#15 UCF Football [10-1]: @ SMU

[craig01]

Looks like we signed a home and home agreement with Maryland. Should be a fun series! Playing there in 2016 and hosting on 2017.

http://www.fbschedules.com/2012/10/mary ... schedules/

Nice

[craig01]

Looks like we signed a home and home agreement with Maryland. Should be a fun series! Playing there in 2016 and hosting on 2017.

http://www.fbschedules.com/2012/10/mary ... schedules/

Nice

[craig01]

Looks like we signed a home and home agreement with Maryland. Should be a fun series! Playing there in 2016 and hosting on 2017.

http://www.fbschedules.com/2012/10/mary ... schedules/

Nice

[craig01]

Looks like we signed a home and home agreement with Maryland. Should be a fun series! Playing there in 2016 and hosting on 2017.

http://www.fbschedules.com/2012/10/mary ... schedules/

Nice

[craig01]

Looks like we signed a home and home agreement with Maryland. Should be a fun series! Playing there in 2016 and hosting on 2017.

http://www.fbschedules.com/2012/10/mary ... schedules/

Nice

[AdamTheGreek]

Not bad but it feels like it's ages away.

Tomorrow I'd imagine the tailgate will be way more fun than the actual game.

[UCFJayBird]

Nice quintuple post.

Yea that Maryland series is so far away! Still, good to know we're locking in quality OOC opponents, and H/Hs at that. Unfortunately we still have some powderpuffs on the schedule for the next year or two (i think we play Bethune Cookman).

[craig01]

Double OT win last night.

First ever win in OT, in fact it was the first ever advancement into the second OT.

Looooong day......so-so crowd of 34K announced.....but more importantly a DISINTERESTED crowd from all sides of the stadium.

The fan apathy has progressed to the point where folks are leaving before even entering the game. (We tailgate near visual arts and I have never seen so many going the opposite way before the game on our way through campus).

The GOL brand has been exhausted, and not only has it affected ticket renewals, but now seems to be injected into turning the fan base significantly and broadly apathetic.

What a lost opportunity we are all involved in......

[UCFJayBird]

Double OT win last night.

First ever win in OT, in fact it was the first ever advancement into the second OT.

Looooong day......so-so crowd of 34K announced.....but more importantly a DISINTERESTED crowd from all sides of the stadium.

The fan apathy has progressed to the point where folks are leaving before even entering the game. (We tailgate near visual arts and I have never seen so many going the opposite way before the game on our way through campus).

The GOL brand has been exhausted, and not only has it affected ticket renewals, but now seems to be injected into turning the fan base significantly and broadly apathetic.

What a lost opportunity we are all involved in......

Fans are really fed up with GOL and the play calling. I think fans recognize that this team could be REALLY good if they were more aggressive and creative with play calling. Instead we barely beat an 0-5 team (now 0-6) at home. I know they're better than their record indicates, but still.

I think it'll get better as we keep winning this year, but I really wish GOL would retire after this year. It's time for a change.

On a positive note, our two losses are to a top 10 OSU and Missouri (who we should have beaten...but still an SEC team).

[craig01]

There are rumors that GOL may be offered an extension after this season.

I HOPE NOT.

And I don't think the rumors are true either.....but....knowing Dr Hitt's love affair with a career long .500 coach, an extension wouldn't surprise me.....stupid is as stupid does....

[Optimus_Steel]

Double OT win last night.

First ever win in OT, in fact it was the first ever advancement into the second OT.

Looooong day......so-so crowd of 34K announced.....but more importantly a DISINTERESTED crowd from all sides of the stadium.

The fan apathy has progressed to the point where folks are leaving before even entering the game. (We tailgate near visual arts and I have never seen so many going the opposite way before the game on our way through campus).

The GOL brand has been exhausted, and not only has it affected ticket renewals, but now seems to be injected into turning the fan base significantly and broadly apathetic.

What a lost opportunity we are all involved in......

I think the Hawaii bowl ended in a second OT loss after the miss extra point my Matt F******** Prater. Matt Prater ruined my Chistmas that year.

Also I agree it obvious that GOL is ruining the fan support and enthusiam of the fan base. GOL likes to blame everyone but apparantly he doesnt have a mirror in his home.

