USF turned down a 2 for 1 with Texas.....

[Triple B]

Trip, I know KU and UNC were rated above us, however 90% of the people on this board were planning Jan 2nd in Atlanta in mid Oct. My point is that for the long term viability playing schools like UNC and KU don't advance the program like playing a Texas, Oklahoma, or Tennessee.

Win against KU/UNC and people will just say they are bottom feeders.

Lose to KU /UNC and the BE cannot beat the bottom feeders of bigger conferences.

Jesus, we're not talking Duke and Baylor here. UNC and KU are the perfect teams to be playing at this stage in our development. The only people who'd say that KU and UNC are bottom feeders are the jealous whining tin men. We've got enough heavy hitters on our schedules coming up to give us opportunities for super quality wins so I really don't see what all the fuss is about.

[Triple B]

When we hired GOL he said from day 1 he has no desire in making a program Top 25...he wants to develop a program that's top 10 year in and year out.

[saxamoophone]

We all see where all those games UCF played against big time programs helped you guys. Wasnt that coach K's plan. Hmmm, that got you, 0h, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh.

That was also when we were an Independent I-A and had a hard time filling our schedule.

We just signed contracts with Florida, Miami and Texas to play them in the next coming years, and I really don't think GOL would have signed up for those knowing we would suck.

I do agree that there's no point in playing a team you know will knock the S@## out of you, but, if you think you will stand a decent chance you really have nothing to loose.  

[Joe]

Jesus, we're not talking Duke and Baylor here. UNC and KU are the perfect teams to be playing at this stage in our development. The only people who'd say that KU and UNC are bottom feeders are the jealous whining tin men. We've got enough heavy hitters on our schedules coming up to give us opportunities for super quality wins so I really don't see what all the fuss is about.

Trip I understand that, however, I fail to see how not having a heavy hitter outside of our conference with 5 OOC games to fill until 2009 is helping us.

Everyone is always barking on hear how we get no respect from teh media, how we need to mass email because someone wrote off USF, and how students and local fans don't come to games. Playing UNC and Kansas are not solving these problems. They have about as much relevancy in the NCAA football as Miami and FSU do in NCAA basketball, they're decent wins and every few years teh program makes the postseason.

If you want respect your going to have to earn it and the willingness to play big games is a part of it. Look at Frseno State, sure they aren't BCS, but they have 3 teams who have been in the BCS games in the last 5 years comming and playing 1 and 1's with a deal for a 1 and 1 with USC all but signed. They did it by taking a relatively unknown program and matching wits with the big boys.

Now they have great recruiting classes, they've prodcued several NFLers, and most of all people KNOW WHO THEY ARE.

Heck they almost beat USC and people were talking about a BCS spot for them. They are a team that gets in the top 25 now because people know their name, USF needs to take similar steps in my opinion.

[Bullpride08]

Trip I understand that, however, I fail to see how not having a heavy hitter outside of our conference with 5 OOC games to fill until 2009 is helping us.

Everyone is always barking on hear how we get no respect from teh media, how we need to mass email because someone wrote off USF, and how students and local fans don't come to games. Playing UNC and Kansas are not solving these problems. They have about as much relevancy in the NCAA football as Miami and FSU do in NCAA basketball, they're decent wins and every few years teh program makes the postseason.

If you want respect your going to have to earn it and the willingness to play big games is a part of it. Look at Frseno State, sure they aren't BCS, but they have 3 teams who have been in the BCS games in the last 5 years comming and playing 1 and 1's with a deal for a 1 and 1 with USC all but signed. They did it by taking a relatively unknown program and matching wits with the big boys.

Now they have great recruiting classes, they've prodcued several NFLers, and most of all people KNOW WHO THEY ARE.

Heck they almost beat USC and people were talking about a BCS spot for them. They are a team that gets in the top 25 now because people know their name, USF needs to take similar steps in my opinion.

Almost, and coulda, woulda, shoulda does not win conferences, and get teams ranked.

We've got good programs on the schedule and more coming.  We've got the heavy hitters on the schedule, tell me when Auburn, and UF were not heavy hitters?  You're ignoring our actual schedule and reading some news bites and then trying to derive some facts.  The fact is we have big programs on our schedule for the next five years- Auburn, UF, Miami- and there are more to follow.  HOWEVER, we will not do it at an expense or rather a deal that isn't equal.  THAT'S BCS.  Don't give me that falsified crap that the BCS is just a 'name'.  BULLS**T it's more than a name, it's an image, it's upholding a value, it's leveraging for your advantage.  

