Big East vs. ACC

[FazaUSF]

Here's what I don't understand; the media spends weeks bashing the Big East, calling it a weak conference, talking smack about it sending a no-name unranked team to a BCS bowl, and spreading ideas about the "Big Least" to every corner of the U.S. Yet, I have seen NO articles, NO comments, and NO TV mention of the fact that the ACC is sending an 8-4 FSU which has lost to THREE unranked opponents this season and isn't even ranked in the top 20. The BE is sending a top-12 team that is 10-1, which played plenty of unranked opponents and didn't lose. Not only that, but USF's record would have been 8-3 if we had gone to a BCS bowl, EVEN BETTER THAN FSU's. This is BULL. ESPN had a photo of Mike Tranghese on its college football page at a media conference defending the strength of the conference for a week. WHERE is the commissioner of the ACC having to defend a nasty, Seminole SKUNK in the BCS garden??????

[bullMD2005]

A great post.  Well said Faza

[USFreak]

Here's what I don't understand; the media spends weeks bashing the Big East, calling it a weak conference, talking smack about it sending a no-name unranked team to a BCS bowl, and spreading ideas about the "Big Least" to every corner of the U.S. Yet, I have seen NO articles, NO comments, and NO TV mention of the fact that the ACC is sending an 8-4 FSU which has lost to THREE unranked opponents this season and isn't even ranked in the top 20. The BE is sending a top-12 team that is 10-1, which played plenty of unranked opponents and didn't lose. Not only that, but USF's record would have been 8-3 if we had gone to a BCS bowl, EVEN BETTER THAN FSU's. This is BULL. ESPN had a photo of Mike Tranghese on its college football page at a media conference defending the strength of the conference for a week. WHERE is the commissioner of the ACC having to defend a nasty, Seminole SKUNK in the BCS garden??????

I agree.  A good question for that dude on CNNSi.com -- forget Maisel or something like that?

One side benefit of the lower ranked Seminoles is the heat has subsided on WVU and the Big East.  Tough to cite WVU as weak if you immediately have to follow it with the Seminoles situation.  So, all is not bad.

[Guest]

Maisel works for ESPN now:

ivan.maisel@espn3.com  <-- address I found, not sure if it is correct

When you email, reference this article:

Just For Argument's Sake ...

November 9, 2005

1. With USC and Texas a clear one-two, which team is the skunk in the BCS garden?

Jim Leavitt's three-loss Bulls could crash the BCS.

South Florida is 4-3 and controls its destiny in the Big East Conference. No. 16 West Virginia goes to USF on Dec. 3. If that game is for the Big East championship, the good news is that all six automatic BCS bids will be decided that Saturday.

The bad news is that South Florida, at 7-3, could be playing for a BCS bid. The Bulls likely would end up in the Sugar Bowl, which means -- again, in theory -- that the consolation prize for a 12-0, No. 3 Alabama could be the three-loss Bulls.

That's the BCS. You can bet the Bulls would hear a lot of questions and caustic remarks about their worthiness. South Florida coach Jim Leavitt does his best not to think about the BCS. It is four wins away. But he knows what the Bulls would face.

"I realized what we were dealing with when we beat the dog out of Louisville," South Florida coach Jim Leavitt said Monday. "Was it good or was it bad [for the BCS]? It was good for us. It is what it is. We're going to try to do our best."

The Bulls' next three games are at Syracuse (1-7), vs. Cincinnati (4-4) and at UConn (4-4). They are winnable in theory, a long way from the reality of USF's 0-3 road record. But there's also the reality of the Bulls' 45-14 rout of Louisville on Sept. 24.

Leavitt, speaking from the figurative bunker in which most college football coaches live, said one of the most difficult aspects of his job is to keep his team focused on what's next.

"I'm really being honest," he said. "I don't think about it [the BCS bid] much. A lot of people don't expect us to do a whole lot. You just got to see if you can play one game. It's such a boring statement, but it's true. In a world of instant media and the Internet, it's very difficult. Every week, it's a whole other story. Something happens, and there's another story."

USF is in this situation in part because it has talent -- tailback Andre Hall, the Big East Offensive Player of the Week after his 168-yard, three-touchdown rushing performance at Rutgers, ranks second in the league in rushing, averaging 109.3 yards per game.

The Bulls are also in this situation because the threat of Hurricane Wilma postponed the Oct. 22 game against West Virginia. After playing five straight weeks to open the season, South Florida played just once in five weeks. The Bulls are healthy as a team can possibly be in the second week in November.

Leavitt took the unusual step in his injury-wary line of work and conducted scrimmages between his second- and third-team players, just to get them some work. The highlight of having three weeks between games came when Leavitt took the Bulls to Tropicana Field for an indoor practice where the Devil Rays play baseball.

The downside might have been boredom, which is why the Bulls couldn't be stopped Saturday in their 45-31 victory at Rutgers. With that win, South Florida took its position on the periphery of the BCS. No matter how much it might pain the rest of the college football world, the Bulls could easily be there until the end of the season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=2218390

[___ Eats It]

I e-mailed Mr. Maisel and asked him when we can expect the article calling FSU the New Skunks in the BCS Garden...  ;D

[Joe]

It doesn't help that WVU was schooled by Va Tech in October (34-17) at home.

[___ Eats It]

Got a response already!

I wrote:

Mr. Maisel:

Just wondering when we'll get an article touting the Seminoles as the

new "Skunk in the BCS garden".  You know, since they're a four-loss team

with three losses to unranked opponents.  Heck, by comparison, the Big

East's BCS representative looks like USC!

Thanks for the publicity though.  I think it spurred our boys on to win

a few games that they might have otherwise been down for.

Maisel wrote back:

"hey, whatever I can do to help!"

[USFPDiddy]

Maisel exists to heckle fans I think.  It certainly does bring up the site's traffic.

[bull2saintleo]

Yo Faz, you know exactly what to say and how to say it.  Will you be gracing us with your prescence in Charlotte?

[USFreak]

Maisel works for ESPN now:

ivan.maisel@espn3.com  <-- address I found, not sure if it is correct

When you email, reference this article:

Stuart Mandel -- that's who I was thinking of, but either will do.  It is a legitimate question.  I'm sure they would answer it.  I'd be curious to see the answer.