Big East

[Endeavor.]

Thinking of conference realignment had me looking at old articles about the Bulls trying to block UCF's entry into the Big East...and oh how the tables have turned.
In reality having both the Knights and Bulls in an automatic bid conference would have helped the perception of both programs and we would most likely both be in the P5 today, but instead they chose to play the 'have and have nots' game, even ending the rivalry because they thought they were above the Knights.
Now they are the the 'have nots' and the ones clinging to the UCF rivalry for relevance.

They were apart of a prestigious conference and have nothing to show for it while we have built a better program, facilities, IPF, OCS and won championships. Never forget we got it out the mud.

Im ready for football season to begin, Go Knights.

 

[Wings0fred]

I’m curious how true it is that they were “responsible” - and is different attitude would have changed things down the road or not.

As it’s turned out, they really have been lapped by us in so many ways. Winning the fiesta bowl in that first AQ year was huge. Beating arguably their best team to get to the aac championship and going on to beat Auburn was even bigger.

When they’ve shined, we’ve shined brighter. It must be frustrating as hell from their end to watch.

 

[CBlackwellRN]

When they’ve shined, we’ve shined brighter. It must be frustrating as hell from their end to watch.

I sure as hell hope so!

 

[B R Knightz2]

Karma is a Knight!!!
Charge On!!!
JWB

 

[firm_bizzle]

There were at least 4 value programs out there that the BE could have added, giving them a championship game and potentially saving the football side of the league.

UCF
Houston
Memphis
TCU

 

[UCF_SystemsEng]

I blame UConn's fanbase & admin. Cincy has shown you can have successful football and basketball teams, but UConn admin & fans never bought in.

Back when this was happening UCF built a whole athletic village and hired a dirty AD to try and show a commitment to growth but it wasn't enough to overcome UConn's apathy and (possibly) Genshafts maneuvering.

 

[jlcolvin]

There were at least 4 value programs out there that the BE could have added, giving them a championship game and potentially saving the football side of the league.

UCF
Houston
Memphis
TCU

They did add TCU, but they then they decided to go to the Big12 right after. They paid their exit fees to the Big East.

 

[firm_bizzle]

They did add TCU, but they then they decided to go to the Big12 right after. They paid their exit fees to the Big East.

Too little too late. TCU was a dominate program and the BE sat on them while waiting on Villanova to make a decision about upgrading it's football program. SMH.

 

[firm_bizzle]

"At that time, speculation was rampant that the Big East might be able to attract a school from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which was in the midst of negotiating a new media deal. However, according to one industry source, "At that point when the Big East was intact, the only school the Big East could have legitimately added that made sense was UCF. Maryland and Boston College? They wouldn't even return the Big East's calls. But the Big East couldn't add UCF because Judy Genshaft [president of UCF in-state rival South Florida] kept shooting down UCF." A source within the conference added that Genshaft's insistence on keeping UCF out was a major contributing factor to the instability that would soon plague the Big East.[20]"

 

[SimpleJack53]

"At that time, speculation was rampant that the Big East might be able to attract a school from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which was in the midst of negotiating a new media deal. However, according to one industry source, "At that point when the Big East was intact, the only school the Big East could have legitimately added that made sense was UCF. Maryland and Boston College? They wouldn't even return the Big East's calls. But the Big East couldn't add UCF because Judy Genshaft [president of UCF in-state rival South Florida] kept shooting down UCF." A source within the conference added that Genshaft's insistence on keeping UCF out was a major contributing factor to the instability that would soon plague the Big East.[20]"

So the BigEast imploding is all USFs fault

 

[firm_bizzle]

So the BigEast imploding is all USFs fault

No. It was a total &^@# show. Read this. In the moment, I forgot about all of this. Definitely a 30 for 30 is needed.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010–13_Big_East_Conference_realignment

 

[UCFEMUP]

When they’ve shined, we’ve shined brighter. .

They have ever shined? Please, please elaborate on any shining that they have accomplished. Oh and please don’t mention the undeserved 15 minutes that they were ranked #2 12 years ago due to a ton of teams losing ahead of them and then them going on a 5 game losing streak. A few meaningless wins against bad P5 teams at the time is also irrelevant.

Please let us know any time they have played for a conference championship, won a division, ended the year ranked in any poll in the top 25, been to a NY6 bowl, won a NY6 bowl, won a conference championship, won multiple conference championships, hosted College Gameday or won a National Championship recognized by the NCAA. I await hearing about the shining moments that I must have slept through.

