National consensus: Bulls 6th in Big East

Posted Jul 6, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Jul 6, 2010 at 12:17 PM

I wrote last week about USF surprisingly getting shut out on the regional covers of the four major college football preseason magazines considering the offseason hiring of Skip Holtz and the return of perhaps the top QB in the Big East, B.J. Daniels.

So, what exactly is the national perception of the 2010 Bulls?

Well, in researching six of the top preseason magazines now on newsstands, here is some of what they have to say:

Yahoo! Sports

National ranking: 45
Bowl prediction: USF vs. Southern Miss in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Pete
Big East finish: 6th – Late-season collapses are keeping the Bulls from greatness.

The Sporting News

National ranking: n/a
Bowl prediction: n/a
Big East finish: 6th – The long-term outlook under Skip Holtz is promising, but the Bulls will take a step back for a year or two while Holtz rebuilds the program in his image.

Phil Steele’s

National ranking: 49
Bowl prediction: USF vs. Southern Miss in Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl
Big East finish: Tied for 3rd with Cincinnati – Skip Holtz steps into a great situation. USF is a team that is loaded with speed and talent that has underachieved the past two years and actually gone 5-9 in Big East play … A couple of times in recent years USF appeared headed to a Big East title but disappointed. Holtz’s teams rarely disappoint.

Lindy’s Sports

National ranking: 54
Bowl prediction: n/a
Big East finish: 6th – The Bulls should put points on the board if their ground game improves as expected and their receivers come through. But to compete in the Big East, they need to solve their issues on defense.

Athlon Sports

National ranking: 45
Bowl prediction: USF vs. Temple (According to Athlon’s projections, the WAC, Big Ten and Big 12 will fail to fill all their allotted bowl slots).
Big East finish: 6th – Look for Holtz to tap into South Florida’s resources – the Tampa Bay area’s fertile recruiting ground – to ensure a bright future. For now, just holding ground with a winning record and bowl berth is the realistic goal.

USA Today College Football

National ranking: n/a
Bowl prediction: n/a
Big East finish: 6th – A big concern is depth on both sides of the ball. The defense is talented, but it’s going to have a lot of new faces in bigger roles.

Notes: In Athlon’s preview, an opposing Big East assistant coach had this to say about USF: “South Florida will always have better skill players than anyone in the league. It’s just a matter of what they will do with them.’’  … In Lindy’s preview, LB DeDe Lattimore gets some love – By the end of spring, the redshirt freshman was earning praise from defensive coordinator Mark Snyder for his ability to pick up the new scheme. Lattimore will push for playing time in the fall. … Phil Steele’s is the kindest to USF, ranking B.J. Daniels as the top QB in the Big East and saying this about Holtz: “Skip Holtz won conference titles with less talent [at East Carolina] and will have the Bulls a Big East contender in his first year … How will the Bulls do at Florida on Sept. 11? The Sporting News expects a good game: “After winning at Florida State last year, South Florida will give Urban Meyer a scare in Gainesville before coming up short.’’ … Yahoo! Sports sees the Bulls on the decline in Holtz’s first season, not only because of a drop-off in talent, but due to schedule concerns – “The schedule is tougher, too, including the first game in school history against Florida and a stretch in midseason where four of six games are on the road.’’

OK, that’s what they say. What do you say? Agree or disagree with the national view?