South Florida Bulls Football

What started off as a promising season has become a forgettable one for South Florida.

The memory of two early-season wins over Chattanooga and Nevada has long been forgotten, only to be replaced with the sting of three straight losses that have dropped the Bulls below .500. And it's a long way up from here.

The Bulls are just getting into the bulk of their Big East schedule, starting with Temple this Sunday—and unless it can work some magic against the Owls and the rest that this conference has to offer, it can bid farewell to its dreams of making it to a bowl game in 2012.

Temple hasn't had much luck, either—even in a much smaller sample size. The Owls have only played three times in 2012, enduring two long, two-week layovers before their third and fourth games of the season. It's hard to establish any kind of a rhythm when it seems like you're never playing.

The good news is, it is a certainty that one of these teams will get on the right track this weekend.

Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pa.

When: Saturday, October 6 at 12 p.m. ET 

Watch: Big East Network 

Listen: 1210 AM in Philadelphia, 790 AM in South Florida

Live Stream: ESPN3

Betting Line (via OddsShark): South Florida -4 1/2

South Florida Injury Report (via USAToday.com)

• WR Chris Dunkley has been suspended indefinitely after being arrested on charges of domestic battery
• WR Sterling Griffin (knee) is out for the season

Temple Injury Report (via USAToday.com) 

• OL Jaimen Newman is out with an undisclosed injury and is questionable for Saturday's game

BCS Implications

Neither of these teams has much of a chance of being ranked this season, never mind getting a bid to a BCS bowl game. Their wins haven't been all that impressive, and in some cases, their losses haven't been to very good teams.

Consider the case of South Florida. It suffered one big loss to Florida State, which is nothing to be ashamed of, but it has also lost to Rutgers and Ball State. The loss to Rutgers doesn't look bad now that Rutgers has a No. 22 ranking to its name, but still, three straight losses does not a BCS team make.

Temple has losses to Maryland and Penn State on its record, neither of which is a ranked opponent.

In order to become a part of the BCS conversation—which, barring a miracle, isn't going to happen this season—both of these teams are going to need to go on serious runs. And for one of them, such a run isn't going to start this weekend. 

What They're Saying

Most of the conversation regarding South Florida this week has been dominated by wide receiver Chris Dunkley, who made headlines for the wrong reason this weekend when he was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge, according to The Tampa Tribune's Joey Johnston.

The team responded by suspending the Florida transfer indefinitely, which really hurts a wide receiving corps that has already lost one (Sterling Griffin) to a season-ending knee injury and lost another (D'vario Montgomery) to a hand injury in Saturday's loss to FSU, though it's worth nothing that he isn't officially listed on the team's injury report.

According to ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy, Bulls head coach Skip Holtz responded to the incident with the following statement:

Our players have an obligation to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner on and off the field. Due to the serious nature of this matter, we have suspended Chris indefinitely from all team activities.

Meanwhile, Temple is serious about getting a win this weekend in its first Big East game since being kicked out of the conference back in 2004, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey.

Pompey reports that the key will be coming through on third downs on both sides of the ball. Last time out against the Nittany Lions, Temple converted on just three of 12 third downs while allowing Penn State to convert on eight of 15. 

South Florida Player to Watch

Given Dunkley's suspension, there will be even more pressure on junior wide receiver Derrick Hopkins to come up big against Temple. He's been answering the call to some extent this season, submitting two performances in which he's gained 59 yards on three receptions—but he should see his targets rise this week, now that the Bulls are getting mighty thin at wide receiver.

And ever since reeling in a touchdown catch in a season-opening victory over Chattanooga, Hopkins has yet to claim that elusive second TD of the season. There's a good chance it will happen against the Owls, who allowed 318 passing yards to Penn State the last time out. 

Temple Player to Watch

During his career at Boston College, Montel Harris was the key to the Eagles' running game from the time he was a freshman on. However, his tenure at the Heights came to an abrupt halt last May, when, according to ESPN.com's Heather Dinich, he was dismissed for "a repeated violation of team rules."

BC's loss, however, was Temple's gain. The running back transferred to the Owls and was immediately eligible, and he's already given Temple a serious weapon in the backfield: Harris entered the 2012 season with 3,735 career rushing yards, according to Dinich. 

