Clearly, it's an outstanding time to be a USF sports fan.

Coach Alex Golesh's football team finished 7-6 (a six-win turnaround from 2022) and defeated Syracuse 45-0 at the Boca Raton Bowl, stamping the Bulls as a 2024 team to watch in the American Athletic Conference.

Coach Jolene Shepardson's volleyball team won 22 matches (a 12-win turnaround from 2022), finishing unbeaten at the Corral and winning an AAC East Division title. The Bulls also reached the semifinals of the National Invitation Volleyball Championships.

It was a fond farewell for women's soccer coach Denise Schilte-Brown, a legendary USF leader who's headed to the professional ranks, but not before her Bulls won an AAC East Division title.

Meanwhile, Coach Bob Butehorn's men's soccer team upset No. 15-ranked Indiana, an eventual NCAA Tournament Elite Eight squad, while taking eventual national champion Clemson to the limit four days later, falling 3-2 in one of the six USF hard-luck defeats that were decided by one goal.

What's next for USF Athletics?

Here's a look at 12 events — USF's Dandy Dozen, if you will — to eagerly anticipate through the winter and spring seasons.

1. Basketball's Alumni Weekend

The men's and women's basketball programs will welcome back their alumni on the same weekend.

On Saturday, Jan. 27, the USF men will host the AAC newcomer UTSA Roadrunners at 4 p.m. (ESPN Plus). First-year Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim has fully embraced the engagement with alumni. Several dozen former players attended last season's alumni event, which included a rare reunion of the program's likely Mount Rushmore performers — Charlie Bradley, Radenko Dobras, Chucky Atkins and Dominique Jones.

On Sunday, Jan. 28, the USF women will host the East Carolina Pirates at noon (ESPNU), a game that requires no buildup because ECU captured last season's AAC Tournament. Coach Jose Fernandez, in his 24th season, always takes pride in welcoming back his alumni players, who have made big marks in basketball, education, the military and the business world.

Men's Basketball Tickets

Women's Basketball Tickets

2. Powerful Start For Softball

Coach Ken Eriksen's Bulls (32-24 last season) will host the USF-Rawlings Softball Invitational on Thursday, Feb. 8 through Sunday, Feb. 11, a six-team event that features the powerhouse Florida Gators (bidding for the program's 12th Women's College World Series appearance), Michigan Wolverines (who had made 27 consecutive NCAA Tournaments before missing last season) and Oregon State Beavers (WCWS in 2022).

The field also includes Illinois State and Bethune-Cookman, both strong contenders in their conferences.

2024 Schedule

Purchase Tickets

3. Baseball's Opening Weekend

Coach Billy Mohl's baseball team, who got hot late last season and reached the AAC Tournament Semifinals, once again will not tip-toe into the new campaign. On Opening Weekend — Friday, Feb. 16 through Sunday, Feb. 18 — the Bulls will host three postseason-caliber teams. USF will take on the Connecticut Huskies and Indiana State Sycamores, both 2023 NCAA Regional teams, and the Louisville Cardinals, a perennial NCAA Regional ballclub.

2024 Schedule

Purchase Tickets

4. Twice As Fun

Softball's challenging non-conference schedule reaches an apex on Thursday, Feb. 22 at the South Florida Showdown when the Bulls face a pair of opponents that reached last season's Women's College World Series.

The Bulls face the Washington Huskies (44-15 last season) at 4 p.m., followed by a 6:30 p.m. date with the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (47-16 last season).

Coach Heather Tarr is the winningest coach of any sport in Washington history (788-298-1 in 20 seasons). Oklahoma State has won 143 games over the past three seasons (fourth nationally behind Oklahoma, Florida State and UCLA).

5. Payback Time

When the women's basketball team hosts the Wichita State Shockers on Tuesday, Feb. 13 (ESPN Plus), it might seem like just another midseason AAC game.

It's really not.

Last season, the Bulls soared through the AAC regular-season schedule at 15-1, earning a No. 1 seed for the conference tournament. But something unexpected happened to USF on the way to its predicted conference title. The Shockers pulled a shocker, defeating the Bulls 65-53 in the quarterfinals.

USF got a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament and reached the second round against overall No. 1 seed South Carolina.

But the loss against Wichita State still stung. Now the Bulls get another shot at the Shockers.

6. Here Come The FAU Owls

For men's basketball, the marquee regular-season game is Sunday, Feb. 18 when the Florida Atlantic Owls visit the Yuengling Center for a noon tip off (ESPN2 or ESPNU).

USF is 14-2 all-time against the Owls — including a 10-0 mark at home — but this is a much different FAU program in its AAC debut season.

FAU coach Dusty May, a former Indiana student manager under Bob Knight and a Florida Gators assistant (2015-18), shocked the basketball world in his fifth head-coaching season by guiding the Owls (35-4) to the Final Four in 2023.

This season, the Owls roared to an 10-3 start in non-conference play — including victories against No. 12-ranked Texas A&M and No. 4 Arizona — and were picked to battle the Memphis Tigers for AAC supremacy. At the same time, FAU has endured inexplicable defeats against Bryant (61-52) and Florida Gulf Coast University (72-68).

