agree. Most of the people I introduced to USF football back in my college days didn't even know who the Big East was. I remember those times fondly and maybe have some rosey tinted glasses of that time but looking back if you took away the BCS Bowl it would be the AAC now. I do remember people wondering why the Big East got a bowl bid anyways. Would I like us to be in a bigger conference? Sure. However we are not going to convince a P5 conference that they need us if we can't fill the stadium and compete. Go to the games. Bring friends. Hell where else are you going to get a cheaper ticket in town? 

[puc86]

7 minutes ago, Dave_Glaser said:

This is DEAD ON. Big East football was trashed annually by the media - despite huge bowl wins like WVU's over Georgia and Oklahoma. They were treated the same as UCF's over Auburn and Houston's over FSU - with a shrug. There is little difference in perception nationally between the AAC today and the former BIG EAST when it comes to college football. Yes, the BE was a BCS league, but most of the pundits thought it shouldn't be after the first round of conference hopping that brought us in, and they were happy to run their mouths on TV and in print to say so. If you don't believe that, you weren't paying attention in those days. 

The schism between the AAC and the Big East is an abyss. You cant say that the Big East originally fell monumentally with the loss of a few teams but then pretend losing the top five marketable teams in the next round had no difference. Pitt, Louisville, Rutgers, Syracuse and West Virginia were leaps and bounds above the clowns that replaced them as evidenced by the fact they were all called up to the big leagues and we then pulled together their replacements from the bottom of the barrel. Did people used to talk about if the BEAST still belonged in the BCS? Sure, but that is worlds away from not being in the P5 and no one seriously discussing that as an option. If the BEAST reformed with the five teams that left there isn't a single team in the AAC that wouldn't be offering their first born child to get out of the AAC and join them. Its not the same, its not even close. 

[BullyPulpit]

Just now, Nick Carroll said:

I agree. Most of the people I introduced to USF football back in my college days didn't even know who the Big East was. I remember those times fondly and maybe have some rosey tinted glasses of that time but looking back if you took away the BCS Bowl it would be the AAC now. I do remember people wondering why the Big East got a bowl bid anyways. Would I like us to be in a bigger conference? Sure. However we are not going to convince a P5 conference that they need us if we can't fill the stadium and compete. Go to the games. Bring friends. Hell where else are you going to get a cheaper ticket in town? 

Again, I think recency bias is playing a role here. The last 3 seasons of the Big East saw a conference that was in the throws of death, but from 2005 to 2009 the Big East was a major player in the college football landscape. An undefeated Big East Champion would NEVER have been kept out of a 4 team playoff (if one existed at the time). An AAC team will never be ranked preseason top 3. The perception was different. They may not have wanted the Big East at the big boys' table, but they were there and the media had to pay attention to them. You can't just say "if you take away the BCS Bowl" because that is a big part of what differentiated the Big East from the AAC. Automatic access. Not to mention the difference in the financials back then. This revisionist history where the current AAC is somehow equivalent in perception to the Big East is lunacy.  

 

[BullsOnParadeTG]

4 minutes ago, BullyPulpit said:

Again, I think recency bias is playing a role here. The last 3 seasons of the Big East saw a conference that was in the throws of death, but from 2005 to 2009 the Big East was a major player in the college football landscape. An undefeated Big East Champion would NEVER have been kept out of a 4 team playoff (if one existed at the time). An AAC team will never be ranked preseason top 3. The perception was different. They may not have wanted the Big East at the big boys' table, but they were there and the media had to pay attention to them. You can't just say "if you take away the BCS Bowl" because that is a big part of what differentiated the Big East from the AAC. Automatic access. Not to mention the difference in the financials back then. This revisionist history where the current AAC is somehow equivalent in perception to the Big East is lunacy.  

 

It is entirely possible that my memory of then is a bit skewed. However the reality is those days are gone. Do we sit here and morn or do we move on. Try to be better and attract better teams? I don't remember us playing Alabama back then. We need to focus on winning our conference and having big splash wins with the out of conference play. That will turn heads much more than the likes of UCF announcing their "championship." 

[BullyPulpit]

Just now, Nick Carroll said:

It is entirely possible that my memory of then is a bit skewed. However the reality is those days are gone. Do we sit here and morn or do we move on. Try to be better and attract better teams? I don't remember us playing Alabama back then. We need to focus on winning our conference and having big splash wins with the out of conference play. That will turn heads much more than the likes of UCF announcing their "championship." 

Not that it matters, but we played Alabama in 2003. We had our fair share of quality OOC games while in the Big East. I'm not suggesting that we mourn the loss of the Big East, but to ignore how we ended up where we currently are or, taking that a step further, to suggest that we are somehow similarly situated ignores reality. I agree that splashy wins will draw the casual fan's interest for a little bit. I also am of the opinion that winning AAC titles will do so as well. However, any discussion of what we have lost as a fan base naturally has to begin with comparing where we were to where we are.