South Florida Bulls Football - wikipedia South Florida Bulls Football South Florida Bulls football 2017 South Florida Bulls football team First season 1997 Athletic director Mark Harlan Head coach Charlie Strong 1st season, 7 -- 0 ( 1.000 ) Stadium Raymond James Stadium ( Capacity : 65,890 ) Field surface Grass, Tifway Bermuda 419 Location Tampa, Florida Conference The American Division East All - time record 143 -- 103 (. 581 ) Bowl record 5 -- 3 (. 625 ) Rivalries UCF Knights Colors Green and Gold Fight song Golden Brahman March Mascot Rocky D. Bull Marching band Herd of Thunder Website GoUSFBulls.com The South Florida Bulls football team represents the University of South Florida in the sport of American football. The Bulls started playing in 1997 and currently compete in the American Athletic Conference ( The American ) of the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) within the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ). The team plays its home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Contents 1 History 1.1 Jim Leavitt era ( 1997 -- 2009 ) 1.2 Skip Holtz era ( 2010 -- 2012 ) 1.3 Willie Taggart era ( 2013 -- 2016 ) 1.4 Charlie Strong era ( 2017 -- present ) 2 Season - by - season results 2.1 Bowl games 3 Stadium 4 Current professional players 5 Media 6 Rivals 6.1 UCF Knights 6.2 Florida opponents 7 Ranked opponents 8 Statistics & rankings 9 Future out of conference opponents 10 References 11 External links History Jim Leavitt era ( 1997 -- 2009 ) Jim Leavitt In 1997, Jim Leavitt, previously the defensive coordinator at Kansas State, was hired as the team 's first head coach. Their first team meeting was held under a shade tree, as the school had no proper football facilities on campus. In 2001, after competing for four years as a Division I - AA ( now Division I FCS ) independent, the Bulls moved to Division I-A ( now Division I FBS ), where they remained independent. They joined Conference USA in 2003, but only stayed until 2005, when they became a member of the Big East Conference ( now the American Athletic Conference ). On December 31, 2005, USF lost to NC State in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, the team 's first bowl appearance. On December 23, 2006, USF won its first bowl game, the inaugural Papajohns.com Bowl, with a victory over former Conference USA rival, East Carolina. Leavitt would lead the Bulls to 5 straight bowl games from 2005 - 2009, earning a 3 - 2 record. South Florida received increased press coverage for their upsets of Top 25 ranked teams such as Louisville ( 2005 ), West Virginia ( 2006, 2007, 2009 ), Auburn ( 2007 ), Kansas ( 2008 ) and Florida State ( 2009 ). During Leavitt 's tenure, the Bulls were 7 -- 12 against opponents ranked in the Top 25. The 2007 football season marked the first ascent into both the AP Poll and BCS standings for the Bulls. They reached # 23 after defeating # 17 Auburn 26 - 23 in OT, # 18 after defeating North Carolina 37 - 10, # 6 after defeating # 5 West Virginia 21 - 13, # 5 after defeating FAU 35 - 23, and the team finally peaked at # 2 after defeating UCF 64 - 12. The Bulls ' high ranking was short lived, as South Florida lost its next 3 games, and tumbled out of the rankings. The Bulls would rebound and win three straight games to close out the regular season ranked # 21 in the BCS standings and # 23 in the AP Poll. After a 9 - 3 season, the Bulls earned a bid to their third straight bowl game, the Brut Sun Bowl against Oregon. The Bulls entered the game as favorites, but surrendered 56 points ( a Sun Bowl record ) in a blowout loss. Following the loss, USF dropped from the national rankings in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Poll. Leavitt was fired on January 8, 2010 after an investigation revealed that, during halftime of a game against Louisville, he grabbed a player by the shoulder pads and struck him twice across the face. The investigation also claimed that Leavitt interfered with the investigation by telling several coaches and players to change their stories. Leavitt maintains he never struck the player, but was merely trying to console him, and after a wrongful termination suit against USF, the school eventually settled with Leavitt for $2.75 million. Leavitt 's overall record : 95 - 57 (. 