Do You Respect East Carolina?

[Joe]

You guys do know ECU hung tough with WVU and beat 2 ACC teams. They might not be great, but they aren't so bad that we need to ignore them.

One other note before our defense this weekend, they held WVU to their lowest offensive stats this year shutting down the White and Slaton running game. Should be interesting to see if they can contain Grothe.

[BullsFanInTX]

Yes, we respect ECU for the most part.  It's just that we were hoping to play a BCS team in the bowls, so it didn't matter if it was ECU, Rice, Tulsa, USM, or whoever, we were hoping for a Big 12 team in the Texas Bowl.  That doesn't mean ECU doesn't have a good team.  No slight against ECU intended, you're certainly as good as many BCS teams out there.  Let me ask you a question, would you rather face a Sun Belt team or a Big East team.  A big east team I am sure, because you have more to gain by beating a BE team.  Well, that is the same for us, we have more notoriety to gain by beating a Big 12 team in the bowl.  I am just being honest, not trying to be disrespectful.  I know we'll have our hands full against ECU.  I watched your game against WVU, and you guys played them tougher than just about anyone else on thier schedule, besides us of course.

[72bull]

Yes, I have some respect for ECU - they have had some very good teams in the past.  The problem is we have just knocked off the no. 7 team in the nation and find out we will probably be playing a team that we played (and beat) 3 times in recent years.  

I know you guys are better now so I guess we should be thankful we're in a bowl game.  At least all the smack talk is helping to drum up interest in the game!  :

[Hummell2]

BullsfaninTX...completely understand your perspective and to answer your question, I was praying to get into the Papa Johns bowl to play a Big East team.  Playing against Troy doesn't compare to playing against a USF or a Pitt or any other Big East team for that matter.  

I guess the Big East commish need to come up with a way to secure some better bowl games for their constituent institutions.  Only way to do that is to send fans to the bowl games.  That's not a dig at USF, surely you understand that schools who are able to travel in large numbers secure the best bowl games.  This is something the Big East and the institutions are going to have to work at so that you don't have to play the East Carolina's of the world in the future.

[Brad]

Do You Respect East Carolina?

as much as the next opponent, whoever that may be.

[BullsFanInTX]

BullsfaninTX...completely understand your perspective and to answer your question, I was praying to get into the Papa Johns bowl to play a Big East team.  Playing against Troy doesn't compare to playing against a USF or a Pitt or any other Big East team for that matter.  

I guess the Big East commish need to come up with a way to secure some better bowl games for their constituent institutions.  Only way to do that is to send fans to the bowl games.  That's not a dig at USF, surely you understand that schools who are able to travel in large numbers secure the best bowl games.  This is something the Big East and the institutions are going to have to work at so that you don't have to play the East Carolina's of the world in the future.

Hummell, you are correct, we (all BE team) need to step up and put more butts in seats at bowls regardless of who we are playing.  USF specifically needs to increase the amount of fans we send to each bowl game.  As far as the BE bowl allignment, understand, when the the BE commish put these deals together, no one knew how the new Big east conference was going to do, so those were the best deals we could get.  Now that the bowls know that the BE is a very good conference top to bottom, I expect our bowl deals to improve some the next go around in bowl negotiations.

[E.T.]

I respect CU ... and a few fans with a computer would not change my thinking.

[Joe]

Hummell, you are correct, we (all BE team) need to step up and put more butts in seats at bowls regardless of who we are playing.  USF specifically needs to increase the amount of fans we send to each bowl game.  As far as the BE bowl allignment, understand, when the the BE commish put these deals together, no one knew how the new Big east conference was going to do, so those were the best deals we could get.  Now that the bowls know that the BE is a very good conference top to bottom, I expect our bowl deals to improve some the next go around in bowl negotiations.

We'll see on that, the Big East needs fans to go to home games, road games, nuetral games, and bowl games BADLY.

There is a reason why the Pac-10 is sending their 2nd best team to the Holiday Bowl, their 3rd best to the Sun. They don't have the following the Big 12, Big 12, and SEC teams bring to bowl games.

I think this is what our Bowl lineup will look like for a few years until a majority (not just WVU) can bring em in force consisently. That is the reason for the terrible Gator Bowl deal, teh reason the MCCB signed Navy, and the reason the Texas Bowl switches every other year.

To also note we had a shot at the Champs Sports Bowl and we kinda ignored it (from what I was told). Now it's a goodgame with a very good payout.

[Hummell2]

You could always bring in a 9th member that travels extremely well for all of the games you listed above.  A team like that could secure some better bowl games in the future.  Do you think the Car Bowl would've had a clause for Navy if East Carolina was in the Big East?  You're eventually going to get a 9th football member...I'm convinced of it.  Now, will it be East Carolina?  I have no idea.  But you can bet your Florida Oranges it will be a team that travels.

[Triple B]

My earliest memory of ECU go back to a previous life when I was an FSU fan. Went to a game in Tally vs East Carolina that was a wild shootout, almost 100 pts scored between the two. They and So Miss have always stuck in my mind from those days as battling underdogs.

Wouldn't mind seeing them join the BE at some future date ...