On Aug. 5, 2017, I led USF's 2017 season preview by writing, "Their quest for a New Year's Six bowl game will be led by 16 returning starters…"
The Bulls, ranked 21st in my 2017 preseason rankings, had a strong chance of running the table against a soft schedule in Charlie Strong's first year as head coach, which would, in my opinion, prompt a Power Five program to poach Strong after just one season. USF went a respectable 10-2 but didn't win a division title (though, to be fair, no American team was beating UCF) and didn't sniff a New Year's Six game.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Three years later, Strong is gone after a disastrous three-run year and USF is ranked 106th in the HERO Sports Preseason College Football Rankings. The Jeff Scott era begins with a daunting rebuild in a top-heavy league of established Group of Five powers that, barring a sudden redistribution of power, won't allow for a gutted program like USF to rise quickly.
Thirteen years on Dabo Swinney's offensive staff at Clemson earned Scott this job but with an abbreviated offseason and questions at quarterback and across the offensive line, it's hard to see dramatic improvements for an offense that couldn't do anything last year. The Bulls ranked among the nation's worst in points per play (121st), yards per play (117th), red-zone scoring (86th), sack rate (128th), and penalties per play (130th).
The defense was marginally better but aside from linebacker Dwayne Boyles and a few upperclassmen in the secondary, it could be marginally worse in 2020 and prevent them from winning more than two or three games.
| Date | Opponent | Prediction |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 5 | at Texas | Loss (0-1) |
| Sept. 12 | vs. Bethune-Cookman | Win (1-1) |
| Sept. 19 | vs. Nevada | Loss (1-2) |
| Sept. 26 | at FAU | Loss (1-3) |
| Oct. 3 | at Cincinnati | Loss (1-4) |
| Oct. 10 | vs. East Carolina | Loss (1-5) |
| Oct. 17 | at Temple | Loss (1-6) |
| Oct. 23 | vs. Tulsa | Loss (1-7) |
| Nov. 7 | at Memphis | Loss (1-8) |
| Nov. 14 | at Houston | Loss (1-9) |
| Nov. 21 | vs. Navy | Loss (1-10) |
| Nov. 27 | vs. UCF | Loss (1-11) |
