Atlanta wooing Bulls for future game

This week's USF notebook starts with Atlanta officials trying to bring the Bulls to the Georgia Dome for a neutral-site football game, as soon as 2009. The Atlanta Sports Council has had talks with Doug Woolard, starting before this season's football success and again as recently as a month ago.

There's a note on why senior Jarriett Buie should be back in a Bulls uniform next season, plus a short preview of Wednesday night's men's basketball exhibition against Saint Leo.

Comments

[E.T. Thomas]

This is great news ! Not far for BULL Nation to travel and most likely against a SEC or ACC team.

Go BULLS !!!

[nybullsfan]

I agree - great idea for a game. Over time, it'll almost become a 7th home game. I say let's go for the top teams like LSU or Va Tech.

Throw the best you have at us. No more games against the Championship Subdivision teams or mid-majors. Let's have a schedule full of nothing but other BCS conference teams. You think the computers love us now, a schedule like that would likely put us in the computers' top 5 every poll.

Can't be the best unless you beat the best (anybody up in Columbus Ohio listening? stop scheduling creampuffs!)

Go Bulls! Storm Atlanta!

[Mike]

A game in Atlanta would be very cool. It would serve as another projection of USF into the southeast, just like the wins at Auburn and the Papajohns Bowl, and get more recuits from Georgia, Alabama, etc.

That said, let's not get too for ahead of ourselves here. The out-of-conference schedule is pretty much locked up until 2011, but there is an opening in 2009 for this possible Atlanta game. Playing subdivision and non-BCS conference teams is here to stay in college football, so we might as well stay at the party. Keep the Tennessee Martin's, Wofford's and FIU's on the schedule.

[Jack johnson]

I'd love to see a quick note on how many tickets are left for Saturday's game. This will be a true test of how you really feel about your team.

[Reality]

Jack, I think the true number will not be tickets sold, as many people bought tickets, assuming we would still be undefeated and the hottest ticket in town. The true number will be how many no-shows are there. The bandwagon is broken in pieces and I think alot of folks will not show up. Fairweather USF fan is gone, and only the true diehards are left. Like the 400 people that will be at the Sun Dome tonight to see the Lions put a whooping on the Bulls.

[Dave W]

As long as we still have 6 home games per year, I'll be happy with the ATL game. To me, I think it is unlikely that many students (over 1,000) would be able to take the trip up.

I think we'll beat St. Leo, but not like we shuold. I noticed that Dante Curry wasn't mentioned in the line up. Do we have any idea of who the walk-ons are this year?

I'm glad to hear that Buie should be back- with the losses at DT, his experience will be important. And remember, Kiper said he has NFL potential (not sure I've seen it) but if continues to improve, this should work out well.

[Dave W]

Reality- I'm betting on 1,000 no shows Saturday. Have we even distributed all the student tickets?

[G.A.]

There will likely be much more than 1,000 no-shows on Saturday. Curry's on roster and expects to contribute at guard off the bench. No walk-ons are rostered right now beyond senior guard Eddie Lovett and 6-11 center Mo Esseghir.

[Ari]

Why do you guys think the basketball team is going to suck so bad?

Probably going to be a lot better than last year. Gransberry is the top center in Big East - behind Hibbert at Georgetown.

I'm telling you, we will win between 6 and 8 Big East games this year.

Will be a decent year for the bulls.

[Brian]

Even with the no-shows ... it is Homecoming week ... USF is still (barely) ranked. This is only the 3rd time that has happened for a home game ... it will be a very good crowd if not WVU ish. I say we will have tickets distributed a bit short of a sell-out ... but through the gate will be 50+ish. Reasonable guess?

E.T., USF can't even sell out RayJ more than three times a year. Good luck getting your so called fans to ATL. What a joke?

[TampaBuckeye]

A USF fan calling out the Buckeyes schedule? Forgive us for having it a little light this year, we signed Washington in 2001 when they were coming off a 1 loss campaign...If you're concerned we have USC, Cal, Virginia Tech, Miami and Cincy scheduled the next 8 years. Hard to argue with that. Especially when compared to USF's awesome future schedule.

Good luck getting 40,000 to the game Saturday. All the Gator and Nole fans thatprentended to be Bulls fans becausethey are from Tampa have jumped ship and are now enjoying their own mediocore teams.

USF will always be #3 in terms of college football support in this town.

Never know, but TM is still selling upper deck tickets on the east side, so it's unlikely that they will be opening the west side.

Oops! They are selling west side tickets right now, so who knows what the total will be.

[jack johnson]

I agree about the Buckeyes. And I say the BIG 10 is always tough, no matter what Mark May and others say. As for the traveling to Georgia, you better be able to get 10,000 fans to travel not 1,000. Heck, I saw the UCF game at So.Miss and they had a few thousand there.

[steve oneal]

Hey,10:02 I think it was Atlanta that called USF, not the other way around. They obviously see it differently than you. USF is a young program still growing and it will only get better. And mr tampabuckeye(isn't a buckeye a worthless nut} a little light! You play more home than away games so you have to schedule patsies that don't require a return game. Don't worry about USF's future, we will be just fine. GO BULLS!!

