Nick Saban Calls USF the "Most Under-Appreciated Team" But Still Picks Miami to Win

USF is ranked 18th in the country heading into today’s game at 5th-ranked Miami.

Yet, no less than Nick Saban on College GameDay said USF “has to be” the most under-appreciated 2-0 team in the country.

“They beat two ranked teams this year, and they had the best two wins,” he said. “They play with great determination, great grit, great intangibles, and take advantage of the other team's mistakes.

“Their coach has done a fantastic job. I think they're going to meet their match today, but to this point, under-appreciated.”

I get his point.

Counting today’s game, the Bulls have been a combined 41.5-point underdog in their three games, including a 17.5-point underBull today against the Hurricanes.

Not only that, in their 18-16 win last week at Florida, a prevalent narrative was that the Gators lost the game more than the Bulls won it.

However, as Miami coach Mario Cristobol said of USF on The Joe Rose Show on 560 WQAM on Monday morning, "They are not ranked high enough, quite honestly.”

Pat McAfee called the Bulls the “upset darlings” and added, "This USF team is electrifying, they're explosive, and they don't fear anybody."

The GameDay’s panel agreed that while the Bulls deserve the accolades they have received, Miami may be too much to handle today, although two of the five commentators picked USF to cover the spread.

McAfee said, USF is "going into a hostile, tough, brand-new Miami Hurricanes team led by (quarterback) Carson Beck. Mario Cristobol’s got dogs in south Florida."

Kirk Herbstreit added, "(USF) is doing a great job, but let's not forget the team they're playing. The Miami Hurricanes seem to be on a mission,?

ESPN got an interesting inside look at one of USF’s team meetings during the week.

Bulls coach Alex Golesh praised his team for the way it handled a hostile environment at Florida, but added, “you’ve gotta prepare for a road environment again.”

Linebacker Mac Harris noted, “It’s always good to see your process and turn out to be something good. But after that, you know, we have a reset. It's about our inner circle and what we believe, like we're gonna tell each other the truth.”

It’s about staying focused and tuning out the noise surrounding their sudden “upset darlings” status.

“If you don’t come in, humble through your prep, your approach, your process, you will get humbled on the back end,” Golesh told the Bulls.

“The reason that this is a big deal is because you have made it a big game. You've earned the right to be in a big game because of how you approach from week to week. You continue to work at this point. You continue to prepare for each other.”