Sporting News gives USF biggest blame for decline of the Big East

[Guest]

I stand corrected.  It's both USF and WVU.

[bullwark]

Syracuse by far is the prime culprit. 

[Matt]

guys i think we can stop trying to hang our hat on the #2 ranking from a few years ago.

it obviously wasnt accurate.  i dont want to get caught up in moral victories like some other fanbases....

....well we were ranked #2 in the county during week 6 one year......

[Guest]

Good point, Matt.

Although we're not the only ones who mention it... the media will until we do something else remarkable.

Of all the collapses that happened in 2007 -- how many #2 teams lost a week later 4? 5? -- ours is the one people still talk about.

[BleacherBull]

I may be wrong, but isn't this the same sporting news hack who ranted about our over-recruiting?  Wonder where he gets his hatred of USF?  Loved OrlandoBull's retort to his original piece. 

[Guest hm101]

and then another article (check a post by me last night) states the big east has seen relative success over the last decade. this is one opinion and one of many out there.

[BullAdrian]

Wonder why lot of people think SEC is the strongest conference.  The fact of the matter is that the Big East is the only (of 13) Division I college football conferences with a winning record against the Southeastern Conference (SEC) since 1990.

The Gators haven't traveled outside the state of Florida for a regular-season, nonconference game since 1991 and haven't travel west of Mississippi since 1983!!!!!!

[IncrediBULL]

Good point, Matt.

Although we're not the only ones who mention it... the media will until we do something else remarkable.

Of all the collapses that happened in 2007 -- how many #2 teams lost a week later 4? 5? -- ours is the one people still talk about.

At least they still talk about it.  We need to prove we are for real, though.

[TRUTH D. Antagonist]

Wonder why lot of people think SEC is the strongest conference.  The fact of the matter is that the Big East is the only (of 13) Division I college football conferences with a winning record against the Southeastern Conference (SEC) since 1990.

The Gators haven't traveled outside the state of Florida for a regular-season, nonconference game since 1991 and haven't travel west of Mississippi since 1983!!!!!!

this.

also, USF has racked up some of the Big East's better OOC wins over the past few seasons: Kansas, Auburn on the road, UNC [x2], NCState and although i give no special credence to a drubbing of the Knats [or the Owls for that matter], beating 3 conference champions in one season [WVU, UCiF, FAU in 2007] is an impressive feat for any team.

since joining the Big East USF has, for the most part, handled its business in OOC play.  our wins over AU, KU, etc. made the Big East look good [our loss to Oregon in the Sun Bowl undid a lot of that, though].  it is IN-CONFERENCE play in which we have struggled, and that doesn't make the BEast look bad...  it makes the BEast look like a competitive conference whose better teams can compete [and win] against the better teams of other conferences, but who beat eachother up when it comes to conference play.

the Big East has 7 of 8 teams that can compete for the league title. WVU, Cinci, UConn, Louisville, Rutgers and USF have all either won the conference or been in the running late into the season, and Pitt has also been a competitive, ranked team.

and unlike other bigger conferences [e.g. the Big Televen] in which teams can avoid playing the top-tier squads in their conference, we have to play all 7 teams which can often be quite a gamut with the teams listed above.  we also regularly schedule 2 non-conference BCS teams due to our small conference size.

the Big East is not an elite conference, but it is a quality conference, and USF has done its part to keep the Big East competitive.

[hightechbull]

Subject of thread corrected above.  >