Pitt Panther Prowl

Questions for the Enemy: South Florida

A few days ago I received an email from The Bull Gator, the blogger who runs the South Florida and University of Florida blog theBullGator.com.  He asked if I would like to trade questions with him and each post our questions for the other on our own blogs in preparation for the big showdown between the Bulls and Panthers on Thursday.  The format is simple: We each asked each other five questions about our teams and then a sixth question about something random.  It is a good opportunity to get some perspective from fans of another team in the Big East.

The following are the questions I asked The Bull Gator and the answers that he gave.  Make sure to check out the questions he asked me and my answers as well.

The Prowler: First of all, as a Pitt fan, I would like to thank you guys for USF’s success over our most hated rival, the Mountaineers.  Whether you beat Pitt or not this week, I will be rooting for the Bulls to make it three straight against WVU later this season.  That being said, has USF found a hated rival within the ranks of the Big East?

The Bull Gator: At this point, I don’t think USF has a true rival in the Big East, but West Virginia is as close as it gets.  The last few years, the Bulls have knocked off some good, highly ranked Mountaineer teams, fueling the rivalry further.  Add that to the fact that both schools are doing their best to try to make sure this game is scheduled to consistently be the last game of the year going forward, and I definitely think WVU has the best potential to be USF’s biggest Big East rival.

However, Pitt wouldn’t be far off if you look at the outcome of the games they have played.  During USF’s first season in Division 1-A, they upset Pitt 35-26.  The Panthers were a 22-point favorite and at the time it was the biggest win in USF history.  And the last few games have been hard fought, close contests.

The Prowler: This is USF’s fourth season in the Big East. Do you feel the move has been beneficial to the Bulls, even with the seeming decline of the conference overall?

The Bull Gator: It has definitely been beneficial.  Think of it this way: would you rather be in the Big East or Conference USA?  The answer is easy.  Regardless of the perception of the Big East compared to the other BCS conferences, the conference champion still gets a guaranteed BCS bowl bid.  You can’t say that about Conference USA.

You also have to think about USF’s other options. The Big 12, Big Ten, and Pac-10 are out because of geographical considerations.  The SEC already had 12 teams and with the expansion at the time, so did the ACC.  So USF had to accept the Big East’s invitation.  Considering sports other than football, broadcast revenues, and additional national exposure, the move has been extremely beneficial.

The Prowler: How far do you believe Matt Grothe can take this team?  Do you think he is capable of leading the Bulls to a BCS Championship?

The Bull Gator: Is Grothe capable of leading a team to a BCS Championship?  Yes.  Is he capable of leading the Bulls?  Probably not.

Here’s the thing.  How many teams like this rise up and actually win it all?  Very, VERY few.  Look back to Virginia Tech with Michael Vick.  Great player.  Surprise team.  Made it all the way to the title game.  But in the end they didn’t win it.  In recent memory, that’s the one semi-surprise team that stood out that even made it that far.  For the most part, it’s the typical powerhouses with stars all over the field. Not to say USF doesn’t have talent and a favorable schedule, but they don’t have the talent of say a USC or Oklahoma. Could they get all the way if they make it through their schedule?  Most definitely, but I shudder to think of what a team like that would do to them.

Led by Grothe, the Bulls do have talent and are a good team.  I just don’t believe this team has all it takes to win it all.  I want to, but after watching the last quarter of the UCF and FIU games, the program is still a few steps away.  There’s still a big gap between the recruits USF gets and the ones that go to the big three schools in Florida.  A BCS bowl isn’t out of the question, but I’m not ready to put them on the same level as some of the traditional powers.

The Prowler: The two names that the national media always talk about when they discuss
USF are Matt Grothe and George Selvie. Should Pitt find a way to neutralize those two players?  Who is most likely (or most necessary) to step up and take over the game for the Bulls?

The Bull Gator: Grothe and Selvie are definitely the stars, but you always have to go with the quarterback when talking about who is most likely to step up and take over a game.  Selvie could have the game of his life and have 3 sacks in key situations, but that’s still only a small percentage of the total number of defensive plays.  While on the other hand, Grothe touches the ball every single play on offense.  You can try to double Selvie, but the end on the other side – Jarriett Buie – is dangerous as well.  That and Selvie is a speed rusher.  Doubling him would mean using a running back behind the tackle for pass protection.  Stick with that the entire game and you’ve blown up your own game plan.

The biggest thing teams have to worry about with Grothe is his decision making.  Last year, he got erratic at times and seemed to make a bad decision on when to run or make a bad throw when the pressure came.  This year he seems much more composed and is less likely to make crucial mistakes.  The Bulls’ offense goes with Grothe.  Obviously, USF is much harder to stop when Grothe is accurate early.  Against NC State, he completed his first 11 pass attempts and the Bulls got out to a quick lead.

The Prowler: USF comes into Thursday’s game ranked 10th in the nation and clear favorites for the Big East BCS bid. Pitt is trying to convince its fans and the national media that they weren’t over-rated after losing to Bowling Green to open the season.  Given what is at stake for each team, who has more to play for Thursday night?

The Bull Gator: It could really go either way, but I’ll go with USF on this one.  Last year, the Bulls got all the way to #2 in the nation before a 3-game slide knocked them right out of the polls.  Because of that, a lot of the nation is still skeptical.  Add in a near self-destruction against UCF and a close win that should’ve been a blow out over FIU and people still don’t believe this is truly a top 10 team.  To start to get more people believing this is a talented team that can compete with anyone, they have to get off to a good start in conference play.  Everyone believes the Big East title is their’s for the taking, but they had that chance last year and blew it.  The Bulls need to beat the teams they are favored over to get the respect a top 10 team deserves.

The Prowler: Off topic question: Despite living in Florida and having multiple (mediocre) NFL teams to choose from, do you find yourself, deep down, being drawn to rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers?  And would you agree that the Steelers’ head coach, Mike Tomlin, could be a body double for Omar Epps (Eric Foreman of House)?

The Bull Gator: Why would I be drawn to the Steelers? Since 1981, they have won just as many Super Bowls as my hometown Bucs …1.  In all seriousness, no I’m not drawn to the Steelers at all.  I grew up in a city with a team, so obviously they’re who I cheer for.  And as for the AFC, I would cheer for the other Florida teams first although I really don’t have a favorite between the two.

Surprisingly enough though, there are a lot of Steelers fans in this area.  Oddly enough, the Steelers and Ohio State seem to be represented down here very well in terms of fans.  I’ve never been a fan of either, but there are a number of them down here.

I do like Tomlin and think he has a chance to be a successful coach for a very long time.  All of us in Tampa remember him well for his time with the Bucs (the “mediocre” team he actually won a ring with).  He could definitely pass for Epps’ brother, but I like to remember Epps as Darnell Jefferson in The Program rather than his character in House.

There you have it.  Thanks to The Bull Gator for asking me to be a part of this.  It is nice to get the perspective of the enemy from time to time.  I will say this in response to his answer to my question about the Steelers: The Steelers may only have one Super Bowl in the last 29 years or so; but they have been in contention for one most of those years.  I don’t think we can say that about those Tampa Bay Bucs.

I leave you to ponder the following:

Hail to Pitt!!