How far we've fallen

[MaltLiquorBull]

I don't get why memphis seems to suddenly be considered such a great candidate?

UCF at least won a big bowl game against the big 12 champion.

It's all going to come down to, 90%, how much TV money and playoff cred can a university bring? Then maybe some after thought to academics.

Memphis and Cincy aren't going to be the draw that UCF and USF will.

But maybe they will get more from 1 FL team and 1 other in terms of TV foot print.

I think if the big 12 adds 2 teams it is either UCF+Cincy or UCF+USF.

I just can't imagine the Big 12 would not chooae Tennessee or Ohio markets and recruiting ties over Florida. I believe at least 1 FL team will get invited to the big 12 if they expand.

Maybe they don't want to add "directional" schools.

[bmess6]

I think we are factoring recent  wins and losses way too much. Do you really think the PAC 12 added Colorado because of their recent winning? It's all about the TV money. People like winning, but they like money more.

[Jhp08c]

I know we've never won a conference championship, but we used to be known as a "giant killer" and more well known programs used to fear playing us.  I don't think we have that perception anymore.  I think it goes to show you how important the QB position really is in football... it baffles my mind that in the state of Florida we cannot recruit a kid to come play under center.  If any one knows anything about football you know that you have to win at the line of scrimmage.  Our O Line is soft and D line cannot get pressure on the QB.  Sorry, end rant.  I just miss miss watching a fun team.  

[Sellular1]

I know we've never won a conference championship, but we used to be known as a "giant killer" and more well known programs used to fear playing us.  I don't think we have that perception anymore.  I think it goes to show you how important the QB position really is in football... it baffles my mind that in the state of Florida we cannot recruit a kid to come play under center.  If any one knows anything about football you know that you have to win at the line of scrimmage.  Our O Line is soft and D line cannot get pressure on the QB.  Sorry, end rant.  I just miss miss watching a fun team.

"I don't think we have that perception anymore."

Best line I've heard in a while. We lose to FCS teams at home by 30+. High school teams draw bigger crowds than we do. The only thing Giant about USF football is the turd we lay on the turf.

[slick1ru2]

USF was known as a giant killer who every season fell flat in conference play. Could win in the big ooc games but not the ones that really mattered. Now known as a team that always falls flat.

Which begs to make one wonder if those great years were that great. If Leavitt was such a great head coach, why a half decade later he's still just a position coach in the NFL? How many HC and DC openings have their been in that time period? How many teams have started programs or transitioned from FCS to FBS? The other HC USF fired was snatched up almost immediately.

[bullsfan1983]

I know we've never won a conference championship, but we used to be known as a "giant killer" and more well known programs used to fear playing us.  I don't think we have that perception anymore.  I think it goes to show you how important the QB position really is in football... it baffles my mind that in the state of Florida we cannot recruit a kid to come play under center.  If any one knows anything about football you know that you have to win at the line of scrimmage.  Our O Line is soft and D line cannot get pressure on the QB.  Sorry, end rant.  I just miss miss watching a fun team.  

Our problem is we could beat great teams when we were under the radar, but couldn't beat average teams while ranked under Leavitt. USF has played 11 games in our history as a ranked team against an unranked P5 school. We are 3-8. Basically as soon as we would get on the nation's radar as a ranked team we would crap the bed. This happened over and over. So the perception of the program every time we were ranked was overrated. Getting to #2 and losing 3 straight after that certainly didn't help that perception.

[USFbulls24]

USF was known as a giant killer who every season fell flat in conference play. Could win in the big ooc games but not the ones that really mattered. Now known as a team that always falls flat.

Which begs to make one wonder if those great years were that great. If Leavitt was such a great head coach, why a half decade later he's still just a position coach in the NFL? How many HC and DC openings have their been in that time period? How many teams have started programs or transitioned from FCS to FBS? The other HC USF fired was snatched up almost immediately.

 

Because we all know it's impossible that he's not happy coaching and collecting bonuses every year with the 49ers who have been to two out of the last 3 NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl? Or happy coaching arguably the best LB corps in the best football league in the world. Or it's impossible he doesn't want a complete building project like a school going from FCS to FBS since he's done that already. 