His impact has been subtle in 2012, to say the least. In just two games, he's rushed for a combined 35 yards and zero touchdowns. However, given his proven capabilities during his time at BC, Saturday could be the day he turns it all around.

Key Storyline

There isn't much to get excited about where either of these teams is concerned, but given the athleticism on South Florida's roster, their ineptitude is a bit tougher to swallow than Temple's.

According to the Inquirer's Pompey, the Bulls have been utterly unable to produce in the Big East—and in general over the last couple of seasons. This team has lost 10 of its last 13 games overall, and nine of its last 10 conference matchups.

Saturday's game, therefore, presents a perfect opportunity to start turning things around. Temple is a very beatable team, and it's a team that has been unable to get into a rhythm this season, given its long layoffs in between games over the first five or six weeks of the season.

The Owls are ripe for the picking, but it's still going to take a lot of focus and offensive efficiency in order for the Bulls to take advantage.

Prediction: Temple Wins

This is a bit bold, given the fact that neither of these teams has managed to show virtually anything to be proud of in 2012, and given the fact that the Bulls are favored by 4.5. But Temple is playing at home, and it is going to be energized as it debuts (again) in the Big East.

Plus, the Dunkley suspension is going to hurt the Bulls, and Temple has a couple of offensive weapons that are just waiting to break out.

The USF Bulls are now 2-3 (0-1) on the season after an emotional loss to FSU on Saturday night.  The Bulls battled the then fourth-ranked Seminoles on national television, coming away with a few positives from the effort.  However, as the team prepares for a road game with Temple, questions remain.

The Bulls laid it all out on the field on Saturday, swarming to the ball on defense while senior quarterback B.J. Daniels ran for his life, just trying to get positive yardage against one of the best defenses in the country.  The Bulls played with tremendous effort after falling the week before to Ball State.

Yet now with a losing record and a road trip to Philadelphia this Saturday, where will the season go from here?

The Bulls can take two paths after the loss to FSU.  One, they can rally and build off the effort and come out ready for Temple on Saturday.  USF, a five-point favorite in this game, should be ready to run all over the Owls.

B.J. Daniels and the speedy skill players on the team will be ready, but more importantly, the seniors on the team will be ready.

USF was a considered to have a legitimate chance to win the Big East this season, but in the midst of a three-game losing streak, the team is in a slump and it will be up to the seniors to bring them out of it.  However, what happens if they can’t?

What happens if the Bulls, who put it all out there on Saturday, head to Temple and lose a game to a team they should beat? 

USF would then sit at 2-4 (0-2) on the season, head into a bye week with the sour taste of defeat and then have to prepare for a road trip to Louisville, the conference favorite.  A loss this weekend would be devastating not only to the team, but for fans of Coach Holtz.

Holtz, now just 15-15 since taking over, has to get the mistakes sorted out on this team and get the Bulls refocused for this weekend.  If he can’t, it could be a long season.

South Florida wide receiver Chris Dunkley has been suspended in the wake of his arrest on a domestic battery charge, according to ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy. 

The 21-year-old was arrested on the South Florida campus late Saturday night following the team's 30-17 loss to No. 4 Florida State at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. 

Dunkley was charged with a first-degree misdemeanor for an incident that involved his girlfriend back on Sept. 21, according to a Hillsborough County report per McMurphy. The arrest report cites specific acts of violence carried out on the victim, including punches and strikes with a computer cord that resulted in bruising and lacerations. 

According to McMurphy, the county arrest report also states that there is "a strong likelihood of repeat violence" in the case of the 6'1", 180-pound Dunkley, who transferred to South Florida from the University of Florida in 2010. 

Bulls head coach Skip Holtz released a statement regarding Dunkley's suspension this weekend (via McMurphy):

Our players have an obligation to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner on and off the field. Due to the serious nature of this matter, we have suspended Chris indefinitely from all team activities.

The sophomore from Pahokee, Fla. is the team's fourth-leading receiver but had just four receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown at the time of his suspension.

Dunkley had only two catches for 26 yards in South Florida's last three games, the Bulls, 2-3 this season, lost all three. 

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter for more.

Last year the Florida State Seminoles thought they were national championship contenders.

But they were very wrong.

This year, FSU is thinking the same thing, and with a 4-0 start, the Seminoles have risen to No. 4 in the rankings. And facing a USF team that is just 2-11 ATS in its past 13 home games, bettors are backing Florida State more than any other team in college football this week.

