South Florida vs Connecticut Preview

A 7-5 record couldn't possibly be more different for the South Florida Bulls and the Connecticut Huskies. That's why this Big East regular-season finale carries more than a little weight for two programs that occupy unique positions in the college football world.

On one hand, the USF team that will make the long northbound journey to East Hartford, Conn., for a December night fight is desperately hoping to avoid a 7-5 finish. The Bulls' pass rushing prowess, combined with their overall athleticism, would make it hard to swallow a season that would just barely reside on the sunshine side of the .500 mark. It has to deeply unsettle coach Jim Leavitt that his program, year after year, has not been able to shed various negative labels and associations.

Soft.

Weak in the second halves of seasons.

Unable to sustain excellence over 12 full games.

Wimpy on the road in cold-weather collisions during November and early December.

The Bulls have heard all the criticisms, but what must truly sting the tribe from Tampa is that those very same criticisms are affirmed and reinforced with each new season. Someway and somehow, USF's campaigns always start to spin sideways in October, deteriorate in November, and conclude in December on a distinctly downbeat note. This year's bunch of Bulls busted out of the gate with a 5-0 record, even without stud senior signal caller Matt Grothe. Once again, promise and potential were being fulfilled in September, giving coaches and players hope that a big year was in the works. The 2007 team reached No. 2 in the country, only to fall from the national rankings by season's end. Everyone in and around the program fervently wished that 2009 would follow a path less traveled.  

Alas, it was not to be for Leavitt's lineup.

Starting with a Thursday night loss to Cincinnati and continuing with pronounced poundings suffered at the hands of Pitt and Rutgers, the Bulls tumbled out of the conference race. USF had a chance to regain stature and cachet on Nov. 28 against Miami, but a limp and lame 31-10 loss destroyed any remaining optimism in the South Florida camp. Most observers think the Bulls - in chilly New England - will fold the tent, so a win will do something to change attitudes in the USF camp.

On the other side of the divide, the Connecticut Huskies - at 6-5 - have played remarkably well to get where they are. The nation knows the narrative fashioned by Randy Edsall and Co., who had to absorb the death of Jasper Howard, endure a series of cruel last-minute defeats, and stare at the prospect of a bowl-free season. The fact that UConn was able to get off the deck and win at Notre Dame on Nov. 21 before securing bowl eligibility with a 56-31 triumph last Saturday over Syracuse has the Huskies feeling rightly satisfied and gratified entering this last roundup in Big East play. A win and a 7-5 tally after 12 regular-season contests would give Edsall and his football family a deep and lasting thrill. That 7-5 scenario would stand in marked opposition to the Bulls' outlook, should the two teams finish at the same point in the standings.

South Florida wants 8-4 in the worst way, and is intent on dropping UConn to 6-6. The homestanding Huskies have other ideas, and home-field, cold-weather advantages have them primed for a peak performance.

Will the Bulls defy the odds? Will UConn's feel-good story continue? Many potent questions will be answered in this regular-season sendoff.

> Find a great selection of USF hats & apparel and more online along with Big East football jerseys from Big East Fans partner sites.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer