Report: FIU backing out of '09 USF game

Florida International is backing out of its scheduled game at USF this fall, forcing the Bulls to scramble to find a Division I-A opponent on short notice, the Miami Herald reported Friday. Adding to the drama is the fact that FIU is backing out so they can start a home-and-home series with Rutgers, which recruits heavily in the Miami area.

Under its contact with USF, FIU will have to pay $200,000 to buy out the final game of a three-game series. It's a surprising move, given that USF had agreed to give FIU a BCS conference opponent for its first game in its new stadium last fall. It's also surprising that Rutgers would make such a move, knowing it gives a fellow Big East team a scheduling problem at a time when most teams have filled their 2009 slate.

Rutgers' move to add FIU to its schedule comes as the Scarlet Knights are operating under an interim athletic director, Carl Kirschner, a longtime Rutgers professor and former dean.

Ultimately, USF won't take a hit unless the Bulls aren't able to find another Division I-A opponent. If they had to schedule a second I-AA team, that second win could not be counted toward the six wins required to become bowl-eligible. Having lost a home game, USF also must try to find an opponent willing to come to Tampa to open the series.

-- The same Herald blog post reports that USF freshman linebacker Quavon Taylor, who was suspended from the team most of last season by coach Jim Leavitt, is considering a transfer to Florida International. Taylor is enrolled as a full-time student at USF this spring, but has been in Leavitt's doghouse since before the season started. As we told you earlier this week, USF will need some offseason attrition of scholarship players if the Bulls want to sign a full class of 25 incoming recruits.

Comments

[Steve O'Neal]

Suarez, fiu has to go up to rutgers also. fiu was, is classless. No big loss, just a minor inconvenience on the schedule. Check out our recruiting class and then talk your nonsense about getting recruits away from USF.LOL! GO BULLS!

[Jsuarez88]

You guys talk a lot to have barely won the game against FIU. You guys talk and talk, forgetting that the tight win against the "dirtbags" cost you guys a few spots on the polls.

And they weren't cheapshots, they were fumbles. lol. at the goal line. Sad.

& you guys have tried to recruit some of the players from FIU, they just chose FIU over you. Most recently James Jones & probably Taylor will transfer. They also have a few other players on their roster who transfered out of USF to come down to Miami.

FIU would obviously rather have a home game than go up to tampa. the move makes sense $ wise.

[Bulliever]

I am glad we don't have to play this team...And as a bonus we get $200K!!

FIU does not know how to play a good, clean football game...

IF we were to play them this year, their goal would be to injure us because they know they can't win without all those cheap shots... and those injuries would cause us problems for the FSU game...

Good name for the school: "Cheap Shot U"...

We lost a good player and one of our leaders, Brouce Mompremier during that FIU game last year and it caused a ripple effect in our defense for most of the season...

I think we should play a good team like Airforce...or even Michigan...to get us ready for the FSU game...

A loss against a good team would not affect us terribly as long as we beat FSU, MIA and play well in our conference. We could still make it to a BCS Bowl Game and also get bragging rights in Florida...

Funny thing, if we win the game... and win most of our conference games....

We might be looking at that #2 spot again...

[politically incorrect]

Grab Air Force! See if our sucky secondary can stop their wishbone offense. At the very least, we gain credibility in the polls by scheduling a legitimate AP Top30 team instead of the pukes from FIU.

[politically incorrect]

Grab Air Force! See if our sucky secondary can stop their wishbone offense. At the very least, we gain credibility in the polls by scheduling a legitimate AP Top30 team instead of the pukes from FIU.

[Al]

Nobody wants to see the 119th offense in the nation playing at the RayJay. UCF = The Toon Town Terrible

[Chalko]

Once again you guys don't see the big picture. Buffalo comes to UCF already, I wanna say a week after 9/19. There's no way they take to trips to FL in consecutive weeks. Teams from the Midwest will be reluctant as well. USF will struggle to fill this spot with a legitimate contender.

[Mike Lakeland]

Man, I HATE Rutgers. This is bush league in so many ways by them and FIU.

That being said, I would love to play against Buffalo.

[Don Corleone]

UCF will not back out of the Texas game. Its a chance to get pounded on the road and pick-up a bigger paycheck. You wouldn't get UCF people buying tickets to another game in Tampa. They don't want to pay full price for a ticket they will only use for three quarters because none of them have stayed into the fourth quarter of any game here. Its nothing new for teams to back out of playing USF. When they were coming up through 1-AA to D1, the Bulls had to scramble for teams and ended up playing the likes of Charleston Southern and Northwestern State. Fresno State would bring a TV audience unlike many of the other suggested opponents.

