We always knew USF’s home game Friday with Memphis was going to be big, but with recent developments in the American Athletic Conference it be even bigger than we originally thought.
It’s the Bulls’ second AAC game and if they have any hope of contending for a conference crown, let’s put it this way: They gotta win.
Losing to Memphis would drop the Bulls to 0-2 in conference play and 2-4 overall. If that happens, replicating last year’s 6-6 regular-season record and becoming bowl eligible would be a challenge.
Of course, the health of quarterback Byrum Brown is the giant X factor in what lies ahead, and we still don't know how bad his leg injury is. Let's keep a good thought about that and take a look at USF's remaining games to get an idea of what they need to do.
Memphis: The Tigers are 4-1, which is about what everyone figured they would be – but not the way they’ve done it. Most people probably figured they would lose at Florida State (they did not) and handle ACC foe Navy easily (they did not).
Navy stamped itself as legitimate by beating Memphis 56-44, and now the Tigers are in an 0-1 hole in the conference and, like USF, comes into Friday’s game after a week off. They’ll be desperate, but so will the Bulls. We still don’t know if USF quarterback Byrum Brown can play.
UAB: If USF still smarts from losing 45-10 at Tulane, imagine how the Blazers must feel after getting mowed 71-20 by the Green Wave. They are 1-4 and 0-2 in the AAC and have been outscored 112-38 in conference games. They trailed UAB 37-6 at halftime.
Oh, and they’re at AAC co-leader Army next week.
Snap judgment: The Blazers are not particularly skilled at football. Of course, we thought that last year, too, but UAB laid a 56-35 loss on the Bulls.
It is homecoming and USF will break ground that week on the new on-campus stadium it will build.
FLORIDA ATLANTIC: The Owls are 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the conference, but this is another game where we remember what they did to the Bulls last year on homecoming. In case you forgot (it’s understandable why you’d want to do that), they thumped the Bulls 56-14. Arguably, it was the low point of the season for USF and the Bulls can’t afford a repeat if they want to go bowling again.
NAVY: This is one most everyone around here had safely in the win column for USF before the actual games began.
Oops!
The Midshipmen are 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference. They’re averaging 40 points a game, and we know the concerns that have arisen about USF’s defense.
CHARLOTTE: The 49ers are a surprising 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the conference, although those two wins were against foot wipes Rice and East Carolina. Still, that’s two more wins than USF has in the conference. It’s a good opportunity for a USF win, but something tells me nothing is going to come easily for the rest of this season.
TULSA: The Bulls should win this game because Tulsa doesn’t seem to be very competitive. They’re 2-4 overall – wins over Northwestern State and Louisiana Tech – but were blown out by North Texas and Army in the conference.
RICE: The Owls are in a rebuild and the results show that. They are 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the AAC. This was another game we put safely in the win column in August. It needs to stay that way.
So, it’s like this: If the Bulls can beat Memphis, they will likely be underdogs only in the Navy game the rest of the year.
If they can beat Memphis, an eight-win season and strong finish in the conference is possible. And they’ll go bowling again, probably at a very nice place.