Playing in Tampa a no-brainer for Irish

Coach Jim Leavitt and his USF Bulls have never been shy about accepting a challenge, and nothing says “challenge” like brining your team into South Bend, Ind., to play Notre Dame, no matter how much “fight” is in the Fighting Irish that fall.

The Bulls will do just that in 2011 and will get $925,000 for their efforts.

The game could pay off in bigger ways for USF if the Bulls come away with a victory.

Who knows what the state of either team will be in three years?

Regardless, this is a great game for USF. Think of the exposure they’ll get from playing Notre Dame on network TV. Plus, getting nearly $1 million won’t hurt, either.

But the thing I’m kind of stuck on is how come the Bulls couldn’t make this into a home-and-home series? Notre Dame is expected to sign home-and-home agreements with three other Big East teams. Why not USF?

I’m not blaming USF here.

It could be the Irish project the Bulls to be among the top teams in the country by then and would rather not risk playing the Bulls at Raymond James Stadium.

But Notre Dame is a national program with a national fan base.

There are certainly Irish in Tampa Bay. I can name four off the top of my head.
And the Irish recruit in all corners of the country.

So, why not bring the team south to sunny Tampa so your Florida boosters and, more importantly, Florida recruits can see the mystique of the Irish up close?

You think Notre Dame would see the logic in that.