TO BATTLE, OR NOT TO BATTLE

by Peter Pupello

A rather anti-climactic series on the field in years past, the continuing war of words off the field fell nowhere short of Ohio State and Michigan.

The disagreement between both schools’ coaches, players and fans has less to do with wins or losses and more to do with continuing or ending the series.

“One side gets it, but as far as the other side goes, I don’t know what the problem is,” UCF head coach George O’Leary told the Tampa Tribune regarding why USF won’t continue the rivalry

Here’s some food for thought: As USF continues to build a reputation and climb the college football ranks, the Bulls, who play in a competitive BCS conference, have moved on to bigger and better things.

The Bulls want to star in one of five BCS bowl games in January, and they have to play tougher teams to get there. Not to mention, the risk of losing to UCF is far too great for the Bulls: a loss to the Knights would cause a plummet in the polls.

Saturday’s thriller was too close for comfort. The Bull’s sealed their perfect record against the Knights and ended any UCF hope of breaking it (for now), but for USF fans, it was fun while it lasted.