USF & Illinois discussing moving their game to Champaign

[whaler11]

Irma may move Illini football's Week 3 game to Champaign

Now let's hear how the UConn game got cancelled for non-football reasons. LOL.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Uhhh

 

[huskypantz]

According to the article, Illinois made the offer to USF. They can pretty easily move the return game to USF in 2018.

 

[whaler11]

According to the article, Illinois made the offer to USF. They can pretty easily move the return game to USF in 2018.

They can't move the return game back to Tampa because it's set for Soldier Field.

Has nothing to do with the point though - if they needed to be there for the storm - now that the forecast is much worse how can they possibly leave that soon after the storm ends?

 

[huskypantz]

They can't move the return game back to Tampa because it's set for Soldier Field.

Has nothing to do with the point though - if they needed to be there for the storm - now that the forecast is much worse how can they possibly leave that soon after the storm ends?

In this situation, I would find it hard to believe that playing in Solider Field limits the ability to move that game. There is pretty good evidence that the game can be moved.

My guess is that USF cancelled the game game due to concerns that they'd be flying back on Saturday evening with extreme wind conditions present at the airport. I don't know why they felt it was important to be on campus (or possibly in a shelter) while the hurricane passed through, but whatever. The storm eye is leaving Florida in the afternoon on Monday, so they'll have several days to recover and reassess. If the florida airports are wrecked, then the game's off either way.

 

[whaler11]

In this situation, I would find it hard to believe that playing in Solider Field limits the ability to move that game. There is pretty good evidence that the game can be moved.

My guess is that USF cancelled the game game due to concerns that they'd be flying back on Saturday evening with extreme wind conditions present at the airport. I don't know why they felt it was important to be on campus (or possibly in a shelter) while the hurricane passed through, but whatever. The storm eye is leaving Florida in the afternoon on Monday, so they'll have several days to recover and reassess. If the florida airports are wrecked, then the game's off either way.

As we watch USF defy logic to not play the UConn game and then do everything in their power to make sure they play the Illinois game maybe it will become clearer for folks?

 

[uconnric]

As we watch USF defy logic to not play the UConn game and then do everything in their power to make sure they play the Illinois game maybe it will become clearer for folks?

Yes there was obviously some vast conspiracy involved with the cancellation. Safety of the USF team and staff had nothing to do with it. Their being stuck in Connecticut away from their families was not an answer. This stupidity has got to stop.

 

[Palatine]

Not conspiracy, stupidity.

 

[whaler11]

Yes there was obviously some vast conspiracy involved with the cancellation. Safety of the USF team and staff had nothing to do with it. Their being stuck in Connecticut away from their families was not an answer. This stupidity has got to stop.

It's not a vast consipracy it's just about football and they are hiding behind nonsensical reasoning that people like you are defending because it's got the word 'family' in it.

Playing UConn does nothing for them. Hurts their SOS.

Playing Illinois lets them say they beat a Big Ten team.

It's seriously this simple.

That the pathetic 'P6' league is a party to it is an embarrassment.

 

[CL82]

Yes there was obviously some vast conspiracy involved with the cancellation. Safety of the USF team and staff had nothing to do with it. Their being stuck in Connecticut away from their families was not an answer. This stupidity has got to stop.

What's stupid about it? If safety of the team and staff was the priority, wouldn't they have come to Connecticut? USF team and staff would have been safer in CT than in FL, right? So if safety was the primary concern, you meet your obligation and play the game.

UConn was a no win for USF, in that if they beat us, it really doesn't help there potential playoff status much. Illinois on the other hand is pretty significant for them. Being "stuck in Connecticut" would have meant less practice time for their game on Friday.

Feel free to disagree with any of that, if you'd like, but save us all the hissy fit. It does nothing to advance your argument, such as it is.

 

[sportsart]

Insert face palm here -

 

[upstater]

Yes there was obviously some vast conspiracy involved with the cancellation. Safety of the USF team and staff had nothing to do with it. Their being stuck in Connecticut away from their families was not an answer. This stupidity has got to stop.

I get that there may be many logical reasons why the game couldn't be played, but if you're talking about safety, then flying back to USF (the eye of the hurricane) is certainly not one of them. In other words, I wonder where the players are right now? Are they all out of state at some hotel?

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I get that there may be many logical reasons why the game couldn't be played, but if you're talking about safety, then flying back to USF (the eye of the hurricane) is certainly not one of them. In other words, I wonder where the players are right now? Are they all out of state at some hotel?

If the game was played at 1030 and they board a plane in Windsor Locks at 4 they're on the ground in Tampa at 7 last night. Tampa is just now getting the northern edge of the storm.

 

[huskymedic]

Irma may move Illini football's Week 3 game to Champaign

TampaBayTimes w/ USF AD quotes: Report: Illinois offers to host USF game

 

[whaler11]

TampaBayTimes w/ USF AD quotes: Report: Illinois offers to host USF game

"Regarding this, all we care about is keeping everyone safe," USF athletic director Mark Harlan said Sunday morning via Twitter.

And the way we decided to keep people safe was to sit right in the path of the storm.

