USF football has to play Alabama and Miami? Alex Golesh says, "Bama and Miami gotta play South Florida"

During his press conference on Tuesday at the American Athletic Conference football media days, USF coach Alex Golesh was asked about the Bulls’ upcoming schedule, which includes Alabama and Miami.

His answer captured perfectly the tone Golesh has set for his program.

The Bulls have to play Alabama and Miami?

“Bama and  Miami gotta play South Florida,” he said with no hesitation.

He means it, too. And if that quote ends up on bulletin boards in Tuscaloosa and Miami, so be it. It may come across as cocky, but it’s indicative of the attitude and tone he has set for his program.

This time last year at the AAC media event, people saw him as the new captain of the Titanic – a sinking program and the ideal homecoming opponent for schools looking for an easy win. They were picked to finish 13th in the 14-team AAC but tied for fifth after going 4-4 in conference play.

They are aiming higher this year, and the conference has taken notice. The Bulls were picked to finish fourth in the preseason media poll.

“Year two, so much more confident walking in here because I know the team we have, I know the guys in our building, and I know where we’re headed,” Golesh said.

The Bulls return 19 starters, including nine on their high-powered offense, from last year’s team that finished 7-6 overall and routed Syracuse 45-0 in the Boca Raton Bowl.

“I think obviously it’s a huge credit to our players for wanting to stay. It’s been such a fascinating year – 20 months now, counting back this morning – where we came in and tried to lay a foundation for a sustainable program. So much in college football right now is everybody is trying to build teams. We were adamant about laying a foundation.

“It’s a credit to our guys for buying in, and credit to our staff for setting a culture where guys want to be a part of it. And in Year Two, with a bunch of guys coming back, it doesn’t equal wins but it gives you a chance to continue to build on this foundation.”

How did Golesh and staff engineer such a dramatic improvement in a team that went 4-30 dating to the final four games of 2019 through 2022?

They got there by stressing the process of building a winning program and not accepting shortcuts. The program also had to have the complete commitment from university leadership to provide all the necessary resources.

Get all that, he said, and the results will come.

“The race really was against ourselves,” Golesh said.

“There was a commitment from the top that said we were going to be as competitive as anybody in the country as far as building facilities, feeding our players, pouring into the program, hiring coaches, retaining coaches … there was a commitment. And when there is a commitment, you’ve got a chance.”

That includes games against top-level competition.

“It’s absolutely imperative for us to play the best teams we possibly can. Playing Miami at home is an absolutely huge deal for us. Going to Alabama is absolutely huge for us,” he said.

“They came to our place (last year) and we had every opportunity to be successful in that game (but) couldn’t finish it. Now we get to go redeem ourselves.”