Let's not mince words here: South Florida's fall sports teams have been mostly lousy.
Men's soccer is 1-10-1.
Women's soccer is 2-7-3.
Volleyball is 4-12 after qualifying for the NCAA tournament a year ago.
I'm not including football in the "lousy" lumping because at 4-2 with a first-year head coach and a mostly new roster the Bulls can still salvage a winning record and maybe a bit more. But the most recent two games -- last-minute losses to Temple and UTSA -- are disappointing for sure.
We could go into a lot of reasons why those teams have struggled, but what's the point? Yes, the volleyball team loaded its non-conference schedule with powerhouse teams. They lost two recent five-set matches. Close, but ... well.
Men's soccer lost a recent game at No. 17-ranked Charlotte on a late penalty kick. And let's not forget that baseball struggled mightily last spring.
You get the picture. However, in a bottom-line business, the Bulls are what their record says they are.
You know who believes that more than anyone?
CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins, that's who.
He sent out a tweet Tuesday morning that said, in effect, the buck stops with him.
Results this fall so far aren’t where they need to be yet & that’s on me. We will get it right. Could not be more confident in what we’re building & how we’re building it. Posting promises about it doesn’t do anything though…proving it does & that’s our focus. Let’s make it a…
— Rob Higgins (@RHiggins_USF) October 13, 2026
Does that mean he's going to clean house in those struggling programs? Not at all. But it does mean there is accountability in all 21 sports at USF, and that's extremely encouraging.
There was a time in previous regimes where the so-called "minor sports" were treated as irrevelent trinkets. They weren't funded well and coaches in those sports could always fall back on that as an excuse.
That began to change when Michael Kelly became the VP of Athletics. One of his first actions was to relieve the men's and women's track and cross country coaches of their duties after years of results where mediocrity would have been cause for a parade.
No longer.
Higgins is building on that foundation to create a top-shelf athletic PROGRAM and not just a team.
He told me earlier this year that "We're in a race against time right now, and the emphasis has got to be on winning and winning now."
I took that to mean everything has to be in place for USF when college realignment happens again. The Bulls can't be left out of the power conference picture this time.
Does that mean the Big 12 would look at the men's soccer team and go, well ... sorry guys?
Of course not.
But it does mean that no sport can be collateral damage. If necessary, that means regime change.
The good news is, I believe USF is set to have a very successful winter sports season. New head basketball coaches Chris Mack and Kristy Curry have great track records and have assembled squads that are built to succeed.
The men's team recently beat Miami -- which is highly regarded on the national level -- in a scrimmage.
Mindy McCord's lacrosse team has had tremendous success in the team's first two seasons and is ready to take another step forward.
Ken Eriksen's softball team is always in the mix for a conference championship and NCAA bid.
Yes, it's been a rough fall on several fronts.
In the past that might have been ignored. But these days at USF, everyone is on the clock.
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