USF football always tried to emphasize the positives of calling Raymond James Stadium its home for nearly three decades. The Bulls could point to the fact that playing in a first-class NFL stadium carried a certain panache for a program trying to claim a place among the state's more established big three programs.
But while USF on rare occasions could attract crowds of 60,000 or more in the 65,000-seat stadium, more often than not there were large numbers of available seats for nearly all the home games.
That led to an inevitable lack of urgency to buy single-game tickets. Complacent fans knew that if they decided at the last minute to stroll up to the ticket window, they'd have no problem scoring a seat -- even with the upper deck closed off.
Starting in 2027 that likely will not be an option, and it may take a lot of getting used to by fans who want to jump on the bandwagon.
The new on-campus stadium currently under construction will have about 35,000 seats. About 8,000 of those seats will be reserved for students, and the 28 luxury suites are already sold out.
USF is selling high-end premium seats only for the time being, with priority going to donors and season ticket holders. Within that group, it will be based on such things as how long they've held season tickets.
Bottom line: There probably won't be a lot of available seats once the season starts. Call it the law of supply and demand. The smaller capacity at the new stadium upgrades the urgency with which potential ticket-buyers need to act.
USF is accepting deposits for 2027 general admission season tickets. The 2026 season-ticket holders, for the 30th anniversary season of USF football and the final one in Raymond James Stadium, will have priority access to tickets in the new stadium.
Even long-time ticket holders may have to brace for some changes in the way things are done.
There has been some chatter on social media from fans planning to buy premium seats about the plan to provide those seats with all-inclusive food and beverages as part of the package. It's not universally popular among those planning to take that plunge, but that's just another aspect of the new stadium that will be different.
🗣️ @RHiggins_USF: "We are committed to giving all fans and supporters a world-class experience. Every fan, regardless of budget, will have a home in this new stadium."https://t.co/GRezYoKNCM
— USF Athletics (@USFAthletics) June 30, 2026
Former Bucs general manager Rich McKay once told me to think of new stadiums as basically ATMs for the teams involved. USF is investing $348.5 million in this venture -- more than twice what it cost to build Ray-Jay -- and needs to maximize whatever revenue streams it can.
"There's a tremendous amount of momentum behind USF and USF athletics," CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins said. "This is really the missing piece of the puzzle. It's something that's gonna start a wildfire, unlike anything that this world has seen from you."
While that is true, it's also true that wildfires can dramatically change things. And as the old Boy Scout slogan says, USF fans should be prepared.
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