Just to piss off L-yep....

Slightly different take than the StPete Times column but same basic message....

Bulls Can Give State The Big 4
By Patrick Zier

TAMPA
They are calling it a signature win, that's in vogue now, but let's hope it isn't. The only way South Florida's 24-19 upset of West Virginia becomes a signature win is if it leads to Jim Leavitt putting his name on a contract with Miami or Alabama or some other school. After all, that's what a signature is, signing your name, and the last thing USF wants is to see Leavitt bring the Bulls within sight of the top of the mountain only to have him finish the climb by himself.

So let's not call this a signature win. Rather, let's look at this as being the cornerstone for a foundation on which South Florida can build a highly competitve program.

And how do we define competitive? Competitive means that the Bulls can step on the field with teams like West Virginia on a regular basis and not necessarily be three touchdown underdogs, as they were in Morgantown on Saturday.

Competitive means that when Leavitt sits down with a top prospect from Miami or Lakeland or Tampa or Jacksonville or anywhere else in the state who is also being recruited by Florida, FSU and Miami, the kid will listen and seriously consider playing for the Bulls.

Up to now, that hasn't happened. But the win over West Virginia has knocked the door open.

Make no mistake. South Florida looked good Saturday. Maybe West Virginia was looking ahead to Rutgers, but the Bulls hit the Mountaineers in the mouth and left them stunned.

And they made a favorable impression on a national TV audience. A few more games like that and this team will start commanding respect nationally.

And therein lies the key, which is why this is not really a signature win. That implies everything is set and done. This is a cornerstone, a win that gives South Florida a chance to build something.

Make no mistake, the Bulls can't rest on this. If they go to Birmingham, Ala., or wherever and blow a bowl game, the West Virginia win becomes tarnished.

When you're building a program, you only get a very few opportunities to make that big leap, from mid-major to big-time, and this is one of them. Getting in the Big East, a BCS conference, was another.

The West Virginia win gives South Florida a chance to turn the corner, but what the Bulls don't want to do is make a U-turn.

And that's exactly what will happen if they don't take advantage of this.

The Bulls are on the verge of attracting national attention as a team. Quarterback Matt Grothe has already started to make his name known around the country and gives the Bulls a face.

People outside the program are starting to see the potential here. Good prep players are starting to see South Florida as a viable option, not the last option.

There is really no reason this school can't move up, in time, to make the state's big three the big four.

Getting in the Big East unlocked the door and beating West Virginia opened it. Now, it's up to the Bulls to race through before it shuts.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...113/SPORTS