LOU BROWN: There's a lotta talent on this club, Charlie. The veterans are starting to play back to form and the rookies are developing faster than I thought. There's two or three potential all-stars in there. I think we're a contender right now.
CHARLIE DONOVAN: You really believe that, don't you?
LOU: I know it. All we need is something to bring it all together.
CHARLIE: Rachel Phelps would never allow that.
-- "Major League"
Or maybe in this case, it's John Marinatto who would never allow that. Or John Swofford. Or Dan Beebe. Or Deloss Dodds. Or... you get the idea. In the movie, the team held a meeting and Lou told them all about Rachel's plan to either lose or run them out of town trying. At the end of Lou's speech, Jake Taylor declared that there was only one thing left to do... win the whole f*ckin' thing.
That's what USF needs to try and do this year. Win the whole f*ckin' thing. And you need to go watch them try and do it.
Let's say the Big XII decides they want to actually have 12 teams in their league for a change, and they can't or won't take everyone who's left in the Big East. Compare our assets to West Virginia, or Louisville, or even Cincinnati. USF has a tire fire of a basketball program, which is a clear negative. So although they have Florida in their back pocket as an asset, it still means they would need to be as strong as possible in football to make it worth the Big XII's while. Between the three of them, the Mountaineers, Cardinals, and Bearcats have won five of the six Big East football titles since the last realignment took effect in 2005. USF's had a couple of good months (including this one), and that's all.
West Virginia fans represent at games. If you don't believe me, set the DVR to record the game against LSU this Saturday and see the bourbon and whiskey practically oozing out the sides of your TV (and not just because Brent Musberger is there). Louisville fans represent surprisingly well after suffering through three years of Steve Kragthorpe. Cincinnati represents about as well as it can in such a tiny stadium. USF represents if it's a big game, but run in someone you've never heard of like Ball State, and not so much.
This is a lot like that famous USF-Louisville game in 2003, only with much higher stakes and over a longer period of time. The Bulls really need to make a big push to try and win the Big East and play in the Orange Bowl this season. And you need to be in the stands while it happens. It may not end up making the difference, or even a difference. But it can't hurt.