[drsd]

Our Knights are the only undefeated in-conference team in the Eastern. A good bowl game now seems probable. And a Championship game win would take the Knights far!

..

[UCF]

Favorite part of the game was the second OT and watching the crowd get up and fill the other side.

Least favorite part, student section was half full. A bunch of crap if you ask me. We had more students for MAC games at the citrus bowl.

[craig01]

Favorite part of the game was the second OT and watching the crowd get up and fill the other side.

Least favorite part, student section was half full. A bunch of crap if you ask me. We had more students for MAC games at the citrus bowl.

The new tradition (going on for a few years now) is for 1/3 of the crowd to leave at the half, and another third leave at the end of the third qtr.

It's not just students though.....

[UCF]

This year seems like the lowest level of fan interest I can remember since 2005. Not sure if its prices, loses to OSU /Mizzu or just fans are tired of the product on the field. Not a lot of excitement at all.

[AdamTheGreek]

These late night starts are a problem. People like going out on a Saturday night. Do you think the casual fan will give a damn about a game about sticking around after a first half in which our opponent was 0-5 and we were up 17-7 at halftime?

I heard a lot of people call into Bianchi's program during the week, and we have a whiny as hell fan base. Too many excuses not to go. Winning helps, but even with GOL's boring game plans at times it's tough to sell our product outside of the kickass tailgating.

Games need to start no earlier than 3 p.m. (because people bitch about the heat) and no later than 6 p.m.

[UCFJayBird]

This year seems like the lowest level of fan interest I can remember since 2005. Not sure if its prices, loses to OSU /Mizzu or just fans are tired of the product on the field. Not a lot of excitement at all.

For the last several weeks people have been trying to pinpoint what it is about this season that has fans not enthusiastic AT ALL. I've never seen so many people show up, tailgate, leave before the game, or leave in the middle of it.

I've come to the conclusion that it's not any one thing. This lackluster support is a culmination of a lot of things.

-Roller coaster seasons
-frustrating play calling
-disappointing seasons after huge hype (see last season)
-NCAA sanctions
-Plancher death
-not winning a big game (Georgia in the Liberty Bowl is the one win, and that made then a sub .500 team, lol)
-Crackdown on tailgating
-Ridiculous ticket prices
-Lack of proper marketing on and off campus
*EDIT* -Game times this season have hurt too. A thursday night game, a noon game, and a night game on Saturday. noon games are too early for students. Night games are too late for some families and students would rather continue tailgating or go nap in preperation for going out. *END EDIT*

All of these things, and a number of them have been going on for years, have just snowballed and now UCF is seeing the result. I think the disappointment of last year pushed fans over the edge and they're fed up with getting so excited for a winning product to be let down. The bowl ban hurts.

The good news is UCF is in a position to turn it around if they can just finish strong this season, and if they can go into the Big East with some momentum and put together a decent season next year, bowl ban or no bowl ban. But if we start off next year 3-3 or 2-4 it will be a rough start in the Big East in terms of fan support.

[craig01]

I think conference game support will be much better just because of the change of opponents.

The OOC games (minus South Carolina) will bite the big time.

Regardless, attendance is at issue because of the brand having little impacting success.

I think the self destruction at Ohio State and the Mizzou loss cost many thousands in terms of attendance.

Just wait until the UTEP game thanksgiving weekend.....

[N4U|Redux]

Fans of the central Florida teams (I use that term to denote a certain "South Florida" team that resides in "central" Florida as well) are probably just apathetic of the play of their teams dictated by inept coaches in over their heads.

The fans are also probably using this time to gravitate back toward their childhood favorite teams that are back on the rise (FSU, UF).

Whichever of the (future) BE Florida teams replaces their coach - successfully - first will probably be out to a huge lead for years. Though, as the "West Central" team has shown, that lead can disappear pretty quickly if the wrong guy is chosen.

Sigh...

[AdamTheGreek]

That is also a factor. The casual fan is hopping on one of the UF, FSU, or Miami bandwagons again.

The sanctions haven't helped us either. Many people could very well just be waiting for our Big East move next season and are pocketing their money against spending it on a 'worthless' year.