It was party time in Gainesville on Saturday night after Florida's upset win over Texas, but there had to be some celebrating on the USF campus as well.
The Bulls' 18-16 win over the Gators just got a whole lot bigger because of what Florida did. If the Group of Six College Football Playoff spot argument is close, what USF did to the Gators could be the tie-breaker.
That wasn't the only good news for USF. The Bulls returned to the Associated Press Top 25 rankings, checking in at No. 24. That's one spot behind American Conference rival Memphis. North Texas and Navy also received votes.
Florida lost two more games in a row after the Bulls beat them, which might have made some wonder if USF’s win was that big of a deal. But when the Gators beat Texas, that put a lot more value in USF’s triumph.
Not everyone can handle the Swamp 🤘 pic.twitter.com/VGZoIaTJCy
— USFBULLS69 (@usfbulls69) October 4, 2025
Of course, we're way ahead of things. The Bulls have only played five games, and their three toughest remaining American Conference games are against undefeated teams on the road. That gauntlet starts Friday night at North Texas.
FanDuel Sportsbook has the Mean Green favored by 1.5 points.
However, the Bulls are unquestionably in the playoff picture at this point, and while that's great for fans, USF is in contention because it doesn't look ahead or deal with hypotheticals. Head coach Alex Golesh and his staff stress the "process" every week, and that means focusing on preparation for a good opponent.
Friday's game has the potential to be one of the most entertaining contests of the season. Both teams have high-octane offenses that put up points like an overheated calculator.
USF has 117 points in its last two games (against admittedly overmatched opponents). Quarterback Byrum Brown has been a wrecking ball.
The Bulls' rejuvenated running game has 659 yards in those last two outings. According to Team Rankings, the Mean Green rank 124th in run defense out of 136 teams. They surrender 217 yards per game on the ground.
Given the way Brown is running, facing a defense like that is an open invitation to wreck havoc. He rushed for 162 yards and a touchdown against Charlotte, and threw for four more. If the Mean Green's defensive plan is to try and take away Brown's running game, he has several attractive receiving options.
That brings us back to Florida's impact on USF's ambitions.
Except for the Miami game, the Bulls have found ways to thrive. Against the Gators' tough defense, they hung around with field goals until Brown hit Keshaun Singleton with a 66-yard touchdown pass. After Florida retook the lead, Brown drove the Bulls 87 yards in the final 2:52 to set up Niko Gramatica's game-winning field goal.
This team doesn't get flustered.
It should be a great atmosphere on Friday at UNT, but The Swamp was pretty intimidating as well.
Just ask Texas. The Longhorns can confirm that.