USF's 3-point plan

By Greg Auman
Published August 31, 2007

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USF'S 3-point plan to join the national elite

1. WIN THE BIG EAST: It doesn't take a perfect season - three of the past four Big East champs lost a conference game along the way. Watch out for 2009, when Matt Grothe and George Selvie are seniors and the Bulls get powerhouses Louisville and West Virginia at home, as they do this season.

2. BEAT TEAMS AMONG STATE'S BIG THREE: The next shot is Miami in 2009 in Tampa, with games against the Hurricanes every year through 2013. There are games at Florida in 2010 and 2015, and knocking off one of the state's elite will be the only way Jim Leavitt will consider his program part of Florida's Big Four.

3. BUILD AN ON-CAMPUS STADIUM: Playing in an NFL venue such as Raymond James Stadium is a recruiting draw, but USF would like a home of its own. It won't come nearly as cheap as Central Florida's $55-million stadium that opens this fall, but would give the Bulls a source of revenue - and campus pride - they're missing on the drive down I-275 each Saturday.

Greg Auman, Times staff writer