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The college football regular season has reached its climax with Rivalry Week, featuring marquee matchups like Michigan vs. Ohio State, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, and Texas vs. Texas A&M. Amidst the national focus, the USF Bulls (8-3, 5-2 AAC) have their own high-stakes game this weekend, hosting the Rice Owls (5-6, 2-5 AAC) for Senior Night.
USF already achieved bowl eligibility earlier this season after beating the FAU Owls on Homecoming. Now, the Bulls are focused on a more historic mark: securing a ninth win, a feat the program has not accomplished since the 2017 team went 10-2 after their bowl game victory. While the Bulls will miss the College Football Playoff, they still have an outside, chaotic chance to play in the American Athletic Conference Championship game. Their two conference losses—to the Memphis Tigers and the Navy Midshipmen—made their path exceptionally difficult, requiring them to win their final game and get help from three different games ahead of them in the standings.
The Opponent: Desperate Rice Owls
For the Rice Owls, the stakes are simple: win and become bowl eligible. Sitting at 5-6 overall, the Owls need this final victory to secure their spot in the postseason.
The Owls’ two conference wins came against struggling teams, Charlotte and UAB. Their last outing was a decisive 32-point loss to the North Texas Mean Green, a game where the Rice defense struggled immensely, giving up a total of 640 yards of offense. This result is bad news for Rice, as North Texas runs a similar, high-speed offensive style to USF. While the Rice offense leaned heavily on the ground game in the loss, nearly rushing for 300 yards, the defensive struggles against a fast-paced attack are a serious concern. One bright spot for the Owls was their ball security, as they committed zero turnovers—something the Bulls have achieved only once this season.
Bulls Seeking Revenge on Senior Night
For the Bulls, the motivation is multi-layered. Beyond the opportunity for a nine-win season, this is a revenge game on Senior Night at Raymond James Stadium. Rice upset the Bulls last year, and Coach Alex Golesh has stressed that the painful memory of that loss has stuck with the program.
The Bulls are coming off a dominant 48-18 win over UAB, a team the Owls also defeated. Look for USF to play their signature upbeat and fast style, heavily focused on creating turnovers. The Bulls’ defense forced three turnovers last week while only giving up one, and they will be tasked with stopping the Owls’ ground-focused offense. With the prospect of a nine-win season and a shot at revenge, expect the Bulls to come out with high energy.
Game Information and Coaching Rumors
The game is scheduled for Saturday, November 29th, at 7:00 PM EST at Raymond James Stadium. It will be Senior Night, honoring a group of players integral to the program’s turnaround from a one-win season. Fans are expected to show up in mass to cheer on the Bulls in the final regular-season home game of 2025.
Adding unexpected drama to the weekend is the speculation surrounding Head Coach Alex Golesh. Local and national reports have surfaced suggesting that Golesh has been offered—and may have accepted—the head coaching job at Arkansas. USF Athletics has acknowledged that Golesh is exploring “outside opportunities,” though nothing has been officially announced by either school as of Wednesday evening. Regardless of the outcome of those negotiations, the team’s focus will be on the field, aiming for a great way to finish the regular season.
Will the USF Bulls finish the regular season with a win? Leave a comment below.
For all your NCAA football news, log on to ngscsports.com.
Author Profile
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Bradley Walker serves as the Director of Operations for NGSC Sports, bringing extensive experience across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletics. His coverage spans USF Athletics, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball, as well as University of Tampa baseball.
Bradley also provides coverage of minor league baseball with the Clearwater Threshers and Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the national stage, he covers college football bowl games and conference championship matchups, along with premier golf events across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and LPGA Tour.
In addition to his reporting work, Bradley is the play-by-play announcer for Pinellas Park High School Patriots football, lending his voice and insight to Friday night lights.
He is also an active podcast host and contributor, serving as a co-host on the P&W Sports Report and hosting The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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