They have shined in EXACTLY NOTHING. EVER. NOT ONE TIME. ZERO POINT ZERO.

 

[SCKnight]

They have ever shined? Please, please elaborate on any shining that they have accomplished. Oh and please don’t mention the undeserved 15 minutes that they were ranked #2 12 years ago due to a ton of teams losing ahead of them and then them going on a 5 game losing streak. A few meaningless wins against bad P5 teams at the time is also irrelevant.

Please let us know any time they have played for a conference championship, won a division, ended the year ranked in any poll in the top 25, been to a NY6 bowl, won a NY6 bowl, won a conference championship, won multiple conference championships, hosted College Gameday or won a National Championship recognized by the NCAA. I await hearing about the shining moments that I must have slept through.

They have shined in EXACTLY NOTHING. EVER. NOT ONE TIME. ZERO POINT ZERO.

Well to be fair there was a point in which CJL had them playing well against some high level competition. They did was UCF failed to do in that era which was finish a few games. They had built a reputation but could never win the easier games in conference and would fold in October. I mean when you beat FSU and Miami, Clemson in a bowl game, a ranked WV and Notre Dame at Notre Dame you can crow, and believe me they did. They were as insufferable as some of our fans are now. But the program was a house of cards which eventually fell. And like the song says...how you gonna keep em down on the farm... After tasting "big time football" their fans tasted instant success and wanted more of the same. When they were left behind with realignment their fans left too. Spoiled. To this day they have not still not developed a taste for AAC football.

Honestly I say the turning point in UCF football was BHNS. If we were not on campus I don't think we have the following we do, even with the success we have had.

 

[UCFEMUP]

Well to be fair there was a point in which CJL had them playing well against some high level competition. They did was UCF failed to do in that era which was finish a few games. They had built a reputation but could never win the easier games in conference and would fold in October. I mean when you beat FSU and Miami, Clemson in a bowl game, a ranked WV and Notre Dame at Notre Dame you can crow, and believe me they did. They were as insufferable as some of our fans are now. But the program was a house of cards which eventually fell. And like the song says...how you gonna keep em down on the farm... After tasting "big time football" their fans tasted instant success and wanted more of the same. When they were left behind with realignment their fans left too. Spoiled. To this day they have not still not developed a taste for AAC football.

Honestly I say the turning point in UCF football was BHNS. If we were not on campus I don't think we have the following we do, even with the success we have had.

Yes but they have zero to show for their handful of meaningless wins against big name teams. That’s my point.

Zero. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. I guess empty trophy cases are easy to clean. They have that.

 

[Poolside Knight]

that's why the Danny White public spats has me a bit paranoid even with as good as he has been as an AD. UCF has either flat out screwed up or had bad luck in conference realignment in the past. If the Program misses out the next time it might as well be a death sentence bc the split movement is getting closer every year.

 

[KnightVision82]

Fify...don't know if we would have gotten rid of GOL so easily if we stayed in BE.

 

[Wings0fred]

They have ever shined? Please, please elaborate on any shining that they have accomplished. Oh and please don’t mention the undeserved 15 minutes that they were ranked #2 12 years ago due to a ton of teams losing ahead of them and then them going on a 5 game losing streak. A few meaningless wins against bad P5 teams at the time is also irrelevant.

Please let us know any time they have played for a conference championship, won a division, ended the year ranked in any poll in the top 25, been to a NY6 bowl, won a NY6 bowl, won a conference championship, won multiple conference championships, hosted College Gameday or won a National Championship recognized by the NCAA. I await hearing about the shining moments that I must have slept through.

They have shined in EXACTLY NOTHING. EVER. NOT ONE TIME. ZERO POINT ZERO.

We have a difference of opinion on our definitions. I don’t think you need hardware to have “shined”. That can be a brief moment of success.

I would say that the #2 ranking you want to exclude was a high point, as was bringing in Willie Taggart and Charlie Strong. So was thumping their annoying wannabe rival by 50. Even the 2017 season was a high point for them and the only thing that kept it from being a truly special season was Mike Hughes being proactive enough to make a reservation in the Cabanas for 7.

I definitely enjoy their struggles but to say they’ve done absolutely zero seems a bit extreme.

