South Florida Bulls The South Florida Bulls are the athletic teams for the University of South Florida . The university competes in NCAA Division I , USF is a member of the Big East Conference ( which will become the American Athletic Conference in July of 2013 ) , and has been since 2005 . The university currently sponsors varsity sports : baseball , men ' s and women ' s basketball , golf , football , men ' s and women ' s soccer , softball , tennis , cross country , track , volleyball , sailing . Varsity sports . Men ' s athletic teams Women ' s athletic teams Football . USF began college football play as a 1 - AA independent in 1997 , moved to 1 - A in 2001 , then to Conference USA in 2003 , and now competes in the Big East conference ( as of 2005 ) with its Bowl Championship Series ( BCS ) tie - ins . Additionally , USF ' s rapid advancement to the Big East Conference and the associated gains in recruiting have been helped greatly by its facilities . The Bulls recently opened an $ 18 million athletic facility on campus , and the football team plays its home games in Raymond James Stadium , also the home field of the National Football League ' s Tampa Bay Buccaneers . On September 24 , 2005 , USF surprised ninth - ranked University of Louisville for its first victory over a Big East conference foe , as well as its first victory over a ranked opponent . As a result , USF received its first - ever votes in the AP college football poll . USF went on to beat ranked opponents by defeating # 7 West Virginia University on November 25 , 2006 , # 17 Auburn University on September 8 , 2007 , # 5 West Virginia again on September 28 , 2007 . On September 16 , 2007 , a week after defeating Auburn , USF was nationally ranked for the first time in the young program ' s history . The AP poll listed USF at # 23 , while the USA Today coaches poll had the Bulls at # 24 . This is an NCAA record , as USF achieved its first Top 25 ranking faster than any other Division I - A school in the modern era . Since becoming a bowl - eligible Division I - A member in 2001 , the Bulls were ranked after 104 AP polls during the fourth week of their seventh season . Boise State had the previous record , getting ranked after 115 AP polls during the 13th week of its seventh year as a bowl - eligible Division I - A member . On October 14 , 2007 , after the AP , Coaches ' , and BCS rankings were released , the Bulls were ranked # 2 , # 3 , and # 2 respectively , the highest ranked the school ' s football program has ever been . However , on Thursday October 18 , the Bulls lost to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a 30 - 27 upset in Piscataway , New Jersey . Two more losses followed in the next two games , knocking the Bulls out of the college rankings . The Bulls rebounded to finish the 2007 season 9 – 3 , ranked # 21 in the BCS standings , and played in the Brut Sun Bowl . The Bulls , however , lost to the Oregon Ducks by a score of 56 – 21 in that contest . On October 4 , 2009 , the Bulls entered the rankings for the first time in the 2009 - 10 season at # 23 , after beating Syracuse at the Carrier Dome . They then lost to highly - favored # 5 Cincinnati and USF was dropped from the top 25 . Basketball . The birth of the college basketball program at the University of South Florida was in 1971 . The first game was a 74 – 73 victory over Stetson University . The season ended with eight wins and 17 losses . The men ' s head coach is Stan Heath . Heath was named USF head coach on April 3 , 2007 , — marking the official start to a new era in the program ’ s history . Heath has seven years of experience coaching at the collegiate level , and has been to the NCAA tournament three times . In his first season at USF , Heath helped guide two players to Big East all - conference honors , first team selection senior Kentrell Gransberry and record - setting freshman Dominique Jones , who captured honorable mention laurels and was a unanimous pick on the All - Rookie Team . Heath arrived at USF after serving as head coach at the University of Arkansas for five seasons . While with the Razorbacks , Heath guided the program to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances ( 2006 , 2007 ) and an overall record of 82 – 71 . UA posted 20 - win campaigns in each of his final two seasons and 2006 - 07 was highlighted by a run to the championship game of the SEC Tournament and subsequent participation in the NCAAs . Noted players include Dominique Jones , Chucky Atkins , and Solomon Jones . The women ' s head coach is Jose Fernandez . Fernandez arrived in Tampa in April 2000 , as an assistant women ' s basketball coach and was officially named head coach on December 14 , 2000 . As head coach at USF , he has guided the Bulls to an unprecedented five - straight postseason tournaments and to the cusp of bringing his program into the upper echelon of the Big East Conference . Under his tutelage , USF advanced to the program ' s first - ever NCAA Tournament during the 2005 - 06 season , and to five seasons of . 