USF Football: Looking Back At A Successful 2024

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As the college football season winds down we are just 20 days away from deciding who the national champion is. At this moment there are four teams left. At the start of the season, some thought the USF Bulls would be one of the 12 teams buying for the national championship. Unfortunately, the Bulls did not make the final 12. The season kicked off with a great start at home as they crushed Bethune-Cookman, 48-3. This was the first of four out-of-conference games with two games on the road with the first against the Alabama Crimson Tide. In 2023, the Crimson Tide played in Tampa versus USF and the game was closer than many thought it would be. This final score for year’s game did not tell the story of how the game came out. The USF Bulls suffered their first loss of the 2024 season.

Since Alex Golesh has taken the job as head coach, the Bulls have been able to bounce back. They went on the road and beat the Southern Miss Eagles to get their second win, a third of the way to becoming bowl-eligible. The next game was at home playing a Power Five team in the Miami Hurricanes. In this game, they struggled and looked like they did not want to play. At one point in the season, USF found themselves at 2-2. It was time to start conference play and the first conference game was played against the Tulane Green Wave. Just like when they played the Hurricanes, they struggled. The Green Wave would go on to play in the conference championship.

The next game was against another team that was favored to be in the AAC Championship Game, the Memphis Tigers. The Tigers and Green Wave have been the teams that have dominated the conference the last few years. During the Tulane game, the Bulls lost starting quarterback Bryum Brown. That meant that backup quarterback Bryce Archie was now the starter. Archie’s first game, like most quarterbacks, was a struggle. The Tigers beat the Bulls which dropped USF to 0-2 in conference play. The Bulls got their first conference win the following week when they welcomed the UAB Blazers to Raymond James Stadium. This game was closer than it should have been, but USF would get a win. The next week was a bye week and after, they would go on the road and defeat the Florid Atlantic Owls. This was a revenge game from 2023.

After the game, both head coaches went to shake hands. At the time, Herman was the head coach of the Owls. He and Golesh did not have the best of handshakes. Golesh ignored him and that did not make Herman happy. Golesh said he remembers what happened in 2023 and did not want to have anything extra with Herman. The next game many thought they would win versus the Navy Midshipmen. They were wrong as the Midshipmen only lost two games all season. With the loss, the Bulls would have to win two out of the remaining three games to be bowl-eligible. It started off well as they dominated the Charlotte 49ers. In the last home game of the season, they welcomed the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. Once again, the Bulls dominated their opponent and with the win, USF would be going back to a bowl game.

In 2023, the USF Bulls finished the season with a 6-6 record. In 2024, they had a chance to have a seven-win season but the Bulls would have to beat the Rice Owls. The Owls was their first conference win in 2023. This year, the game was a struggle for the Bulls as they nearly came back and won but fell short. So once again, another six-win season. With that win, USF would be headed to Hawaii to play in the Hawaii Bowl where the San Jose State Spartans were waiting. The game was a classic and at one time it was the longest bowl game in the NCAA. The USF Bulls would win in five overtimes, 41-39. The 2024 season ended with USF winning a total of seven games. Golesh is happy and has already gotten players in the transfer portal. Everyone is excited for the 2025 season.

What are your thoughts on the USF Bulls 2024 season? Leave a comment below.

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