[cg]

Karma? USF ultimately wins with this situation from not having to play against dirtbags. I dont see why they would want to replace them with more dirtbags. dirtbags dirtbags dirtbags.

[Stephen]

I'm loving all the UCF talk. There is no way in hell UCF would trade a road game at Texas over a road game in Tampa. Karma, damn I love it.

[Matt]

Hey, this is great news - USF doesn't have to take the field against a bunch of cheap-shotting gutter thugs who are only interested in trying to injure players from a school they wish they were recruited to, and we don't have to put up with their classless fans celebrating in the stands when injured players are taken from the stadium to the hospital, and USF has an opportunity to schedule a team that will improve their strength-of-schedule (any team in D-I is an improvement over fiu.)

[Ken]

Shame to have to scramble for a game at this late date--it is classless, but it happens. the player is no loss as I see it.

[Windbane]

upgrade the schedule!

[Brendan]

I hope we get a MWC opponent. I would love to see TCU come to Tampa or even us going out there. I never understood shying away from tough opponents. It won't affect our BE chances, so why not go out and prove ourselves?

[AGW]

Buffalo, Arkansas State, Houston, Fresno State, Tulane, Ohio, and Western Michigan all have the 19th open on their schedules. All of them are teams that seem to be of or above the calibar of FIU. Hopefully, we can get Houston, Buffalo or Fresno State (in no particular order). All of those teams could be in the top 25 by next seasons end. Good for our BCS rating, crediblity, and the fact that we play them at home helps. TX is a huge area for recruiting, especially Houston. Buffalo is an East coast tea, that just came into the national spotlight and Fresno is nationally recognized. Make it happen USF!

[AGW]

I think Buffalo is a good selection to fill-in. They would boost our schedule for sure.

[VOR]

My vote to replace them goes to: Buffalo Bulls.
MAC champs and appear to have that date open.
Bulls vs. Bulls baby!

[VOR]

My vote goes to: Buffalo Bulls.
MAC champs & also appear to have that date open.
Bulls vs. Bulls.

[Chalko]

Well good Mike, then UCF should be at the top of the replacement list. Let's see it happen!

[USFMikeB]

Yep, chalko, USF is afraid of ucIF. Never mind the score board, the opinion of worthless ucIFers means more than reality...

[Chalko]

I'm sure UCF would like to get out of the Texas game if at all possible. In addition, I'm sure UCF would take a return visit down the road, 2011 or later. If USF isn't afraid, they'll try to work it out. Chances are, they don't!

[SailingBull]

Aside from the scheduling conflict, this may be good for the Bulls. FIU is a CLASSLESS program. I lost count of all the cheap shots and late hits in that game last year. Add to it the fight at UM a few years ago, and well FIU's track record is stellar.

As for Rutgers, the Big East should step in to preempt this kind of BS.

[David Weber]

Surprising move by both schools. Rutgers won't win any points in league matters when they're looking for allies, but FIU just ticked off an important opponent, and one that did them a solid by going to their new high school stadium. Obviously, getting another BCS home game for FIU was worth more than $200,000, but now they'll never be able to ask USF for a favor. Although, from an economic perspective, it was the right decision (highest total utility!).

How about Fresno State for the fill in? They're never afraid to go anywhere and they're a quality opponent- a victory over them is worth a lot more than over FIU. It probably wouldn't have any recruiting ramifications, but neither does beating FIU.

Taylor had some issues last season; not sure what they were, but it seems like it would be better if he left. I liked his potential, and with uncertainty at LB this coming season, he could have been a player.

Could Patrick Hampton move to OLB? I don't know if he has the speed for it, but as the smallest DE, he seems like a good candidate. Or what about one of our 6 million tight ends? I think Chris Robinson and Jacquain Williams will end up as the starters, and they could be a good pair, but if one got hurt, we'd have problems. Plus, with two senior LBs, developing the replacements is an important task.

[Don Corleone]

I know people will suggest UCF to fill the Sept. 19th date, but they are on the road that Saturday in Austin to play Texas. I don't think they would be interested in a one game deal because in 2010 the Bulls play road games at Florida and Miami and already have three home games scheduled.

[Bullsusf00]

Interesting news also on the possible Quavon Taylor transfer.

[Don Corleone]

Contracts are only as good as the people that sign them, so this move speaks volumes of the integrity of FIU football.

Like we needed another reason to hate Rutgers...