[jack]

Patsies?!? Wow, USF fan is more dellusional by the day. OSU played Texas when they were at the top of their game, and they play USC back to back years starting next year. Plus, the BIG 10 is a tough conference schedule, even if the SEC haters try and downplay it. Try and show a little class when you call out someone's non-conference schedule (UCF and Elon)---glass houses, my friend, glass houses.

[Terry Lucas]

Hey Tampa Buckeye... We have Michigan State 2x's, Miami 5x's (and not the Miami you guys are synonmous for playing in Ohio), UF 2x's... and that is just off the top of my head over that same time period. I'd say the schedules are quite comparable at the very least.

[kelly]

as far as student tickets go for this weekends homecoming game they have already given out all the lower level student tickets and have moved into the upper level. One BIG change for this game is that all companion tickets are only available in the upper level (and are not even being released for sale until tomorrow), so all of us down in the lower level will actually be current USF students!!!!

[jack]

comparable schedules w/ OSU? Ha! Never. Miami is worse than UCF. And to suggest USF is tougher or better is INSANE. Undefeated vs 2 losses. Stop embarrasing yourself.

Jack - I don't recall anyone stating that USF is better than OSU. It's clear that OSU is a great football team, but their current year schedule is weak. Calling out USF's scheduling of Miami as being weak because of a couple of down years while holding out Washington as a formidable opponent, that's insane. Washington had a few good years; Miami has been good for decades and has had a couple of down years.

[steve oneal]

Hey, Jack wouldn't it be nice to be able to live in the city of the team that you love and support and actually like the city, like TAMPA compared to columbus. Maybe that's why so many of ya'll move here. We are are talking about this years schedule. Youngstown state,Akron,Kent state( I think our U.of TAMPA SPARTANS div3 beat kent st in a bowl game in the 70's) and the extra home game? Come on, gimme a break. I bet our strength of scedule is tougher than osu worthless nuts. And speaking of past schedules, didn't ya'll have a loss to UF who lost to LSU.Two SEC teams that could have beaten ya'll. Tampa native! GO BULLS!!

[Dave W]

Jack- as long as you admit that Ohio State's schedule cannot provide a signature victory this year, I'm happy. USF's provided a win at Auburn- always a good thing.

[jack]

you guys are a mess. I am not an OSU fan, I just think you're all nuts. OSU v Michigan would be plenty of a tough win at UM. I never held up the Wash. game, someone else did. The circular logic of "you lost to so and so who lost to so and so who played UMASS in 1983" is silly. PSU, Wisconsin, and Mich--all ranked teams and a tough Illini team down the stretch. can't call it soft after the statement win in Happy Valley, that's all I'm sayin'

[Brian]

Not sure where all the big 10 comes from ... not the toughest conference in the land ... but not the worst. In their "down" year I'd put them on a par with the revived Big East. The Big East teams need to keep showing promise and winning "real" out of conference games to have any bragging rights in that regard.

[AL]

Try and show a little class when you call out someone's non-conference schedule (UCF and Elon)---glass houses, my friend, glass houses.

OCC Opponent Rank (Sagarin)

Auburn 11
Elon 80
UCF 53
UNC 63

Washington 64
Youngstwn 104
Akron 108

OSU 2 B10
WVU 5 BE
USF 9 BE
UConn 13 BE
Mich 20 B10
Perdue 24 B10
Cincy 32 BE
PSU 34 B10
Illini 38 B10
RU 42 BE
Wisc 47 B10
UL 50 BE
MSU 56 B10
Pitt 70 BE
Ind 77 B10
NWU 79 B10
Iowa 83 B10
Minn 115 B10
Cuse 118 BE

[jimy jinxer]

What rankings are those? OSU is 1 USF is 20 and Mich is 12....so you are making no sense

[AL]

Reading problem Jinx?

Let me spell it out slowly for you this time... S a g a r i n.. ranking. Not some poll of media guys' opinions.

[jimx]

Please, go ahead and grab whatever poll you look best in and post it over and over. I can't wait to see all the empty seats when I am at the game Saturday. I'm a fan, and I am pissed only 30k tops will be there. Heck, UCF sold out this weekend vs Marshall for goodness sake.

[Al]

So Jinx (aka super fan), please tell us which section in the upper deck is your ticket is for. Who gives a crap how many tickets were sold for the UCF Cupcake Homecoming game.

[Jinx]

I'm just saying that it will be interesting to see who shows up. Three weeks ago, the place was full. Since people hadn;t had a reason to follow the bulls, I wouldn't call them fairweather. But, if no one shows the next two home games, I'll be disappointed. That's all

[Al]

So, you have been a loyal fan for two to three weeks now.

[jinx]

no. I'm just saying that if only 30k are there, then the next time they get good and there are 50k, those 20k are all fairweather. I pointed out UCF selling out vs Marshall b/c they are 5-3 and still have a rabid fan base. And I know you hate them. That's all, just facts.