Why not South Florida?

By Robert Rousseau  |   Thursday, October 04, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

South Florida Bulls
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If anyone had told you that the South Florida Bulls would defeat the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 8, before the 2007 college football season started, you might have laughed at them. Additionally, before the season started, if they had told you that those same Bulls would defeat the West Virginia Mountaineers, you almost certainly would have laughed at them.

But if someone told you that the Bulls would take out both the Mountaineers and Tigers on their way to a 4-0 record, you probably would've called a psychiatrist for whoever delivered the news.

Still, that's exactly what these Bulls have done. So with that, here's the question: Is South Florida a real national championship contender?

The answer is yes.

The Bulls have an excellent defense that has given up fewer 15 points per game so far this season. On that defense, they have some outstanding players. Senior linebacker Ben Moffitt managed two interceptions and nine tackles (including two for a loss) in the team's victory over the Mountaineers, a performance that netted him the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week Award. Sophomore defensive end George Selvie leads the nation in sacks (9.5), sacks per game (2.38), and tackles for a loss per game (4.25). And those are just some of the highlights.

Offensively, quarterback Matt Grothe has been playing well, completing 69-of-116 passes on the season for 787 yards and five touchdowns (two interceptions). Further, his ability to move around has helped the club immeasurably. His ability to spread the ball around to his receivers has the Bulls scoring 28 points per game.

Of course, the defense certainly has helped the offense; and yes, the rushing game isn't anything to speak of. But their record and top 10 ranking for the first time in South Florida history is. By the way, so is head coach Jim Leavitt.

The rest of the schedule will test the Bulls. There's a game at Rutgers on Oct. 18 and a home contests versus a tough Central Florida squad the week before. South Florida then hosts an undefeated Cincinnati Bearcats team that's better than everybody thinks on Nov. 3. Two weeks later, they'll be visited by the Louisville Cardinals.

However, if the Bulls can beat a team like Auburn, one that has the stuff to take out the Florida Gators in The Swamp, and then defeat the Mountaineers, these Bulls can conceivably play with almost anyone. Thus, an undefeated record is not out of the question, even if it is still very early.

Remember, it isn't easy going through an SEC schedule undefeated. (LSU, that means you.)

The PAC-10 is tough this year as well. (USC, that means you.)

If South Florida can somehow keep the good times rolling, it could be the team that ruins what seems like a heavyweight collision course waiting to happen.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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