SB Nation Tampa Bay Editor's Pick

Do The Football Bulls Have a Rival?

by witty on Aug 30, 2011 11:56 AM EDT

Florida has Georgia.

Florida State and Miami have each other.

Auburn has Alabama.

Army vs. Navy.

Ohio State vs. Michigan. Texas vs. Oklahoma. Oregon vs. Oregon State. Notre Dame vs. ~~Expectations~~ USC

Great football programs have great rivalries. So does the University of South Florida, relative newcomer to the exalted heights of Division 1-A football, have yet a rivalry on which to hang their collective fan hats?

There had been that push by Central Florida to make an interstate rivalry with South Florida, but there was and still is a legitimate fear that such a rivalry would keep USF (and even UCF) down as a second-tier school while the Big Three (UF, FSU, UM) slugged each other out.

The Bulls have built up a few years of serious games between the C-USA teams that jumped along with us to the Big East, like Louisville, but neither school has dominated the Big East in such a way to make the interconference rivalry mean something.

There's West Virginia: ostensibly the premiere team in the Big East (as most of the other long-history schools like Pitt, Syracuse and Louisville have struggled for consistent winning seasons). And there's been a few years when USF's victories over the Mountaineers ruined WV's seasons. But are we dedicated rivals? West Virginia - Pitt has more oomph...

Speaking of Pitt: one of the Bulls' biggest early historic wins - its first huge upset, really - was at Pittsburgh. It created the identity for the Bulls as a scrappy, upset-possibly team that no one should overlook. But agan, Pitt has West Virginia to keep it company...

I could throw out there UConn: Connecticut entered the Division 1 ranks about the same time as USF, and had repeatedly ruined South Florida's chances for New Years' Day bowls with late-season defeats. But like South Florida, UConn is new to this level of prestige, and there's not much of a natural rivalry - geography, personal animus, etc. - to speak of.

So... do we have a rival school? Is there a program out there that South Florida can build up a rivalry that would stoke the fans' passions once a year, give us something to rally around as an important game without question?

Sigh. I miss Western Kentucky already...

Poll

Which school is best for South Florida to maintain a football rivalry?

Florida

10 votes

Florida St

6 votes

Miami

57 votes

Central Florida

63 votes

Other Florida school - FAMU, FAU, FIU

2 votes

West Virginia

83 votes

Louisville

12 votes

Pittsburgh

2 votes

UConn

3 votes

Syracuse

2 votes

Western Kentucky

2 votes

Ball State. Seriously, Ball State? This is the problem, folks, we keep rotating out our opponents every year, there's no damn consistency!

5 votes

247 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Not yet

But these things take time. WVU and Rutgers each look promising though.

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by Ken DeCelles on Aug 30, 2011 10:47 AM EDT reply actions

thanks for making this a main page entry!

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by witty on Aug 30, 2011 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Miami

I’d love to see them once per season on the same Saturday FSU/UF play.

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by SeanDubbs on Aug 30, 2011 12:31 PM EDT reply actions

for what it's worth

win over rutgers > win over any other opponent for me

miami would obviously be ideal though

by the great gunsby on Aug 30, 2011 12:49 PM EDT reply actions

Yup

I agree with that, but I think that’s more out of pure unbridled hatred than burgeoning rivalry.

by Mason Dixon on Aug 30, 2011 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions

It's WVU

I’ve read multiple times that USF/WVU is the premier game of the Big East besides Pitt/WVU. Yes, that includes over Louisville/Cincy. The logic being that the games are always competitive and often have important implications for the BE.

I’d put us below the keg of nails rivalry but around a solid #3 in BE rivalries, and therefore our best rivalry.

by thuggishpuppet on Aug 30, 2011 1:03 PM EDT reply actions

I'm all about WVU/USF.

But for rivalry purposes, that game is going to be played every year, whether it’s a rivalry or not. I read into this poll that we’re talking about a game that we can voluntarily continue or discontinue. For me that’s UCF. Not just because I think they’ll be a conference foe one day (unless KSU and KU join in the next week), but because geography and rabid fan bases are the most important ingredients for a rivalry.

by mpetty99 on Aug 30, 2011 1:21 PM EDT reply actions

I hate to be "this guy"...

But I’m going to self-promote here for a minute

http://www.thebullrush.com/2011/06/usfs-quest-for-rival.html?m=1

by Mike Nascarella on Aug 30, 2011 1:34 PM EDT reply actions

WVU is the closest thing we have to a rival. Cincy, Louisville, and Rutgers have potential.

Rivalries can’t be one sided so that rules out UCF, Miami, UF, and FSU.

I just really don’t see it with Pitt, UConn, or Cuse.

Go Bulls!

by Leavitt Town on Aug 30, 2011 1:34 PM EDT reply actions

We don't have one.

I wrote this last offseason and I think it still holds true:

http://www.voodoofive.com/2010/5/31/1494483/does-usf-have-a-football-rival

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by Jamie DeVriend on Aug 30, 2011 2:31 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

That's how I feel

even though I voted WKU because they have the best mascot. Rivalries take time, just like tradition. Just might be a while before we have 1 here.

by cambi1 on Aug 30, 2011 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Oops. Forget this has come up as an issue before...

Time to shamelessly plug my book and short story!

by witty on Aug 30, 2011 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions

I voted WV

But God damn I hate Rutgers.

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by SenatorGiggity on Aug 30, 2011 3:09 PM EDT reply actions

UCF?

We have a lot of UCF fans lurking this blog? I know there are a lot of UCF fans that obsess over USF so it’s possible. Otherwise, no reason for voting for UCF as a rival. I voted for WVU because it’s the closest thing we have, but Miami would be a good choice as well.

by Allen Brown on Aug 30, 2011 3:11 PM EDT reply actions

Any Internet poll where they are an option will be swarmed like seagulls after a sandwich.

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by Jamie DeVriend on Aug 30, 2011 5:57 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

As of 3:35 pm this afternoon...

there have been 29 votes for West Virginia, a clear leader out the gate.

But only one vote for Western Kentucky?! Where’s the love?

W. Kentucky has played USF more than once, and we’ve done home-and-home, right?

They’ve got a mascot that does “This Is Sportscenter” commercials. We’d get media interest in the games, at least.

I think this is a probable good rivalry…

Time to shamelessly plug my book and short story!

by witty on Aug 30, 2011 3:37 PM EDT reply actions

That God damn thing will haunt my dreams if I ever see it in person.

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by SenatorGiggity on Aug 30, 2011 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions

I didn't add Rutgers on the poll list because I didn't feel there has been enough games to develop a solid rivalry

I know Rugters has ruined more than one season for USF, but before the last 2-3 years I honestly didn’t notice them as a major opponent.

Time to shamelessly plug my book and short story!

by witty on Aug 30, 2011 3:40 PM EDT reply actions

Right now it’s gotta be Rutgers. Sure they aren’t geographically close but they have screwed with us enough times to be the front runner. They also recruit heavily in South Florida which should be our territory. WVU is a far away second followed by Miami but they are OOC and have far more history.

by USFBULLRIDER on Aug 30, 2011 3:43 PM EDT reply actions

I detest Rutgers probably more than any school we play, but I'm not sure the hate is mutual.

I voted for WVU just because the games have been competitive and often meaningful ever since we joined the conference. But we really don’t have a rival at this point, and I don’t see a lot of potential in forming a rivalry with an in-state opponent in the near future.

by Tankas on Aug 30, 2011 4:40 PM EDT reply actions