South Florida Bulls Running With College Football Elite

Florida, Florida State and Miami - known as the Big Three - have been the dominant college football schools in this state for years.

However, all of a sudden and seemingly out of nowhere, the attention has turned to Tampa where the University of South Florida has burst on the scene as one of major college football's top teams this year.

Known more as a commuter school than an athletic powerhouse, USF has come on in a big way in a relatively short period of time. Unbeaten South Florida was ranked No. 2 in the initial Bowl Championship Series standings released on Sunday.

The Bulls, who are also ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll, could be playing for a national championship in only the program's 11th season by just winning their final six regular-season games.
Of course, there is a still a long way to go. USF still has six games to play, including a huge road game Thursday night against Rutgers in New Jersey. The Bulls also have to play Connecticut on the road and Cincinnati at home.

South Florida fans are excited and deservedly so. It is a great opportunity for their team. Schools that have been playing football for a lot longer than USF have never been in this position.

There are those who are amazed that South Florida is ranked so highly. But considering this has been a wild season already - with the the No. 1 team losing two weeks in a row and others dropping out of the Top 10 on a regular basis - it is not that surprising.

The state's Big Three are struggling at this point.

Florida, the defending national champion, is reeling after losing two in a row. FSU and Miami are mired in mediocrity once again this season. Interestingly enough, for the first since 1977, the Seminoles and Hurricanes will be unranked when they meet in their annual showdown this Saturday.
It's nice for another school in the state to receive national recognition. USF should be congratulated for what it is has accomplished so far.