Coach Leavitt endorses UCF for Big East expansion:

[UCFChad]

Dang,

13 losing seasons since 1979 and four in the last six.  Ouch!  I never bothered to look at UCiF history, but if my source is accurate, you got a lot of nerve mentioning a rare USF losing season.

He has even more nerve getting it wrong.

Sigh.  Face in hands.  I give up.  Why discuss viability and facts? ;D

[GoBulls84]

Well, I think if you're making a case for entry into the Big East, you might want to find a way to include the football program as a good reason....maybe in place of "Incredible academics" NOBODY's buying that one! 

:ROFLMAO

didn't USF have a losing record the season before being invited to the Big East? that throws out that argument

Yep, a losing record twice in its history, counting USF's very first year.  Looks like the Big East made a good play.  Now looking at UCiF's 25-30 year history, how's it stack up? 

I also don't recall our team EVER losing 17 straight games.

[Brad]

I'm wondering of Chad just finished freshman orientation at UCF; sort of sounds that way.

[813knight]

USF was 4-7 in its last year in CUSA but carry on*

[IncrediBULL]

I'm wondering of Chad just finished freshman orientation at UCF; sort of sounds that way.

Just like their players quoting a high graduation rate that really doesn't exist.  

It is all part of the kool aid they sell there.

[Cow Pie]

813, don't worry about their merits, worry about our viability.  Point is, we are the most attractive and lucrative when we look at the totality of the circumstances.  What we offer is attractive and is a trump card to any other competition. The proof is in the pooding.

Trump card  ???... what kind of trump card could yall possibily have up your sleave that can trump Memphis's Liberty Bowl... The Magic Kingdom?

[luv2tri]

I hate to keep this stupid thread going... but

Rank    Designated Market Area (DMA)        TV Households      % of US

1        New York, NY    7,433,820        6.495   

2        Los Angeles, CA    5,654,260        4.940   

3        Chicago, IL    3,492,850        3.052   

4        Philadelphia, PA    2,950,220        2.578   

Let Temple back in.  They play at the new Franklin Financial Field. Easy Flight-Southwest.  Cheese Steaks. And you get to see the Liberty Bell.

[Orlando Bull]

USF was 4-7 in its last year in CUSA but carry on*

Absolutely true, but by that time, we were already Big East bound. The deal was done in late 2003 if I recall.

http://www.fanblogs.com/big_east/003804.php

...yep, I recall.

So, in 2002, we were 9-2 with our only losses to Arkansas and Oklahoma, we had a winning season in 2003 in our first year in a conference. We were pretty attractive.

I agree that the only thing UCF offers is TV market. Disney and Sea World are very open to anyone coming to Tampa, it's not that far of a drive. I don't exactly remember, but it seems like ECU has a pretty nice campus as well. I often wonder if all of the people that keep saying how beautiful the UCF campus is have ever been to another campus outside of the state. There are a lot of really nice campuses especially in the southeast, so I don't think the campus makes UCF any more attractive than a lot of other schools.

Chad, please enlighten us with facts?

Fact - UCF has 3 losing seasons in the last 5, including an 0-11 season.

Fact - UCF has never won a bowl game

Fact - UCF won conference USA (the same year they lost 64-12 to the only Big East team they played, and C-USA was known to be WEAKer than usual)

Fact - UCF is in a lot of debt and is facing athletics budget cuts as we speak (thats attractive)

Fact - The BE already has a team in the Florida market

I don't think it's going to happen for you guys, if I were a UCF fan, I would be hoping that all of this 9th team in the BE stuff would go away for a while. Oleary needs to start recruiting florida better (and I think he did this year), and you guys need to put together a few good seasons to become more attractive.

Good luck this year. I will be pulling for your new defensive end Victor Gray. Hope he does well there, he's a good kid that I wish had come to USF.

[Guest hm101]

DC is 9th on that list - georgetown

Philly s 4th - Temple

Orlando - 20th and half are snowbirds probably  ;D

people complain when the Big East isnt given respect when compared to the SEC and Big 12, yet some go around and talk about adding UCF? Thats a little backwards in my opinion. If we want to respect of a legitimate BCS conference, we have to act like it, and not go knocking on our neighbors door for fun. if we're gonna talk expansion, the Big East needs to think bigger than that:

http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/does-the-big-east-need-to-form-a-super-conference/

[bulldozier1]

USF was 4-7 in its last year in CUSA but carry on*

Bulls first year in c-usa as a partial member with a 9-2 record. Beat every team in c-usa that year.