OCS Article

[Who'sYourData?]

Why is it, that UCF - having been playing for some time before USF - did not move forward with the OCS at an earlier date? Was one always on the agenda, but just a very distant 'back burner' issue? The reason I ask that is, with the upgrades to the Citrus Bowl moving forward, UCF pretty much found itself out of a home, with the options being (a) find a high school stadium to use until the CB was complete or (b ) build an OCS.

 

Part of me thinks that is why it's the erector set rendition...not a lot of time and resources to 'really do it right', and the requisite funding was not in place - or couldn't be put together - in time for the upcoming season. It just strikes me as odd that "the bounce house" was really a long-sought objective. 

 

UCF did not build an OCS because of the Citrus Bowl upgrades.  The UCF stadium was planned and approved in 2005, built in 2007.  They did not even begin discussing the possibility of upgrading the Citrus Bowl until 2011 at the earliest.  UCF fans grew tired of the trek to the crappy Citrus Bowl and their attendence was so low they got lost there.  They correctly surmised that a crappy OCS would be better for them, and they were correct.  The fact that UCF is no longer playing there made it easier to plan for an upgrade, the upgrade did not push UCF into an OCS.

 

Just because it was better for UCF to have an OCS doesn't mean it would be better for USF.  Two different situations.

[gainesvillebull]

[gainesvillebull]

[GaUSFBull]

 

/thread

[Who'sYourData?]

September 29, 2006:  Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced an agreement on a $175-million renovation of the Citrus Bowl.

Doh!

Nevertheless, this is not why UCF built an OCS. Really, it doesn't make any sense to link the two.

http://www.ucfknights.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/010405aaa.html

[Who'sYourData?]

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-01-15/sports/os-bianchi-john-hitt-ucf-20110115_1_ucf-president-john-hitt-ucf-football-bright-house-networks-stadium

 

The best thing that ever happened to UCF's football program was that day a few years ago when President John Hitt made the decision to build an on-campus stadium and escape the decaying Citrus Bowl.

 

And the worst thing that ever happened to the city's effort to refurbish the Citrus Bowl and keep it viable for big-time college football bowl games was forcing Hitt into reaching that conclusion.

After a recent interview with Hitt on what the on-campus stadium has meant to the development of UCF's thriving football program, I believe the city's arrogance and apathy toward UCF actually did the Knights a monumental favor. Sometimes, the best decisions are the ones you are forced to make.

Hitt recalls when the Citrus Bowl added a new video board several years ago and former athletic director Steve Orsini was trying to negotiate a share of the advertising revenues for UCF. "There was a take-UCF-for-granted attitude," Hitt remembers. "When Steve was talking about a share of revenues on the new video board, he was told the value of UCF's fans was nothing — zero. That didn't sit too well with us and got us looking in other directions."

Now, look at UCF and look at the Citrus Bowl. The Knights moved into their new on-campus stadium four years ago and coach George O'Leary's program is flourishing. The Knights just finished off the best season since the program was created three decades ago. They won a record 11 games and had more victories than any team in the state. And for the first time in school history, they won a bowl game and finished the season ranked in the Top 25.

Meanwhile, the Citrus Bowl languishes. Funding for the stadium's renovation has dried up. There is a distinct possibility the city will lose its premier spot in the postseason pecking order when the current bowl contracts are up. Neutral-site college football games and NFL games are but a pipe dream as long as the stadium is an archaic eyesore.

Think of how different things might be if the city had made UCF feel more welcome and kept the Knights in the Citrus Bowl. There's a strong possibility the stadium renovation would have moved ahead of the Performing Arts Center in the venues-funding hierarchy if it had Hitt's massive political clout behind it and UCF's blossoming Top 25 football program as an anchor tenant.

[Who'sYourData?]

That last line is a little ridiculous.  UCF's program wasn't relevant enough early enough to bump the Performing Arts Center.  Nevertheless, UCF built the stadium at least in part because the Citrus Bowl was a dump, not because it was going to be renovated but because it wasn't being renovated.

[Paisa el Toro]

That last line is a little ridiculous.  UCF's program wasn't relevant enough early enough to bump the Performing Arts Center.  Nevertheless, UCF built the stadium at least in part because the Citrus Bowl was a dump, not because it was going to be renovated but because it wasn't being renovated.

 

I remember things differently. UCF scrambled to build their stadium because they were going to be left without a convenient home venue for a season or two to play in, since the Citrus Dump was going to be renovated, I believe, in preparation for Wrestlemania.

[sheamanecw]

That last line is a little ridiculous. UCF's program wasn't relevant enough early enough to bump the Performing Arts Center. Nevertheless, UCF built the stadium at least in part because the Citrus Bowl was a dump, not because it was going to be renovated but because it wasn't being renovated.

I remember things differently. UCF scrambled to build their stadium because they were going to be left without a convenient home venue for a season or two to play in, since the Citrus Dump was going to be renovated, I believe, in preparation for Wrestlemania.

OOOOH YEAH!

~Macho Man Randy Savage

[Triple B]

Nevertheless, this is not why UCF built an OCS. Really, it doesn't make any sense to link the two.

 

 

The best thing that ever happened to UCF's football program was that day a few years ago when President John Hitt made the decision to build an on-campus stadium and escape the decaying Citrus Bowl.

And the worst thing that ever happened to the city's effort to refurbish the Citrus Bowl and keep it viable for big-time college football bowl was forcing Hitt into reaching that conclusion.