LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Charlie Strong is no stranger to
great expectations. The man has coached at Florida, Notre Dame and South
Carolina. He knows what it is like to be expected to win a conference
championship. Or a national championship.
The University of Louisville is the consensus pick to win
the Big East football championship this season. But Strong says that dealing
with expectations at Louisville are different than dealing with them at
Florida, where he was part of two national championship teams.
Why?
"Within Florida, (expectations) were already built," Strong
said. "The expectations are built. With (Steve) Spurrier, every year people
thought you should go win the conference, go win the national championship. It's
built within the program, it's part of the culture.
"You'd like to think this is a step that we're beginning to
take where we're becoming part of the conversation and this is a step that
we're beginning to take where when somebody says Louisville, they're no longer
saying, ‘Not very good.' "
You know the way it works: If you're picked seventh and you
win, you've overachieved and done a great job of coaching.
If you're picked first and you win, you were supposed to
win.
If you're picked first and finish third, people are going to
ask what went wrong.
"It's a different mindset because now you're picked to win,"
Strong said. "Expectations are there. Usually when you're playing from behind
you're the underdog and nobody is giving you a chance.
"Now you're going to be the guy. People expect you to go
win. It's going to take time just because we haven't been there and we haven't
been consistent enough to deserve that ranking."
Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
Charlie Strong compares dealing with expectations at U of L and Florida.
