USF's Bowl this year

[DELdaBull]

Just look at how the pseudo fan base disappeared after the Traumatic Three. I'm just saying that there exists a core of fans who will go to any bowl game they can. And there's others who are less than enthusiastic about playing a CUSA team. One of the perks of being a BCS team is playing BCS teams.

Dude Cinci - attendance 57,379

UL - attendance 57,288

So about 8500 went away.  That is still numbers never before seen at USF.  Remember before this years the single game attendance record was 49000.

[Guest]

Well we will get ANOTHER chance to change that perception or continue to feed it.

seems you are doing a pretty good job of promoting that opinion on your own

perhaps you should stop regurgitating this line of BS is what I'm saying.

you are only contributing to the problem

I feel we have traveled very well  to our first two bowl games all things considered. If you want to disagree-- fine. But please don't tell me my fanbase is ugly-- just keep that type of **** to yourself

Sorry, Mike, I have to disagree here.

On the surface, traveling an average of 5,000 fans isn't bad... but when Rutgers, L'ville, and WVU can bring two or three times that many - why shouldn't it be a factor in the decision?

It doesn't matter to this year's bowl games that other schools have been playing football for decades more... they want eyes on the tube, bodies in hotel beds, and butts in seats.  Until USF's relatively small fan base picks up and goes anywhere, we will not lose that perception.

So when USF fans (not you, but many on here) start acting like FSU fans -- "we won't go to that lowly bowl because we're better than that" -- I don't see what USF has done to earn such an attitude... one week at #2 does not a tradition make.

---

This is from a Washington Post article about Maryland... notice the way they describe Miami Hurricane fans...

The winner of Saturday's game between the Terrapins (5-6) and Wolfpack (5-6) is essentially guaranteed a postseason bowl game. And though Miami (5-6) could jump back into the bowl picture by upsetting No. 15 Boston College this week, a historically shoddy track record of fan travel to bowl games -- a major consideration for selection committees -- among other factors makes the Hurricanes' postseason chances slim. It leaves the door open for the Maryland-North Carolina State winner to reach a bowl game.

Source

[dabull80]

I have spent alot of time and money finding the best clubs in Charlotte and Birmingham so I have no problem going back there.

[USF Colby]

I'm not going to B-Ham, can't sell any friends on going to that game with me and I just don't want to go to Alabama.

[DELdaBull]

UCONN, and UC do not "travel" well.  Shoot UC does not even attend home games well (Remember all those empties in the game last year vs. us?).  They have not even been packing their stadium this year (a great one by their standards) 

[Brad]

I'll tell you the reason why they don't look at avg. attendance. It's misleading. Most of our 50000+ avg was bandwagon and bowl know bandwagon fans aren't the ones paying hundreds to go to a bowl game.

or thousands...

My trip to Charlotte cost more than a couple grand two years ago.  If you Tampans get a bowl that is not in driving distance, you will see that it's closer to thousands than hundreds, especially if you are traveling as a family.  It's not like pulling up to RJS and tumbling out of the evil SUV.  IF Texas Tech is going to the Gator Bowl, you can bet it is costing on a per fan basis closer to a thousand for airfare, hotel, food, car maybe, game tickets, event tickets, extra-curriculars, etc.  It's a very costly proposition for some and those are the fans that the bowl committee is looking for.  Economic impact.  No offense, but an evil SUV full of students is not what the bowl selection committees are targeting in my humble opinion.

[DELdaBull]

I'll tell you the reason why they don't look at avg. attendance. It's misleading. Most of our 50000+ avg was bandwagon and bowl know bandwagon fans aren't the ones paying hundreds to go to a bowl game.

or thousands...

My trip to Charlotte cost more than a couple grand two years ago.  If you Tampans get a bowl that is not in driving distance, you will see that it's closer to thousands than hundreds, especially if you are traveling as a family.  It's not like pulling up to RJS and tumbling out of the evil SUV.  IF Texas Tech is going to the Gator Bowl, you can bet it is costing on a per fan basis closer to a thousand for airfare, hotel, food, car maybe, game tickets, event tickets, extra-curriculars, etc.  It's a very costly proposition for some and those are the fans that the bowl committee is looking for.   Economic impact.  No offense, but an evil SUV full of students is not what the bowl selection committees are targeting in my humble opinion.

Well said.  That is why I cannot afford El Paso or Toronto.  1200+ for each (me and the little lady) and we have not even eaten yet or have a game day ticket.  That is sooo not working! My pockets are not yet deep.

[Brad]

All of our fans need to realize that Bowls wil choose teams with traveling support.

So yes I will be dissapointed if we get sent to Bham again BUT everyone needs to realize that if you CHOOSE not to go and support your team there then you are making sure that USF will NOT get chosen for bigger bowls in future.

You want the Gator or Sun or even Meineke to invite us when we miss out on BCS? Then you better get your butts out to any bowl game otherwise we will be chosen by the last choice bowl every year and even when we might be in top 14 and BCS eligible we might not get in.

So stop ******** about locations and go and support your team.

Can you give my wife and I $1200 for plane tickets to Canada plus room and board to go, because I certainly cant afford that.  Maybe a 3 or 4 hundred for the drives to the others, but I can't make toronto.  And yes I will ***** about it, so shut up.

No need to be rude, but I think this illustrates what I was trying to say above.  There are teams that certainly travel very well to bowl games because the fan base is large enough that there are a significant number of people that DO HAVE THE MONEY to go wherever the bowl is - it is a planned trip every year for them.  USF is not there.  We need to continue to support the team by showing up to bowls - that's all.  If you can't afford this one, save for the next one.  they're not all gonna be reachable via car, so we need to continue to grow a fan base that will travel regardless of venue.

[USF Colby]

I think adults should have the money to do these trips (minus Toronto maybe), i'm a college student I honestly can't.

[Rocky Style]

I think adults should have the money to do these trips (minus Toronto maybe), i'm a college student I honestly can't.

Unfortunately I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in MIS from the University of South Florida so I can't either.  Maybe if I lived in India I could get an interview? 

Seriously though, I would consider going to Car Care Bowl to watch an ACC team (not sure if I could afford it but I would want to go) but the Pizza Bowl is insulting.  It's amazing what a couple bad decisions in a UCONN game can do to your season.