625 ) Skip Holtz era ( 2010 -- 2012 ) Skip Holtz On January 14, 2010, Skip Holtz, son of legendary coach Lou Holtz, was hired as the team 's second head coach, leaving East Carolina A press conference to introduce Holtz to the community was held on January 15, 2010, and during the event someone in the crowd called out, `` Beat Florida ! '', to which Holtz replied, `` That 's why I 'm here ! '' However, later that season, the Bulls would lose their one, and to this date only, game against the Gators by 24 points. During his first season, Holtz led the Bulls to the program 's first victory over the Miami Hurricanes. Following the regular season, he led the Bulls to 31 - 26 victory over the Clemson Tigers in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. USF finished with an overall record of 8 - 5 record, which marked the fifth consecutive season of at least eight wins. To start the 2011 season, Skip Holtz led the Bulls to a dramatic 23 - 20 victory against Notre Dame, his alma mater. Unfortunately, the Bulls finished the season with an overall record of 5 - 7, the team 's first losing season since 2004. The team struggled again during the 2012 season, as the Bulls finished with a 3 - 9 record, which, at the time, was the worst in school history. USF athletics director Doug Woolard fired Holtz at the conclusion of the 2012 season, and Holtz was subsequently hired by Louisiana Tech to be the new head coach. Holtz 's overall record : 16 - 21 (. 432 ) Willie Taggart era ( 2013 -- 2016 ) Willie Taggart On December 8, 2012, USF announced that Willie Taggart, who previously served as head football coach at Western Kentucky, would be the third head coach in USF football history. Despite having the top rated recruiting class in the American Conference heading into the 2013 season, the Bulls struggled in Taggart 's first year, posting a 2 - 10 record, which still stands as the worst record in school hisroty USF once again had the top recruiting class in the American Conference heading into the 2014 season, and the Bulls showed improvement in Taggart 's second year, finishing with a 4 - 8 record. In Taggart 's third season, after having the second best recruiting class in the American Athletic Conference, the Bulls finished with an 8 - 5 record. After a 1 - 3 start, with losses to FSU, Maryland, and Memphis, USF won seven of their next eight games, including a 44 - 23 upset of # 22 Temple, a 65 - 27 victory over Cincinnati, and a 44 - 3 victory over in - state rival UCF. The Bulls earned a bid to the Miami Beach Bowl against Taggart 's former team, and alma mater, Western Kentucky, a game USF lost by a score of 45 - 35. During the bowl game, multiple school records would be set, including single season rushing yards ( 1,381 ), and 100 - yard rushing games ( 9 ), by Marlon Mack, and single season receiving yards ( 822 ) by Rodney Adams. The same day as the team 's bowl game, Taggart received a three - year contract extension. Before the 2016 season, the Bulls were selected by many media outlets to win the East division of the American, and were projected to play the University of Houston in the American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game. The Bulls ended the 2016 season tied with Temple for 1st place in the East division, but because of a Week 8 loss to the Owls, USF would not play in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. In a Week 5 game against Cincinnati, Marlon Mack passed Andre Hall to become the leading rusher in program history. Two weeks later, in a Week 7 game against Connecticut, Mack passed B.J. Daniels to become the program leader in rushing touchdowns. After that game, Coach Taggart was included on the watch list for the Paul `` Bear '' Bryant Award, which is presented annually to the best coach in college football. During their Week 9 game against # 22 Navy, the Bulls set a school record for rushing yards in a game, racking up 412 yards in a 52 - 45 victory. The Bulls would break that record two weeks later in their Week 11 game against Memphis, rushing for 416 yards in a 49 - 42 victory. Also in that game, the Bulls broke the school record for offensive touchdowns in a season ( 58 ). In a Week 12 game against SMU, Quinton Flowers passed Matt Grothe to become the school leader in single - season total offense. The Bulls secured