USF wins AAC title in EA Sports CFB 26 prediction
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The South Florida Bulls kick off their season on Aug. 28, their penultimate before moving to a new on-campus stadium.
Why it matters: Under coach Alex Golesh, USF has managed back-to-back winning records, notable given the loss of star quarterback Byrum Brown just a month into the 2024 season.
Zoom in: The long-suffering Bulls have a chance, though a slim one, to turn things around.
- ESPN gives USF a 4.9% chance of winning the American Athletic Conference (ACC) title. The team is retaining most of its key players from last season, and is ranked No. 11 in the nation for continuity.
- Brown is back in the saddle and bullish about the upcoming season. But wide receiver Sean Atkins and backup quarterback Bryce Archie, who started eight games in 2024, are gone.
What to watch: The Bulls will face Florida on Sept. 6 — their first meeting since 2022, when USF nearly pulled off an upset before losing 31–28 in Gainesville.
- The Bulls also meet two other in-state rivals this season: Miami on Sept. 13 and Florida Atlantic on Oct. 18.
🔮 The prediction: We used EA Sports' College Football 26, which was released last month, to simulate how USF might fare this season.
- The Bulls finish this season with an 8-5 record and clinch the AAC championship over Tulane, at least, according to the video game.
The virtual Bulls opened the season with a win over Boise State (17–3), then lost back-to-back games to Florida (13–7) and Miami (21–7).
- USF followed with a win over South Carolina State (14–7), a loss to Charlotte (27–21), and edged out North Texas (14–10). The Bulls went on to defeat Florida Atlantic (27–3) and Memphis (14–7).
- USF slipped again with close losses to UTSA (17–14) and Navy (14–10), but rebounded with a win against UAB (28–14) and closed the regular season with a blow-out win over Rice (24–3).
Reality check: The video game flubbed its prediction last year, foreseeing an 8-4 finish while USF ended up with a 7-6 record. Although it's worth noting the simulation didn't account for Brown's absence.