500 or better — in the past seven years — after the Bulls had recorded just three winning seasons , all 14 - 13 records , in the last 23 years . He has also guided USF to two 20 - win campaigns — 21 - 11 in 2004 - 05 and 21 - 12 in 2006 - 07 — over the last four years . On April 4 , 2009 , he led the team to their first - ever post season championship with a 75 - 71 win over the Kansas Jayhawks in the WNIT . Baseball . The head baseball coach is Lelo Prado . He is a native of Cuba who grew up in Tampa before embarking on a successful college coaching career that includes back - to - back NCAA Division II National Championships in his hometown . He returned to Tampa on June 16 , 2006 , to become the fifth coach in the USF baseball program ' s history . In two years with the Bulls , Prado has produced consecutive Big East Championship appearances , picking up a pair of wins in the post - season tournament both years . Prado has been successful at USF , leading the Bulls to back - to - back seasons with 30 plus wins . The team plays at USF Baseball Stadium on campus . Golf . The new men ' s golf coach is Chris Malloy , the former assistant men ' s golf coach from Florida State University . The women ' s golf coach is Marci Kornegay . Kornegay was named head coach of the women ' s golf program in June 2007 . She came to USF from the University of South Carolina , where she was an assistant coach from July 2004 until her appointment at USF . Kornegay was a nominee for the 2006 - 07 NGCA Assistant Golf Coach of the Year . Sailing . A nationally recognized women ' s sailing program at USF is coached by Allison Jolly the gold medalist in the first olympic women ' s sailing event at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul . Soccer . George Kiefer , the 2005 NCAA South Region Coach of the Year is a native of Bay Shore , NY . Kiefer was named USF ’ s head coach on June 21 , 2002 , becoming the program ’ s sixth coach in its 40 - year history . Since arriving in Tampa , Kiefer has compiled a 64 - 38 - 13 ( . 613 ) record in six years at USF , leading the Bulls to four seasons of 10 - or - more wins and a 37 - 9 - 7 ( . 764 ) record at home . Under Kiefer , USF has faced 29 nationally ranked opponents , registering a 14 - 11 - 4 record versus the nation ’ s elite . The USF men ' s soccer team beat St . Johns to win the Big East Conference title in 2008 . They made it to the Elite Eight of the 2008 NCAA College Cup Championships , where they lost to number 1 seed Wake Forest . The USF men ' s soccer team tied with Rutgers in a 0 - 0 draw on October 31 , 2011 , to officially win the whole title of the Big East Red Division . They had an undefeated season in conference play . The USF men ' s soccer team made it to the Elite Eight in the 2011 NCAA College Cup Championships , where they lost to number 2 seed Creighton in overtime . The USF women ' s soccer team is led by coach Denise Schilte Brown , who became the second coach in the program ' s history . She joined the program in December of 2006 and had previously coached at Virginia Commonwealth and University of Maryland - Baltimoe County . In 2010 the women ' s soccer teamed earned their first berth to the NCAA tournament . Tennis . Men ' s head coach Don Barr came to USF in 1991 as an assistant coach and assumed head coaching duties in 1992 . His leadership has led to the most successful seasons in the 43 - year history of the Bulls program , including five conference championships and six Coach of the Year awards . Track & Field . Warren Bye has been the head coach for the USF men ' s & women ' s track & field team since the 2006 season . In 2012 , both teams posted a program best at the Big East Outdoor Championships . The men ' s team placed 2nd in the Big East Outdoor Championships , while the women ' s team placed 3rd . Volleyball . Claire Lessinger was named the tenth head coach in USF volleyball history on March 18 , 2004 . Lessinger , has battled to transform the program into Big East Champion contenders , leading the Bulls to back - to - back Big East conference tournaments including a third place showing in 2007 . Spirit . Band . The Herd of Thunder , often called HOT or the Pride of the Bay , is the athletic band of the South Florida Bulls , including the show band , pep band , and marching band ensembles , although it is often used to refer simply to the marching band . It was founded in 1999 , two years after USF fielded its first football team . Cheerleading . USF is known in the cheerleading world and has a strong co - ed team and all - girls squad . In 2010 , the All - Girl squad finished 3rd at UCA nationals . The co - ed squad hopes to compete in future UCA Nationals .