Here's A Thought... Just Throwing It Out There

[GarySJ]

College football seems to stir a rare level of emotion in its fans. People live and die with their teams much more than in any professional sport, or any other college sport.

This is especially of that segment of the fan base that is diehard enough to devote time to discussing every aspect of the team, on a internet forum such as this one.

But I don't think there's any fan base that goes through bigger emotional swings than the fan base here at the University of South Florida.

In three weeks, this forum has gone from "Miami has no chance" to "the new Temple," a phrase that's been invoked by two different people in the last hour.

Think about that for a second. Miami. Temple. Miami. Temple.

Transitioning from one state to the other, whichever direction you're going, can take decades. Even the greatest reversal of fortune in recent history, Northwestern in 1995, didn't do it in a year.

So might I suggest that the USF program didn't do it in 60 minutes?

Here's a radical idea. Maybe we're not as good as we think after a win, and maybe we're not as bad as we think after a loss.

Just something to kick around, maybe, while we're discussing who to fire, who to kick off the team, and how many million dollars to spend trying in reversing this horrible turn of events.

[cee]

Maybe we're not as good as we think after a win, and maybe we're not as bad as we think after a loss.

or maybe we're just not good.  today proved that the win against louisville definitely was a fluke.  people pulled excuse cards for penn state, for miami, but there is no excuse for this today-- pitt is a team on the brink and could have easily been beaten.

[WoolyBully]

And just what is so bad about being schizophrenic?

I'm schizophrenic and so am I.

Nah..those are good points. I think it really comes down to ones preference for an objective look at the team, while still being a fan, as opposed to being a fan - and reality be dammned.

Anyone who thought "Miami Doesn't Stand A Chance" was probably (I'd like to think) just being a fan. I don't think anyone could really think that we were going down to the OB and throw down an arse beating.  Unless, one were to take the L'ville upset as a measuring stick of our greatness (holy crap...we beat #9 L'ville senseless...we must be at least #4 or #3!!!) . A beating like that falls on the shoulders of L'ville as much as we'd like to think it was all USF.  

I think it is our emotional attachment to the team that does make us believe we are better than we are when we win, and worse than we are when we lose.

That being said...you and I both know that the key to success is to win - and keep winning. It won't take too many years of mediocrity before that season ticket base starts to drop. Losing in the watered down Big East is not an option.  This aint the ACC or the SEC. So the tolerance bar is pretty dang low.

[usf97]

Gary,

What I think has happened which is understandable is that the Louisville win messed up all of our preseason expectations.

Personally, I tend to expect the worst since I grew up watching the Leeman Bennant and Ray Perkins Bucs. But here's what that Louisville win does:

Prior to Season Expectation/  During Season Expectation

     4-7                                        9-2

Penn State Loss             /  Loss (same ol' Bulls)

FAMU    Big Win              /  Big Win (So far so good)

UCF      Big Win              / Big Win(they suck no biggie)

Louisville Big Loss         / Big Win (were way awesome)

Miami     Big Loss          / Loss (well they are UM)

Pittsburgh Loss            / Big Win (well they suck now)

UWV     Big Loss           / Win ( Hey we beat Louisville)

Rutgers  Win                / Big Win ( Big East Doormat)

Cuse' Loss Carrier Dome/ Big Win (We beat Louisville)

Cincinnati Win (They lost everyone)/ Big Win

UConn Loss Real Cold/ Big Win (We beat Louisville)

So that one win changes your outlook. I thought we'd go 4-7 this year..... yet I still think due to that Louisville win we will end up 6-5. I tend not to get too worked up over losses but some people can only accept winning and after Louisville they suddenly envisioned 9-2 and the $10 mil payout at the Sugar Bowl.  ;D

[GarySJ]

I think it is our emotional attachment to the team that does make us believe we are better than we are when we win, and worse than we are when we lose.

Yes, but that's true of any fan base. I'm just wondering why our fan base has to go to such

EXTREMES.

[GarySJ]

What I think has happened which is understandable is that the Louisville win messed up all of our preseason expectations.

And well it should have. It was a complete pimpslapping of a team that was supposed to be God's Gift to Football, and against a school with a long history of believing that we didn't deserve to breathe their air.

Personally, I tend to expect the worst since I grew up watching the Leeman Bennant and Ray Perkins Bucs.

That's another great point. Given the overlap of the South Florida Bulls/Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan bases, why do the USF football fans automatically expect such great things when it's going well? If anything, I'd expect our fan expectations to be more tempered than usual, not less.

[MikeG]

it's just a game folks

if you think it means more than that, take a break from football.

We don't need to abandon ship or make a radical change. We need to execute-- plain and simple. And we need to stop doing things the wrong way-- like replacing Julmiste for no apparent reason other than "why not" only yo watch Denson throw an INT that leads to a score. If we were still down by 7-- we dont' need to go for broke-- we can try to drive the field

Also-- please trash the reverse or limit it's

use. We ran that thing like 5 or 6 times today-- it never worked save maybe one time.

I don't know-- all these folks talking bowl game are really annoying me to no end. We need to win some games before we get a big head. UL does look a bit like an anomoly BUT that doesn't mean this team doesn't have talent or the ability to play in the Big East. We took Pitt way to much for granted ironically as it seems.

Oh well-- life goes on. I have no intention of trashing this team simply so I can look like some wise old sage of the college football world. Feel free to do that though folks-- perhaps some one will give rats god ****.

[Jamie]

That's another great point. Given the overlap of the South Florida Bulls/Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan bases, why do the USF football fans automatically expect such great things when it's going well? If anything, I'd expect our fan expectations to be more tempered than usual, not less.

If that's true, no wonder USF fans flip out when the Bulls lose a game. Every time the Bucs lose, people start calling for players to get benched and coaches to get fired. Now we're just doing the same thing at the college level.

[sdgukhsdgl]

Yes, but that's true of any fan base. I'm just wondering why our fan base has to go to such

EXTREMES.

UT has gone from preseason national title talks to a small possibility of not even making a bowl....   all schools go through big swings in the season, it's part of the fun of sports.  If you knew you were going to win or lose each week it would not be any fun watching

[smazza]

we haven't had good qb play on the road since MB

that is inexcusable

we couldn't beat temple on the road with the qbs we have