"We are showing more than 70 percent of the action on Florida State, which is the most one-sided action of the week," said OddsShark.com analyst Jack Randall.

The 'Noles will try to push that record to 5-0 when they step back out of ACC play for a visit with the South Florida Bulls Saturday night in Tampa (6:00 PM, ET, ESPN).

But SFU, despite its home woes, has packed a mean bite as an underdog, winning five of seven games outright since 2010 as a pup.

Florida State came into this season with 17 starters back—including senior QB E.J. Manuel and nine on defense—from a team that went 9-4 last year. The Seminoles opened with a 69-3 romp over Murray State, then whipped Savannah State 55-0 in a game shortened to three quarters because of bad weather.

Florida State then began ACC play with a 52-0 drubbing of Wake Forest and last week beat defending ACC champion Clemson 49-37. This will be Florida State's first road game of the season.

South Florida, meanwhile, returned 15 starters, including senior QB B.J. Daniels, from a team that went a disappointing 5-7 last year. The Bulls lost four games last year by three points.

USF opened this season with a 34-13 victory over UT-Chattanooga (FCS) and followed that up with a 32-31 come-from-behind victory at Nevada. But then the Bulls lost their Big East opener at home to Rutgers 23-13 and got beat at Ball State last week, 31-27.

Since starting last season 4-0, South Florida has lost nine of its last 12 games.

These teams have met just once before, three seasons ago, with the Bulls coming away with a 17-7 upset victory in Tallahassee.

Most online books opened this game with Florida State favored by 15.5 or 16 points, with a total of around 54. But as of Friday afternoon the Seminoles had been bet up to -17 at outlets such as Bovada.

Free Pick

The 'Noles are on a roll, while the Bulls are struggling. We'll give the points and take FSU. (Courtesy of PickShark.com)

The South Florida Bulls (2-1) are headed to Indiana to take on the Ball State Cardinals (2-1) in a game that should be extremely exciting.

Both teams have potent offensive attacks and it should be a relatively high-scoring affair.

Let's take a closer look at this important Big East vs. MAC matchup by focusing on where you can watch it, some players that will be out with injury, Top-25 implications, possible key performers and a prediction on the outcome.

 

Where: Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, Indiana

When: Saturday, Sept. 22 at 4:30 p.m. ET

Watch: SNY / MASN / ESPN-GP / ERTV

Live Stream: ESPN3

Listen: Free Football Radio

Betting Line: South Florida -10.5

Injury Report (Via USA TODAY)

South Florida

T Mark Popek—Leg—PRB

RB Marcus Shaw—Ankle—QST

DL Elkino Watson—Undisclosed—QST

WR Sterling Griffin—Knee—OUT

Ball State

RB Dwayne Donigan—Ankle—QST

QB Kelly Page—Ankle—QST

TE Sam Brunner—Foot—OUT

OL Josh Smith—Knee—OUT

 

BCS/Top-25 Implications

Neither Ball State nor South Florida is close to a Top-25 ranking as of the Week 4 polls.

The Bulls ruined their chances for consideration by losing, 23-13, at home to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights last Thursday in a nationally televised game.

They need a victory against the Cardinals on Saturday and then a big upset victory over Florida State on Sept. 29 to get back into the running for a Top-25 spot.

 

South Florida Player to Watch: B.J. Daniels

The Bulls signal-caller has been solid this season, throwing for 830 yards and six touchdowns while connecting on 54-of-99 pass attempts.

He’s got to work on his turnovers, as he’s also thrown for four interceptions (three against Rutgers).

Daniels is a solid runner (32 attempts for 124 yards and a TD so far this season), so tucking the ball when nothing is available might be the best option.

Ball State Player to Watch: Jahwan Edwards

The sophomore RB needs to have a special performance to help the Cardinals beat the Bulls this weekend.

So far this season, he’s racked up 332 yards and four touchdowns on 52 rushing attempts, and he’ll have to improve on that impressive per carry average to pull the upset.

Edwards is a gifted back and Ball State seems committed to the ground game, so expect him to get his touches.

Prediction: USF 35, Ball St. 24

This game might be close in the early going, but eventually the speed and skill of South Florida will shine through.

If Daniels can manage the game and make plays, the Bulls will pick up an easy victory.