Joe, I thought you had enough sense to recognize the reality of things.  USF's a strong program but we've not recruited to the level to be playing all these top 10 teams.  It isn't prudent to start scheduling as if we have, and thus automatically putting "L's" in the column before the season starts.  We've got enough name teams on our schedule for the next five years, keep winning and the rest will fall into place.  Don't go out there and 'over schedule' that's always been Leavitt's premise.  Don't go out to make a name of getting destroyed by the big boys in THEIR HOUSE.  That doesn't prove anything except you're good homecoming fodder.  Win, beat the UNC, and KU's of the world, take some of the big conference foes down, hope we pull out a victory in say Gainesville or Auburn.  This is a slow build, not something that needs to be done overnight.  The reality says this team isn't equiped right now to beat Texas, that's not to say don't schedule them, but I certainly don't want a 2008 season where USF is playing AT TEXAS, THEN AT AUBURN, then at UF....yeah, great 0-3.   You've got to be smart about your scheduling, sprinkle in an occasional toughy (which we already have), and then win the rest.  The kids gravitate to winning traditions, bowl games, and big atmosphere.  Fans love winning, reporters love winning.  They all become very fickle as soon as you start setting yourself up for loses, and struggling to go to 6 wins because you over scheduled.

A fine example is last year.  Last year we went 6-6 and everyone criticized our record at the end of the year.  No one cared to pat us on the back or give us extra credit for over-scheduling.  That's the way the cookie crumbles.  You don't fault UF for having a patsy OCC because they play in the SEC, and have FSU each year.  UF realizes they make more money bringing in a Georgia Southern at home then traveling to someones house to play a TV game.  

The schedule will be fine, in another thread you freely admit we're clearly negotiating with other big BCS programs for 1-1's.  What's the big deal?  Wait until we start landing 4-5 top 100 athletes in the nation, and we can level the playing field then we can start ignoring the complexity of a deal or an opponent.  Until then Leavitt has the perfect mind set, build a schedule that his team has a good shot at handling.  Win most of those games, go to bowls, build a stronger fan base and some positive model of being a winner.  Sprinkled in those schedules are some giant programs, we'll take our shots but not over-schedule.  There will be a time, but for now the scheduling is perfect, and given what Woolard has up his sleeve still two trips to Austin would not have been feasible.  

[CyberBull]

Hey, If you wanta be national champions one day, you gotta have one hell of a schedule and dominate in it.

When we hired GOL he said from day 1 he has no desire in making a program Top 25...he wants to develop a program that's top 10 year in and year out.

3 or 4 years down the road you may have wished you had taken the deal.

This is hilarious, UCF can barely beat the bad teams from the State of Texas  such as Rice or Houston...and you think you'll be Top10?

Thanks for the laugh...

[CyberBull]

"jealous whining Tinmen."

Glad to see the expression catching on....maybe I should trademark it ;^)

[flsportsfan83]

Well I think George is going to fall way short of his goal when all is said and done.  Have you ever beat a top ten team?

Hey, If you wanta be national champions one day, you gotta have one hell of a schedule and dominate in it.

When we hired GOL he said from day 1 he has no desire in making a program Top 25...he wants to develop a program that's top 10 year in and year out.

3 or 4 years down the road you may have wished you had taken the deal.

[CyberBull]

Trip I understand that, however, I fail to see how not having a heavy hitter outside of our conference with 5 OOC games to fill until 2009 is helping us.

Everyone is always barking on hear how we get no respect from teh media, how we need to mass email because someone wrote off USF, and how students and local fans don't come to games. Playing UNC and Kansas are not solving these problems. They have about as much relevancy in the NCAA football as Miami and FSU do in NCAA basketball, they're decent wins and every few years teh program makes the postseason.

If you want respect your going to have to earn it and the willingness to play big games is a part of it. Look at Frseno State, sure they aren't BCS, but they have 3 teams who have been in the BCS games in the last 5 years comming and playing 1 and 1's with a deal for a 1 and 1 with USC all but signed. They did it by taking a relatively unknown program and matching wits with the big boys.

Now they have great recruiting classes, they've prodcued several NFLers, and most of all people KNOW WHO THEY ARE.

Heck they almost beat USC and people were talking about a BCS spot for them. They are a team that gets in the top 25 now because people know their name, USF needs to take similar steps in my opinion.

This is soooo stupid.

If you want respect win games you are not supposed to win.

Example #1: USF at Pitt, two days before 9/11

Example #2: USF throttles Urban Meyers Top 25 Mac outfit

Example #3: USF Destroys #9 Louisville

Leavitt has built this program from nothing at a school where the word pass only used to refer to grades. So if you don't mind.....I think he knows what he is doing.

As far as sound-bytes of Top10, come back until you actually do something. Playing top teams means squat, beating them and then beating them consistently is the only thing that is going to get your noticed.  What did the Tinmen get out of those games against BCS schools...passed over by the BigEast for a fledling 6 year old program in Tampa who had a realistic plan.

[Triple B]

Glad to see the expression catching on....maybe I should trademark it ;^)

I didn't realize I was plagiarizing, must have read it and filed it away ....... I'll go back to Kanigits.  8)