McMurphy: UCF Thinks South Florida Is Trying to Block Its Path to Big East

[Guest Sunburned]

then i dont know the exact figures but a road trip to orlando is A LOT cheaper than one to Syracuse, Louisville, or any other possible team the big east would add.

True, but who wants to visit those obnoxious A'holes?  Even worse, who wants them coming to our house???

[South_Florida_Flip]

it is a fact that the USF vs UCF game at ray jay every 2 years would sell 20K+ more tickets than any other realistic possibility of big east expansion.

That was only true in one of the 2 times UCF played at RJS.

[Triple B]

it is a fact that the USF vs UCF game at ray jay every 2 years would sell 20K+ more tickets than any other realistic possibility of big east expansion.

Can't argue with that as it stands right now ... but as we grow as a program, eventually we're going to have the larger crowds there just to watch the Bulls, so I think that would only be a temporary positive for the program ... and I just don't see any other positives for our football program coming out of it.

[clevername]

All the advantages USF could get by UCFs inclusion in the big east could just as easily be had by adding them to our schedule every single year.

We get more ticket sales, we get to beat them, they aren't in big east. That's a win win.

But anyway, too bad the fury and stupidity that SOME UCF fans have will have them reading their Rivals writer instead of a legit USF spokesperson.

[Paisa el Toro]

McMurphy sure still knows how to drum up those web hits. No wonder he wasn't canned with earlier fire storm that went on with FanHouse.  ;D

[Triple B]

McMurphy sure still knows how to drum up those web hits. No wonder he wasn't canned with earlier fire storm that went on with FanHouse.  ;D

That's why I appreciate it when they c&p his article here ... I don't have to go slumming.

[usf97]

Perhaps someday when USF - UCF gets to be Texas - Oklahoma or Florida - Georgia,

This is how Knight fans try to spin this.....they keep saying if they join the conference....there will be some great rivalry that kids of USF/UCF alums will dream about playing in. And then the great 5 star players will grow up and want to play for USF/UCF instead of Florida.

In my opinion, it shows us just how dulusional they are. 1st, joining the BE is not going to ever get them on a level playing field with UF, nor will they move ahead of Florida politically or in the minds of recruits.

I also think the rivalry will die down....if they get what they want and we play them every year. The only way it would stay the way it is, is if we continue to beat them every year. But if they are conference mates....they eventually will beat us....somewhere along the way and then it will just be another Rutgers or Pitt game. Their fans are just as much of bandwagon fans as ours are....thus they will not be bringing 20k to our stadium every year....same with our fans. Heck we can't get them to come to our own stadium.

[Goldenbuc]

UCF has a poor Athletic admin group who have made bad decisions.  Now, they are trying to stir things up and make us look like the bad guys and them the victims. 

Grow up and get in on your own merit.  Like beating BCS teams on the road maybe (Georgia might have been the first)

Tampa market is 19th in the nation in size.  Just under 3 million

Orlando market is 29 at 2 million

1st off....you're wrong on the TV markets.  Orlando is #19 and Tampa is like #14 or 15.  That being said, UCF's athletic department has done more for UCF in the past five years than any other time in UCF history.  UCF current athletic admins are some of the best around.  Beating BCS teams doesn't earn anyone a BCS conference invite.  Helps for exposure...but nothing is earned.  How quickly USF forgets it's own "path" to BCS.  You weren't destined for BCS from 1997's first season, you know.  USF only had 1 BCS victory over Pitt until the 2005 first season in the Big East.

2nd...regarding Bianchi's article, McMurphy's response regarding USF's stance on UCF....there is an agenda for all of it.  The wording that USF is trying to "block", may be off.  Steering the BE in a different direction is more like it.  ESPN's sudden push to promote UCF isn't an accident, either.  

[Goldenbuc]

Perhaps someday when USF - UCF gets to be Texas - Oklahoma or Florida - Georgia,

This is how Knight fans try to spin this.....they keep saying if they join the conference....there will be some great rivalry that kids of USF/UCF alums will dream about playing in. And then the great 5 star players will grow up and want to play for USF/UCF instead of Florida.

In my opinion, it shows us just how dulusional they are. 1st, joining the BE is not going to ever get them on a level playing field with UF, nor will they move ahead of Florida politically or in the minds of recruits.

I also think the rivalry will die down....if they get what they want and we play them every year. The only way it would stay the way it is, is if we continue to beat them every year. But if they are conference mates....they eventually will beat us....somewhere along the way and then it will just be another Rutgers or Pitt game. Their fans are just as much of bandwagon fans as ours are....thus they will not be bringing 20k to our stadium every year....same with our fans. Heck we can't get them to come to our own stadium.

Bianchi mentioned UF-UGA...we're not new to the state of Florida or the history of rivalries within the state's elite.  UCF has no delustions regarding the history of those rivalries.  But we do know that rivalries are important and we don't want to get into the BE East just because USF is there or to force USF to play UCF.  We want the BCS tag and that's it.  If the ACC came calling...we wouldn't care if we ever played USF, again.  Although that'd give us FSU and Miami.  Hell....even if the Big 12 came calling...we wouldn't care about playing USF ever again.  UCF just wants that BCS tag, one way or another. 

But for USF fans it basically comes down to this, according to your point.  USF wants their name associated with UF, FSU and Miami.  If UF is too proud...fine.  At least FSU and Miami.  Being classed as rivals with UCF isn't sexy and even within the same conference, you don't think your fans would embrace it as a rival?  Really?  Right now...I don't see any rivalries developing with FSU, UM or UF for USF, either.

[South_Florida_Flip]

How quickly USF forgets it's own "path" to BCS.  You weren't destined for BCS from 1997's first season, you know.  USF only had 1 BCS victory over Pitt until the 2005 first season in the Big East.

We haven't forgotten our path at all, but you have left out some other facts. We had beaten a top 25 team and we were also something like 5-0 against teams that were currently/moving to the Big East. We had done that in 5-6 seasons of play where UCF hadn't done anything close to that in 20+ years.

2nd...regarding Bianchi's article, McMurphy's response regarding USF's stance on UCF....there is an agenda for all of it.  The wording that USF is trying to "block", may be off.  Steering the BE in a different direction is more like it.  ESPN's sudden push to promote UCF isn't an accident, either.  

I don't think USF has that much pull to steer anything against UCF. USF wants what is best for the Big East. If the league wants to add another program for football, which at this point is based more on the establishing of the Big East tv network, then UCF might not even be the second in line for that and I am sure that most of the programs in the Big East would already see that. If it was a pure expansion to better the football side of thing, then the league would have either stopped with TCU, or added both TCU and UCF.

Again, where is ESPN promoting UCF to the Big East? A blog by Bennett that states he thinks UCF is a good fit is purely speculative. You had a good football season, but people who follow close enough know that UCF didn't have any significant victories. Your recent slide in basketball took you right off the national radar.