their first 10 - win season after a 48 - 31 victory over UCF in Week 13. During that game, Quinton Flowers set the school record for single season rushing yards ( 1,425 ), passing the mark Marlon Mack set in 2015. On November 30, 2016, Quniton Flowers was named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, which is the first such award in school history. On December 7, 2016, Willie Taggart was announced as Oregon 's new head coach, a position that was vacant after the firing of Mark Helfrich on November 29, 2016. Led by interim coach T.J. Weist, the Bulls ended their season with a 46 - 39 OT victory over South Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl on December 29, 2016. On January 12, 2017, Quinton Flowers was named the 2017 College Football Performance Awards National Performer of the Year. Taggart 's overall record : 24 - 25 (. 490 ) Weist 's overall record : 1 - 0 ( 1.000 ) Charlie Strong era ( 2017 -- present ) Charlie Strong On December 11, 2016, USF announced that former Texas and Louisville head coach Charlie Strong would become the Bulls ' new head coach, the fourth in school history. Strong 's deal is for five years, which will keep him in Tampa through the 2021 season. Strong was hired, in part, because of his strong professional and recruiting ties to the state of Florida, as he served as an assistant coach at the University of Florida for almost a decade. Before the 2017 season, the American Athletic Conference Media Poll listed USF as the favorites to win the 2017 American Athletic Conference Championship Game and the unanimous pick to win the East division. On August 3rd, the Bulls were ranked # 21 in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll. On August 19th, Quinton Flowers was named to the Manning Award Watch List, making him the first Bull to be named to five preseason watch lists, as he had already been named to watch lists for the Maxwell, Walter Camp, Davey O'Brien, and Johnny Unitas awards. On August 21st, the Bulls were ranked # 19 in the preseason AP Poll, which matched the highest preseason ranking in school history ( 2008 ). In their Week 1 game against San Jose State, the Bulls set school records for both rushing attempts ( 74 ) and total plays ( 101 ) in a single game. On September 15th, the Bulls earned their first victory over a Big Ten opponent, beating Illinois 47 - 23. During this game, the Bulls totaled 680 yards of offense, the second-most in program history, and the most against an FBS opponent. During the Bulls ' Week 4 game against Temple, Quinton Flowers became the program leader in both rushing touchdowns, passing Marlon Mack, and total touchdowns, passing Marquel Blackwell. Also during this game, the Bulls allowed only 85 yards of total offense, which is a program record against an FBS opponent. With a win in this game, the Bulls extended their winning streak to nine games, a program record. With a 33 - 3 win over Cincinnati in Week 7, the Bulls extended their streak of 30 - plus point games to 23, matching the AP Poll era record ( since 1936 ) set by Oregon from 2011 - 12. The Bulls also extended their winning streak to 11 games, the longest active streak in the country. USF also equaled the best start in program history ( 6 - 0 ), which was previously accomplished in 2007. On October 18th, Coach Strong was named on the watch list for the Paul `` Bear '' Bryant Coach of the Year Award. With a 34 - 28 win over Tulane in Week 8, the Bulls extended their streak of 30 - plus point games to 24, setting the AP Poll era record. This win also gave USF their best start in program history ( 7 - 0 ). Strong 's overall record : 7 - 0 ( 1.000 ) Season - by - season Results NCAA Division I champions Conference Champions Division Champions Bowl Eligible Undefeated Season Year NCAA Division Conference Conference Division Overall Conference Coach Highest Ranking GP Win % GP Win % Standing 1997 I - AA Independent - 11 5 6. 455 - - - - - Jim Leavitt - 1998 I - AA Independent - 11 8. 727 - - - - - Jim Leavitt - 1999 I - AA Independent - 11 7. 636 - - - - - Jim Leavitt - 2000 I - AA Independent - 11 7. 636 - - - - - Jim Leavitt - FCS ( I - AA ) Total 44 27 17. 614 - - - - 2001 I-A Independent - 11 8. 727 - - - - - Jim Leavitt - 2002 I-A Independent - 11 9. 818 - - - - - Jim Leavitt - 2003 I-A C - USA - 11 7. 