"What's Hot? USF Not"

[The Sheriff]

Man, what a power running game... four TD's (for the entire season). And one of those TD's came on the first play of the season for us. I don't know what Taggart had on Woolard to get hired, but I sure and hell hope that if we have similar results this season, we clean house. Winning will cure my present negativity.

[oldbull77]

Once upon a time, there was a college football program that was so bad the boosters would walk around the campus on game days giving away free tickets to students - just so there would be someone (anyone) in the stands to cheer for the home team.   Just 10 years earlier, they had briefly been ranked #1. Their record over 2 years was 4-18.  No wonder no one wanted to go to the games.

 

So they fired their head coach, and hired an guy who had played his college football at a small school - and only the year before had been burned in effigy (literally - the students burned him in effigy outside his office) at the school where he was fired as head coach.   What a fortuitous hiring.  His name was Boddy Bowden - and the school with the 4-18 record that hired him was FSU.

 

Keep the faith guys.   It can only get better from here.

[Reliable Source]

Once upon a time, there was a college football program that was so bad the boosters would walk around the campus on game days giving away free tickets to students - just so there would be someone (anyone) in the stands to cheer for the home team.   Just 10 years earlier, they had briefly been ranked #1. Their record over 2 years was 4-18.  No wonder no one wanted to go to the games.

 

So they fired their head coach, and hired an guy who had played his college football at a small school - and only the year before had been burned in effigy (literally - the students burned him in effigy outside his office) at the school where he was fired as head coach.   What a fortuitous hiring.  His name was Boddy Bowden - and the school with the 4-18 record that hired him was FSU.

 

Keep the faith guys.   It can only get better from here.

That's the most sane piece of prose I have read this entire offseason. A team is a fickle thing. Our team this year could be great and it could be awful. Mark Schlabach is a dirt ball though. Glad he got his cheap shot in when he could. He and Bowel Movement McMurphy must have gotten a chuckle out of it.  I swear on my life I will make em famous when we are back on top.

 

I wonder if Boddy Bowden is related to Bobby?

[smazza]

comparing today's usf team and situation to the old fsu team is absurd

 

fsu was in a great position for a tremendous run with an explosion of talent carved up between 3 teams

 

usf is playing western Carolina and is now is a second tier conference

 

the article makes apparent the sad state usf finds itself

[Bull Martin]

The sad state of USF was more than apparent prior to that article.

[raptorcj]

Meh, in retrospect I'm not sure it's a terrible thing for our team. If anything this year, we're going in underrated and disrespected, and usually we're overrated. Let's see how our dudes run with low expectations from the media for a change. Negative can be positive, chew on that.

[oldbull77]

Yea, Bobby is 'Boddy's'  alterego - who can type !

 

The comparison between early-Bowden  FSU, and the present-day Bulls is not so "absurd".   Back then FSU was an independent, unaffiliated with any conference (because the SEC rejected FSU's request to join).  That left Bowden free to build a program that would  "play anyone, anywhere, any time" - and travel to the preminent teams' home stadiums.   One year they went to Tuscaloosa, and played a Top 10 Alabama team, lost 7-0 - and got a standing ovation from the 'Bama' fans at the end of the game.

 

A friend of mine played on that FSU team. He said when they went to places like Alabama,  Bowden told them they had nothing to lose except their self-respect, so they should play for pride.   Eventually, Bowden recruited quality players who wanted to be a part of a program that feared no one, held their heads up even when they lost - and the rest is history.

 

It's true the economics of college football today is severly weighted against an independent - so a conference affiliation is necessary.  The same thing eventually happened to FSU - so they joined the ACC (an Eff U to the SEC, who by then invited FSU to join), dominated the ACC so they got to a top-tier Bowl every year, beat the so-called premier schools from the "Big" conferences in those Bowl Games - and kept playing "anyone, anywhere, any time"  in non-conference games. 

 

USF can do the same.  Dominate the AAC, win Bowl games, schedule the monsters (like FSU) for non-conference games - and  just win, or at least look good losing.  I spent many Saturdays in Doak Campbell stadium  watching ACC schools who didn't have a snowball's chance in hell against FSU, play their asses off, and the FSU fans respected that.  Swagger into Doak Campbell,  make a good showing,  and other teams will respect you.

 

More importantly, the recruits will start to come to Tampa - which is a hell of lot warmer than Tallahasse or Gainesville during the winter - because they want to be showcased on big stages like against FSU.  Some will come because they were rejected by FSU, and want to prove something.  Then watch what happens.

 

Bear Bryant (Bowden's idol)  built his great 'Bama teams by recruiting the kids who were considered to small for the "Big" programs that put a premium on size and brute strength in those days.  Bear said he wanted 'em "small and hungry".   Tell some kid who FSU or Auburn didn't want that he can play for USF against those schools to show them what they missed - and watch what happens.

 

That's how you build a program - regardless of which conference you play in !

[NCBull]

Good post old bull! +1

[smazza]

the landscape of college football has changed ot such an extent since early Bowden days at fsu that if usf remains in aac  2 more years that they might as well wait 10 years to ever compete with the big 3

 

you dreamers go ahead and dream no harm in that

[MikePhillips]

Been in the stands since 1997

 

USF tends to play better when we are underrated

 

USF tends to play worse when we are overrated

 

The criticism is deserved towards the overall program itself, but this is a new year. College football is extremely transitional, as we have all experienced. Big graduating class, new coach, you can go from amazing to horrible in 1 year

 

Last year, Taggart was throw into the cockpit of a plane that was on fire, and falling out of the sky like a meteor. It takes balls of steel to risk your reputation as a coach, to come to a eviscerated program. This year, what happens in 2014, is the year to judge him on his coaching abilities

 

I've said this many times, and I understand that good players don't always make good coaches, but I was at the game in 1998 when Taggart as a PLAYER whooped our ass as a QB on the field. I saw him play, I still remember it, he was a great quarterback and a great competitor. 

 

Let them rip into us, the program deserves it. We completely fell off the radar when Leavitt was fired. But this year, 2014 is going to be different. I think it's going to be an emotional year, and I think we're going to do just fine :-)