 

You can't name another head coach that did what Leavitt did. Less than 15 years of a program he had us ranked #2. I don't care if it meant nothing at the end of that season to you, because it meant a lot to the players, students (I was one at the time), school, recruits, etc. No other head coach in the ENTIRE HISTORY of college football has done what Jim Leavitt did in that regards. 

 

How about you take into consideration his ability to build a program from the ground up instead of just saying "oh well we couldn't win enough conference games" when talking about him as a great head coach.

[slick1ru2]

USF was known as a giant killer who every season fell flat in conference play. Could win in the big ooc games but not the ones that really mattered. Now known as a team that always falls flat.

Which begs to make one wonder if those great years were that great. If Leavitt was such a great head coach, why a half decade later he's still just a position coach in the NFL? How many HC and DC openings have their been in that time period? How many teams have started programs or transitioned from FCS to FBS? The other HC USF fired was snatched up almost immediately.

Because we all know it's impossible that he's not happy coaching and collecting bonuses every year with the 49ers who have been to two out of the last 3 NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl? Or happy coaching arguably the best LB corps in the best football league in the world. Or it's impossible he doesn't want a complete building project like a school going from FCS to FBS since he's done that already.

You can't name another head coach that did what Leavitt did. Less than 15 years of a program he had us ranked #2. I don't care if it meant nothing at the end of that season to you, because it meant a lot to the players, students (I was one at the time), school, recruits, etc. No other head coach in the ENTIRE HISTORY of college football has done what Jim Leavitt did in that regards.

How about you take into consideration his ability to build a program from the ground up instead of just saying "oh well we couldn't win enough conference games" when talking about him as a great head coach.

You're trying to tell me if he's that great that programs are not pounding his door down? Offering him tons of money? How many BCS and P5 teams have needed a head coach since he got fired? I mean there's like what, half a dozen a year times five years. What I'm saying is that what we ALL felt here at USF may not be what outsiders felt about what he did.

As for coaching linebackers, even said himself they're teaching him things. Does Jim Leavitt seem like the kind of guy that wants to sit on the sidelines and cheer when someone else is the head coach? Going to be interesting to see what happens if Harbaugh gets fired.

Edited December 9, 2014 by slick1ru2

[WoolyBully]

 

 

 

I don't think we've "fallen" that far, given that we were never really that "high" to begin with.

Assuming you consider finishing mid-conference successful, which - based on the past four years - is not unreasonable, then you could use 'far'.

What if it is the fate of USF football to be akin to a MAC/CUSA team...never lighting it up, always just maintaining the program and going to a 

bowl game ever so many years? What if that turns out to be USFs long term legacy? 

 

Not sure why some on here look at where you were in college football strictly based on conference championships and where you finish in conference.

 

Put it into perspective. Not looking at conference seedings or conference championships. I would say we were a top 45ish? team in college football for a few years? I would say in 2007 we were a top 35 team. At worse betweeen 2006-2010 somewhere in the high 50's to low 60s?  We're now without a doubt bottom 10 in college football out of 128? That is a MASSIVE drop. 

 

To further your point. Our Sagarin Rankings over the past 10 seasons. We have dropped completely off the table the past 2 years.

 

2005 - 54

2006 - 31

2007 - 20

2008 - 43

2009 - 39

2010 - 44

2011 - 59

2012 - 86

2013 - 143

2014 - 142

 

 

Thanks. I figured it'd be something like that. That right there shows exactly how far we have fallen. Makes me want to throw up reading that.

 

fair 'nuff...if we choose to view USF in the grand scheme of things, where are we vis-a-vis San Diego State, Montana and Vanderbilt, that is a far drop.

However, as there is no Sagarin trophy to put in the case, I have no recourse but to consider our success within our conference, and

against the teams we play, as the barometer of what constitutes "good".

 

In CUSA, our wins ratio was at 50%, in the Big East it was 39%, and thus far in the AAC we're looking at 31%. To me, the drop from 

50% to 31%, although not something to be proud of, is really not that much of a drop (think of it as going from average to bad). If we look at total games during that period,  in CUSA, still at 50%, Big East at 55% and again in the AAC, we're at 21%. 

 

It is my contention that, compared to where we are now, indeed we have fallen - but it's not like we were a perennial top 20 team either, more an issue of semantics.

