If the pundits and oddsmakers are correct, USF should easily dispose of the Charlotte 49ers on Friday at 7 p.m. to open the Bulls' American Conference schedule in style.
The Bulls are 27.5-point favorites on FanDuel Sportsbook, which sounds about right.
The 49ers are in a complete rebuild under their third head coach in four years. Tim Albin was hired after Charlotte jettisoned Biff Poggi with two games left in the 2024 season. Poggi was 6-16 overall, including losses to USF by 48-14 and 59-24.
Albin is a strong hire. He led Ohio to 10 wins and the MAC championship last year, but it may be a while before he experiences that kind of success at Charlotte. His immediate task was complicated by season-ending injuries to starting quarterback Conner Harrell and starting running back Henry Rutledge.
“It is what it is. Next man up mentality,” Albin said.
The 49ers’ special teams have some punch that USF needs to be wary of.
Place-kicker Liam Boyd had three first-half field goals against Rice in Charlotte’s last game.
Javen Nichols is third in the American Conference and 19th nationally with an average of 13.8 yards per punt return. Nichols also caught a TD pass and a 2-point conversion in Charlotte’s 28-17 loss against Rice in its opening conference game.
Derrick Eley averages 30.8 yards per kickoff return. That leads the American and is 10th in the country.
Still, the 49ers seem like the perfect guest for the Bulls in this nationally televised (ESPN2) game in what should be a festive atmosphere at Raymond James Stadium.
Midfield looking a little different this week 👀#ComeToTheBay | #StayInTheBay pic.twitter.com/E3VsUA3usL
— USF Football (@USFFootball) October 2, 2025
The Bulls will wear helmets with a throwback "RoboBull" logo that the program used for the first six years of USF football. And the RoboBull will be painted on the 50-yard line instead of the usual Bull horns logo.
Very cool.
Besides a victory, there are a couple of things to watch for tonight.
First things first: Can USF please score a touchdown in the first quarter? The Bulls have only three points combined in the opening quarter of their first four games. That was a 45-yard field goal at Miami by Niko Gramatica.
It's not for a lack of trying.
"We've spent so much time trying to make sure we're starting the way we want to start," head coach Alex Golesh said.
On the other hand, USF has a combined 58 points in the third quarter, including 35 against South Carolina State. The Bulls seem to make excellent halftime adjustments.
"They won't let us play a half and then start, or move halftime to the beginning," Golesh said jokingly.
The other thing to watch is the ground game. After struggles in that area for the first three games, USF erupted for 252 rushing yards against South Carolina State. Sam Franklin had a breakout game, rushing for 91 yards on just four carries. He had touchdown runs of 30 and 54 yards.
The Bulls need to keep that balance going as they enter conference play. A strong ground game should complement USF's explosive passing attack.
So, what's it going to be tonight?
Let's call it: USF 41, Charlotte 7.