2013 South Florida
College Football
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Schedule and Odds
South Florida started 2012 off nicely with two wins including a one-point win over Nevada. That was about the only positive from the season as they finished with only one win in Conference play. The Bulls decided to change things up and got new head coach Willie Taggart over from Western Kentucky.
Even with a new coach and different outlook, things may not be much better this season. Quarterback B.J. Daniels is gone after leading the team for Four straight seasons. Also missing are their top two running backs from a year ago who totaled a combined 1,140 yards. Taggert will likely use a run-based attack which worked well for him with the Hilltoppers. That means senior Marcus Shaw and JUCO transfer Mike Pierre will need to be ready for plenty of touches. Shaw has battled injuries his entire career so that could be a problem. The QB situation likely won’t be settled until the fall, but senior Bobby Eveld has the advantage for now. From an offense that scored fewer than 21 points per Game last year, it’s going to take a lot for them to improve.
USF’s defense at least has some studs returning which could help them churn out a few wins by themselves. Linebacker DeDe LAttimore leads in the middle where he will be a Four-year starter. The line is also stocked with LUke Sager, Tevin Mims and incoming Notre Dame transfer Aaron Lynch. This unit should be able to keep the Bulls from completely falling apart.
2013 South Florida Football Schedule
Aug. 31 vs. McNeese State
Sept. 7 at Michigan State
Sept. 14 vs. Florida Atlantic
Sept. 28 vs. Miami (FL)
Oct. 5 vs. Cincinnati
Oct. 12 at Connecticut
Oct. 26 vs. Louisville
Oct. 31 at Houston
Nov. 16 vs. Memphis
Nov. 23 vs. SMU
Nov. 29 at UCF
Dec. 7 at Rutgers
South Florida played plenty of teams close last year, but they fell apart toward the end of the season. Two non-Conference Games stand out at Michigan State and against Miami. Early in the season, those ones will be tough to win which means a 2-2 record is likely headed into AAC play.
The Bulls have an off and on Schedule for most of the year. Home Games against Cincinnati and Louisville could be two quick losses in October. On the road they’ll get Connecticut (their lone Conference win last year) and Houston. Both of them could end up being close Games if their defense can stay strong.
Home wins against Houston and SMU would be nice in back-to-back weeks as the Bulls finish the season with road Games at UCF and Rutgers. South Florida isn’t projected to do much in Taggert’s first season, but if the offense can figure things out, you know the defense will be able to keep this team hanging around longer than they should which means a couple upsets might be in their future. Five wins is the best case scenario for the Bulls.