636 8 5. 625 T - 3rd Jim Leavitt - I-A C - USA - 11 7. 364 8 5. 375 T - 6th Jim Leavitt - 2005 I-A Big East - 12 6 6. 500 7. 571 T - 3rd Jim Leavitt - 2006 FBS Big East - 13 9. 692 7. 571 T - 4th Jim Leavitt - 2007 FBS Big East - 13 9. 692 7. 571 T - 3rd Jim Leavitt # 2 ( Week 8 ) AP & Coaches Poll 2008 FBS Big East - 13 8 5. 615 7 5. 286 6th Jim Leavitt # 10 ( Week 6 ) AP & Coaches Poll 2009 FBS Big East - 13 8 5. 615 7. 429 T - 4th Jim Leavitt # 21 ( Week 7 ) AP & Coaches Poll FBS Big East - 13 8 5. 615 7. 429 T - 5th Skip Holtz - 2011 FBS Big East - 12 5 7. 417 7 6. 143 T - 7th Skip Holtz # 14 ( Week 5 ) Coaches Poll 2012 FBS Big East - 12 9. 250 7 6. 143 8th Skip Holtz - 2013 FBS The American - 12 10. 167 8 6. 250 8th Willie Taggart - 2014 FBS The American - 12 8. 363 8 5. 428 7th Willie Taggart - 2015 FBS The American East 13 8 5. 615 8 6. 750 2nd East Willie Taggart - 2016 FBS The American East 13 11. 846 8 7. 875 T - 1st East Willie Taggart # 19 ( Final ) AP & Coaches Poll 2017 FBS The American East 7 7 0 1.000 0 1.000 - Charlie Strong # 13 ( Week 8 ) Coaches Poll FBS ( I-A ) Total 202 116 86. 574 108 52 56. 481 Total 246 143 103. 581 108 52 56. 481 Bowl games Year Date Bowl Opponent Result PF PA Coach 2005 December 31, 2005 Meineke Car Care Bowl NC State 0 14 Jim Leavitt 2006 December 23, 2006 PapaJohns.com Bowl East Carolina 24 7 Jim Leavitt 2007 December 31, 2007 Sun Bowl Oregon 21 56 Jim Leavitt 2008 December 20, 2008 St. Petersburg Bowl Memphis 41 14 Jim Leavitt 2009 January 2, 2010 International Bowl Northern Illinois 27 Jim Leavitt December 31, 2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl Clemson 31 26 Skip Holtz 2015 December 21, 2015 Miami Beach Bowl Western Kentucky 35 45 Willie Taggart 2016 December 29, 2016 Birmingham Bowl South Carolina 46 39 T.J. Weist * Total 5 -- 3 * Interim coach after Willie Taggart accepted the head coaching position at Oregon. Stadium The Bulls played their home games at Houlihan 's Stadium during their debut season in 1997, and the first two games of the 1998 season. The Bulls debuted in their new home, Raymond James Stadium, on October 3, 1998 with a 45 - 6 win over The Citadel. From 1998 to 2007, the upper sections were typically not used during USF games, but the lower sections allowed for a capacity of 41,441. On September 28, 2007, the # 18 ranked Bulls played the # 5 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in front of 67,012 fans. This remained the largest USF home game crowd in the stadium 's history until September 29, 2012, when the Bulls played the FSU Seminoles in front of 69,383 fans. The Bulls have enjoyed a winning edge at Raymond James, building an 84 - 39 (. 683 ) record since 1998, including one streak of 21 straight victories ( 11 / 6 / 1999 - 10 / 10 / 2003 ). The Bulls are 18 - 1 in home openers played at Raymond James ( 20 - 1 overall ), with their only loss coming in 2013 at the hands of McNeese State. Current professional players See also : List of USF Bulls in the NFL Draft Current as of September 2017. National Football League ( 11 ) Rodney Adams - Wide Receiver, Minnesota Vikings Nate Allen - Safety, Miami Dolphins Nigel Harris - Linebacker, Los Angeles Chargers Eric Lee - Defensive End, Buffalo Bills Aaron Lynch - Linebacker, San Francisco 49ers Marlon Mack - Running Back, Indianapolis Colts Terrell McClain - Defensive Tackle, Washington Redskins Jason Pierre - Paul - Defensive End, New York Giants Austin Reiter - Center, Cleveland Browns Kayvon Webster - Cornerback, Los Angeles Rams Darrell Williams - Offensive Tackle, Los Angeles Rams Arena Football League ( 1 ) Jeremiah Warren - Offensive Line, Tampa Bay Storm Indoor Football League ( 2 ) Cory Grissom - Defensive Line, Green Bay Blizzard Lawrence Martin IV - Offensive Line, Nebraska Danger Canadian Football League ( 1 ) S.J. Green - Slotback, Montreal Alouettes Media USF Football game broadcasts can be heard in the Bay Area on flagship station WWBA 820 AM. Play - by - play man, and the Voice of the Bulls, Jim Louk, is teamed with analyst, and former Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Mark Robinson. In 2017, Joey Johnston, a senior writer for the Tampa Tribune and Tampa Bay Times, joined Louk and Robinson as a sideline reporter. USF Football games air on various ESPN