With this season’s expanded Playoff expected to include five auto-bids via conference champions — SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and Group of Five — there’s seemingly a path for Alex Golesh and USF given the overall strength of this team’s schedule compared to others within the Group of Five if the Bulls are able to win a competitive AAC. USF will likely be a double-digit underdog in both non-conference showdowns with Alabama and Miami, but there are opportunities elsewhere at quality wins against Memphis and Tulane. And what happens if USF wins one of those matchups with the Crimson Tide or Hurricanes? Immediate credibility inside the top 20.
This is the only Group of Five team that signed a top 50 recruiting class and Byrum Brown returns at quarterback after tallying 4,101 yards of total offense and 38 touchdowns last fall. Top wideout Sean Atkins is back as well after setting various single-season school records as a junior. This is a far-reaching, bold projection, but the Group of Five is wide open and if USF runs the table in the AAC and finishes at 11-2 overall with the only losses coming to nationally-ranked power programs, the selection committee would have to include this group. Boise State, Liberty and Memphis are the other G5s with playoff-capability.
