In less than a quarter of a century, the University of South Florida has built a team from the ground up that can compete among the best in the nation. The USF Bulls play out of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, which opened in 1998 and currently seats 65,618. Even though the Tampa Bay region is centrally located on the Florida peninsula, the University of South Florida was the southernmost school in the Florida state university system upon its founding in 1956. The Bulls are coached by Jeff Scott, who won two national championships as the co-offensive coordinator at Clemson before joining South Florida after the 2019 season.

History of South Florida Bulls Football

After years of grassroots support among USF students, and spearheaded by the assistant athletic director and Hall of Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon, the South Florida Bulls first took the field on September 6, 1997, beating Kentucky Wesleyan 80-3 in its first game at Houlihan's Stadium. USF played four seasons at the NCAA Division 1-AA level before quickly rising up the FBS level, joining the Big East Conference in 2005 after success in Conference USA and as a Division 1-A independent. South Florida's breakout season came in 2007, upsetting No. 17 Auburn and No. 5 West Virginia on their way to a 6-0 start. The Bulls were ranked as high as No. 2 before finishing the season with a 9-4 record and a Sun Bowl appearance.

The USF Bulls are known for the quality of their head coaches throughout their history, including Jim Leavitt, who ran the program from its inception until 2011. The Bulls have also been coached by such notable names as Skip Holtz, Willie Taggart, and Charlie Strong. Many distinguished players have suited up for the Bulls, including Jason Pierre-Paul and Nate Allen. USF's biggest rivalry by far is against in-state conference opponent Central Florida, with the Knights facing the Bulls on a regular basis since UCF joined the Big East during its transition into the American Athletic Conference in 2012.