channels, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNews, as well as CBS Sports Network. Some replays can be seen on Spectrum Sports. Rivals Before major conference realignment in the early 2010s, USF had many competitive games with Louisville ( 5 - 6 overall record ) and West Virginia ( 3 - 4 overall record ; 3 - 3 when opponent ranked in Top 25 ). USF also began a 6 - year Thanksgiving weekend series in 2008 with Miami, with the last four games ( 2010 - 2013 ) being televised by one of the ESPN networks. West Virginia left the Big East conference before the 2012 season to join the Big 12, while Louisville left the American Athletic Conference after the 2013 season for the ACC. UCF knights As a young program that has grown rapidly and shifted conferences several times, USF has developed few lasting rivalries. The most noteworthy has been the South Florida - UCF football rivalry against in - state opponent, the University of Central Florida. The matchup had been the subject of much discussion and fan enthusiasm since the 1990s, but it was not until 2005 that games were scheduled. The two schools met in a four - year, home - and - away series through 2008. USF won all four games, which drew substantial crowds, but declined to schedule any further games. However, the series resumed as an annual conference game when UCF joined the American in 2013. Florida opponents Opponent Wins Losses Win Pct. Year ( s ) UCF 6. 750 2005 - 2008, 2013 - Present Florida A&M 0 1.000 2005, 2011, 2015 Florida Atlantic 0.750 2002, 2007, 2010, 2013 Florida International 0 1.000 2006, 2008 Florida State 0.250 2009, 2012, 2015 - 2016 Miami 5 0.167 2008 - 2013 Florida 0 0.000 Total 16 12 0.571 Ranked opponents USF has played many ranked opponents in their short history, earning several marquee victories. Year Opponent AP Rank Score 2005 Louisville 9 45 - 14 2006 West Virginia 7 24 - 19 2007 Auburn 17 26 - 23 2007 West Virginia 5 21 - 13 2008 Kansas 13 37 - 34 2009 Florida State 18 17 - 7 2009 West Virginia 20 30 - 19 2011 Notre Dame 16 23 - 20 2015 Temple 21 44 - 23 2016 Navy 22 52 - 45 Statistics & rankings See also : South Florida Bulls football statistical leaders The Bulls received their first ever Preseason Top 25 ranking on August 1, 2007, as they were ranked # 21 in the Coaches Poll. USF was ranked for the first time exactly 10 years and 10 days after its inaugural game against Kentucky Wesleyan in 1997. USF earned an AP Poll ranking only 104 polls after becoming a full - time, bowl eligible FBS member in 2001. Boise State had the previous record, getting ranked after 115 AP Polls. USF became the fastest team in the modern era of college football to go from an upstart NCAA FBS school to a Top 10 ranking, which took 106 AP Polls and 112 Coaches Polls. USF became the fastest team in the modern era of college football to go from an upstart NCAA FBS school to a Top 5 ranking, which took them 107 weeks to achieve. USF set the record for consecutive 30 - plus point games ( 24 ) on October 21, 2017. Future out of conference opponents Announced schedules as of May 12, 2017 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 at San Jose State vs Elon vs Wisconsin at Texas vs Central Michigan vs Texas at Western Kentucky vs Western Kentucky at Northern Illinois vs Stony Brook vs Georgia Tech at Georgia Tech vs San Jose State vs BYU vs FAU at Texas vs Illinois at Illinois at Central Michigan vs Nevada at BYU at UMass at Florida Atlantic References Jump up ^ Color Palettes -- University Communications. University of South Florida. Retrieved March 23, 2016. Jump up ^ http://www.gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=1252964 Jump up ^ Shannon, Brian. `` Kennesaw State Football : Five Models The New Program Should Follow ''. Jump up ^ Writer, PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports. `` Ga. State starts new program in tough economy ''. Jump up ^ AP. `` Georgia State starts new football program in tough economy - Lubbock Online - Lubbock Avalanche - Journal ''. lubbockonline.com. Jump up ^ http://www.gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=204765601 Jump up ^ `` South Florida Is The Second Best AAC HC Job ''. Jump up ^ `` USF Excited to Join BIG EAST ''. Jump up ^ `` USF enters American Athletic Conference on Monday < br / > < br / > ''. Tampa Bay