 

Here's another fair assessment:

 

 

 

Posted Today, 11:21 AM

Jhp08c, on 09 Dec 2014 - 09:36 AM, said:

I know we've never won a conference championship, but we used to be known as a "giant killer" and more well known programs used to fear playing us.  I don't think we have that perception anymore.  I think it goes to show you how important the QB position really is in football... it baffles my mind that in the state of Florida we cannot recruit a kid to come play under center.  If any one knows anything about football you know that you have to win at the line of scrimmage.  Our O Line is soft and D line cannot get pressure on the QB.  Sorry, end rant.  I just miss miss watching a fun team. 

Our problem is we could beat great teams when we were under the radar, but couldn't beat average teams while ranked under Leavitt. USF has played 11 games in our history as a ranked team against an unranked P5 school. We are 3-8. Basically as soon as we would get on the nation's radar as a ranked team we would crap the bed. This happened over and over. So the perception of the program every time we were ranked was overrated. Getting to #2 and losing 3 straight after that certainly didn't help that perception.

[USFbulls24]

 

 

 

 

I don't think we've "fallen" that far, given that we were never really that "high" to begin with.

Assuming you consider finishing mid-conference successful, which - based on the past four years - is not unreasonable, then you could use 'far'.

What if it is the fate of USF football to be akin to a MAC/CUSA team...never lighting it up, always just maintaining the program and going to a 

bowl game ever so many years? What if that turns out to be USFs long term legacy? 

 

Not sure why some on here look at where you were in college football strictly based on conference championships and where you finish in conference.

 

Put it into perspective. Not looking at conference seedings or conference championships. I would say we were a top 45ish? team in college football for a few years? I would say in 2007 we were a top 35 team. At worse betweeen 2006-2010 somewhere in the high 50's to low 60s?  We're now without a doubt bottom 10 in college football out of 128? That is a MASSIVE drop. 

 

To further your point. Our Sagarin Rankings over the past 10 seasons. We have dropped completely off the table the past 2 years.

 

2005 - 54

2006 - 31

2007 - 20

2008 - 43

2009 - 39

2010 - 44

2011 - 59

2012 - 86

2013 - 143

2014 - 142

 

 

Thanks. I figured it'd be something like that. That right there shows exactly how far we have fallen. Makes me want to throw up reading that.

 

fair 'nuff...if we choose to view USF in the grand scheme of things, where are we vis-a-vis San Diego State, Montana and Vanderbilt, that is a far drop.

However, as there is no Sagarin trophy to put in the case, I have no recourse but to consider our success within our conference, and

against the teams we play, as the barometer of what constitutes "good".

 

In CUSA, our wins ratio was at 50%, in the Big East it was 39%, and thus far in the AAC we're looking at 31%. To me, the drop from 

50% to 31%, although not something to be proud of, is really not that much of a drop (think of it as going from average to bad). If we look at total games during that period,  in CUSA, still at 50%, Big East at 55% and again in the AAC, we're at 21%. 

 

It is my contention that, compared to where we are now, indeed we have fallen - but it's not like we were a perennial top 20 team either, more an issue of semantics.

 

Here's another fair assessment:

 

 

 

Posted Today, 11:21 AM

Jhp08c, on 09 Dec 2014 - 09:36 AM, said:

I know we've never won a conference championship, but we used to be known as a "giant killer" and more well known programs used to fear playing us.  I don't think we have that perception anymore.  I think it goes to show you how important the QB position really is in football... it baffles my mind that in the state of Florida we cannot recruit a kid to come play under center.  If any one knows anything about football you know that you have to win at the line of scrimmage.  Our O Line is soft and D line cannot get pressure on the QB.  Sorry, end rant.  I just miss miss watching a fun team. 

Our problem is we could beat great teams when we were under the radar, but couldn't beat average teams while ranked under Leavitt. USF has played 11 games in our history as a ranked team against an unranked P5 school. We are 3-8. Basically as soon as we would get on the nation's radar as a ranked team we would crap the bed. This happened over and over. So the perception of the program every time we were ranked was overrated. Getting to #2 and losing 3 straight after that certainly didn't help that perception.

 

 

Why don't you email Harlan and ask why we even play OOC games then? You don't look at that at all? That makes 0 sense but ok..

 

So in your eyes, a team that goes 5-7 in the AAC but finishes 5-2 in the conference has had more success than a team that goes 8-4 with wins over ranked opponents but goes 3-4 in their P5 conference? Are you serious??