I know it is hard to believe but there is a HUGE bright side.....

[IncrediBULL]

No we didn't win, but it shows we didn't belong at number 2.  At the beginning of the season, manyof didn't think we'd crack the top 25 this year, and we actually did that early in the season.  Due to fate and a lot of other things we quickly crept into the #2 slot before we began our difficult BE schedule against teams in or recently in the top 25...

So the positives (and the list is long) includes...

• We were in the top 5 and had the who college football world talking about us
  We are going to be in SI
  We have had numerous ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU games - lots of national coverage more than any of our other FL brethren
  Instead of being 4th in the BE, we still have a shot at winning the BE
  We are bowl eligible for the third year and will go to a bowl
  We could go 11 - 1 in regular season, possibly 12 -1 in a bowl
  We will, if we continue winning, end up in the top 25 for the first time ever and in the year we first broke the top 25 (I remember the gators breaking into the top five in the 80's only to suddenly fall out of it for various reasons).
  We will get some great recruits in the coming years as a result of our success on the field THIS year so far, possibly stealing rom UF, FSU, UM, etc...
  We have sold out two games and maybe more and have Tampa Bay rallying around this team, finally.
  USF closet fans have come out of the woodwork
  Leavitt and the coaches will probably finally get the increase they wanted
  Since we won't go to the NC, maybe leavitt wont get a $4M offer elsewhere
  USF Merchandising is at an all time high, with gear flying off of shelfs  - which will continue
  We actually believed along with others in the Bulls and their ability to go all the way
  
• 
  

So, while I am dissapointed with the outcome last night, I still love the bulls and think it has been a terrific season to date.  If you have other items to add to the list, feel free. 

[Getreal52]

Things are good for USF right now. We will now start getting some of the better recruits and you will see us continue to become a force to be reconed with.

GO BULLS!

[WoolyBully]

Hopefully, this boots some of the band-wagon fans off.  Now that we're not undefeated and

not going to be ranked #2 - or higher - going forward, a lot of the 'me too' fans will shove

off. I know, I know...there's a school of thought that no potential Bulls fan should be shunned,

but this could just pare the population down to those who WOULD stick around, regardless of

how the remainder of the season goes (given that we're just over the half-way point now!).

You know...just shave off some of that stuff around the edge that you don't really need.  8)

[cayman]

It was just too much too fast anyway.  We were getting tons of criticism along the way.

It is almost a bit of a relief now to not have that HUGE target on our backs and the pressure of a possible NC.

Now...its just about going and playing some football!

No sweat, it was a great ride...and the positives are still waaaay better than the negatives.

[mw98gt]

I just hope walter walker and taurus will be ok.  We need WW out there, but for him it looks not so well.

[IncrediBULL]

agreed, need the guys (capogna, walker, taurus, etc) to get healthy.  Good thing is our next game is over a week away so they can get some rest.  I bet Walker is out for the season.  The knee thing was not good at all....

[TheBullies]

I just hope walter walker and taurus will be ok.  We need WW out there, but for him it looks not so well.

Walker is out with torn ACL... TJ sprain and he's out for 2-3 weeks.

[HOTMello2005]

IncrdiBULL,

Are you a fellow social worker?  that was an awesome analysis from a strengths based perspective!

GO BULLS!!!  FINISH STRONG!!!

[postmortem]

Hopefully, this boots some of the band-wagon fans off.  Now that we're not undefeated and

not going to be ranked #2 - or higher - going forward, a lot of the 'me too' fans will shove

off. I know, I know...there's a school of thought that no potential Bulls fan should be shunned,

but this could just pare the population down to those who WOULD stick around, regardless of

how the remainder of the season goes (given that we're just over the half-way point now!).

You know...just shave off some of that stuff around the edge that you don't really need.  8)

I disagree with this completely. Bandwagoners are more than welcome. They are the ones that helped sell out RJ. They are the ones buying all this merch. They are helping spread the word about our Bulls. I don't know about you but I'm incredibly proud every time I see or hear a new person talking about our team. I work at a sports store in the u-mall and its a great feeling every time someone new comes in for some USF stuff.

[GarySJ]

I wouldn't call it a bright side but USF still has goals we would had never dreamed of a month ago -- Big East championship, major bowl invitation, Top 10 final ranking, that sort of thing. It's all about what the Bulls do from here on out. They control their own destiny. They can be 6-6, or 11-1. That's a pretty wide range.