It's the 15th time in USF program history for the Bulls to face a team coming off a Final Four appearance (there was a lone victory, a 75-68 home win against UConn on March 6, 2010).

USF has three victories against teams that reached a Final Four later in that same season — a 66-63 home win against the Wisconsin Badgers on Dec. 11, 1999; a 60-59 overtime home win against VCU on Dec. 1, 2010; and a 58-51 victory at Louisville on Feb. 29, 2012.

7. Arthur Jones Day

When the men's basketball team hosts the SMU Mustangs at noon on Sunday, Feb. 25 (ESPNU), it's the annual Equality and Inclusion game.

Which is now designated as "Arthur Jones Day.''

Last season, USF brought back Jones, the first Black athlete in school history, on the first day of Black History Month. It was his 71st birthday to boot. When Jones was presented a USF letter jacket and the crowd joined on a verse of "Happy Birthday To You,'' there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Jones, a native of Mulberry, was making his first full-fledged return to campus since playing for the Bulls from 1970-74. Clearly, the association with Jones wasn't a one-off experience. Now it's a tradition.

The Arthur Jones Story

8. Tennis, Anyone?

Coach Ashley Fisher's men's team is seeking a return to the NCAA Tournament after falling short of a bid last season. One of the top matchups occurs on Thursday, March 7 at 1:30 p.m., when Middle Tennessee visits USF. Alvin Tudorica, USF's No. 1 player who was ranked 27th nationally after the fall, will challenge MT's Leo Raquin, the nation's 25th-ranked player. Tudorica reached the final of the ITA's Fall Southeast Regionals and the quarterfinals of the National Fall Championships. Tudorica and teammate Erik Grevelius are the No. 9-ranked doubles team nationally.

For Coach Cristina Moros' women's team, the most challenging home match is Sunday, Feb. 25 at 1:30 p.m., when the Auburn Tigers visit Tampa. Auburn, an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 team last season, features two of the nation's most highly ranked players coming out of the fall in Carolyn Ansari (No. 8) and DJ Bennett (No. 34). Senior Grace Schumacher, a three-time All-Conference recipient, concluded the fall by competing internationally and representing Australia in the World University Tennis Championships.

Men's Tennis Schedule

Women's Tennis Schedule

9. Basketball Senior Night

The tradition of basketball's Senior Night, made a bit more confusing with players utilizing additional COVID seasons, will take place in early March for the USF women and men.

Before the Saturday, March 2 game against the Tulane Green Wave at 7 p.m. (ESPN Plus), the USF women are expected to honor guard Maria Alvarez, forward Evelien Lute Schipholt and point guard Aerial Wilson, along with managers and other staff members.

Before the Tuesday, March 5 game at 7 p.m. (ESPN Plus) — also against Tulane — the USF men are expected to honor guard Jose Placer, who transferred to the Bulls for his final season after previously playing at Kennesaw State and Maryland-Baltimore County, along with managers and other staff members.

10. Track And Field Showcase

The Bulls' track and field program will host the March 15-16 USF Alumni Invitational, a 17-team event where Coach Erik Jenkins plans to honor the program's alumni throughout while also spotlighting his current seniors.

The event's field includes Iowa State, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.

Jenkins hopes to build upon last season, when the Bulls finished fourth (women) and fifth (men) in the AAC Outdoor Championships. It was part of a weekend in which USF won five event championships and set six program records.

Track & Field Schedule

11. Football's Spring Fling

Coach Alex Golesh's football team, coming off a 7-6 finish and a Boca Raton Bowl championship, will play its spring game at the on-campus Corbett Stadium in April (date to be announced).

It should be a season of high expectations for the Bulls, who will feature a fleet of key returning players on offense (including quarterback Byrum Brown, receiver Sean Atkins and running back Nay'Quan Wright, among others), along with the foundation of a defense that registered its best efforts of the season in the final two games.

As usual for a spring game, there will be added curiosity about the early entry freshmen and new players acquired through the transfer portal. Here's a chance to get an early sneak-peak.

Boca Bowl Blowout

On-Campus Stadium Renderings

12. Double Dose Of Golf

The USF women's and men's golf teams — coming off some excellent fall-season play — will compete for conference titles in their backyard.

Coach Erika Brennan's women's team, which opens at the Feb. 5-6 FAU Paradise Invitational, will host the AAC Championship on April 15-17 at Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville. The USF women, which earned an NCAA Regional bid last season, are seeking the program's first conference title since 2012 (Big East). The women enter the spring ranked No. 33 nationally, while senior Melanie Green is the No. 24-ranked player in the country.

Meanwhile, Coach Steve Bradley's men's team, which opens at the Feb. 17-18 Gators Invitational in Gainesville, hosts the AAC Championship on April 19-21 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair. The Bulls are shooting for their sixth AAC title (along with four straight from 2015-18 and another title in 2021). The men enter the spring ranked No. 37 nationally, while senior Sam Nicholson is the No. 45-ranked player in the country.

Men's Golf Schedule

Women's Golf Schedule