On the Game:
USF handed UCF their second loss of the season on Saturday. All over the Internet The few places on the Internet where people who follow irrelevant programs convene, are flooded with USF fans saying things like "I hope this puts to rest the rivalry" or something to that effect.
Here's the thing fellah's.. I'm not sure what game you guys watched, but from my seats on the 45 yard line, 2nd row behind USF's bench, I saw two equally matched small time programs struggle with both defense and offense. I saw a game that came down to one team driving on the ten yard line with 30 seconds left that couldn't get it done. In the middle of the third, I turned around to the gentlemen behind me and started discussing comparisons. A giant pillow fight is the best we could come up with.
I also saw a USF team up close that, frankly, looked almost identical to UCF (minus the house arrest anklets). I did see, though, that Grothe (USF QB) is in fact going to be an amazing player. It's not so much his talent, but the intangibles that you can't teach. He had composure, he had vision, he had leadership -- that kid won the game for South Florida. I will say that as a freshman, I worry for his safety against a team like WV. He can't be more than 6 foot and a buck eighty. I thought Ken Dorsey was small back in the day. God help him when he plays a team with an actual pass rush.
On USF trolls:
The difference I'm finding between USF fans and UCF fans is a sense of realism and humility. Going 0-17 will do that to ya (keep in mind, when our program was USF's age, we were 9-2 and just as cocky). There isn't a battle for "fourth" going on the state of Florida, like many USF supporters like to claim. There is a battle for "not last" in the state. The competition isn't UF, FSU, UM and UxF. Its FAU, FIU, USF, and UCF. I wouldn't be surprised if UNF decides to join the mix. The talent difference between the big 3 and the rest of us is so large its immeasurable (Yes, Miami fell out of the top 25, but there are some obvious coaching issues going on). UCF fans understand that we're building a program from scratch. USF's quarterback stated after the game that they could beat anyone in the country. I love that kind of confidence, and I wish Moffett had some of it, but please, don't be fooled. The way Troy has been playing, they'd dismantle both of us.
A reader posted earlier today that its all about the W, and he's right, but outside of that, it's the same tired comment that you read all over the place. The trolling students over at that school do is simply unmatched. "It's not a rivalry" we're just going to go around searching out blogs to talk shit on in our spare time..... Riiiight..
All cynicism aside, USF fans have do have a reason to celebrate. 3-0 is their best start since their first year, and it's certainly more impressive than UCF's current 1-2. Playing two div 1aa schools and then UCF would hardly qualify as impressive though, and I'm pretty sure any pollster or simple sports fan would agree. Now, that's not to say UCF is in a better position -- we're not. We lost to a team that UConn decidedly manhandled last season and we gave up 322 yards of offense to Villanova. We won't speak to what happened up in Gainesville.
On the Future of The Programs:
I've never claimed UCF was anything than more than what it is (a team one season removed from 0-11) and I don't think any serious fan would. I would just love to meet a USF fan who is willing to admit similar sentiments about their program (10-13 over the past two years. Hardly big time).
USF also has a great head start with their BCS birth. I'm just not convinced it will mean much in the long run (short run, sure). With USF playing the likes of UL, WVU, and Pitt year after year -- it's going to be awhile before they take home their conference championship. The BCS table alone hasn't done much for programs like Stanford, Duke, Illinois, and the majority of other schools in the ESPN bottom 10.
More to the BCS point, with the recent off-season changes, a team like TCU can nancy prance their way through a MWC schedule and receive an automatic bid. We're witnessing the BCS slowly being forced (remember, it's only a decade old) into what it's suppose to be (structure, mainly). Non-BCS TCU will make it to a BCS game long before USF gets there, and they'll have an easier time doing it.
The two schools are taking completely different paths. I think UCF's O'Leary is building the program up the right way (character and discipline). The best example of this was his decision to suspend our top player, Kevin Smith (rb), for the USF game because he missed team curfew. Meanwhile, USF's starting tightend was arrested two weeks ago for a DUI, and has served no suspension of any kind to date. USF lost close to half (nine) of this summers recruiting class due to academic ineligibility. UCF has the highest GPA in the NCAA. Everyone has their priorities.
On the Future of the Series:
At the end of the day, it was a ton of fun on Saturday. On that everyone seems to agree. For those of us who actually feel invested into our community down there in Central Florida (USF qualifies, ironically), it served as a great example of what's possible for both schools. The economic impact alone justifies the game. Both public schools are paid for with tax dollars and the community deserves such a huge economic opportunity. It's truly fantastic to see. After the game, I was 13 miles away in Waterford Lakes and there were USF fans everywhere spending money. I'm sure it was similar last year when UCF traveled to Tampa.
I think USF will have our number again next year. In fact, it could end up almost exactly like the UF/FSU series. It was a series that ended up having to be forced on both schools via legislation because of stubborn administrators. It was also a series that UF won for probably a decade before it became competitive. 20 years from now (tradition takes time), USF/UCF will be a spitting image and all of Central Florida will benefit.
