Sleeping Giants per CFN.com

[USFPDiddy]

Fat Rod jokes are some people's crack cocaine ....

That and he's pretty much our only reason to complain in football...a much better position than other programs are in.

Our outlook is pretty good in football overall, I don't know why people are upset about it.  If there is an optimal, perfect level of achievement over a set period of time given the circumstances, USF has come pretty close (in football anyway).  I'll be surprised (and so upset I might be able to physically throw fat rod) if we don't make a repeat bowl appearance with our schedule.  There is a good chance we'll be ranked at some point in the season, and ARV is very probable.

Once we've had 4 years of big east recruits here, we'll be stronger.  That's not to say that our old recruits were all bad (some were and are amazing players), but we'll have more good players from EACH class now that we're in the big east.  If you don't believe me, just watch the difference over the next 3 years.

[Guest t.willy]

Can you say redneck-ville USA?....................Hey.. I'm a redneck and proud of it..please don't pull us rednecks down by comparing us to that slimmy bunch in Gainesville ,,,, ;D go Bulls!

[Guest]

USF will be one of the top 2 teams in Florida within the next 5 years.  Do you think FSU will keep doing good when Bowden finally puts his second foot in the grave?  UF has performed "below expectations" since Spurrier left... tell me Urban Meyer isn't under the gun at all times.  

It's only a matter of time and continuing to make the right moves forward.  

Miami went from Jimmy Johnson through recruiting violations and probation back to prominence... UF is back on the rebound, and FSU will not be down for long after Bowden...

But... that being said... I think there is room for a Big 4 ... and USF will be that 4th... there MIGHT even be room for a Big 5 given the surge in high school students in Florida over the next 10 years. (USF will have 60,000 students by 2015.)

[applepj]

Listen leave woman out of it since more men complain than woman!!!! I agree we need to be positive in the fact that we are mentioned and hopefully we will be part of the BIG 4 or knock someone out of the Big 3!!!

[ChiTownBull]

Listen leave woman out of it since more men complain than woman!!!!

using this board as evidence you might be correct

[Joe]

While I think we'll be up there, 5 years is a lil too soon to say we'll take over the big 3...

[twillybull]

Miami went from Jimmy Johnson through recruiting violations and probation back to prominence...

Miami might really have screwed the pooch by leaving the Big East.  Miami always made a killing recruiting key players from the northeast US and absolutetly dominating the BE.  When they jumped ship to the ACC they got a tougher conference that is harder to recruit from.  In the BCS land of College Football, it's better to be THE big fish in a small pond (if it's a BCS pond) than one of several big fishes in the ocean.  The days of Miami dominating their conference year in and out are definitely on hold for a while.

No one will be able to live up to Bowden in Tallahassee or Spurrier in Gainseville.  At least not for some time now.  

T.willy, sorry if I offended.  I grew up in Dunnellon, you can't get much more redneck...  

I was trying to say that there is nothing really appealing for a college age kid in Gainseville or Tallahassee once you get off the campus.  That is unless you want to drive for 3 (or 6) hours to Tampa .    

[Joe]

I was trying to say that there is nothing really appealing for a college age kid in Gainseville or Tallahassee once you get off the campus.  That is unless you want to drive for 3 (or 6) hours to Tampa .    

I alway disagree when people say this. Those kids are gods in those towns and they know it. An 18 year old kid looks at a college town be it Gainesville, Tallahassee, Tuscaloosa, Ann Arbor, or Eugene, etc. and knows three things:

a) They will be the big fish in a small pond.

They will be surrounded by 20,000 females who live in that town for ONE purpose

c) Anything they need will be within the areas

These small college towns have just as much social and entertainment venues, it's not like living in podunk and driving into the "city" on Saturday to get a soda and watch the new movie at the TriPlex downtown. I encourage anyone to check out Chapel Hill, Lawrence, or Morgantown if they get a chance this year.

Does that mean that there are some players who prefer to play in big cities? Yes, but coming to USF they are more apt to be 3rd - 4th string in level of imprtance in the city behind the Bucs, Lightning, and if they ever get good, the D-Rays.

However there are towns like LA and Miami that have accomodated these student athletes well and made their schools destinations for many recruits.

The big city argument doesn't work as well as many believe it, if it did San Diego State (beautiful city), Boston College, UNLV, Houston, Tulane, Cincinnati, Pitt, and Vanderbilt would be pulling in monster recruits annually.

[ChiTownBull]

IThe big city argument doesn't work as well as many believe it, if it did San Diego State (beautiful city), Boston College, UNLV, Houston, Tulane, Cincinnati, Pitt, and Vanderbilt would be pulling in monster recruits annually.

One thing those schools all have in common is low attandance figures....most probably considered commuter schools.

[twillybull]

These small college towns have just as much social and entertainment venues,

Yeah, Gainseville has some bars (at the campus) and oh yeah a mall...  That's about it.  You're still well over 2 hours away from a decent beach, or a building over 5 stories in height.  Simply put, get off campus, and you're in the woods.  

As for Tallahassee, drive 10 minutes in any direction and you're nowhere, just like Gainseville.  I guess you can drive 1-1/2 hours to hit the water.  Or 3 hours on I-10 to Pensacola (or Jacksonville in the other direction).