South Florida Bulls - NCAA Football Odds, Lines & Betting

For a program that's been in existence for 11 years and playing Division 1 ball for just six, South Florida has done very well. In their first season in the Big East in 2005, the Bulls won six games, went 4-3 in the conference and made their first-ever bowl appearance. Expectations were heightened for 2006 and USF came through, winning nine games overall, including that road upset of West Virginia and a 24-7 win over East Carolina in the PapaJohns.com Bowl.

Head coach Jim Leavitt is becoming one of those guys whose name keeps popping up for more prestigious head jobs during each offseason. But Leavitt, to his great credit, has thus far said no. The Bulls are 43-25 since moving up in 2001, and 8-6 in two seasons of Big East play. This season, USF returns 16 starters, eight to each side of the ball. They include playmaking sophomore QB Matt Grothe and all five offensive linemen. But it was the defense that carried this team for much of last season, ranking second-best in the conference, 25th overall and 35th vs. the run. They lose both of their starting outside linebackers, but return a pair of solid senior cornerbacks. Tyrone McKenzie, a transfer who averaged almost 11 tackles a game at Iowa State last year, is expected to fill one of those OLB spots.

The Bulls hope another transfer, highly regarded former Florida prep star RB Mike Ford, will take some of the pressure off Grothe, who racked up almost 3,200 total yards of offense as a freshmen last year. Now that South Florida has established itself a bit, the next step is to contend for a Big East title. They visit Auburn in Week 2, and Rutgers and Pitt, but get West Virginia, Cincinnati and Louisville at home. Leavitt has the Bulls on the right path.

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