USF, UCF programs took different paths

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Six years after launching a football program, Florida Atlantic University is attempting a much faster leap to the big time than a comparable school - the University of Central Florida - managed over a longer period.

UCF expected attendance of 34,500 when it started its program and played at Orlando's Citrus Bowl in 1983, but averaged just over 10,000. Attendance and budget troubles helped delay its move up to Division I-A football until 1996.

This season, the 2-7 Golden Knights are averaging 32,872 fans.

Of course, the fast-lane model is the University of South Florida in Tampa, which drew 49,212 fans to its first game in 1997. USF, currently 6-3 as a member of the Big East Conference, has since maintained attendance about four times larger than FAU's 8,129 average.

Charles Elmore: Palm Beach Post