USF Fired Up to Begin Its Season in Tampa

©Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The USF Bulls will face off against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats in its season opener at 7:00 p.m. on Aug. 31 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The Wildcats are an FCS team and are coming off a 3-8 season, while the Bulls finished the 2023 season with a 7-6 record including a 45-0 win over Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl. On Aug. 27, the Bulls held their weekly presser, where coach Alex Golesh highlighted the team's eagerness to begin its first season under the 12-team playoff format in which the Bulls have a realistic shot at making the postseason.

Heading into Week 1

During Tuesday's presser, coach Golesh said that the team is "giddy" as they know they are finally able to face another team this year. "We started school yesterday so that was another factor into their prep," Golesh said. "We are being really intentional and getting back to be really good. We are back to really healthy, which is very exciting. Now, we are getting ready for Bethune-Cookman."

If the Bulls are as excited as Golesh says they are, the Wildcats could be in for a long day. Since Bethune-Cookman is in the FCS, the Bulls will likely outmatch the Wildcats from the gate. Furthermore, USF will likely use this game to fine-tune anything that comes across as rusty.

The low-key first game of the season also lets the Bulls experiment with several new additions to the college game, including headsets to facilitate communication between the coaching staff and players, the two-minute timeout and several other rule changes which will need some time to get used to.

Despite a feeling of novelty in the air for the Bulls' opening game, USF must not ignore that they are a dark horse for a Group of 5 automatic playoff spot, and realizing that goal would require them to win most of their games if not all of them. Dropping this one would not be looked upon kindly by the College Football Playoff Committee come December.

USF's Key Players

Leading USF into this potentially historic season is senior linebacker Jhalyn Shuler, who led the defense last year with 97 tackles on the season. Graduate student offensive lineman Mike Lofton is also a major presence on the team, forming an integral part of the offensive line that allowed graduate student running back Nay'Quan Wright and junior quarterback Byrum Brown to have breakout seasons last year. Wright finished the season with 797 yards on the ground and 8 rushing touchdowns, and Brown threw for 3,292 yards with 26 passing touchdowns.

The Bulls return most of their starters in all three phases of the game. This will be important as they build chemistry within the team and look to build off their bowl win last year. Their ultimate goal is to compete for the automatic playoff spot awarded to the highest-ranking Group of 5 team. Anything short of that, and the Bulls might enter the offseason disappointed.