 

[BlakNGoldAllDay]

We have a difference of opinion on our definitions. I don’t think you need hardware to have “shined”. That can be a brief moment of success.

I would say that the #2 ranking you want to exclude was a high point, as was bringing in Willie Taggart and Charlie Strong. So was thumping their annoying wannabe rival by 50. Even the 2017 season was a high point for them and the only thing that kept it from being a truly special season was Mike Hughes being proactive enough to make a reservation in the Cabanas for 7.

I definitely enjoy their struggles but to say they’ve done absolutely zero seems a bit extreme.

Reaching #2 and then falling off a cliff is a high point?

 

[SCKnight]

Yes but they have zero to show for their handful of meaningless wins against big name teams. That’s my point.

Zero. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. I guess empty trophy cases are easy to clean. They have that.

Their moment were certainly fleeting but at the time the were pretty impressive. They have a couple of bowl trophies that we would have envied before 2010. What they don't have is a program identity. More than anything else the NC gave us that. We are the upstarts, the obnoxious, the in your face we don't care what you think fan base. We can currently back it up with performance on the field and because we have an organically grown, fan base weened on moral victories and disappointment we will endure, But I have been a UCF fan long enough to know that nothing lasts forever.

 

[SCKnight]

that's why the Danny White public spats has me a bit paranoid even with as good as he has been as an AD. UCF has either flat out screwed up or had bad luck in conference realignment in the past. If the Program misses out the next time it might as well be a death sentence bc the split movement is getting closer every year.

Realignment has been and will remain about money. Branding, fanbase, TV screens and location. Having ESPN gameday here and showing up like we did was HUGE!!. Like it or not we are also more attractive paired with a strong USF as that rivalry is strong and marketable.

Our old mistake in not seeking inclusion in CUSA when it was formed (our AD though it below us) set us back 20 years IMHO.

 

[Poolside Knight]

Realignment has been and will remain about money. Branding, fanbase, TV screens and location. Having ESPN gameday here and showing up like we did was HUGE!!. Like it or not we are also more attractive paired with a strong USF as that rivalry is strong and marketable.

Our old mistake in not seeking inclusion in CUSA when it was formed (our AD though it below us) set us back 20 years IMHO.

that is true but so is networking.

I remember reading about the Big East move(there was a meeting transcript online somewhere) and I guess someone that was around can confirm but it seems UCF was initially the choice then got later crossed off the list bc of the basketball arena. And I also think Lee Roy Selmon being the face of USF at that time helped them a lot and got them in over us.

 

[SCKnight]

that is true but so is networking.

I remember reading about the Big East move(there was a meeting transcript online somewhere) and I guess someone that was around can confirm but it seems UCF was initially the choice then got later crossed off the list bc of the basketball arena. And I also think Lee Roy Selmon being the face of USF at that time helped them a lot and got them in over us.

It was not as much about TV markets back then. TV revenue drives everything now. Our ADs thought small time at that point. Our "new arena" was a garage. Our facilities were pathetic. Not that USF was much better but you are right. I bet Selmon was super aggressive about getting in while we sat back.

 

[Wings0fred]

Reaching #2 and then falling off a cliff is a high point?

Relatively speaking, yes.

Just like losing to USF, Memphis, or Auburn in 2017 would have been for us.

 

[BlakNGoldAllDay]

Relatively speaking, yes.

Just like losing to USF, Memphis, or Auburn in 2017 would have been for us.

Yes and we wouldn’t say we were great if we had lost all of those.

 

[BlakNGoldAllDay]

It was not as much about TV markets back then. TV revenue drives everything now. Our ADs thought small time at that point. Our "new arena" was a garage. Our facilities were pathetic. Not that USF was much better but you are right. I bet Selmon was super aggressive about getting in while we sat back.

Ok think tv markets was bigger then. Streaming is taking over cable and satellite, so local ads are getting cut out.

 

[UCFEMUP]

Their moment were certainly fleeting but at the time the were pretty impressive. They have a couple of bowl trophies that we would have envied before 2010. What they don't have is a program identity. More than anything else the NC gave us that. We are the upstarts, the obnoxious, the in your face we don't care what you think fan base. We can currently back it up with performance on the field and because we have an organically grown, fan base weened on moral victories and disappointment we will endure, But I have been a UCF fan long enough to know that nothing lasts forever.