Should USF commit turnovers and allow the Cardinals to gash them with their rushing game, they might not get it done—but that just seems unlikely after a humbling Week 3 loss.

Two schools looking to claim their first Big East football championship will square off Thursday night, hoping to get the inside track to a potential BCS bid. Rutgers (2-0) visits South Florida (2-0) for a key Big East matchup in front of a televised national audience.

South Florida is coming off a wild victory on the road at Nevada. Down 21-6 after the first quarter, the Bulls needed 12 fourth-quarter points to edge the Wolfpack 32-31.

Quarterback B.J. Daniels led the way with 363 passing yards and three touchdowns, highlighted by a 56-yard touchdown pass to Andre Davis with 38 seconds remaining in the game. The two Bulls have developed into a lethal deep threat, connecting on a 51-yard touchdown earlier in the game.

South Florida will give the Rutgers defense its biggest test yet if it can keep that kind of offense going. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a shutout home win against Howard last week. Rutgers limited the FCS school to 149 total yards of offense.

Rutgers opened the season with a road win at Tulane in New Orleans, and it travels to Arkansas for its first trip to SEC territory since winning at Vanderbilt in 2004.

Of course, Rutgers cannot afford to look past South Florida. With the Big East being a virtual toss-up in recent years, Rutgers knows every game carries a little more importance. The Scarlet Knights need to start well in conference play before the second half of their schedule with games at Cincinnati and Louisville in November.

Rutgers sophomore quarterback Gary Nova has completed just 55.3 percent of his passes through two games for 288 yards. He has been intercepted twice, while tossing three touchdowns, including two last week against Howard. Nova is one of the young offensive players to watch for Rutgers.

Sophomore running back Jawan Jamison leads the Big East in rushing with 222 yards through the first two weeks.

South Florida's quarterback situation is much more familiar to college football and Big East fans.

B.J. Daniels is in his fifth year at South Florida. Although it is a small sample size this season, he has shown an increase in quarterback production with a higher accuracy percentage and yards per attempt from his 2011 totals. He has also thrown for six touchdowns, putting him just eight touchdown passes away from a career high for a season (14 in 2009). He has been through his ups and downs, but is optimistic that this year can have a different ending.

Rutgers will look to slow down South Florida's potent offense with some of the Big East's leading defensive players through two weeks. The linebacker tandem of senior Khaseem Greene and junior Jamal Merrell are among the top three in the conference in tackles. Greene's 24 total tackles lead the Big East and Merrell's 21 are third most.

South Florida has a linebacker to keep an eye on. Junior Devekeyan Lattimore is fourth in the Big East with 19 total tackles, including 11 solo tackles.

What to Expect: As is generally the case when these two schools play, viewers may not want to expect pretty football. Rutgers is led by young offensive players and will rely on its defense. South Florida has shown big-play ability, but will be tested by Rutgers from start to finish. This has the makings for a slugfest, but with the Bulls playing at home and players capable of breaking a big play at the right time, give the home team a slight edge in this Big East matchup.

This preview was originally posted on Examiner.com by the author.

Kevin McGuire is the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast, managing editor of Nittany Lions Den and a member of the Football Writers Association of America and National Football Foundation. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

South Florida and Chattanooga will help kick off the 2012 College Football season this Saturday night in Tampa, Fla. each looking to begin the fall on a high note.

For Chattanooga, the goal will be to remain competitive and to represent the Southern Conference well.

On the other hand, South Florida will be looking to win and earn style points in the process. The Big East program will attempt to bounce back from a down year in 2011. 

Will they do it?

Here is everything you need to know for Saturday night's showdown between the Mocs and Bulls in Tampa. 

Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.

When: Saturday, September 1 at 7 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN GamePlan

Listen: ESPN 105.1 FM (Chattanooga), 98.7 FM The Fan (Tampa)

Live Streaming: ESPN3.com

Betting Line: TBA

Key Storyline

Much is expected of South Florida in 2012. The Bulls have been projected to finish second in the Big East conference behind only Louisville, according to Florida Today's David Jones. South Florida's most difficult challenges will come against Florida State and at Louisville, but not against Chattanooga this Saturday.

The key storyline for Saturday's game will be the high expectations set for USF this season following a 5-7 season a year ago. The Bulls return 15 starters and boast a favorable schedule, giving them no excuse not to succeed this fall.

