(10-29-2017 12:18 PM)Cubanbull Wrote: (10-29-2017 12:09 PM)otown Wrote: Just watched bits of the 2007 UCF-USF game on youtube. It is amazing how different the trajectories of each program went over the past 10 years. That crowd was electric. Looked like an NFL game. I am not saying this to flame, but outside of the whole BCS tag being lost, what is missing? They were highly ranked yesterday, but the community just isn't there. Is it just a different demographic in Tampa 10 years later? Would the current Tampa demographic get behind that same team, even with the #2 ranking in 2017?
This has been discussed many times
1. Drop from BCS status
2. Skip Holtz brings in 4 straight years of losing
3. Clueless administration changes stadium seating donations and screws those that were there from start. Creates a lot of bad blood which still exists.
4. Failure to effectively reach alumni and those in area
5. Professional options in NFL, MLB and NHL fighting for same audience
I'm still too butthurt about what Sterlin Gilbert has done to this offense to be able to make coherent arguments, but Cubanbull is pretty much spot on. I've been a charter season ticket holder for USF football, even though I lived thousands of miles away for many years when the program started. Got to know many of the people whose seats were around me, all of whom donated to the Bulls Club at the same level as me. Now, the only season ticket holders who sit anywhere near me (or at least show up to games) is a former head of the alumni association and his wife. I haven't been to a game in 3 years where there wasn't a decent number of the road team's fans sitting all around us, and theoretically we would be surrounded by people in one of the top donation levels to the Bulls Club, meaning that there aren't many of us donating at that level. Once upon a time, we'd see our names in the program listing donors at our level. They don't even acknowledge the donors on the scoreboards any more. While some people are unhappy with the loss of the BCS (which is silly because we used to draw better before we ever even joined the Big East), I think more are unhappy with the way the athletic program is run. The turnover rate is too high, you're not made to feel remotely appreciated... it's like "we have football - show up if you want." And it's not unique to football. Basketball is also a joyless experience. As a perfect example, I just got my "season tickets" in the mail. Well, actually, I didn't. I got my CARD in the mail. We can't even be bothered to print out tickets any more!
This should have been a great time for USF. We returned a stacked team that went 11-2 last year and were media darlings. We hired a name coach, and we controlled our own destiny. Win out against what was a ridiculously easy schedule and you'd play in, at worst, an NY6 bowl. Plus, the only thing we lacked last year was a competent defensive coordinator (look at the drop off from when Tom Allen left 2 years ago, to last year and what Woodie did with those same players, and to this year under Brian Jean Mary - if we had BJM as our DC last year we'd have won the AAC and maybe played in the Cotton Bowl).
But here we are. We've converted a well oiled offensive machine into a team that runs a read option up the middle 20 times a game. And the athletic department's only effort all year has been to fly a plane over campus imploring students to show up for the Cincinnati game. That was it. So you wonder why people don't show up? MOST OF THE ALUMNI PROBABLY DON'T EVEN KNOW WHEN WE PLAY! Hell, a local realtor (and USF alum) sent out an ad with all of the important football schedules, including the 3 Florida NFL teams on one side and the 3 Florida college football teams on the other. Surprise, USF wasn't one of those 3. It's not going to change until we get a complete turnover and somebody both cleans house and gives a crap. Probably will take an alum, too, because anybody else would jump at a higher paying job elsewhere.
I'm convinced that we're now cursed because of the way the Leavitt and Griffin eras ended here. We're going to have to settle for trophy cases filled with occasional golf and softball trophies.
I think I need some more time off from this, my blood pressure's going through the roof.
[/rant]
USFFan