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Do not be surprised if USF beats the Crimson Tide in week two

With the Alabama Crimson Tide taking the USF Bulls lightly, expect the Bulls to defeat the Tide in Tuscaloosa this Saturday.

ByPeter Bartell|
Sep 16, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; South Florida Bulls head coach Alex Golesh walks off the field after losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Sep 16, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; South Florida Bulls head coach Alex Golesh walks off the field after losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Alabama Crimson Tide are presumed by almost everyone to be an easy 2-0 heading into Madison, Wisconsin for their week three contest against the Wisconsin Badgers. As ESPN College GameDay analyst Lee Corso says, “not so fast my friend.” The Tide will have a contest in week two that I believe will be tougher than they think as they play host to the USF Bulls

Why the Alabama Crimson Tide will be challenged playing USF

USF will have confidence from 2023

Last year in Tampa, the Bulls played the Tide to a 3-3 tie in halftime of the week three contest. The Tide eventually went on to win the rain-soaked affair 17-3.

Many Tide fans justified the game is a close contest because of the monsoon-like weather that came down throughout. However, that may have not been the case as the Bulls ended up with a 7-6 season under first year head coach, Alex Golesh who seems to have the program on the mend.

Unfortunately for the Tide, the turnaround of the Bulls program is not starting this year- that was last year. In 2023, Golesh led the Bulls to their first winning season since 2018. In the four years prior to Golesh’s arrival, the Bulls went 8-29. The fact that in year one, Golesh was only one win short of matching the Bulls’ cumulative win total over the past four seasons before he arrived is quite impressive. And it is not being talked about for the Tide.

The Bulls started off the 2024 season last week with an impressive 48-3 victory of FCS opponent Bethune-Cookman, so appear to be on the right track again in 2024. Needless to say, since Golesh arrived, this appears to be a program brimming with confidence.

USF brings in third year quarterback, Byrum Brown

USF quarterback, Byrum Brown threw for over 3,000 yards for the first time in program history in 2023 in his first full season starting. Brown should come into the contest against the Tide poised and confident. The group of five program should have a ton of motivation and momentum built since they hung in with the Tide in 2023, and then went on to have their first winning season in quite a while.

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