It's a great time to be a fan -- witnessing the birth of something great. Congrats on the win USF, best of luck in your conference, and I can't wait to see you again at RayJay!
USF handed UCF their second loss of the season on Saturday. Here's the thing fellah's.. I'm not sure what game you guys watched, but from my seats on the 45 yard line, 2nd row behind USF's bench, I saw two equally matched small time programs struggle with both defense and offense. I saw a game that came down to one team driving on the ten yard line with 30 seconds left that couldn't get it done. In the middle of the third, I turned around to the gentlemen behind me and started discussing comparisons. A giant pillow fight is the best we could come up with.
I also saw a USF team up close that, frankly, looked almost identical to UCF (minus the house arrest anklets). I did see, though, that Grothe (USF QB) is in fact going to be an amazing player. It's not so much his talent, but the intangibles that you can't teach. He had composure, he had vision, he had leadership -- that kid won the game for South Florida. I will say that as a freshman, I worry for his safety against a team like WV. He can't be more than 6 foot and a buck eighty. I thought Ken Dorsey was small back in the day. God help him when he plays a team with an actual pass rush.
On USF trolls:
The difference I'm finding between USF fans and UCF fans is a sense of realism and humility. Going 0-17 will do that to ya (keep in mind, when our program was USF's age, we were 9-2 and just as cocky). There isn't a battle for "fourth" going on the state of Florida, like many USF supporters like to claim. There is a battle for "not last" in the state. The competition isn't UF, FSU, UM and UxF. Its FAU, FIU, USF, and UCF. I wouldn't be surprised if UNF decides to join the mix. The talent difference between the big 3 and the rest of us is so large its immeasurable (Yes, Miami fell out of the top 25, but there are some obvious coaching issues going on). UCF fans understand that we're building a program from scratch. USF's quarterback stated after the game that they could beat anyone in the country. I love that kind of confidence, and I wish Moffett had some of it, but please, don't be fooled. The way Troy has been playing, they'd dismantle both of us.A reader posted earlier today that its all about the W, and he's right, but outside of that, it's the same tired comment that you read all over the place. The trolling students over at that school do is simply unmatched. "It's not a rivalry" we're just going to go around searching out blogs to talk shit on in our spare time..... Riiiight..
All cynicism aside, USF fans have do have a reason to celebrate. 3-0 is their best start since their first year, and it's certainly more impressive than UCF's current 1-2. Playing two div 1aa schools and then UCF would hardly qualify as impressive though, and I'm pretty sure any pollster or simple sports fan would agree. Now, that's not to say UCF is in a better position -- we're not. We lost to a team that UConn decidedly manhandled last season and we gave up 322 yards of offense to Villanova. We won't speak to what happened up in Gainesville.
On the Future of The Programs:
I've never claimed UCF was anything than more than what it is (a team one season removed from 0-11) and I don't think any serious fan would. I would just love to meet a USF fan who is willing to admit similar sentiments about their program (10-13 over the past two years. Hardly big time).USF also has a great head start with their BCS birth. I'm just not convinced it will mean much in the long run (short run, sure). With USF playing the likes of UL, WVU, and Pitt year after year -- it's going to be awhile before they take home their conference championship. The BCS table alone hasn't done much for programs like Stanford, Duke, Illinois, and the majority of other schools in the ESPN bottom 10.
More to the BCS point, with the recent off-season changes, a team like TCU can nancy prance their way through a MWC schedule and receive an automatic bid. We're witnessing the BCS slowly being forced (remember, it's only a decade old) into what it's suppose to be (structure, mainly). Non-BCS TCU will make it to a BCS game long before USF gets there, and they'll have an easier time doing it.
The two schools are taking completely different paths. I think UCF's O'Leary is building the program up the right way (character and discipline). The best example of this was his decision to suspend our top player, Kevin Smith (rb), for the USF game because he missed team curfew. Meanwhile, USF's starting tightend was arrested two weeks ago for a DUI, and has served no suspension of any kind to date. USF lost close to half (nine) of this summers recruiting class due to academic ineligibility. UCF has the highest GPA in the NCAA. Everyone has their priorities.
On the Future of the Series:
At the end of the day, it was a ton of fun on Saturday. On that everyone seems to agree. For those of us who actually feel invested into our community down there in Central Florida (USF qualifies, ironically), it served as a great example of what's possible for both schools. The economic impact alone justifies the game. Both public schools are paid for with tax dollars and the community deserves such a huge economic opportunity. It's truly fantastic to see. After the game, I was 13 miles away in Waterford Lakes and there were USF fans everywhere spending money. I'm sure it was similar last year when UCF traveled to Tampa.I think USF will have our number again next year. In fact, it could end up almost exactly like the UF/FSU series. It was a series that ended up having to be forced on both schools via legislation because of stubborn administrators. It was also a series that UF won for probably a decade before it became competitive. 20 years from now (tradition takes time), USF/UCF will be a spitting image and all of Central Florida will benefit.
It's a great time to be a fan -- witnessing the birth of something great. Congrats on the win USF, best of luck in your conference, and I can't wait to see you again at RayJay!
