Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years: 88. South Florida
The House that Jim Leavitt Built
I’m not sure how many people know this, but South Florida is still one of the newest programs in football, having played their first season in 1997. They quickly moved up to Division 1 in 2000, and have enjoyed solid results until the program tanked under Charlie Strong and Jeff Scott recently.
Best Seasons and Highlights
+------+---------------+------+--------------+--------+
| rank | team | year | resume score | record |
+------+---------------+------+--------------+--------+
| 18 | South Florida | 2007 | 21.403 | 9-4 |
| 18 | South Florida | 2016 | 20.264 | 11-2 |
| 23 | South Florida | 2002 | 18.097 | 9-2 |
| 27 | South Florida | 2017 | 14.048 | 11-2 |
| 31 | South Florida | 2006 | 11.641 | 9-4 |
| 41 | South Florida | 2008 | 5.13 | 8-5 |
| 45 | South Florida | 2009 | 3.687 | 8-5 |
| 44 | South Florida | 2001 | 2.101 | 8-3 |
| 45 | South Florida | 2010 | 1.096 | 8-5 |
| 56 | South Florida | 2015 | -0.167 | 8-5 |
| 53 | South Florida | 2003 | -2.213 | 7-4 |
| 44 | South Florida | 2005 | -2.247 | 6-6 |
| 71 | South Florida | 2011 | -11.987 | 5-7 |
| 86 | South Florida | 2018 | -16.665 | 7-6 |
| 73 | South Florida | 2000 | -19.194 | 7-4 |
| 88 | South Florida | 2004 | -30.918 | 4-7 |
| 106 | South Florida | 2019 | -32.112 | 4-8 |
| 100 | South Florida | 2014 | -33.728 | 4-8 |
| 102 | South Florida | 2012 | -37.577 | 3-9 |
| 110 | South Florida | 2013 | -48.131 | 2-10 |
| 121 | South Florida | 2021 | -50.018 | 2-10 |
| 126 | South Florida | 2020 | -50.872 | 1-8 |
| 130 | South Florida | 2022 | -59.645 | 1-11 |
+------+---------------+------+--------------+--------+
Overall Score: 142-135 record
0 conference titles
6-4 bowl record
2 consensus All-Americans
30 NFL players drafted
It’s actually pretty amazing that South Florida has a winning record in the FBS. They’ve gone just 8-37 over the last 4 years (134-98 if we don’t include them). Nearly 50% of their seasons have had 8 or more wins, and they produce about 3 NFL players every 2 years. Very solid program who’s having a rough patch, but could return to sleeping giant status soon. Notable NFL players include Jason Pierre-Paul, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Marlon Mack. Consensus All-Americans were DL George Selvie in 2007 and all-purpose Brian Battie in 2021, who returned 3 kicks for TDs, on just 20 returns.
Top 5 Seasons
Worst Season: 2022 (1-11 overall, 0-8 American)
Man, they’ve fallen far. On the bright side, they can’t fall much further than this. Head coach Jeff Scott was in his 3rd season, and ended up going just 4-26 in his (almost) 3 years with the Bulls. It wasn’t totally his fault, he had to clean up the mess Charlie Strong left behind, and while there were signs of improvements, but they weren’t winning close games, usually an indicator of poor coaching. USF lost 28-31 to #18 Florida, 24-28 to #24 Cincinnati, and 39-46 to #22 UCF, so it wasn’t like the Bulls were totally destitute. Former Baylor QB Gerry Bohanon, who led the Bears to a 12-2 record in 2021, started the first 7 games, throwing for 1070 yards 6 TD 6 INT with 386 rushing yards and 3 TD on 6.4 YPC. Backup Byrum Brown flashed potential, throwing for 5 TD 1 INT with 5.8 YPC on the ground. This team didn’t win a game against an FBS opponent, as they beat Howard 42-20. They were the 2nd worst defense in the nation giving up 41.2 PPG, but scored a respectable 28.0 PPG.