Who May Not Play for Chattanooga

*According to USA Today

No significant injuries to report.

Who May Not Play for South Florida

*According to USA Today

No significant injuries to report.

Top-25 Implications

For South Florida, anything less than a win on Saturday will likely damage its chances of making a push into the Top 25 this September. Of course, the Bulls will rely on their Big East conference schedule to earn them some Top 25 and BCS consideration. 

There aren't many good things that will come from beating an FCS opponent that went 5-6 last year in the season opener. It's simply expected that USF will run away with Saturday's game.

What They're Saying

Chattanooga head coach Russ Huesman acknowledged in his Tuesday press conference that the Mocs will have their hands full on Saturday in their season opener against a team projected to be one of the best in the Big East this season:

Some days we look really good, but the first game is always scary no matter who you're playing. And then when you're playing a BCS school it makes it even tougher. Hopefully we've prepared for the situations that we'll face, but we know we have a tough test on Saturday against South Florida. - via GoMocs.com

It's safe to say that the Mocs will be in desperate need of their A-game this weekend.

Bulls senior signal-caller B.J. Daniels has taken the right approach to Saturday's season opener and told the media this week that he's focused for this weekend:

We’re not looking past anybody or down the road, this is right now the most important game of my career and it’s the first one of my senior year. - via GoUSFBulls.com

Daniels is a mature player, and will turn 23 this October. His words leading up to USF's first game of the season sound as if he is ready to take the leadership reigns in 2012.

Chattanooga Player to Watch

Running back J.J. Jackson will be the player to watch for the Mocs this weekend. Not only does Jackson have a terrific football name, but he is also a senior with 18 games of experience under his belt. Jackson rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns last season on 70 carries.

Head coach Russ Huesman announced at Tuesday's press conference that Jackson would get the start at running back for the Mocs, and that they would assess the position from there.

South Florida Player to Watch

Senior quarterback B.J. Daniels will the most important Bulls player on Saturday, and likely all season long as he attempts to produce even more offense in his final season at South Florida. Daniels threw for over 2,600 yards last season, but only completed 58.9 percent of his passes and tossed only 13 touchdowns to seven interceptions.

Daniels has an added strength being that he can run the ball. He carried the ball 132 times for 601 yards and six touchdowns in 2011. Watch for Daniels to create offense early on against Chattanooga.

Key Matchup

The biggest question in Tampa on Saturday night will be whether Chattanooga can move the ball at all against South Florida's stout defense. The Bulls' DeDe Lattimore heads a linebacker corps with loads of experience and talent. 

Lattimore, a junior, led the Bulls in tackles with 94 last season. He also sacked the opposing quarterback seven times in 2011. In addition to needing to stop South Florida's proven offensive unit, the Mocs must be able to move the ball on their FBS foe if they are to have any shot at keeping this game close. 

On the Hot Seat

South Florida head coach Skip Holtz will be on the hot seat all season long, and it starts Saturday night against Chattanooga. After coaching the Bulls to an 8-5 season that included a bowl game victory in 2010, Holtz went 5-7 in his second year.

With high expectations surrounding USF in 2012, being projected to finish as high as second in the Big East this fall, Holtz will be feeling his coaching seat heat up with every loss. 

Prediction

Chattanooga looked severely overwhelmed in its only game against an FBS opponent last season, getting walloped by Nebraska to open the season, 40-7. On Saturday in Tampa, I like the Bulls to begin a strong season with a blowout victory over the Mocs. 

South Florida 38, Chattanooga 13

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter all season long for more college football reaction and analysis.

The South Florida football program still is an infant in many ways. The school started football in 1997 and joined the Division I-A big boys in 2001. The Bulls have been part of the Big East only since 2005, after a few years each as an independent and Conference USA member.

So it’s hard to be harsh about USF, but I believe that no school has underachieved more in the Big East in recent years than the Bulls—who have never even shared a conference title.

For one thing, South Florida has had the conference all to itself in terms of recruiting in Florida—of course, every school recruits the talent-rich Sunshine State, but USF was the only one that could offer recruits a chance to stay close to home.

Former Coach Jim Leavitt did land a few diamonds, and for a few years there (2007-08) USF started hot and climbed into the Top 10 of the rankings...only to fade late in the season.

