The New Big East

[Water Pony]

View from Boston on the New Big East. Looks like they want USF in there, along with Navy and Army in FB. This would complicate the Conference of the South mdoel with EC still in and USF out.

<A HREF="http://bostoncollege.theinsiders.com/a.z?s=165&p=2&c=121007" TARGET=_blank>http://bostoncollege.theinsiders.com/a.z?s=165&p=2&c=121007</A>

[This message has been edited by Water Pony (edited 07-14-2003).]

[Water Pony]

Here a view on Army as an independent, along with Navy. The New Big East is an option, but both service schools could succeed on their own terms as independents.

<A HREF="http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2003/07/12/jrarmyfo.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2003/07/12/jrarmyfo.htm</A>

[This message has been edited by Water Pony (edited 07-14-2003).]

[Nacho]

This is the problem I have with the new C-USA. It doesn't fit into a geographic area. Now with SF possibly out only EC is left in the east. You could add Marshall and CF but then you have 3 eastern schools and 6 western schools. No way to go north-south since they are all in the south. Bottom line: if SF goes to the BE, EC (and C-USA) is going to be in a real bind.

[cowboypony]

Someone please help me out here. I've followed college football pretty much my whole life. I never even realized that South Florida existed - let along fielded a football team - until about 2 years ago. Now, everyone is tossing around their name like they're the next coming of Notre Dame.

I seriously ask, why is USF now such a sought after commodity?

P.S. While I have undoubtedly missed all the storied past of USF football, could someone also tell me their colors and mascot?

[LA_Mustang]

They are the Bulls and I believe their colors are green and gold. BTW, they won at NTSU last year and racked up almost 500 yards on that imposing Mean Green defense in front of 15K, so they ARE the real deal! hehe.

[gostangs]

Don't poke Kermit - you'll get another three page manifesto from MeanGreenGEM - he'll type us into submission -

[LA_Mustang]

I know....I couldn't resist.

[Bergermeister]

The previous three posts may be the best ones all summer.

[Charleston Pony]

USH has been an up and coming football program the past several years. They were a successful I-AA program and a bball only member of CUSA that has fielded very competitive hoops teams. Since turning I-A independent, they have steadily improved and went 9-2 last season. They are still making the transition from I-AA and have a couple of I-AA schools on this year's schedule, but they have tremendous upside. Located in Tampa, they play their home games in Raymond James Stadium and have drawn well (30-40,000 most games). The Big East could maintain a Florida presence by including them and possibly UCF to include Orlando. Remember: these conference moves will be motivated by TV deals and there are TONS of transplanted northeasterners in Fla that would make Big east sports a natural. Nobody should underestimate the potential that USF and UCF have. It wasn't that long ago (if you're old like me) that Fla and Fla St both stunk!

[Stallion]

both South Florida and Central Florida have recruited in the last few years among the better recruiting classes among non-BCS schools.

[MeanGreenGem]

I will concur with KTCK's Georgio "Jub-Jub" Dunham comparing the USF team with the UT Longorns last season in our season opening game in Austin and I will agree with Dunham when he said he thought USF had a better defensive line than the Horns.

USF had big, strong and fast athletes on the entire team, like your Pony Express days I would compare it to. I was duly impressed with USF. They were actually one of the best teams I've seen at Fouts Field in years. NOTE: At the stage of the season UNT played USF, we were still getting over the loss of a pretty good starting QB for the year while training a freshman in his spot, so our offense sorta' sputtered and kept us out of that game.

Our crowd for that game was also less than 15,000 as the game was televised (USF brought their trainers and ancillery football staff and that was about it but we all know how playing schools in another part of the universe will always produce the non-traveling fans, now don't we)?

A few weeks later we ended our season with a rare almost 22K crowd at Fouts and I say rare as it was for a November football game. We haven't had many crowds that late in the season above 20K in other words. In recent years, our fans have had few reasons to show up at Fouts Field late in the season. Here's hoping that is history, though.

The USF athletic program does seem to be a premium commodity in all this league scenario discussions as you all have said. They have come from almost nowhere to even being mentioned as a possible member in a league that has a vote at the BCS table. That seems almost not fair to the rest of us that they have not had to endure what we all have and almost seem to be getting all this handed to them on a silver platter; but such is the nature of today's NCAA I suppose.

Too tired for a manifesto tonight, but maybe, uh, next time?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by gostangs:
<B>Don't poke Kermit - you'll get another three page manifesto from MeanGreenGEM - he'll type us into submission - </B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[MustangKurt20]

I've been missing my fix of UNT propaganda. And I don't respect Jub Jub's college football opinions b/c he is so skewed towards North Texas State. And no...North Texas State's defense is not as good as Texas'. that's laughable.

Kurt

[OldPony]

MeanGreen- Compare USF to the Pony Express? It really has been a long time since you guys have seen a great football team. I don't remember them (USF) in the Top 20 let alone finishing undefeated against competition which would dwarf that of USF. Let's try to keep the hyperbole down just a tad.

[EastStang]

Didn't USF beat or almost beat Penn State last year? Before that game, I'd never heard of them.

[Bergermeister]

Geo. Dunham thought he went to a bigtime school. I suppose somebody has to be a fan of NUTS. He's just a loser all the way down the line... he went from R.L. Turnover High School to Commuter Tech... what does that tell ya? BUT! I'll take his bull over Norm (he's an incessant beating) ANY day.