The Bulls face their toughest test yet with games against four of C-USA's top teams.
By PETE YOUNG
Published October 3, 2003
TAMPA - With the turn of the calendar Wednesday, South Florida football entered the most telling month in the program's history.
"Big October" has arrived for the Bulls. It features the most rugged, most relevant, most anticipated games in USF annals. Five games in the month, four in Conference USA against the league's top four teams: Louisville, TCU, Southern Miss and Cincinnati.
Brace yourselves, Bulls fans.
"Those four teams are your four big shots right now in Conference USA. For us to assert any position that we want to get, we've got to get through those teams," USF safety Kevin Verpaele said. "To be the best you've got to beat the best. Cincinnati and TCU won the conference last year, Louisville's 4-0 this year, Southern Miss is always tough. Some other teams like Houston are doing real well, but I think those are the top teams right now.
"It's right here in front of us."
Five games in five weekends over October's 31 days (a breather vs. Division I-AA Charleston Southern is sandwiched in the middle). Louisville, TCU, Southern Miss and Cincinnati have a combined 13-3 record, 4-0 in the league. The harrowing month culminates on Halloween night vs. the Bearcats at Raymond James Stadium.
"This is definitely the grunt month, when we're going to have to suck it up and get after it," defensive tackle Lee Roy Selmon Jr. said. "Each week is a game that is vital to the goals we're trying to accomplish.
"We've got to look at Louisville as the best team we're going to face and get ready for them. After that, we need to think, "Okay, TCU, this is the best team we're going to face and we've got to beat these guys if we're going to survive.' That's the way we've got to look at it."
The Bulls are 2-1, 1-0 in C-USA after last week's 28-0 win at Army. On Nov. 1, four weeks from Saturday, they will wake up to one of the following five scenarios:
Just swept the top four teams in the league (plus Charleston Southern) to improve to 7-1 and to move into first place in the C-USA standings and a likely national ranking.
A 4-1 mark in October, 6-2 overall, 4-1 in C-USA and a shot at the league title.
A 3-2 mark in October, 5-3 overall, 3-2 in C-USA and a shot at a bowl berth.
Three league losses and licking their wounds.
0-for-4 against the big boys of C-USA; don't even go there.
Big October begins with a double whammy at Raymond James Stadium: 4-0 Louisville at 7 p.m. Saturday followed by nationally ranked and likely to be 5-0 TCU next week.
The Cardinals, who are the first team "also receiving votes" in the most recent AP poll, probably should be ranked. Louisville has a 10-point win at Syracuse and a 16-point win at Kentucky on its resume and is 31-11 since the start of the 2000 season.
"They're tops in the conference and known nationally," Selmon said. "We'll definitely need our A game if we're going to pull this one off."
Next up, TCU on a Friday night, Oct. 10, on ESPN2. The Horned Frogs, the defending Liberty Bowl champions, have won 14 of their past 16 and are ranked No. 20.
Then the Charleston Southern layup, then right back into the cauldron: a trip to Southern Miss' M.M. Roberts Stadium, a.k.a. The Rock, where USF was hammered 41-7 in 2000 and where the Golden Eagles will be looking to avenge a 16-13 defeat last season in Tampa. Then the Halloween clash with 2002 co-league champion Cincinnati, which is 3-1 with a road win at West Virginia.
Whew! A little tougher than past Octobers, such as 2001, which featured consecutive home games against UConn, Southern Utah and Liberty (yawn).
After years of watching other schools chase conference titles and battle it out in meaningful league games, USF is ready to burrow into the marrow of its inaugural C-USA schedule. USF hopes to emerge from October as a bowl contender or perhaps a threat to win the conference title - or more.
"We're really fired up," Selmon said. "We're ready to get after it."