Last year was the latest disappointment for this program, which was expected to be a top contender to West Virginia for the Big East title. Typically, USF started strong. The Bulls went to ranked Notre Dame in the opener and stunned the Irish before rolling off three more wins against terrible competition.

But then—also typically—the Bulls came crashing back to earth by losing their first four Big East games; and just that quickly, any conference hopes were gone. USF did then win at Syracuse to improve to 5-4 and keep its bowl hopes alive, but a season-ending three-game skid put an end to that.

One could argue that USF is close to being a conference contender. Throw out a 44-17 loss in the Big East opener at Pitt, and the Bulls’ other five conference losses were by a combined 25 points (the other was a 3-6 setback to Miami).

One problem all season was the fourth quarter. USF outscored its opponents by 110 points in the first halves of games in 2011 but was outscored by 31 in the fourth quarter—no wonder there were so many close losses.

Coaching

Leavitt was canned after the 2009 season amid reports he grabbed a player by his throat and slapped him and then lied about it. Skip Holtz, the son of Hall of Famer Lou Holtz, led the Bulls to an 8-5 record and a Meineke Car Care Bowl win over Clemson in 2010 before last year’s team fell off. Many still believe Holtz eventually will land a job at a higher-level program, but USF just gave him a three-year extension through 2017 to try and prevent that.

Holtz had to hire a new defensive coordinator this offseason, tabbing Kansas State assistant Chris Cosh to run that side of the ball. Cosh is the third D-coordinator in four seasons at USF. The Bulls run a similar 4-3 scheme to what Cosh ran at Kansas State last season, and Cosh and Holtz have a long history together.

Cosh replaced Mark Snyder, who left for Texas A&M.

Offense

South Florida has what could potentially be the top playmaking QB in the conference (now that WVU’s Geno Smith is in the Big 12) in B.J. Daniels. The senior, who missed one game with an injury last season, threw for 2,604 yards and 13 scores and rushed for 601 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and six scores last year. He does need to improve on his 58.9 completion percentage of last season, even though that was a career high.

Leading rusher Darnell Scott is gone, and USF will likely use a committee at running back headed by senior Demetris Murray (503 yards, eight TDs in 2011).

The group of receivers could be the best in school history. Andre Davis showed signs of stardom as a freshman last year; Sterling Griffin played in only eight games last year but still led the Bulls with 43 receptions and three scores; and the best of them all could be former top recruit Chris Dunkley, who sat out last season after transferring from Florida.

The offensive line welcomes three starters back, including both tackles.  If you throw out West Virginia, USF led the Big East in yards per game in 2011 and may well again this year.

Defense

Cosh will have some talent to work with here as the Bulls return seven starters, including five of their top six leading tacklers. The line suffered a blow when starting tackle Cory Grissom broke his ankle this spring, and it’s questionable whether he’s ready for the opener. End Ryne Giddins has star potential after 5.5 sacks and 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage last year.

USF is totally set at linebacker with all three starters back, led by DeDe Lattimore, who led the team with 94 tackles. The secondary will be led by senior Keyvon Webster, a second-team all-Big East pick a year ago. Two starters were lost in the defensive backfield.

This unit must buckle down at the end of games. Last season, the Bulls surrendered late, game-deciding drives in losses against Cincinnati, Rutgers, Miami and West Virginia.

2012 South Florida Bulls Schedule Analysis

USF always plays at least one FCS cupcake, and that’s true again this year with an opener vs. Chattanooga. So at least the Bulls can use that as an exhibition game before traveling to semi-dangerous Nevada in Week 2.

Should the Bulls win that, they should be 4-0 following wins at Ball State and vs. Rutgers when they welcome Florida State to Tampa for the first time. The last (and only) time they played was in 2009, when USF won 17-7 at No. 18 Florida State in arguably the biggest win in school history. That was Daniels’ welcome to the world game.

South Florida should win at Temple—which replaces West Virginia on the schedule—and then the Bulls have the benefit of an off week before traveling to Big East favorite Louisville. Win there, and the conference title definitely should be in USF’s grasp, as there is only one more conference road game: at Cincinnati.

The Bulls do visit Miami (Fla.) the week prior to facing UC in a nonconference tilt, and USF has played the Canes essentially to a standstill in recent years.