As have I. Started at UCF in fall of 92. I’ve been through a lot of the garbage years and near misses and the sleeping giant talk as well. Never being satisfied with a lead knowing we would blow it was not a fun feeling. As someone mentioned earlier, the success we have been having since the OCS can not be overstated.

I guess we do differ in opinions but we are on the same side overall. I just consider shining to be more than winning a game and crapping the bed consistently. Yeah they had a few good wins 12 years ago. Nobody will take that from them.

I just relish in their misery as they have never seen highs like we have and may never. We have been far, far lower than they are and have ever been.

We are still going up and are generating daily national attention from beat writers all over the country. It is a special time and of course we will come back down to earth one day.

I hope that when we do, that the landing strip is in the P5 with them in the rear view mirror. Just as they did to us with the BE. Poetic justice will then be served.

 

[mattropolis]

Well to be fair there was a point in which CJL had them playing well against some high level competition. They did was UCF failed to do in that era which was finish a few games. They had built a reputation but could never win the easier games in conference and would fold in October. I mean when you beat FSU and Miami, Clemson in a bowl game, a ranked WV and Notre Dame at Notre Dame you can crow, and believe me they did. They were as insufferable as some of our fans are now. But the program was a house of cards which eventually fell. And like the song says...how you gonna keep em down on the farm... After tasting "big time football" their fans tasted instant success and wanted more of the same. When they were left behind with realignment their fans left too. Spoiled. To this day they have not still not developed a taste for AAC football.

Honestly I say the turning point in UCF football was BHNS. If we were not on campus I don't think we have the following we do, even with the success we have had.

Anyone with any mental ability knows the OCS was the key, and should be the key to any program. To be a full package you've got to bring the fans home. The rest are homeless and the fanbases know it. I never felt like the Citrus dump was our home. We just rented it because we weren't a legit program yet. Any program left that doesn't or hasn't recognized that is the key will just continue to struggle.

Of course there are exceptions but out of the 23 programs left there are only a few of any merit: Miami, UCLA, and Pitt.

Pitt had a home stadium until 2001. Then they bulldozed it to build a new basketball arena??? Why??? Great long term plan??? Since then they have played at Heinz Field. The results: one 10 win season and 2 times co-champs in the Big East. They did play in a BCS bowl game in 2005 but got thrashed by Utah 35-7.

I can't speak for UCLA but it's pretty common knowledge that unless it is a fairly big rival, the Cane fans are no-shows.

 

[DaShuckster]

Like it or not we are also more attractive paired with a strong USF as that rivalry is strong and marketable.

I agree. Like them or not (and I know you don't), UCF's "War on I-4" rivalry with USF helps both schools' quest to go P5.

 

[Panthergrowl13]

Big East Conference realignment comments from a Pitt pespective. Players: Big East, Big12, ACC

Things were happening quickly, survivor mode for conferences and teams (rumors and fear rampant).

The Big 12 was looking to replace teams to stabilize their conference. Pitt was one of the first teams mentioned as a possible replacement team for the Big 12. Most Pitt fans/administration were not interested because Pitt would be an island school (similar to how WVU is now).

At this time the ACC Conference was exploring expansion with the the goal of establishing their own network. Studies/research concluded that to reach the Critical Mass necessary for a network would require the ACC conference to bring in 3 teams Pitt (Pennsylvania), Syracuse (New York) and Notre Dame (all sports except football but would be required to play 5 ACC football teams per year).

Pitt was not fully aware of all of the machinations that were taking place and when things broke they happened fast. The Pitt AD/Administration was notified Sept. 16, 2011 and the Chancellor had to call the a quick Board meeting for their approval and application was made Sept. 18, 2011 and Pitt was admitted later that day.

Fast forward the ACC Network will launch August 22, 2019 with the first game broadcast (Georgia Tech at Clemson) August 29,2019. The ACC schools collectively have spent about $100 million dollars putting in state of the art broadcast studios at each school.

Now the only P5 Conference not having their own network is the Big 12 (Texas has their own network).
The Big 12 Conference will have their GOR's expire on June 30, 2025 (ACC GOR's expire 2035) and will have to renegotiate their media right contracts.

Stay tuned for other future developments.

HAIL TO PITT!!!!

 

[ucfversusbcs]

Reaching #2 and then falling off a cliff is a high point?

I remember reaching #2 wasnt so bad, but thats before 2017. We move on.