Is USF football growing TOO fast?

[BigShoop]

I realize I'm gonna get a lot of "just win baby" replies here, and that's fine, but I think it's a legitimate concern.

The fan base is growing a large amount slower than the program is. With the bowl games, and the potential of the young players we have, and the potential of the recruiting classes that are improving each and every year, this team has a legitimate chance to do some pretty special things. Problem is, no one cares.

What happens when USF wins the Big East in the next year or 2?

Yeah, it'll be monumental for the program in so many ways, but there's one problem: it'll ALL be overshadowed by the local and national media saying: "What a young and exciting program they have there in Tampa, but look out in the stands, they barely sell out HALF of Raymond James and they only brought 10,000 to the Sugar Bowl. What an embarrasment."

You can almost see it happening, and it's scary. To me anyways...

[ksquire]

Florida sports fans are fickle that way. Win and they will come. Look at Miami for example. Here's a team that has 5 NCs, but one down year and the upper deck of the OB was empty. When they are having a great season, that place is rocking.

You also have to take into consideration that Tampa is all about their Bucs. It's not exactly a college football town because everyone who lives here has most likely come from UF or somewhere else. There are only 6 years of alumni for the football team, and back then they weren't in the BE and going to bowl games. Give it a few years and you'll see more alumni starting to come back.

[bwsdj]

I think everything will work out , I live up in Brooksville and have seen alot more people with Bulls Merchandise, License plates, Hats, Shirts ETC..   ;D

[Joe]

I wouldn't say Tampa isn't a college football town, there is just a lot of alliegence to FSU and UF, which is going to be hard to draw from.

Winning will draw fans consistently (which WILL happen), but that isn't what runs the college game. It's about $.

In the long run, I believe that the current students should be the focus for marketing as they are the future of this program. They will be the ones donating the money that is going to be needed to compete on a national level consistently. You don't usually get that money from a casual fan who picked up the Bulls because they started winning.

[usfgrad84]

My opinion is that for this team to reach the next level in terms of fan base, it will not just be about winning, but about being involved and then winning meaningful games.  Games that have real implications on a national scale wil create real interest for the the general football fan, not the USF football fan.  We will continue to grow our fan base at a moderate pace.  However, a win on national TV vs. Auburn is a start.  If our game on national TV vs Rutgers is for a top 25 ranking that creates some interest for a the general football fan.  It's not just another football game and something to do on a Thursday night  coming into the UL and WVU games when a ranking or  a win has some type of implication (even for another team) then you'll start to get interest in the team.  

I think you've seen this scenario play out several times in the past few years.  the first time was when UL lost to Miami a few years ago.  That game put them on the radar and they capitalized on it by continuing to win.  Finally beating them this past year.  I think you saw it in the Rutgers/UL game this year.  Prior to that game Rutgers was still just Rutgers they were still not selling out their stadium, building their attendance.  They played UL on a Thursday night in their first game that had true big time meaning and they had to bring in extra temporary seating.  After that, they were the media darling of the country.  

I think the oppportunity for USF to be in those type situations is staring us in the face this year.  Hopefully, we can capitalize on the opportunity the way those teams have.

There needs to be some type of emotional tie in for the casual fan.  That may come in the form of us being an upstart underdog, but who cares?  As long as we give them something to catch onto us with.  

[Grateful Dad]

OK, here comes the controversy.

Bring in teams that people want to see us play against and you will raise the attendance.  FAMU, UCF, WV were good draws.  Even though FAMU and UCF are not big names, there is local interest.  But Elon and Wofford?  I don't think so.  

There are two parts to putting a product on the field.  Winning and winning against a worthy opponent.  Actually, winning against an opponent that people expect you to lose to.  That causes people to want to see it.  Winning consistently against opponents that no one has heard of or cares about doesn't generate interest.

We are going to get NC, Kansas, and Miami here.  These are the names we need to get more of.  I have no doubt that we will.  I know that we are just building a history of winning with small names because we are young and that is good.  But it will not generate butts in the seats.  The big names will.

[Joe]

I'll disagree with the UNC and Kansas. They are BCS teams, but I highly doubt that UNC will even be in the top 3 of attendance (maybe 4) with WVU, UCF, and UL dominating the schedule.

If you want the casual interest you need to a) win a lot or bring in a big time program that is recognozable (i.e. - Miami). Kansas and UNC are nice games, but they aren't games that wiull convince the regular fan to show.

[JoeB]

Tampa is a Bucs town simply because the Bucs have been here since the mid 70s.  Give us another ten years and we'll be averaging close to 50,000 fans.  My question is where are all the fans that came to the Inaugural Game?  Did they just go to one game, saw us beat up Kentucky Wesleyan and say, "OK I've had enough of this but I don't think I'll ever come back?".  That is fickle.

[WoolyBully]

USF has turned the corner.

And part of that - getting away from being Drive-Thru-U - is the

football program.

The recipe for disaster would to have been to take 'baby steps',

and languish in IAA land any longer than was absolutely necessary.

Even if we had been relegated to CDOA any longer than we were,

I'm certain the powers that be were working on digging a tunnel out

to BCS land.

Football...like it or not...has put added pressure on other sports as

well. Until football - and its success - we had to 'take it or leave it'

for other sports. Now, there's pressure across the board, being in

a BCS conference, for everyone to start doing the heavy lifting.

You can say this until the cows come home - and there are folks who

just don't want to hear it - but it's going to take time. By that, I mean

GENERATIONS to have the sort of following we crave.  If that were

not the case, the thousands upon thousands of alumni in the area

would have devoured tickets on day-one and we'd be eyeballin'

full stadiums every Saturday.

However, until we do start winning meaningful games (and yes, I do

know WHY we play Elon, Wofford, etc.) and WE ARE THE ONES who

L'ville and WVU hope to upset, fan support will be what it is.  

Oh, and just to flip the turnstiles, I'd agree with UCF & FAMU. Then

again, I don't know what sort of incentive$ those schools would be

looking at to come over and fill in the blanks.

Growing too fast? Nope. No alternative but to maintain this speed.  8-)

[Joe]

There are several other teams that could draw interest locally, the problem is getting a big boy to agree to a 1 and 1.

FAMU got an unbelievable deal when they played here, I don't imagine we'll see them back for a very long time as no agreement could be reached for 2008