UCF barely in the MAC before their next conference home would materialize.
In the Summer/Fall of 2003, the conference realignment dominoes began when the ACC took Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College). The Big East back-filled with several Conference USA schools, including South Florida, Louisville, Cincinnati as well as non-FB C-USA schools DePaul and Marquette.
This one was a blow because UCF thought this would be their opportunity to join the Big East, though perhaps as a football-only member at first. Louisville and Cincinnati were always locks and I believe Tom Jurich (former Louisville AD) was instrumental in selling the Big East on the virtues of usf for their all-around sports program, particularly their Big East-ready basketball arena (Sun Dome). While the SunDome wasn't really all that great, at least it was an "arena" and not a basic gym like UCF. The UCF Arena was still several years away.
The dominoes after that were in C-USA, which added UCF, Marshall, Rice, SMU and Tulsa. The new 12-team league with divisions would go into effect for the 2005 season.
While not being included in the Big East was a blow, the BCS/non-BCS divide didn't seem as wide as it is now between Power Five/Group of Five. For a young program that never competed in an all-sports conference that included football, this was honestly an exciting time. UCF felt they had a semi-rivalry with Marshall due to the MAC trash talk, and it was fun to see what may develop with schools like Southern Miss, ECU and Memphis.
The C-USA era was when I was able to travel to more away games, I went everywhere in the league except for Rice.
The inaugural 2005 season was memorable... winning the division and hosting the championship game in the Citrus Bowl in front of a record crowd of 50K. UCF lost that game to Tulsa (what else is new), but UCF still reached their first bowl game (Hawaii Bowl). The win against Houston that year to become bowl eligible was a great memory.
In 2007, after the dreadful 64-12 game at South Florida, the huge run in the first year of the Bounce House. Kevin Smith running into the UCF record books and almost breaking the Barry Sanders record. Hosting the championship game against Tulsa, but this time winning it to reach the Liberty Bowl.
And the C-USA Championship in 2010, capped off by the win against Georgia in the Liberty Bowl.
A lot of fun times and fun trips. Memphis, ECU, Southern Miss, etc. I could go on and on.
I may view this time more fondly just from a nostalgia perspective than the American.
What are your memories?
In the Summer/Fall of 2003, the conference realignment dominoes began when the ACC took Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College). The Big East back-filled with several Conference USA schools, including South Florida, Louisville, Cincinnati as well as non-FB C-USA schools DePaul and Marquette.
This one was a blow because UCF thought this would be their opportunity to join the Big East, though perhaps as a football-only member at first. Louisville and Cincinnati were always locks and I believe Tom Jurich (former Louisville AD) was instrumental in selling the Big East on the virtues of usf for their all-around sports program, particularly their Big East-ready basketball arena (Sun Dome). While the SunDome wasn't really all that great, at least it was an "arena" and not a basic gym like UCF. The UCF Arena was still several years away.
The dominoes after that were in C-USA, which added UCF, Marshall, Rice, SMU and Tulsa. The new 12-team league with divisions would go into effect for the 2005 season.
While not being included in the Big East was a blow, the BCS/non-BCS divide didn't seem as wide as it is now between Power Five/Group of Five. For a young program that never competed in an all-sports conference that included football, this was honestly an exciting time. UCF felt they had a semi-rivalry with Marshall due to the MAC trash talk, and it was fun to see what may develop with schools like Southern Miss, ECU and Memphis.
The C-USA era was when I was able to travel to more away games, I went everywhere in the league except for Rice.
The inaugural 2005 season was memorable... winning the division and hosting the championship game in the Citrus Bowl in front of a record crowd of 50K. UCF lost that game to Tulsa (what else is new), but UCF still reached their first bowl game (Hawaii Bowl). The win against Houston that year to become bowl eligible was a great memory.
In 2007, after the dreadful 64-12 game at South Florida, the huge run in the first year of the Bounce House. Kevin Smith running into the UCF record books and almost breaking the Barry Sanders record. Hosting the championship game against Tulsa, but this time winning it to reach the Liberty Bowl.
And the C-USA Championship in 2010, capped off by the win against Georgia in the Liberty Bowl.
A lot of fun times and fun trips. Memphis, ECU, Southern Miss, etc. I could go on and on.
I may view this time more fondly just from a nostalgia perspective than the American.
What are your memories?
