More press rolls in.

[BullsFanInTX]

It just keeps coming in droves.

http://www.realfootball365.com/college/articles/2007/08/southflorida-bestteam-sunshinestate230807.html

The best team in the Sunshine State? Maybe it's South Florida

(This is the fifth in a series on Big East football teams).

When the Big East was shuffled like a deck of cards a few years back -- Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Temple out; Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida in -- it was the South Florida Bulls who prompted the most head scratching.

Just exactly who were these guys, anyway?

After all, the football program at the Tampa school just started in 1997, and only went Division I-A five years ago. If Jim Leavitt's team was an individual player, people would accuse it of being on steroids. No program grows that fast, that strong, that young.

But then again, maybe it's not so odd. South Florida is the biggest school in the conference in terms of students (41,000), and it's located in a state where Division I football players can be picked like oranges.

This all began to bear fruit last season, when Leavitt led the Bulls to a 9-4 record and the school's first-ever bowl victory, over East Carolina in the PapaJohn's Bowl. Along the way, South Florida upset West Virginia and gave Rutgers all it could handle, losing 22-20.

The bottom line is, nobody better take the Bulls for granted -- not even Auburn, which USF plays on the road Sept. 8 (already a sell-out).

For one thing (actually, five things), the Bulls return their entire offensive line this time around. That's good news for sophomore QB Matt Grothe, the 2006 Big East Freshman of the Year, who threw for 2,576 yards and rushed for 662 as a rookie.

New running back Mike Ford, a transfer from Alabama, should help take some of the pressure off Grothe on the ground. He and Travis Henry are the only two Florida high school running backs ever to rush for over 200 yards in 11 straight games, and Ford ran for 55 yards on eight carries in the Bulls' spring game.

On defense, South Florida features two excellent cornerbacks in Trae Williams (seven interceptions last season) and Mike Jenkins (15 pass breakups), plus outstanding linebacker Ben Moffitt.

The Bulls open with an appetizer (Elon) before traveling to Auburn. If they can win -- or, at least, hold their own -- in that contest, they'll get both West Virginia and Louisville in Tampa later on.

[Matt]

thats a pretty fair article.....

thats would i would say about our season too.

if we can hold our own against auburn then we win the big east.....

YEP...sorry West Va or Louisville....

[MikeG]

even if we hold our own against Auburn-- I wouldn't say winning the Big East was in the bag== it's a long season

[Matt]

well i say that having faith in our coaching staff to improve our team each week more then other teams.....and having the 2 best teams at home.

[MikeG]

I like your attitude and I applaud it-- more to the point I hope you are correct.

We need to have some luck along with the skill though to avoid injuries, bad calls, bad games, and a huge assortment of other things that can derail a teamat any point in the season. Certainly possible of course-- just not a given.

[TyBull]

The best team in the Sunshine State? Maybe it's South Florida

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The best team in the Sunshine State? Maybe it's South Florida

By D.Laurant on August 23, 2007 12:53 AM

(This is the fifth in a series on Big East football teams).

When the Big East was shuffled like a deck of cards a few years back -- Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Temple out; Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida in -- it was the South Florida Bulls who prompted the most head scratching.

Just exactly who were these guys, anyway?

After all, the football program at the Tampa school just started in 1997, and only went Division I-A five years ago. If Jim Leavitt's team was an individual player, people would accuse it of being on steroids. No program grows that fast, that strong, that young.

But then again, maybe it's not so odd. South Florida is the biggest school in the conference in terms of students (41,000), and it's located in a state where Division I football players can be picked like oranges.

This all began to bear fruit last season, when Leavitt led the Bulls to a 9-4 record and the school's first-ever bowl victory, over East Carolina in the PapaJohn's Bowl. Along the way, South Florida upset West Virginia and gave Rutgers all it could handle, losing 22-20.

The bottom line is, nobody better take the Bulls for granted -- not even Auburn, which USF plays on the road Sept. 8 (already a sell-out).

For one thing (actually, five things), the Bulls return their entire offensive line this time around. That's good news for sophomore QB Matt Grothe, the 2006 Big East Freshman of the Year, who threw for 2,576 yards and rushed for 662 as a rookie.

New running back Mike Ford, a transfer from Alabama, should help take some of the pressure off Grothe on the ground. He and Travis Henry are the only two Florida high school running backs ever to rush for over 200 yards in 11 straight games, and Ford ran for 55 yards on eight carries in the Bulls' spring game.

On defense, South Florida features two excellent cornerbacks in Trae Williams (seven interceptions last season) and Mike Jenkins (15 pass breakups), plus outstanding linebacker Ben Moffitt.

The Bulls open with an appetizer (Elon) before traveling to Auburn. If they can win -- or, at least, hold their own -- in that contest, they'll get both West Virginia and Louisville in Tampa later on.

Interesting.

Link: http://www.realfootball365.com/college/articles/2007/08/southflorida-bestteam-sunshinestate230807.html

[Mama_Bull]

Winning our out of conference Auburn game would be a big plus in getting recognition.   Winning against NC, FAU and UCF wouldn't hurt either. 

More importantly we have to do well within conference.  We are in a good place this year, I believe.  We have WVU and UL at home.  It helps.  Hopefully we don't shoot ourselves in the foot.  We have to win the games we are expected to.  It seems inevitably, each season, we lose at least one game we shouldn't.

We have, I think the best team yet, and can't wait until Saturday!!!!

GO BULLS!!!

[On_the_Chip]

Another good article.  Don't write off the Bulls.  We do have the best team ever, I believe and we should compete in every game we play this year. 

Beating Auburn would be great.....but we have to stay focused and beat some other very good teams this year.  I hope this team can keep from losing that one game we seem to lose every year that we should have win - And not neccessarily that we should have won but at least competed better in. 

We need to compete week in and week out.