Times. Jump up ^ `` South Florida vs. NC State - Game Recap - December 31, 2005 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` South Florida vs. East Carolina - Game Recap - December 23, 2006 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` Louisville vs. South Florida - Game Summary - September 24, 2005 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` South Florida vs. West Virginia - Game Recap - November 25, 2006 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` West Virginia vs. South Florida - Game Recap - September 28, 2007 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` West Virginia vs. South Florida - Game Recap - October 30, 2009 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` South Florida vs. Auburn - Game Recap - September 8, 2007 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` Kansas vs. South Florida - Game Recap - September 12, 2008 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` South Florida vs. Florida State - Game Recap - September 26, 2009 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. ^ Jump up to : `` 2007 South Florida Bulls Stats - College Football at Sports-Reference.com ''. College Football at Sports-Reference.com. ^ Jump up to : `` USF fires coach Leavitt for smacking player ''. ESPN.com. 8 January 2010. Jump up ^ `` Jim Leavitt back in college game, while player he struck is struggling ''. Jump up ^ Ryan, Shannon. `` Skip Holtz and Tim Beckman continue family coaching traditions ''. Jump up ^ `` South Florida Hires Skip Holtz ''. ncaafootball.fanhouse.com. Retrieved 2010 - 01 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Skip Holtz excites South Florida with lofty goals ''. ESPN.com. 15 January 2010. Jump up ^ No. 8 Florida 38, South Florida 14. Jump up ^ `` South Florida vs. Miami - Game Recap - November 27, 2010 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` South Florida vs. Clemson - Game Recap - December 31, 2010 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` 2010 South Florida Bulls Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com ''. College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Jump up ^ `` South Florida vs. Notre Dame - Game Recap - September 3, 2011 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` 2011 South Florida Bulls Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com ''. College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Jump up ^ `` 2012 South Florida Bulls Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com ''. College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Jump up ^ McMurphy, Brett ( December 2, 2012 ). `` USF fires Skip Holtz, sources say ''. ESPN.com. Retrieved 2012 - 12 - 02. Jump up ^ `` Louisiana Tech hires Skip Holtz as new coach ''. Jump up ^ `` Taggart introduced as South Florida 's coach ''. Jump up ^ `` 2013 South Florida Bulls Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com ''. College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Jump up ^ `` 2014 South Florida Bulls Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com ''. College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Jump up ^ `` 2015 South Florida Bulls Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com ''. College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Jump up ^ `` South Florida vs. Florida State - Game Recap - September 12, 2015 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. ^ Jump up to : `` South Florida vs. Maryland - Game Summary - September 19, 2015 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. ^ Jump up to : `` Cincinnati vs. South Florida - Game Recap - November 20, 2015 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` Western Kentucky vs. South Florida - Game Summary - December 21, 2015 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. ^ Jump up to : Murschel, Matt. `` USF wins, Willie Taggart contract extension boost Bulls ' recruiting class ''. Jump up ^ `` UCF vs. South Florida - Game Recap - November 26, 2016 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` Oregon to hire South Florida 's Willie Taggart as next football coach ''. Jump up ^ `` South Florida vs. South Carolina - Game Summary - December 29, 2016 - ESPN ''. ESPN.com. Jump up ^ `` Quinton Flowers wins national honor ''. Tampa Bay Times. Jump up ^ `` South Florida hires former Texas coach Strong ''. Jump up ^ `` South Florida hires Charlie Strong ''. Jump up ^ Staples, Andy. `` Why USF is perfect spot for Charlie Strong to rebuild ''. Jump up ^ Blodgett, Aimee ( December 11, 2016 ). `` CHARLIE STRONG NAMED HEAD COACH OF USF FOOTBALL ''. Retrieved December 11, 2016. Jump up ^ `` South Florida capitalizes on Charlie Strong 's Texas deal ''. Jump up ^ `` Source : Charlie Strong visiting South Florida to talk head coach job - FOX Sports ''. 