A Look at USF 2001 by the Numbers
(August 23, 2001)

The University of South Florida football team is preparing to kickoff its fifth season and first at full Division I-A status. Before a this preview, lets take a look at the numbers. 1, 5, 0, 28-13, 45-9, 36-10, 8, 25 and 11.

Number one, this is the first season for the Bulls as a Division I-A team, which is an ambitious step for a football program in just its fifth year. They have played five previous games against I-A opponents, not including last season's win at Connecticut. USF and UConn considered it a Division I-A game, but nobody else did. Zero victories have been posted in the five road games against I-A schools. A 28-13 loss at Baylor, a game USF should have won, was the best effort. A 45-9 loss at Middle Tennessee State was the opposite. The average score against Division I-A opponents has the Bulls coming up on the short end 36-10. This year eight I-A teams are on the schedule and, after graduating 25 seniors, the Bulls are somewhat involved in a rebuilding process. A look at the numbers may paint a grim picture for this season, but all eleven games are yet to be played and anything can happen.

Will the Bulls be ready to open the season on Thursday night August 30? You can bet that the Northern Illinois Huskies will be. This should actually be a good measuring stick against a team that has surprised plenty of people over the years. A tougher challenge may be going to the new stadium in Pittsburgh and playing the Pitt Panthers, who went to a bowl game last year. The season's first home game on September 15, against Division I-AA Southern Utah, must go in the win column.

USF is headed to Conference USA in 2003 and plays at conference member Memphis. This second ever game against a C-USA team may not be as tough as the first, a 41-7 loss at Southern Miss last year, but is a huge test. USF's first Division I-A home game will be played September 29 against North Texas. It would be nice to think about a victory in that game.

A trip to Salt Lake City to play Utah will be far from a cakewalk. A home game against Connecticut should have USF favored and Liberty should not be too much of a problem. The first home game against a C-USA team on November 3 against Houston will be another difficult test. I-AA Western Illinois should be a victory, then a tough Utah State team closes out the schedule.

The Bulls play seven home games, three against Division I-AA schools, and four games are on the road. The early part of the schedule is brutal. Three of the first four, and four of the first six, are away from Raymond James Stadium. After that, the last five are at home. A 1-5 start, or maybe 2-4 with an upset, seems likely. They should win three of those last five. So, we are looking at four games they should win and maybe a couple of games where an upset is realistic. Another number, say, 5-6 would actually be nothing to be ashamed of for a young team playing this schedule. Two more numbers, then maybe head coach Jim Leavitt can put a more positive spin on all this. 4-7 would be worst record in the program's short history and 6-5 might take a miracle. Take it away coach Leavitt.

"We made a commitment to move this program forward in quick fashion. We've established ourselves as a pretty strong I-AA team. To establish yourself as one of the I-A powers is a whole another world. I'm extremely conservative and cautious by nature, but I am really fired up over the future of this program."