Improved USF has No. 8 Miami's attention after playing 4th-ranked Alabama close two weeks ago

Updated Sep. 19, 2024 8:48 a.m. ET

Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Alex Golesh recognizes and appreciates opportunity, even if the South Florida coach is hesitant to state the obvious.

No. 8 Miami is the next challenge on Golesh's mission to make USF football relevant again, and the one-time Tennessee offensive coordinator is sure — win or lose Saturday night — that the improved Bulls (2-1) are headed in the right direction.

“It would be really big for us to get a win, but I think it would be really big for them to get a win, too,” said Golesh, hired a little less than two years ago to rebuild what was once touted as the fastest-growing program in the nation.

The Bulls were launched from scratch in 1997 and barely a decade into their existence rose as high as No. 2 in the AP Poll. A gradual descent since an upset of then-No. 5 West Virginia propelled them into the spotlight in 2007 contributed to USF being left behind in conference realignment in recent years.

Golesh inherited a team that went 1-11 two years ago and engineered a six-win turnaround to 7-6 in 2023. The Bulls have Miami's undivided attention after playing No. 4 Alabama close before collapsing in the fourth quarter two weeks ago.

The final wound up 42-16, but USF only trailed 14-13 going into the fourth quarter.

“They’ve got a great football team,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “It doesn’t take, what, three or four clips watching them play the University of Alabama for everybody to realize how drastic, how big of a step (they’ve taken), how good of a team that really is. So, the tape doesn’t lie. Our guys have a chance to see it, so we’re excited for a great challenge.”

Cristobal is in Year 3 of a rebuild of his own with the Hurricanes (3-0), who'll get into Atlantic Coast Conference play after this weekend. Miami is led by quarterback Cam Ward, one of the Heisman Trophy frontrunners through the early portion of this season.

Golesh, whose team will move on to the American Athletic Conference portion of their schedule, noted it's a big game for Miami, too.

In addition to the Hurricanes wanting to remain unbeaten and protect their lofty ranking, the rosters for both teams are loaded with Florida-born talent familiar with one another from playing with or against each other in high school.

“I think it's personal for a lot of guys in a positive way,” Golesh said.

“It’ll be a great night for Tampa,” the USF coach added. “It’ll be a great night for our university. It’ll be a really, really good football game. So, excited for that.”

Another Sunshine State matchup

Miami is scheduled to play four different in-state opponents this season — the most of any Florida school in 2024. The Hurricanes have already defeated Florida and Florida A&M, now play the Bulls on Saturday and face Florida State on Oct. 26.

Over the last 25 seasons, no Florida-based FBS team has played more fellow Sunshine State schools than the Hurricanes. They’ve gone 45-17 in 62 such games in that span. Florida State (29-24) has played 53, Florida (23-19) has played 42 and the Bulls (19-21) have played 40.

Florida Atlantic (18-17) and FIU (9-26) have each played 35 in that span, and UCF (20-11) has played 31.

Cristobal said he likes in-state games.

“The amount of energy that it brings out and the alumni and the fan bases, you can tell that obviously there’s a lot of passion behind it,” Cristobal said. “So, it’s good stuff.”

Golesh’s start at USF

Being two games over .500 might not look like much. That’s not the case when talking about the job Golesh has done so far at USF.

Consider this: USF is 9-7 since he was hired as coach. The Bulls were 9-43 in the 52 games before he took over in Tampa.

Students showing up

The game has already set one record: More USF students evidently plan on going to this game than any in school history.

More than 14,500 tickets — free for students — were claimed in the first two days that they were available. That broke the student-ticket record of 12,549 for a game against Florida in 2021, and prompted the school to open another 10,000 seats at Raymond James Stadium. The planned capacity for Saturday was 45,000; it’s now 55,000.

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AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Coral Gables, Florida, contributed to this report.

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