Fennelly- Another Collapse Just Won't Cut It

[Brad]

What excuses did I make for the 2008 team "sh!t(ting) their pants"  I didn't say it was alright or make excuses, I simply stated what should be obvious.  They weren't as good as a #2 ranking.  I can't believe this is being debated.

[slick1ru2]

Playing 60 minutes of giving it all you got would be a start.

[CyberBull]

Those that truly follow the program know that was an undeserved ranking.

Beg to differ regarding "undeserved ranking".

It's not a matter of deserving a ranking or not, its just how the system worked out. For that week, the system of record deemed us as the second best team in the country, so based on the system of record....we deserved our ranking.  In fact...there were many talking heads and bloggers across the country that said we should have been ranked number 1 based on our body of work at the point in comparison to anybody else. Afterall, does anyone think that Ohio State deserves to be in the national title game every other year?

Let's not forget that being #2 in the country firmly put the program on the map and as we are seeing now....raised expectations. Some programs never even have this opportunity. For me at least, that # 2 ranking will one day soon be looked as "sign that this program was going somewhere...fast!".

[Brad]

I guess our definitions of "deserved" are different.  Neither at that time or today am I comfortable with the #2 ranking.  Sure, by way of the system (and others losing) we "deserved" it.  All I am saying is (and it was proven) that we were not a legit #2 as we proceeded to fall out of the picture completely.  I hope the next time we are at #2 we can protect it.

It was certainly an odd season in the poll.  USF got there because others before them lost.  The only difference was that many teams that lost early were able to recover and become highly ranked again.  USF did not finish ranked in Top 25.  In fact we ended with fewer votes than we had in the preseason poll. 

"We have begged someone -- anyone -- to accept the No. 2 ranking. Eight teams tried it on for size and didn't keep it long. Six of them lost to unranked teams (13 top-five teams have lost to unranked opponents, eight of them doing so at home).

If you don't believe there's some voodoo at No. 2, consider this: Since Oct. 7, when California climbed to that spot, second-ranked teams in the AP poll have gone a grisly 10-18. The last three AP No. 2s -- Oregon, Kansas and West Virginia -- have gone 0-5 since.

It's been coast-to-coast chaos."   Link

2007 week by week polls, if you are interested

[MikeG]

I have to agree with Brad-- our #2 ranking -- something USF and everyone seems to drag out whenever it suits their argument/promotion--- was a case of being at the right place at the right time. Right place-- undefeated with big wins. Right time-- a season where every ranked team seemed to be losing.

It was a nice little time we had but realists understand that ranking was less about how good USF was and more about how everyone else was tripping over their own cocks at the time. I think that team--- when completely healthy and playing well-- deserved around a #18 ranking in reality.

But here's the thing for me-- rankings simply do not matter to this program. USF needs to do the following to establish itself as "having arrived" with the big boys of college football:

1) win our conference

2) win 10 games

3) build depth that will allow #1 and #2 to happen

4) build a fan base and a donor base by 5 times and 10 times what it is now respectively.

Wins against Auburn, WVU, and Kansas are great and show the potential of a team. But if you lose to UConn or can't beat Rutgers-- you should not have some half-assed, barely-knows-the-team writer telling you that it's do or die time for the program.

USF will not fire Coach Leavitt-- ever -- short of him doing something very out of character. So get over that thought. Is he "your guy" to bring the program to where it belongs? Frankly, I don't give a crap what most of the fans having this view have to say, because they live in fantasyland. They think that USF is oh so close to being the next big thing in college football and that there is some simple fix to make that happen. The true fans of this team have patiently watched the program build since those first steps a little over a decade ago. We are in it for the long haul. So is Leavitt. Anyone else who has unrealistic demands can kindly jump off the wagon and go root for the safe picks like UF.

I'll stick by my school and by my coach. They may not do everything perfectly, but they sure try like hell.

[CyberBull]

Mike I can see yours and Brad's point, but by the same token some people act like being ranked #2 was like the worst thing that ever happened to this program. I just don't see it that way.  Deserved or not, it says ALOT about this program and its architect that a program that has only been Division I-A for less than a decade was even ranked in the Top 25, never mind #2.

BTW, "I'll stick by by school and by my coach. They may not do everything perfectly, but they sure as hell try like hell."

I couldn't have said it any better.

[windbane]

Brad, we weren't ranked #2 just because other teams lost.  That's just how we overcame preseason rankings that make it easier for some teams than others.

Had there not been preseason rankings and the week we were #2 was the first week of rankings, we would have been ranked #1 or #2 in the nation.  We beat 2 ranked teams (1 in top 5, 1 on the road) and destroyed eventual C-USA champs in UCF.

The 3 games we proceeded to lose by 5, 3, and 7 points were heartbreaking, not a collapse.  Taurus was hurt, Ford was hurt, OLs were hurt.  And yet, we barely lost those 3 games and then finished the season 3-0.  Refs helped Rutgers as well, and I know that can be an excuse for nearly every game but there were 2 blaringly bad calls in that game that were significant.  It happens.  We lost.  But we were pretty close to going to the title game that year.

We weren't the 2nd best team in the country but we could have had the best resume and that's how it should be decided...on the field, not in the preseason.  Last year was pathetic.

[BDYZR]

This discussion, I think, is being based on hindsight.

[MikeG]

Mike I can see yours and Brad's point, but by the same token some people act like being ranked #2 was like the worst thing that ever happened to this program. I just don't see it that way.  Deserved or not, it says ALOT about this program and its architect that a program that has only been Division I-A for less than a decade was even ranked in the Top 25, never mind #2.

BTW, "I'll stick by by school and by my coach. They may not do everything perfectly, but they sure try like hell."

I couldn't have said it any better.

I am not a big proponent of watching the rankings. THe pre-season rankings are such a joke half the time-- how can people take them seriously? They tend to give credit to previous accomplishment or name recognition rather than the actual strength of teams. This is why you routinely see programs like Notre Dame get placed in the top 25  pre-season despite having a garbage year the season before followed by them getting knocked out after a game or two.

My advice is to simply ignore all the rankings except two-- the final two BCS rankings, one before the final game and the one before the bowl games. By that time, the pretenders are shown for what they are and the good teams shine through.

I don't know for sure how well we will do this season. We lost a lot of talent and experience on our O-line and in several key defensive positions. I think we are good enough to go bowling again but how good a bowl really depends on some guys we haven't seen play much yet.

PS-- I realize rankings are important to the overall image for fans and recruits. I tend to care about the play on the field more than the rest of the fluff surrounding the game. IF a team does everything to the best of it's ability, all these things will be taken care of. I am hoping we don't underachieve. Some think we have way more talent that the rest of the Big East and to me, that is simply not true. We are on par with and ahead in some cases-- but by no means are we hands down the most talented team in the Big East.

[Guest]

Second ranked teams almost always --- ALMOST ALWAYS --- require a little bit of right place, right time.

2008 - Oklahoma.... If Texas Tech didn't beat Texas with :01 left, Florida would have played the Longhorns for the title.

2007 - Don't get me started there...

2006 - Florida gets to play Ohio State because UCLA was able to upset the Trojans

So who cares if it was a bizarre mix of circumstances to get us to #2.  At that moment in time -- and only that moment in time -- USF deserved that ranking in comparison to the other 118 FBS teams.