It seems that new USF football coach Skip Holtz is in harmony with his counterpart, George O’Leary, at UCF. If it were up to them, but it’s not, the two schools would be playing each other again. (They played four times from 2005-08, with the Bulls winning all four.) It’s up to the schools’ athletic directors. It’s no secret that UCF, a non-BCS school, wants the game more than USF.
But here’s the point. USF can use a real rivalry game. As in geographic. That makes it personal and energizing to the student bodies and the rest of the fan base. Bragging rights matter. USF and UCF are the two schools that anchor the I-4 corridor. They both play in large, modern stadiums. The games have drawn really well and overhead — a bus ride — is negligible.
Maybe USF wants to quit while it’s ahead and not chance losing to this particular, in-state, non-BCS rival–one that is actually bigger than USF. That would be almost understandable–if the Bulls didn’t need such a well-hyped, well-attended annual game. It’s part of what makes college football so special.
Then again, the Bulls could continue to settle for seemingly safe. To that end, they’ve already scheduled a home-and-home with Ball State for 2011-12.