Well not everyone - we sent those pesky non-revenue sports teams elsewhere.

Safety first!

 

[metsfan2323]

Nobody wants to play football with a competitive disadvantage (distracted by storm, heart not in game) so they canceled the game that for them was a no-win situation. Add to that practice time for Illinois and it becomes obvious why they canceled. USF had other sports teams travel so there you go.

Here's the question, would you do the same thing in Charlie Strong's shoes (a first year coach at USF with pressure to have a great season)? To be fair I probably would have canceled the game so I can't complain about it. But make no mistake this was about wins and losses and the pressure to win.

Aresco, UCONN, and USF should do everything in their power to get this game rescheduled, no stone unturned.

 

[UConnNick]

Nobody wants to play football with a competitive disadvantage (distracted by storm, heart not in game) so they canceled the game that for them was a no-win situation. Add to that practice time for Illinois and it becomes obvious why they canceled. USF had other sports teams travel so there you go.

Here's the question, would you do the same thing in Charlie Strong's shoes (a first year coach at USF with pressure to have a great season)? To be fair I probably would have canceled the game so I can't complain about it. But make no mistake this was about wins and losses and the pressure to win.

Aresco, UCONN, and USF should do everything in their power to get this game rescheduled, no stone unturned.

I would if I were a sniveling, cowardly weasel like Bob Diaco.

 

[metsfan2323]

I would if I were a sniveling, cowardly weasel like Bob Diaco.

Charlie Strong got fired last year, just like Bob Diaco.

 

[Vowelguy]

FAU played at Wisconsin yesterday and are staying over in Madison. Though I believe Badgers are paying for the extended stay.

Would be curious to know the difference Between that situation and USF.

 

[huskymedic]

FAU played at Wisconsin yesterday and are staying over in Madison. Though I believe Badgers are paying for the extended stay.

Would be curious to know the difference Between that situation and USF.

$1.2 guarantee to FAU!

 

[UConnNick]

FAU played at Wisconsin yesterday and are staying over in Madison. Though I believe Badgers are paying for the extended stay.

Would be curious to know the difference Between that situation and USF.

The difference is FAU isn't fixated on its next game like USF is with their game vs Illinois next week. Beating UConn does nothing for USF's NY6 bowl aspirations, and a loss to us, God forbid, would be disasterous. Hello, Hurricane Irma, you give us a built in excuse to dodge a problematic game, and be able to direct all of our attention and resources toward playing a real team from a big time P5 conference. Of course, Illinois is a mediocre to awful P5 team, but they're still P5. UConn isn't.

 

[UConnJim]

FAU played at Wisconsin yesterday and are staying over in Madison. Though I believe Badgers are paying for the extended stay.

Would be curious to know the difference Between that situation and USF.

FAU was paid $1.2 million to play at Wisconsin and the total athletic budget at FAU is ~$29 million.

Look at this game cancellation from USF's perspective. Virtually all of their players are from Florida, so every kid's family will be impacted by the hurricane. And it was hard to tell if they could get back to Tampa when the game was cancelled and, in the end, the Tampa airport closed at 8 PM on Saturday. St. Pete airport closed on FRIDAY at 11 AM. Also, look at USF's football schedule the next 2 weeks. They play Illinois on Friday, a short week, and then they play Temple on the following Thursday, another short week. The earliest they could probably have gotten back to Tampa would be Tuesday or Wednesday, so canceling the game makes sense as they were risking their whole season. By the way, USF's Sun Dome is now an evacuation center for people with special needs and it was full on Friday.

People, have some compassion as it looks like Tampa is going to be hit very hard by this storm. I have no problem with the leaders of USF and UConn canceling the game.

 

[DefCONNOne]

Nobody wants to play football with a competitive disadvantage (distracted by storm, heart not in game) so they canceled the game that for them was a no-win situation. Add to that practice time for Illinois and it becomes obvious why they canceled. USF had other sports teams travel so there you go.

Here's the question, would you do the same thing in Charlie Strong's shoes (a first year coach at USF with pressure to have a great season)? To be fair I probably would have canceled the game so I can't complain about it. But make no mistake this was about wins and losses and the pressure to win.

Aresco, UCONN, and USF should do everything in their power to get this game rescheduled, no stone unturned.

Cincinnati players from Florida seemed to have their heart in the game. No competitive disadvantage found anywhere. So there goes that ridiculous assertion.

 

[jho]

While I agree with the decision to cancel the game, here's some more fodder for conspiracy theorists. The USF Men's Soccer Team played at Creighton in Omaha Friday night. They made arrangements to travel to Atlanta to ride out the storm.
MLS club assists displaced USF soccer team

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Yes there was obviously some vast conspiracy involved with the cancellation. Safety of the USF team and staff had nothing to do with it. Their being stuck in Connecticut away from their families was not an answer. This stupidity has got to stop.

The fact that USF felt perfectly fine sending their women's golf and tennis teams away for the weekend should make you only admit one of 2 things:

USF cancelled purely for football reasons

Or

USF doesn't give a damn about the safety of the women's golf and tennis teams.

Pick one.