5. 2006 (9-4 overall, 4-3 Big East)
Remember QB Matt Grothe? That’s a throwback name. The freshman QB took over in 2006, in USF’s 2nd year in the Big East. USF played fine throughout the year, the season going about as expected after a 7-4 start. A game at #7 West Virginia to play Pat White and Steve Slaton seemed like a guaranteed loss, but at least USF was going bowling. On the contrary, the Bulls shut down the WVU spread offense, winning 24-19 in a huge upset. This would start a few years where the Bulls consistently terrorized West Virginia, beating them 3 times over the next 4 years. USF dominated the bowl as well, beating East Carolina 24-7. The season was an announcement that the Bulls were coming, with a young talented QB, plenty of potential being in a BCS AQ conference, and being located right in the middle of a recruiting hotbed. Grothe completed 64% of passes for 2576 yards 15 TD 14 INT, and ran for another 622 and 9 TD. The defense was very good as well, giving up just 16.9 PPG. Momentum was building for 2007.
4. 2017 (10-2 overall, 6-2 American)
When the Big East broke up in 2013, USF ended up in the American, a non-Power 5 conference. They made the most of it, at least initially. 2017 USF entered the year at #19, coming off an 11-2 year, and looked to compete for a New Years 6 bowl with new coach Charlie Strong. This team featured senior QB Quinton Flowers, arguably the most electric player in college football. But despite all the talent and expectations—the team’s performance on the field was underwhelming. They started 7-0, but only moved up 2 spots to #17 because of their play. In week 2 they were tied 17-17 with Stony Brook in the 4th quarter, and beat up on mostly weaker competition, with their toughest opponent having been Temple. They did get their first ever win over a Big Ten school though, beating Illinois 47-23. With a 34-28 win over Tulane, USF set the AP era record for most consecutive 30+ point games, with 24 straight, beating 2011-12 Oregon. Fast forward to the end of the season and USF was 9-1 and #22, facing #13 UCF in the War on I-4. Despite everyone overlooking USF (9.5 point underdogs), Quinton Flowers did EVERYTHING he could, throwing for 500+ yards and rushing for 100+ yards and 5 total TD. Still, UCF won 49-42 on a last minute kickoff return TD. USF still finished the year with a respectable 38-34 win over Texas Tech to finish 10-2 and #21 in the AP Poll.
Flowers threw for 2911 yards 25 TD 6 INT, with 1078 rushing yards and 11 TD on 5.5 YPC. He finished his career as USF’s all time leader in total yardage (11,796). There was talent around him as well—RBs Darius Tice and future NFLer D’Ernest Johnson split time, combining for 1739 rushing yards and 18 TD. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was the leading receiver with 879 receiving yards as well as 108 rushing yards.
3. 2002 (9-2 overall, Independent)
This was USF’s 2nd full year in the FBS, and they definitely came ready to play. They opened with 30+ point wins over both FAU and NIU. After getting blown out by Arkansas, they held #2 Oklahoma to just 239 yards in a 14-31 loss, maybe the Bulls’ most impressive defensive performance of the season. They wouldn’t lose a game afterwards, winning one-possession games against North Texas, Southern Miss, and Memphis. Despite a 9-2 record with wins over Urban Meyer’s 9-3 record Bowling Green, Sun Belt champion North Texas, and one of the top C-USA teams in Southern Miss, USF was not selected for a bowl because of their Independent status. Pretty insane, as I had them as the 23rd best team that year. QB Marquel Blackwell had a great senior season, throwing for 2590 yards 18 TD with just 3 INT, and ran for 5 more TD. The defense gave up just 18.5 PPG and featured future NFL players LB Kawika Mitchell (2nd round pick), DE Shurron Pierson (4th round), and DB J.R. Reed (4th round).
