Posted by  Marcus Jackson, Tampa on 07/12  at  03:21 PM

Phil Steele’s preview is the ONLY college football magazine I buy now because I learned that he really knows his stuff.  I remember one year when Washington State had come off a Rose Bowl Game pres. by Citi appearance and was predicted by no less than Steele to finish buck naked last in the Pac-10 and that was what happened.  As for the USF Bulls, they should have no worse than a 9-3 regular season record.  Anything short of that should be considered underachieving.

Posted by  Larry Goodman, Temple Terrace on 07/03  at  04:34 PM

//please ignore my other letter//

  Phil Steele’s “unabridged college football encyclopedia-magazine” is amazing and his comments on the Bulls is highly flattering.
Remember, though, most of the Bulls’ all-around recognition is from winning at Morgantown. Plus, prognosticators absolutely love “new kids on the block.”
  To go, say, 9-3, Bulls must get out of the gate early and play hard, smart(including fewer penalties), and consistently in every game. It’s almost impossible to be UP every week!
  Forget the bigger bowls until we prove our fans will travel (8-10,000).
  It’s a fun schedule. The Bulls deserve great home crowds.
  P.S. Bulls, Don’t get big-headed and behave yourselves when “off duty!”

Posted by  James Raulerson, Clearwater on 07/03  at  12:43 PM

We will be Big East Champs this year.

Posted by  Jim Risler, St. Petersburg on 06/27  at  09:25 AM

USF will be 9-3 this year is my prediction.  The Auburn game will set the tone for the season.

Posted by  chris harmon, jacksonville, fl on 06/26  at  11:45 AM

I guess they are just saying that this is a possibility, but they are not predicting that we will be undefeated or win our conference.  They still have us ranked 24th - behind the other 3 Big East contenders.

Posted by  K. BRIXTON OLIVER, NARANJA, FL on 06/25  at  10:17 AM

Stranger things have happened before, obviously we need the stars to align perfectly and some luck on our side to reach the National Title game.  Each year I am amazed by the progess of this program (USF), winning changes alot.  We are not really known nationally, but doing great things on the field and winning big games (i.e. Auburn) should place us in elite company.

Posted by  DERRY BECK, SARASOTA, FL on 06/24  at  12:35 PM

While I’m no expert, I do think a national title is a real longshot for this season-we need to be able to improve our recruiting base to move to that level. However, I do agree completely with the growing respect for the Bulls. College Football News mentions the Bulls very positively each time the Big East comes up, and views them as a real threat for the Big East title. In the Louisville and West Va reviews, the Bulls are identified as a key game for each of them.
It’s going to be a great season, full of excitement and surprises-I’m ready to go right now!

Posted by  Brian Rolph, Venice on 06/23  at  11:41 AM

I’ll go ahead and book my tickets for the national title game.  We are going!  On second thought, I will hold off for a little while.  In all reality what Steele says is true.  It’s not out of the realm of possibility.  USF can certainly beat every team on their schedule if you look at each game independently.  Will they do that?  Most likely not.  However, if they did then depending how things play out you could see USF in the national title game.  A USF win at Auburn coupled with a strong SEC record by Auburn would be needed.  If USF beat Auburn and Auburn wins the SEC along with USF beating a top 5 WVU, top 10 UL and a top 20 Rutgers would most certainly justify a national title appearance.

Posted by  Brett McMurphy,  on 06/23  at  11:24 AM

Mark, I haven’t quite decided on my final won-loss prediction yet - I’ll post it as a separate blog though when the season gets closer. And, yes, last year, I underestimated USF, predicting a 6-6 regular season, when the Bulls went 8-4. I can’t remember what I picked the previous seasons, but I’ll look it up when I do my prediction post. I’ll also post my Big East predictions I did as part of the Big East media poll that will be released next month.

Posted by  Mark Vance, cape coral on 06/23  at  07:10 AM

Great post Mr McMurphy! But what is your prediction for the Bulls 2007 season?

Posted by  Chris Griggs, Tampa on 06/23  at  07:02 AM

Great article Brett, and thanks for putting this out there.

It’s good to see that people are finally starting to take notice that there’s something special going on at USF.

“Big 3” Fans still laugh when you tell that USF will be a force to be reckoned with in the state.

How long will they ignore the facts?

Posted by  Ken DeCelles, Lutz, FL on 06/23  at  06:41 AM

That is amazing stuff to hear.  It would be a fairy tale season if it actually happened.