Orlando Sentenal Calls for intervention UCF to Big East

[Mama_Bull]

it's funny how 99 times out of 100 the UCiF fans will deny EVERYTHING that Bianchi says...but when he brings up this topic they are ALL about him.

This +1000

BTW.. For all you reading it.. congrats.  You are giving his page hits, which is EXACTLY what he wants

I never bothered clicking the link or reading the article. So, don't blame me. 

[BULLSHTR]

it's funny how 99 times out of 100 the UCiF fans will deny EVERYTHING that Bianchi says...but when he brings up this topic they are ALL about him.

This +1000

BTW.. For all you reading it.. congrats.  You are giving his page hits, which is EXACTLY what he wants

Where are you, State Speaker of the House and Winter Park resident Dean Cannon?

Where are you, all of our senators and congressmen and movers and shakers who are supposed to be helping our state grow and prosper?

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UCF, the largest university in Florida and the second largest university in the nation, needs your help.

Badly.

It's time for our government officials to get involved and stop USF from the apparent back-room politicking in yet another petty, pathetic attempt to keep UCF from gaining access to the big money and the big exposure of the Big East.

Officials at UCF have been telling us this forever, but now it's becoming public on a national scale as the Big East is desperately trying to add teams to make up for Syracuse and Pitt defecting to the ACC earlier this week. UCF is apparently one of the Big East's top candidates, but USF is standing in the way.

According to a report in the Newark Star-Ledger, the Big East "is willing to consider Central Florida, although there continues to be resistance from South Florida. One official said that South Florida could eventually be persuaded to sign off on Central Florida if it was in the best interests of the league."

I've got a better idea: How about Florida politicians persuading USF to sign off on UCF because it's in the best interest of the state?

There is little question in former Florida Senator Lee Constantine's mind that USF President Judy Genshaft is up to her old tricks.

"Make no mistake about it," says Constantine, a former UCF student-body president, "Judy Genshaft is behind this. She unsuccessfully tried to stand in the way of UCF getting a medical school and now she's trying to stand in the way of UCF's football program. It's becoming very transparent, and it's time for our state legislature to say enough is enough. What you have here is one state-funded institution harming another state-funded institution and costing the taxpayers money."

Genshaft could not be reached Wednesday.

Constantine makes the argument I've been making for months. I've written it before and I'll write again … and again … and again until somebody up in Tallahassee does something about it:

UCF and USF are both taxpayer-funded state institutions in an economic climate where university budgets are getting hacked and sliced to shreds. For one state school to block another state school from gaining access to tens of millions of BCS dollars is inexcusable.

How does this affect the state budget? Well, let me explain:

Because UCF doesn't have access to all that BCS money to fund its drive to become a big-time football power, it depends largely on a student athletic fee. All 50,000-plus students at UCF are charged $13.10 per credit hour to pay for new stadiums, weight rooms and coaching salaries. Other than the actual price of tuition, the athletic fee sucks up the largest chunk of student money. Hey, UCF parents, did you realize you're not just paying for your kid's scholarship, you're also paying for quarterback Jeff Godfrey's?

In addition, the thousands of UCF students who receive state-financed Bright Futures scholarships are also helping to fund UCF's athletic program. Translation: By blocking UCF from procuring big-time BCS money to fund its athletic program, USF is "Genshafting" the State of Florida out of millions of dollars.

And this doesn't even take into the account the enormous economic impact that would be created by the sellout stadiums when UCF and USF play. Or the exposure in the Northeast, where some snowed-in banking bigwig in New York might just watch a sun-baked UCF-USF Big East game on TV and decide Orlando might just be a great place to relocate his corporate headquarters.

A little history lesson: Seven years ago, when Virginia Tech was trying to get into the ACC, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner stepped in and ordered University of Virginia President John Casteen to sponsor Tech's bid to get into the bigger, better conference.

That's what needs to happen here.

Where are you, Tallahassee?

Where are you, Governor Rick Scott?

Where are you, State Speaker of the House and Winter Park resident Dean Cannon?

Not only should the state force USF to stop blocking UCF's path into the BCS; it should make USF pave UCF's way into the BCS.

[namuh-bull]

Yeah I mean I guess I just don't know enough about college football tradition.  Nearly every school we could conceivably add would probably beat Pitt and Syracuse 4 out of 5 times over the past 10 years.  I get it, they have both played football a long time, but they have also both been awful a long time.  I don't think ECU or UCF is a downgrade (on football side).

I don't know about that.  I think Pitt played UCF a few years ago in orlando and won by something like 50 points.  Then UCF cancelled the return game at Pitt.

I think we would have won CUSA every year since UCF has been there, and most all of those years undefeated in conference.  We'll never know.  

Go Bulls!

[dausfbulls11]

guys the time has come, we have to accept ucf, the rivalry would be good for whatever fledgling conference we are left in.......would it hurt recruiting? maybe short term but the hyped up rivalry could grow into a fla vs fsu type thing which recruits would want to be part of

[mikeybull]

I really hope this doesn't happen.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college/knights/os-bianchi-ucf-usf-bigeast-0922-20110922,0,7311026.column

Ohh boo ******* hoo UCF. We've got the same argument for UF. Cry me a ******* river.

[SANJAY]

I say let's support a Florida school to the BE.  FIU.  >

[dausfbulls11]

we are not the gators, fsu, or miami....does any one else see that usf and cinncy are wanted by nobody we need ucf..........we need strong usf and ucf teams every year

[charsibb]

mb;dr

Way to carry the banner.

No worries. Memes don't spread if they don't get used.

And if Bianchi isn't the right place to use it, wtf else is??!

[mikeybull]

guys the time has come, we have to accept ucf, the rivalry would be good for whatever fledgling conference we are left in.......would it hurt recruiting? maybe short term but the hyped up rivalry could grow into a fla vs fsu type thing which recruits would want to be part of

Disagree...I highly doubt USF/UCF will ever become the caliber rivarly the FSU/UF is. You see...UCF actually has to win for it to be a rivalry. UCF is like the evil red headed step child of Florida football.

[Matt]

I don't think UCF in the big east would really change our ability to put a solid team on the field each year.

There are enough kids from the state to go around.  We just need to stop losing them to Louisville, North Carolina, Rutgers, Pitt, ND, and other schools that recruit well in Florida.

Not to mention that Miami might be having some trouble recruiting in the near future.