Much Like The 2004 Season...

[MaltLiquorBull]

We are officially in a recession as a program.  Just like the 2004 season, we are going backwards.

We will lose our ranking.

We are going to a lesser bowl.

We are not improving, but instead, we have been figured out and are getting worse by the week.

We can't do any better in the big east (4-3) than we have the last 3 years even if we win out.

Our attendance is down from last year, and will probably be down even more for the last 2 games.

Our recruiting will suffer.

I remain very optimistic about the program over the long run...we will get out of this slump and stagnation at some point in the future (maybe not next season), but we will figure out a way.

We need to take a good look and make some front office changes--not to salvage the season (it's over), but to put the program back on an upward swing.

/end ********...See you at the Rutgers game.  If I can ask one favor from my favorite team.  PLEASE DON'T LOSE TO RUTGERS!

[usfgrad84]

There is no copmparison at all to the 2004 season.    This is worse. 

The 2004 season was a transition year.  That team had a ton of freshman, RS freshman and sophomore kids playing on the field at the same time.  They were good players that were under developed physically and experience wise.  You had Nicholas, St. Louis, Moffitt, Jenkins, Williams a few others all on defense at the same time.  they were in position to make plays.  They were so **** small theyd get blown off the play.  You also were loaded with a ton of players that were recruited as D1AA players.  Not even D1 players.

Compare that to guys that have been contributors in this program for 4 years.  Some guys are setting records for the number of consecutive games played here (C. Williams).  4 guys returning  on the OL.  1 All American, another preseason all american candidate (Nate Allen), A qb that is mentioned (rightly or wrongly) in our own ads as a Heisman candidate.

This is a major mess right now.

[GarySJ]

Everybody's disappointed, but let's get some perspective here.

The Bulls look bad, but we're not in 4-and-7-in-Conference-USA bad.

Attendance would be down this year no matter what, because the conditions that drove it so high in 2007 weren't going to be repeated, and attendance is down across college football (even Florida State and Tennessee have failed to sell out games at times).

We can't say what the recruiting effects will be because verbal agreements don't mean diddly squat anyway. If people start decommitting, like we've seen at Rutgers, or kids who were talking to Jim Leavitt stop talking to him, then we can be worried. But that generally doesn't happen over the results of one game.

It's fair to say the trend is down, but geez, we were #2 in the country at one point last year and should have been #1. There's only one direction you can go from there. It's fair to see didn't maintain that level, but USF is hardly alone on that front. There are probably 40 schools who were in the Top 10 at some point since 2006. Would you rather be Michigan (#13 last November) or Clemson (#9 preseason) or UCLA (#11 last September) or Arizona State (#15 this September) right now?

[flsportsfan83]

Would you rather be Michigan (#13 last November) or Clemson (#9 preseason) or UCLA (#11 last September) or Arizona State (#15 this September) right now?

Michigan - YES

Clemson- YES

ASU- no

[Feld44]

Everybody's disappointed, but let's get some perspective here.

The Bulls look bad, but we're not in 4-and-7-in-Conference-USA bad.

Attendance would be down this year no matter what, because the conditions that drove it so high in 2007 weren't going to be repeated, and attendance is down across college football (even Florida State and Tennessee have failed to sell out games at times).

We can't say what the recruiting effects will be because verbal agreements don't mean diddly squat anyway. If people start decommitting, like we've seen at Rutgers, or kids who were talking to Jim Leavitt stop talking to him, then we can be worried. But that generally doesn't happen over the results of one game.

It's fair to say the trend is down, but geez, we were #2 in the country at one point last year and should have been #1. There's only one direction you can go from there. It's fair to see didn't maintain that level, but USF is hardly alone on that front. There are probably 40 schools who were in the Top 10 at some point since 2006. Would you rather be Michigan (#13 last November) or Clemson (#9 preseason) or UCLA (#11 last September) or Arizona State (#15 this September) right now?

You got it right Gary!

[GarySJ]

Michigan - YES

Clemson- YES

Then you are lost.

Or you completely missed the point.

[Jihme]

next year is going to be extremely painful just like 2004 was