The Bulls' reasons for a home-and-away with W.Kentucky explained

[Joe]

Without a doubt locally this years schedule is due to be one that draws more looks than ever.

That being said, two games does not make a schedule when you need 5 solid OOC games.

Playing 2 I-AA and the worst the in I-A makes out schedule terribly weak in the scheme of things.

Still it won't matter and w/ Cincy and WVU things won't be as bad as some make it out.

We're not getting a BCS atlarge, and unless we're really lucky we'll probably drop one game.

[smazza]

USF Athletics neeeeds mo' allowance, yodle-e-hiiiii-hooooo.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

There are far more interesting games on the schedule this week, but there may not be a weirder listing than this: South Florida at Western Kentucky.

What in the heck are the Bulls doing traveling to Bowling Green for a road game against a team that just moved up to full-time FBS status? South Florida is the first school from a BCS conference to play at Western Kentucky, and it's not even a 3-for-1 or a 2-for-1 type of deal. This is a straight home-and-home series, with the Hilltoppers scheduled to return the game to Tampa next year.

How did this happen? Well, like most things, the explanation starts with money.

South Florida's athletic department isn't flush with cash like, say, an SEC school. The Bulls had already agreed to pay FCS team Wofford $300,000 to come in and play sacrificial lamb. With Florida State and Miami on the docket and a planned in-state rivalry date against Florida International, South Florida wanted another, uh, manageable game.

Problem is, every school in the country is trying to buy these games, so lower-level FBS teams from the Sun Belt and others hold all the cards. They're often charging $600,000 or more to go on the road without a return date.

Add in the fact that Big East schools must schedule five nonconference games instead of the four that most other leagues have, and that becomes a financial burden. And so all of that led the Bulls to agree to play at an FBS newbie with a 22,000-seat stadium.

"It's so hard to find teams to play you," Leavitt said. "And to buy teams to come into your place, you have to pay an awful lot of money. We're just not in a position right now where we can do that. So we've had to play some teams like this and travel. It's something you'd rather not do, but that's the way it is."

The decision to play Western Kentucky made even more financial sense after Florida International dropped out of its contract to play Rutgers. The Bulls then had to go and pay for another home game and wound up writing a $450,000 check to a second FCS team, Charleston Southern.

Will Western Kentucky provide any kind of hurdle at all to South Florida? In their first game as a full-fledged FBS member, the Hilltoppers lost 63-7 at Tennessee on Saturday. But Leavitt said that's not a true representation of their ability.

"You throw a lot of it out," he said. "It was [Lane] Kiffins's opening game at Tennessee, and there were probably 100 million people screaming. So it was a very difficult challenge."

Leavitt has compared this game for his team to last year's game at Florida International. Like Western, FIU had a record crowd in a newly-expanded stadium. The Bulls escaped with a 17-9 win.

Wofford played South Florida close last week for a half before the Bulls ran away for a 40-7 win. With another FCS foe next week before the showdown at Florida State, it would only be human nature for the players to let their minds wander. Leavitt is trying to guard against that.

"We've got to have great focus," he said. "We've got to be better than we were last week."

doesnt make any sense

just another dumb schduling  move

usf should be playing a top 10 team on the road every year getting a big fat check if they need the money instead of a home and home with wku

[MikeG]

USF Athletics neeeeds mo' allowance, yodle-e-hiiiii-hooooo.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

There are far more interesting games on the schedule this week, but there may not be a weirder listing than this: South Florida at Western Kentucky.

What in the heck are the Bulls doing traveling to Bowling Green for a road game against a team that just moved up to full-time FBS status? South Florida is the first school from a BCS conference to play at Western Kentucky, and it's not even a 3-for-1 or a 2-for-1 type of deal. This is a straight home-and-home series, with the Hilltoppers scheduled to return the game to Tampa next year.

How did this happen? Well, like most things, the explanation starts with money.

South Florida's athletic department isn't flush with cash like, say, an SEC school. The Bulls had already agreed to pay FCS team Wofford $300,000 to come in and play sacrificial lamb. With Florida State and Miami on the docket and a planned in-state rivalry date against Florida International, South Florida wanted another, uh, manageable game.