2012 South Florida Bulls Futures Odds

On 5Dimes, USF is +42500 to win the BCS title. The Bulls are +375 to win the Big East title (second favorite), with field against them at -515. “Over/under” win totals: 7.5 (over a -150 favorite), eight (under -150 favorite) and 8.5 (under a -250 favorite).

2012 South Florida Bulls Football Predictions

There will never be a better chance for this school to win the conference and get its first BCS bowl berth than in 2012 with WVU out. Next year, USF will have to deal the addition of powerhouse Boise State along with good programs at Houston, SMU and Central Florida (Memphis and San Diego State are also coming to Big East).

I believe that USF gets it done only because I am not a very strong believer in preseason conference favorite Louisville. That Oct. 20 game will likely determine the champ.

As for the wins total, it looks like 8-4 to me.

According to the Bradenton Herald, the University of South Florida has extended head coach Skip Holtz's contract through the spring of 2018.

Holtz's raise wasn't much, but the extension could put the university on the line for around $8-10 million if they choose to let him go before his contract is up.

The Big East would have been better off waiting to extend the head coach's contract until they saw what he could do in 2012. As it currently stands, Holtz is 4-10 in Big East play while at USF and only 13-12 overall. In 2011 alone, Holtz led the Bulls to a 5-7 season. The team was 1-6 in the Big East and did not make a bowl game for the first time in seven years.

Stability is nice for USF, but at what cost does a university keep an underachieving coach around for that reason? With two seasons under his belt, Holtz has not proven much as the Bulls leader. Fans are frustrated, as they should be. They are even more frustrated as the coach is rewarded when many feel he doesn't deserve to be.

A financial risk for the university, USF should have put a little more thought into extending Holtz's contract. The 2012 season will definitely be an enlightening one for Holtz's South Florida career.

With 15 starters returning, including veteran quarterback B.J. Daniels, many have picked USF as a dark-horse title contender for the Big East in 2012, as reported by CBSSports.com. With expectations so high, Holtz will have a lot to prove in the upcoming season. If it ends up being a bust, the Bulls should cut their losses and accept the fact that they should have waited just a little longer to extend any contracts.

After all, things really couldn't get much worse.

Every Wednesday we'll take a trip around the Big East to see how recruiting is panning out. Whose class is shaping up nicely and who has a lot of work left to do? Your weekly recruiting roundup will help answer just that.

Commits

South Florida had a huge week, picking up five commitments since last Wednesday. The standout from the group is 3-star RB Jojo Kemp out of Deland, Florida. Kemp is also good friends with QB Asiantii Woulard, who committed just last week to the Bulls. South Florida also snagged commitments from DB Johnny Ward, DB Darius Whitty, OL Conner Rafferty and DT Bruce Hector. Whitty is another standout in this class, with 3-stars. South Florida has been in need of defensive backs and running backs, so these recruits will be extremely beneficial to this team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kBHU8Tum3A

Another program with a big week was Temple, who picked up four recruits that all have stars.  Those commits are 3-star LB Buddy Brown, 2-star ATH Jihaad Pretlow, 2-star QB PJ Walker, DT Tyrique Jarrett and 3-star OL Matt Barone.

Pittsburgh picked up a pair of commitments over the last week in K Ryan Winslow and 2-star DB Titus Howard. When picking Pitt, Howard told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Everything just felt right for me to make my decision, the coaching staff, the academic stuff they took me through today -- it really just felt like home for me."

Commits for Rutgers this week were DE Sebastian Joseph, 3-star ATH Myles Nash and 3-star TE Taylor Marini. The two standouts are Nash and Marini, who both committed on the same day.

Cincinatti and Louisville both snagged one commit this week. The Bearcats with 3-star DB Demetrius Monday and the Cardinals with OL Chandler Bridges. Monday is 5'11" and 185lbs from Mableton, Georgia, while Bridges is a 6'4", 270lb player from Flowery Branch, Georgia.

Decommits

It's only June, so it's early, but no decommits for the Big East this week.

Rumors

Louisville had a quiet week, but they still have the No. 1 class in the Big East. ESPN Recruiting Nation Insider Corey Long expects the Scarlet Knights to head to Miami soon, where they should pick up quite a few recruits.

A head coach can make a big impact on a recruit's decision, especially if they believe the coach may leave while they're in school. Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com released a hot seat ranking for current collegiate head coaches. He has Syracuse's Doug Marrone "On the bubble, feeling pressure." Take from that what you will.