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Timing Is Perfect For Bulls

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Joey Johnston

Published: October 18, 2007

The South Florida Bulls, four days after rising to No. 2 in the BCS standings, are the talk of college football. Nationally, many fans already have seen USF's team. But others have not, learning about USF's rise through brief highlights and news items.

The curiosity factor will be satisfied tonight when USF (6-0) heads to Rutgers (4-2) for a Big East Conference game televised by ESPN.

The Bulls have a stage.

A stage, in fact, all to themselves.

For college football fanatics - and casual fans who don't care about the baseball playoffs - it's an opportunity to focus on USF's personnel, its style, its breakout season, its compelling story. And unlike the glut of games on a typical Saturday, where the remote control is everyone's MVP, USF-Rutgers is the only show.

Potentially, it's a three-hour commercial.

Perfect timing.

In fact, absolutely exquisite timing for a USF program looking to capitalize on its new-found national profile, while potentially converting the skeptics into believers.

'This particular TV game didn't happen by coincidence,' Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said. 'It's part of our strategy.'

A strategy that has worked beautifully.

The Nation Was Watching

Only two seasons ago - after the defection of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to the ACC - the Big East was backed into a corner, defending itself against all comers. The Big East's BCS worthiness was being openly questioned, and Tranghese, biting his tongue at times, simply said the new-look league would have to prove itself on the field.

And what better way to grab attention than isolating the Big East's best games with television exclusivity?

Last season, Big East officials believed Louisville and West Virginia were the league's best teams. On a Thursday night, with the nation's fans, players and coaches strapped in, unbeaten Louisville met unbeaten West Virginia.

'We hit a home run, no question,' Tranghese said.

The following week, again all alone on a Thursday night, unbeaten Louisville traveled to unbeaten Rutgers. And the nation was captivated by Rutgers' comeback victory, the thousands of scarlet-clad fans rushing the field, a once-downtrodden Scarlet Knights program now sitting on top of the college football world.

'We got lucky,' Tranghese said.

But not really. Part of the job of Nick Carparelli, the Big East's director of football operations, is to identify the top games in the preseason, then place them in strategically favorable TV slots.

That's why West Virginia-USF was on a Friday night - and that TV exposure was a large reason why the Bulls leaped from No. 18 to No. 6 in the polls.

That's why USF-Rutgers has its own showcase. The Big East believed in USF's potential, which ESPN's power can only enhance.

Telling USF's Story

It's an uneasy tradeoff, of course.

'This is a crazy week,' USF defensive back Ryan Gilliam said. 'I've got some midterms, a few papers. And we're leaving for a road game in the middle of the week.

'We're student-athletes. Remember the 'student' part? That's why we're here. It's the part nobody sees, the bad part for us. But obviously, I understand the concept of why you want to play on TV.'

USF can make its case.

USF can tell its story.

'Let's tell it the right way,' Bulls nose tackle Richard Clebert said. 'Hopefully, the TV guys won't be going down the 'Little Ol' South Florida' road. Hey, USC had a beginning. Miami had a beginning. This is our beginning. We're doing something no other program has done before. That needs to be recognized.'

USF center Nick Capogna preaches perspective.

'Let's not get carried away and make it anything more than the next football game on our schedule,' Capogna said. 'We don't need to be trying to impress the voters or whatever. Our goal when the season started wasn't to go 6-0 and be in the BCS standings. Our goal was to win the Big East championship. The only thing we need to be thinking about is beating Rutgers.'

And if USF defeats Rutgers, the nation's fans will be watching. They can make their own judgment.

The stage is big.

But a big performance represents the larger payoff.

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