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Bowl Game At Trop A Possibility
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Published: July 18, 2007
NEWPORT, R.I. - Big East Conference and Tampa Bay Devil Rays officials have had discussions about starting a Big East bowl game at Tropicana Field in 2010.
'It's pretty serious on both sides,' Big East associate commissioner Nick Carparelli Jr. said Tuesday from the Big East's media days meeting. 'Common sense-wise the Devil Rays have an empty building in December and January, so it would be great for them.
'All our coaches recruit in Florida, and Florida is a great destination for a bowl game. We're talking to them to pull all the entities together in Tampa Bay.'
Rays president Matt Silverman said the team has had preliminary conversations with the Big East and the next step is to have 'more candid' talks.
'We certainly are interested in bringing events of such prominence to St. Petersburg and Tropicana Field,' Silverman said. 'Tropicana Field has hosted a Final Four, and a major bowl game would be a major addition to our roster.'
Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said the league's current bowl contracts expire after the 2009 season, so the earliest a St. Petersburg bowl could occur would be 2010.
'As always, we stand ready to assist our community teammates, USF and the Devil Rays, in evaluating any future championship-hosting opportunity that could provide a win for this area,' Tampa Bay Sports Commission executive director Rob Higgins said.
FOUR-GONE CONCLUSION? USF was picked to finish fourth in the Big East's preseason media poll. West Virginia, which received 20 of the 24 first-place votes, was picked first, followed by defending champion Louisville (three first-place votes) and Rutgers (one first-place vote).
Cincinnati was picked fifth, followed by Pittsburgh, UConn and Syracuse.
'I don't focus on those predictions,' USF senior LB Ben Moffitt said. 'You can't predict the future.'
FIVE DON'T MAKE IT: Five members of USF's incoming 25-player recruiting class will not attend USF this fall, Bulls coach Jim Leavitt said.
Boca Ciega RB Josh Bellamy, Lake Gibson DE Claude Davis, Valdosta (Ga.) OT Lawrence McCoy, Pahokee TE Kevenski McGee and DeLand LB Calvin Sutton did not meet academic entrance requirements.
A sixth incoming freshman - Jacksonville Mandarin DB Charlton Sinclair - has not yet qualified but still 'has a shot,' Leavitt said.
STATE OF MIND: Florida and New Jersey are the only states with at least one player on each of the eight Big East teams.
'It doesn't surprise me,' Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. 'I'd like to make Florida the only state that has a player on every Big East team. It is critical for us to keep the ones in New Jersey you want home.'
While USF has the most Floridians on its roster, Rutgers leads the Big East with the most players from New Jersey and second-most Floridians.
HEISMAN HUNT: Looking for this year's Heisman Trophy winner? Chances are he could be from the Big East.
West Virginia RB Steve Slaton and QB Pat White, Louisville QB Brian Brohm and Rutgers RB Ray Rice are considered among the leading contenders.
'We have four players listed among the top eight or nine Heisman hopefuls,' Tranghese said. 'That's unheard of in the history of our league, and we've been playing football since 1991.'
ODDS AND ENDS: Like last season, Leavitt said he will not name captains for the season, but instead will designate captains for each game. ... For the first time since Marquel Blackwell's senior year in 2002, the Bulls enter fall drills set at quarterback. 'I'm not concerned about incumbent Matt Grothe, I'm concerned about building the quarterbacks behind him,' Leavitt said. ... Pittsburgh senior DL Joe Clermond, a Chamberlain High graduate, said he caught a lot of grief after the Panthers' loss to USF last season. 'They're a hometown team, so it's always going to get stirred up by my family and friends,' he said. 'We've got 'em in Pittsburgh Nov. 24 in the cold this year.'
Brett McMurphy
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