2018 USF Football

Bulls open conference play at home vs. ECU

Homecoming set for Oct. 20 vs. UConn, Salute To Service Nov. 3 vs. Tulane

TAMPA, FEB. 13, 2018 – Looking to post a third straight 10-win or better season, the USF football team found out its path for the 2018 season when the American Athletic Conference announced schedules for all 12 conference teams Tuesday. Kickoff times and most television designations will be announced at a later date.

USF will play six games in Raymond James Stadium during the 2018 season and will open conference play at home on Saturday, Sept. 22 vs. ECU. The Bulls are 7-1 all-time vs. the Pirates and have won the last three in the series. The Bulls will get one bye week during the year, play two Friday night games (one at home and one on the road) and close the regular season with three of their last five games on the road.

USF opens the 2018 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 1 vs. Elon in Raymond James Stadium and returns a week later to take on ACC foe Georgia Tech on Saturday, Sept. 8. It will be the first-ever meeting between the programs and the Bulls’ sixth meeting with an ACC opponent in the last six seasons. USF has six future games scheduled with ACC opponents (Georgia Tech, Louisville and N.C. State) between 2018 and 2024.

The Bulls will hit the road for the first time in 2018, when they take on Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 15 at Soldier Field in Chicago. USF downed the Illini, 47-23, last year in Raymond James Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the programs.

Following the conference opener at home vs. ECU, USF will get its only bye week of the season. The Bulls will return to action with a pair of road games, first at UMass on Saturday, Oct. 6 and then at conference foe Tulsa on Friday, Oct. 12. The Bulls and UMass had their 2017 game canceled as a result of Hurricane Irma and will meet for the first time at 17,000-seat McGuirk Alumni Stadium on the Amherst, Mass., campus. The 2017 game was rescheduled for 2022 in Tampa. USF downed Tulsa, 27-20, in Tampa last year to take a 2-0 lead in the series and will make its second trip to Oklahoma to face the Golden Hurricane.

USF will take on UConn on Saturday, Oct. 20 for Homecoming in Raymond James Stadium. The Bulls downed the Huskies, 37-20, last year in Hartford and have won six straight to lead the series, 10-5.

The Bulls will head to Houston on Saturday, Oct. 27 for the first of three road tests in the final five games of the 2018 regular season. The Cougars pulled out a 28-24 victory in Tampa last year with a last-second touchdown that spoiled the previously unbeaten Bulls bid at an undefeated season. Houston leads the series, 3-2.

USF returns to Tampa for the Salute To Service Game vs. Tulane on Saturday, Nov. 3. The Bulls downed the Green Wave, 34-28, in New Orleans last year in the first-ever meeting.

The Bulls begin a two-game road swing on Saturday, Nov. 10 at Cincinnati and follow that with a Saturday, Nov. 17 date at Temple. USF downed both Cincinnati (33-3) and Temple (43-7) in impressive fashion in Tampa last year. The Bulls trail the series with Cincinnati, 8-7, and are 2-5 in Cincinnati. The series with Temple is tied, 2-2, with both of the Bulls’ losses coming in Philadelphia.

USF will cap the 2018 regular season with the traditional War on I-4 clash with UCF on Friday, Nov. 23 in Raymond James Stadium. That game will also serve as Senior Night. Last season’s thrilling, 49-42, loss to the Knights in Orlando featured a pair of top 25-ranked teams and was chosen as the best college football game of the regular season by Athlon Sports.

The American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 1 at the home site of the division winner with the better conference record.

The USF football season ticket priority renewal period for all USF football season ticket members began on Jan. 31 and runs through Friday, March 30. New football season tickets deposits are being taken, starting at $50. New season ticket sales for all fans will begin on April 13. In-person sales will also take place at the annual USF Spring Game on April 14.

The USF Spring Game will be played at Corbett Stadium on the USF campus on April 14 and is free to the public. Fans can enjoy a pre-game street fest with music, games and food prior to kickoff prior to the 2 p.m. kickoff.

USF will begin its second season of spring football practices under head coach Charlie Strong on March 5 at the Morsani Football Practice Complex.

ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 14 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and has spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. USF won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and has posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 28 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 32 first-team all-conference selections.

Follow @USFFootball on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.

– #GoBulls –

2018 USF FOOTBALL Schedule

DATE                 OPPONENT                                  KICK/TV

Sat., Sept. 1        ELON                                              TBA

                            Raymond James Stadium

Sat., Sept. 8        GEORGIA TECH                            TBA

                            Raymond James Stadium

Sat., Sept. 15      at Illinois                                          TBA

                            Soldier Field, Chicago

Sat., Sept. 22      ECU                                                TBA

                            Raymond James Stadium

BYE WEEK

Sat., Oct. 6          at UMass                                        TBA

                            McGuirk Alumni Stadium

Fri., Oct. 12         at Tulsa                                           TBA

                            H.A. Chapman Stadium

Sat., Oct. 20        UCONN (Homecoming)                       TBA

                            Raymond James Stadium

Sat., Oct. 27        at Houston                                      TBA

                            TDECU Stadium

Sat., Nov. 3         TULANE (Salute To Service)                TBA

                            Raymond James Stadium

Sat., Nov. 10       at Cincinnati                                    TBA

                            Nippert Stadium

Sat., Nov. 17       at Temple                                        TBA

                            Lincoln Financial Field

Fri., Nov. 23         UCF (War on I-4/Senior Day)                  TBA

       Raymond James Stadium

Sat., Dec. 1           The American Football Championship ABC/ESPN

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