(12-28-2017 04:25 PM)The Knight Time Wrote: Southern Miss has history and tradition that many CUSA schools, including FAU, cannot yet compare to. I wish USM would return to the days of how they played in the 2000s. Their stadium was one of the hardest to win in for UCF.
Frankly I feel bad for USM. All of their peer programs departed CUSA, programs they have a long history with .
Yeah, I agree, the 2000s was good for S. Miss...
2000-2009....
4 years at 7-6
2 years at 7-5
1 year at 6-5
So basically 7 out of 10 seasons a loss away from being .500 or below
On the winning side 9-5, 9-4, 8-4
did not finish in the top 25 any year
Little better in 2010-2017 but 3 out of 7 seasons...0-12, 1-11, 3-9 and ranked once
So in the 2000's S. Miss had 1 out of 17 years ranked
11 years below .500 or a loss from .500
Look I respect what S. Miss did and with the limitations they had (money). But most of their great seasons they did not have to fight as many teams for players.
The great programs do just that...they go in others back yard and get the players they want. S. Miss's fall has been as much about not being the only game in a region over the last 15 or so years as much as any single thing.
Now if you truly want to look at a program that actually had a "National Program" and got left behind because of location.
Look at Western's basketball program. Hell you might say S. Miss football might not have been where it was if not for Louisville. Louisville voted to keep Western out of the Metro and for S. Miss to join and be the last team to do so. At that time.