Bulls No. 21 In Coaches' Poll
August 01, 2008 | Football
View The Complete Top 25 Poll Here
Breaking Down The Top 25 Poll (Capsules of each Team)
TAMPA ? The University of South Florida football team achieved another first on Friday morning when it was ranked No. 21 in the USA Today/Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll.
It is the first time the program has been ranked in the Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Associated Press Preseason Poll is expected out within the next two weeks. USF and West Virginia are the only BIG EAST teams in the top 25. The Mountaineers are at No. 8.
The preseason top five for 2008 are: No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 USC, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 5 Florida. The Gators are the only other Florida school to be ranked in the top 25.
Five other BIG EAST schools were in the receiving votes category and would have been ranked accordingly if the poll extended past 25: No. 29 Rutgers, No. 32 Pitt, No. 36 Cincinnati, No. 38 UConn and No. 50 Louisville.
Two other 2008 opponents also received preseason acclaim. Kansas, who the Bulls face on ESPN2 on Friday, Sept. 12, is ranked No. 13. UCF, who hosts the Bulls one week earlier on Sept. 6, received votes and would be ranked No. 48.
All totaled it means the Bulls will face two team in the preseason top-13 and eight teams that are expected to be among 50 teams during the upcoming season.
The Bulls received votes in both the AP and Coaches' preseason polls in 2007. Then they spent the majority of the year in the top 25, including a week as the No. 2 team in the country.
The Bulls are coming off a 9-4 season, in which they made their first ever appearance in the Brut Sun Bowl. USF returns 10 starters on offense, including national award candidates Matt Grothe, Ryan Schmidt and Jake Griffin. The defense returns seven starters, including consensus All-American George Selvie and national award candidates Nate Allen and Tyrone McKenzie.
The Bulls open training camp on Aug. 4 and will hold their annual media day and Fan Fest on Aug. 10 from 3-6 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium.
The season opener is scheduled for Aug.30 against The University of Tennessee at Martin at Raymond James Stadium. The game will be carried nationally by ESPN Regional and broadcast locally by Catch 47. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Eastern.