9 December 2016. Jump up ^ `` USF Is The Favorite In 2017 American Athletic Conference Media Poll ''. theamerican.org. Retrieved 2017 - 08 - 03. Jump up ^ `` NCAA Football - Amway Coaches Poll USA Today Sports ''. sportspolls.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2017 - 08 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Flowers Named to Manning Award List, Now on Five National Award Watch Lists - USF Athletics ''. www.gousfbulls.com. Retrieved 2017 - 08 - 20. Jump up ^ `` The AP Top 25 Poll ''. NCAA College Football. Retrieved 2017 - 08 - 21. Jump up ^ `` Strong Named to Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watch List ''. University of South Florida. Retrieved 2017 - 10 - 19. Jump up ^ `` USF Athletics '' ( PDF ). gousfbulls.com. Jump up ^ `` University of South Florida Bulls 2006 Football Media Guide ( pdf file ) page 10, sixth paragraph. '' ( PDF ). Jump up ^ 67,018 Jump up ^ `` USF Athletics ''. www.gousfbulls.com. Jump up ^ `` Sports : USF adds statement series with Hurricanes ''. www.sptimes.com. Jump up ^ Greg Auman ( September 6, 2008 ). `` Should USF play UCF every year ? ''. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved August 14, 2012. Jump up ^ Greg Auman ( April 29, 2011 ). `` USF says no contracts proposed for football with UCF ''. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved August 14, 2012. Jump up ^ Mike Bianchi ( December 7, 2011 ). `` Finally, Big East gives UCF some much - needed good news ''. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 13, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Homepage : NBC Sports ''. 23 August 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Game Preview : UCF at No. 5 USF ''. Jump up ^ `` USF Bulls - Schedules and Future Schedules ''. fbschedules.com. Retrieved May 12, 2017. External links Official website South Florida Bulls football Venues Tampa Stadium ( 1997 ) Raymond James Stadium ( 1998 -- present ) Bowls & rivalries Bowl games UCF Culture & lore Rocky the Bull `` Golden Brahman March '' Herd of Thunder People Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders Seasons 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 University of South Florida Located in : Tampa, Florida Campuses University of South Florida University of South Florida Sarasota -- Manatee University of South Florida St. Petersburg History USF History USFSM History USFSP History People List of University of South Florida alumni Athletics Herd of Thunder Rocky the Bull South Florida Bulls Baseball Men 's basketball Women 's basketball Football Men 's Soccer South Florida -- UCF rivalry USF Sailing Team Media The Crow 's Nest The Oracle WSMR ( FM ) WUSF ( FM ) WUSF - TV WXBL Facilities USF Athletic Facilities USF Baseball Stadium University of South Florida Botanical Gardens USF Soccer Stadium USF Sun Dome Related topics The Historian New College of Florida Phi Alpha Theta Founded : 1956 Students : 48,793 Endowment : 417 million American Athletic Conference football East Division Cincinnati Bearcats Connecticut Huskies East Carolina Pirates South Florida Bulls Temple Owls UCF Knights West Division Houston Cougars Memphis Tigers Navy Midshipmen SMU Mustangs Tulane Green Wave Tulsa Golden Hurricane Championships & awards Conference champions All - time standings Championship Game ( 2015 -- ) Awards Seasons 1991 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_Florida_Bulls_football&oldid=806449694 '' Categories : South Florida Bulls football Sports clubs established in 1997 1997 establishments in Florida Talk Contents About Wikipedia Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 22 October 2017, at 02 : 56. 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Question: how long has south florida had a football team
Answer: The Bulls started playing in 1997