2. 2016 (11-2 overall, 7-1 American)
QB Quinton Flowers and coach Willie Taggart announced themselves to a national audience in 2016. Picked to win the AAC East, USF came in with offensive firepower, beating Syracuse 45-20 in week 3 and losing 35-55 to #13 Florida State a week later. An 11-2 season included wins over #22 Navy, 8-5 Memphis, and South Carolina in the bowl. USF had the best Group of 5 offense in the country, averaging 43.8 PPG with a stacked backfield of Flowers and RBs Marlon Mack and D’Ernest Johnson. Flowers won AAC POTY, throwing for 2812 yards 24 TD 7 INT, with 1530 rushing yards and 18 TD on 7.7 YPC!! Mack put up a 1st Team All-AAC season, rushing for 1187 yards and 15 TD on 6.8 YPC, while Johnson added 836 yards and 13 TD from scrimmage. Even the receiver room was stacked, with future NFL draft picks Rodney Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Taggart turned the great season into a job at Oregon, and the rest is history.
1. 2007 (9-4 overall, 4-3 Big East)
Every die-hard college football fan knows the 2007 Bulls. In just their 11th year of existence, they were #2 in the country. In fact, 5 of the 6 computers that made up the BCS ranking had USF at #1. So how did it happen? People thought USF would be good heading into 2007, but not this good. After beating Elon in week 1, they headed to Auburn to face the 17th-ranked Tigers. LB Ben Moffitt recalled the experience and how USF wasn’t perceived as a threat to fans: “It’s a weird experience. You ride the bus in, and they’re all waving at ya, and they’re all, ‘Good luck, good luck.’ I was like this is different, but OK.” Later in the night, down 20-23 in OT, QB Matt Grothe fired a game winning TD on 2nd and 9 to walk out of Jordan-Hare with one of the upsets of the season thus far. Now ranked #23, USF disposed of another Power 6 school in North Carolina, 37-10. That set up a home game against #5 West Virginia, with the Mountaineers looking to get revenge for last year on their way to a national title. Media members recall the crowd being so loud that night that the ground shook underneath their feet, in a 21-13 USF upset victory, to beat a top 10 Mountaineer team for the second straight season.
Suddenly, USF was thrust near the top with college football royalty, moving 12 spots up to #6. After spanking weaker opponents FAU and UCF, they had made it all the way to #2. In the country. A frusturating Thursday night game against Rutgers saw the Bulls squander a 7 point lead toward the end of the 1st half, and commit 10 penalties in a 27-30 loss. USF would fall off a cliff afterwards, losing consecutive games to UConn and Cincinnati to fall out of the Top 25. They finished strong though, averaging 48 PPG in their last 3 wins against Syracuse, Louisville, and Pitt to finish 9-3. There were rumors that the USF players were hungover for the Sun Bowl against Oregon, but the rumors turned out to be unfounded, the truth lying in the talent of first year Oregon OC Chip Kelly, who changed up his game plan to avoid USF Consensus All-American DE George Selvie. The Ducks won 56-21, and RB Jonathan Stewart ran for a Sun Bowl record 253 yards.
USF finished the year 9-4 and 4th place in the Big East. While they finished unranked in the AP Top 25, I had them at 18th for impressive wins over West Virginia and Auburn. Matt Grothe had another fine year, throwing for 2670 yards 14 TD 14 INT, with 872 rushing yards and 10 TD, and would go on to be USF’s all time total yardage leader. DE George Selvie put up a 1st Team All-American season with a whopping 14.5 sacks and 17 TFL. Overall, this was a pretty stacked team. 8 players were drafted, including 5 picks in the first 3 rounds.
5th Quarter
15 years after being ranked #2 in the nation, USF is now in a weaker conference, has gone 4-26 the previous 3 years, and rival UCF has been invited to the Big 12. Where did it all go wrong for USF? And do you remember some of their players such as Matt Grothe, BJ Daniels, and Quinton Flowers? What do you remember about that #2 ranked Bulls team and the 2007 season?
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