Wikipedia Article Speculates about USF Rivals...

[USFCollin]

Thanks for all you do for my beloved alma mater Katie, and congratulations on a great performance by the Sun Dolls at nationals.  But for the love of God UCF is NOT OUR RIVAL!

Geographic proximity does NOT make a rivalry.  Competitive games on the field do.  And for DECADES through all sports, we have consistently been superior to UCF on the field across the board and in every sport excluding baseball.  I'll give UCF that it is a wonderful rivalry in baseball, because both programs are at about the same level, and all the credit to Jay Bergman and his team.  But in every other sport, we have proven to be in a higher class over time.  This isn't a once or twice thing... this is an overall decades long beatdown... we all know the numbers.  

And then we finally played football last year.  We call off the dogs at 28-0, and they get a cheapy against our 2nd and 3rd string to put up 7.  Owned and 17.  Let's get next year over with, hopefully no riots ensue in the parking lot (which looked like Baghdad after our last encounter), and put this "rivalry" to bed until UCF can consistenly compete with us over time.  When they do, hey I'm all for playing them every year.  But until then, let's emphasize games with teams that compete with us year in and year out.  

Ask our coaching staff and players... Louisville can become a great rivalry.  There have been some recruiting battles, some veiled shots over the bow from both sides, and of course the beatdown at Ray Jay last year which will be on their bulletin boards before Nov. 11 this season I'm sure.  THAT is what can make a rivalry.  

The Red Wings and Avalanche have no geography in common, and turned into one of the NHL's best rivalries for years.  Notre Dame and USC have nothing in common at all... except incredible and memorable games on the field.  THAT is what makes a rivalry... if it was just geography we would have been talking about Stetson and Bethune Cookman in the same breath before we got football.

And its not just a "we're BCS and you aren't" superiority.  If we could have played Southern Miss again I would have been all for it.  Because they beat us on the field, and we beat them, and the games were great, and both teams really don't like each other.  But after a while the chiuaua that keeps biting your heels gets really annoying, and you get tired of having to step on it over and over.  

Sorry, I had this argument at the Student Bulls Club meeting today so its fresh in my mind.  When UCF raises their product on the field, I say play them every year and hey if a rivalry develops all the better.  But until then... can we as Bulls Nation please stop this talk?  Its like putting Alpo on our shoelaces for the chiuaua.  

[USFCollin]

Holy crap, and as I write my diatribe... Andy recounts it for me.  NIIIIICCCEEE.  Glad to see I got through:)

[Rabbi Bull]

lol, collin i typed that a few minutes before you posted yours, like 15 minutes earlier

[knight_fan]

The fortunes of a football program can change rapidly, and UCF improved as the season wore on.  But the bellicose tone of your argument belies the logic that you're attempting to put forth.  If someone were to say ECU was a rival, I don't think it would get nearly the same response out of you.  In fact, I believe you're having a really good time rubbing in the drubbing we got this year.  And that is pretty much what rivals do.  They trash talk their rivals.  JMO.  I could be wrong.

[katieusf]

I'm still not convinced. Still for UCF.

[ucfknights04]

Geographic proximity does NOT make a rivalry.  

You're right...but neither do angry message board posts or student bull club meetings.  Though some would argue having discussing UCF at your club meeting would be a red flag.

But anyway, Just let it happen.  If butts in the seats mean anything, then I think it speaks for itself...if not, I'm willing to let it play out for a few years if you are.

Promote the games, promote your Bulls...but do yourselves a favor and learn from some of UCFs mistakes.  When you try to "Create" a rivalry, most people, especially students, will just mock the effort.

I'll give UCF that it is a wonderful rivalry in baseball, because both programs are at about the same level, and all the credit to Jay Bergman and his team.  

Ah yes...the infamous UCF vs. USF baseball rivalry that sometimes tops 1500 in Orlando and 700 in Tampa.  The stuff legends are made of.  For your schools sake...I hope you are merely an observer in these meetings or I doubt you'll get anything accomplished. See you in the Diamond, if I don't just stay home and watch it on ESPN or ESPN Classic the next day.

[Rabbi Bull]

people will show to see usf play, regardless of who it is, your fans need a reason to go watch you all play.  for the conference-usa championship game you all couldn't fill the stadium and it was YOUR OWN STADIUM.  it was brought up and then shot down, the only people making it seem like a rivalry are your fans.  you all need a reason to show up to a game.  if you want to think its a rivalry then go ahead and think that, but us on the other side know the truth.  katie, you probably don't see it, because you haven't been around usf that long, if you knew the history and were at these games, you would understand

[Guest rueben_horowitz]

I agree with Katie. USF and UCF are rivals, no question. And geography DOES play into rivalry.

We're an hour from UCF, do you have any idea how many kids choose b/t USF and UCF?? Thousands. We compete for students and we compete for athletes...Doesn't matter how much we've played them in the past; and we're too young to say a rival is someone we've played three times in football; that's a weak argument.

I love the rivalry and want it to continue...I hate the "it does more harm than good" to play eachother attitude.

[USFreak]

I'm still not convinced. Still for UCF.

There's the problem Collin.  While a lot of people hold onto the feeling it isn't a rivalry...the market and the students and a fair share of the alumni will feel it is despite efforts to tell them otherwise.

I'd actually like somebody to commission a quick study -- take a random sample of 1000 students and 1000 alums and ask them who are rival is.  Maybe put 6 choices with Louisville, UConn, UCF, etc.  Rank the answers....I imagine UCF will appear at #1 or #2.  I can't prove it, but it would be interesting to see the results.

Listen, nobody knows yet.  As long as the game goes on it certainly has the potential to be a rivalry whether we want it to become one or not.  The market will probably decide it.  If USF doesn't want it to become a rivalry (or be equated with UCF) they should probably cancel it now (after 06).

I personally like the game.  It has that "danger element" that makes everybody uneasy.  Lose to them?  That would be beyond awful.  There's some inherent excitement there.  I fully expect the Citrus Bowl to sell out for this one.  They've been drooling for years for the matchup.  The Tampa crowd wasn't bad either.

[ucfknights04]

Hopefully you all have learned by now that my posts on here are far from "smack."  However, I have to say that when you consider what a rivalry is and what it brings to the school (higher attendance, money, exposure, lore, establishment, fun, a social environment)...and I read that some people are against the idea...it makes me question your sanity.

I don't mean those of you who just don't consider it a rivalry - that's fine.  But those of you who seem to have this disdain towards it becoming one.  You would rather "disassociate yourself from UCF" or tell yourself that your "too good for this" - really, it's just kind of petty.  Moreso, now some of you are telling your fellow fans and students that they are wrong to have experienced whatever they did last September.

We had a decent season, but are we really that much of a threat, Collin?  

Is a 50K plus attended game each year and students having a blast really  outweighed by something you know because you've "been around," bullzfan4life? (not to mention you're only 22)

Griggsy, did your win over #9 Louisville get less press because you had an "association with UCF?"  Were there overtones of a "low-level directional rivalry" that "dragged down" those Top 25 votes?  I don't think that happened, and as you said yourself, 2005 was fun.

I, personally, don't consider UCFs success to be the death to USF, nor do I consider the opposite to be true.  Some of you seem like you would rather get rid of a great event because you have that kind of fear.  

Here's a reality check:  You have a 12 game schedule and you are in a 7 team conference.  You have to play McNeese State this year, and many of your conference brothers are in a similar bind because of the additional game.  You also play in a conference without a team local enough to really pull up the season attendance average...especially when you play Louisville on the road.  The game needs to be played for the fans, but currently it also serves a huge need for your schedule.