Problem is, every school in the country is trying to buy these games, so lower-level FBS teams from the Sun Belt and others hold all the cards. They're often charging $600,000 or more to go on the road without a return date.

Add in the fact that Big East schools must schedule five nonconference games instead of the four that most other leagues have, and that becomes a financial burden. And so all of that led the Bulls to agree to play at an FBS newbie with a 22,000-seat stadium.

"It's so hard to find teams to play you," Leavitt said. "And to buy teams to come into your place, you have to pay an awful lot of money. We're just not in a position right now where we can do that. So we've had to play some teams like this and travel. It's something you'd rather not do, but that's the way it is."

The decision to play Western Kentucky made even more financial sense after Florida International dropped out of its contract to play Rutgers. The Bulls then had to go and pay for another home game and wound up writing a $450,000 check to a second FCS team, Charleston Southern.

Will Western Kentucky provide any kind of hurdle at all to South Florida? In their first game as a full-fledged FBS member, the Hilltoppers lost 63-7 at Tennessee on Saturday. But Leavitt said that's not a true representation of their ability.

"You throw a lot of it out," he said. "It was [Lane] Kiffins's opening game at Tennessee, and there were probably 100 million people screaming. So it was a very difficult challenge."

Leavitt has compared this game for his team to last year's game at Florida International. Like Western, FIU had a record crowd in a newly-expanded stadium. The Bulls escaped with a 17-9 win.

Wofford played South Florida close last week for a half before the Bulls ran away for a 40-7 win. With another FCS foe next week before the showdown at Florida State, it would only be human nature for the players to let their minds wander. Leavitt is trying to guard against that.

"We've got to have great focus," he said. "We've got to be better than we were last week."

doesnt make any sense

just another dumb schduling  move

usf should be playing a top 10 team on the road every year getting a big fat check if they need the money instead of a home and home with wku

USf playing FSU is the big away game this year-- but give them credit for getting a home and home instead of a payday. when fsu plays here-- it will be a pretty big deal. And if we win-- it will matter to plenty of people. we have had a big payday away game every year since we played SDSU (yeah-- they paid us pretty well for back then). Some years we even had two of those games (Arkansas and OU for example).

our schedule is fine and fits what we need to do-- you may not like the WKU game but it could be pretty much any team and you would complain anyway (hell you complain about the big east schdule being weak for starters) throwing in some BS about how USC does things. we are not USC. we are building and one day this patient build will yield some interesting results.

[E.T.]

Many still expect FSU & UM to play in the ACC Title game and the ACC is still perceived as a stronger conference.

[bullsfanM124]

I'm happy that we finally get to play FSU. I have been looking forward to that for a long time. It will also be nice to play UF next year also. Just think about how far we have come in such a short time.

[slick1ru2]

IF we get good enough in the next few years, I would love to see us swap with Duke and get in the ACC. Makes better sense for both schools.

[bullsfanM124]

IF we get good enough in the next few years, I would love to see us swap with Duke and get in the ACC. Makes better sense for both schools.

It would nice to be in a conference where going to a road game didn't mean taking an entire weekend off and driving over 1,000 miles.

[CousinRicky]

The Nat'l Champs opened with Charleston Southern & Troy.  How many Big OOC away games do they play?  All USF needs to do win the games on the schedule and they'll be a Top 25 team.

[smazza]

The Nat'l Champs opened with Charleston Southern & Troy.  How many Big OOC away games do they play?  All USF needs to do win the games on the schedule and they'll be a Top 25 team.

gators play in tough conference

bulls play in terrible conference

bulls need to upgrade ooc

too bad usf emulates ksu instead of usc

[slick1ru2]

I'm happy that we finally get to play FSU. I have been looking forward to that for a long time. It will also be nice to play UF next year also. Just think about how far we have come in such a short time.

And we play Notre Dame too soon. Its funny, when I was going to USF Sarasota, lots of upside down parking sticker (FSU). My sister did her undergrad at FSU and masters at USF, but I bet she roots for FSU.