TAMPA, FLA., FEB. 26, 2026 – Head coach Brian Hartline and the Bulls learned the path they will chart in the 2026 South Florida Football Season presented by Tampa General Hospital, Hartline's first season at the helm. The American Conference announced schedules for all league teams on Thursday.

Coming off a 9-4 campaign and a third straight bowl appearance, the Bulls will celebrate their 30th season of football with seven home games for the first time since 2019. USF went 6-0 at home last year and will play its final season at Raymond James Stadium in 2026 before opening a new 35,000-seat on-campus stadium in 2027.

South Florida's 2026 slate features at least three weeknight primetime matchups, with the potential for a fourth as the regular-season finale is designated a flex game. The kickoff times and television designations for the first three weeks of the season, as well as the season-long weeknight games, will be finalized by June 1. The rest of the schedule will fall under the customary 12-day and six-day selection processes. 

Season tickets for the Bulls seven home games at Raymond James Stadium during the 2026 season can be reserved online or by calling 1-800-GoBulls. Single game tickets will be available for purchase at a later date.

Conference Play Opens at Army
South Florida begins its 14^th season of American Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Army. The Week 2 matchup marks the Bulls' first meeting with Army as an American Conference opponent and their first trip to West Point since 2003. It will be the earliest conference game in program history, surpassing a Week 3 meeting with TCU during Big East play in 2004.

The all-time series with Army is tied 1-1, with the Bulls earning a 28-0 victory in their last trip to West Point in 2003. It also marks USF's first road conference opener since 2024 and the fifth in American Conference play.

Non-Conference Schedule
The Bulls previously announced non-conference schedule sees the 2026 season open vs. FIU Saturday, Sept. 5, in Raymond James Stadium. The Bulls also play home non-conference games vs. Delaware State on Saturday, Sept. 19, and Kent State on Saturday, Oct. 17, with the Kent State game designated as Homecoming.

The Bulls lone non-conference road contest takes place at Bowling Green on Saturday, Sept. 26.

October Stretch
USF will dive back into conference play hosting Temple on Saturday, Oct. 3. The Bulls claimed a 27-23 win in the teams' last meeting in 2023 in Tampa and holds a 4-1 home record in the series, though Temple leads overall, 6-4.

USF will hit the road for their first weeknight game of the season at UTSA on Thursday, Oct. 8, in San Antonio. The Bulls and Roadrunners have met once previously, with UTSA claiming a 49-21 victory in San Antonio in 2023.

Following completion of the non-conference slate vs. Kent State, the Bulls have an open week before resuming conference play vs. UAB on Saturday, Oct. 31, in Raymond James Stadium. The Halloween contest will also be a "Black Out" with the Bulls dawning black uniforms. USF ran past UAB, 48-18, in Birmingham last season and leads the series 3-2, winning the last two meetings.

November Push
USF returns to the road for another weeknight game when the Bulls play at ECU on Friday, Nov. 6. USF and ECU last met in 2022 with the Pirates claiming a 48-28 win in a conference opening game played in Boca Raton, Fla., after it was moved due to the impacts of Hurricane Ian in the Tampa area. ECU has won three straight games vs. the Bulls and leads the series 9-4, including a 5-1 mark in Greenville, N.C.

The Bulls will stay on the weeknight schedule when they return to Raymond James Stadium to face Memphis on Thursday, Nov. 12. The game falls one day after Veterans Day and will serve as the annual Salute to Service game. The Bulls fell at Memphis, 34-31, last year and the Tigers own a 10-4 series advantage, having won the last five meetings.

USF's last conference road game is at FAU on Saturday, Nov. 21. USF posted a 48-13 victory over FAU last year in Tampa and owns a 4-2 lead in the series, including a 44-21 win in the Bulls' last trip to Boca Raton, Fla., in 2024.

The regular season concludes in Raymond James Stadium against Tulane on either Friday, Nov. 27 or Saturday, Nov. 28. The Senior Day/Night matchup will receive a final date, time, and television designation by Oct. 11.

The Green Wave have reached the last four American Conference Championship Games and defeated North Texas last year to reach the College Football Playoff. USF and Tulane did not meet last year and the Green Wave own a 4-1 series lead, having won the last four meetings.

Championship Format
All 14 teams in The American will play eight conference games in 2026. The top two teams in the final single-division regular-season standings will meet in the American Conference Football Championship on Saturday, Dec. 5.
 
The American Conference enjoyed a successful 2025 season, sending nine teams to Bowl Season, including Tulane earning a berth in the College Football Playoff as the 11 Seed. Teams from the American scored bowl wins against opponents from the Big 12, ACC, Conference USA and Mountain West. The American was the only conference to earn wins over the Big 12, Big 10, SEC and ACC in non-conference play.
 
Up Next:
The Bulls open spring practice on March 11. The USF Spring Game is set for Sunday, April 19 at Corbett Stadium on the USF campus.

Tickets:
Tickets for the Bulls seven home games at Raymond James Stadium during the 2026 season can be reserved online or by calling 1-800-GoBulls.
 
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ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The South Florida football program first took the field in 1997 and will play its 30^th season in 2026. In 2025, the Bulls went 9-4, earned a third straight bowl appearance, made the program's first College Football Playoff ranking appearance, and were ranked four times in the weekly Associated Press Top 25 poll. South Florida completed construction on a new $22-million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023, and construction is in progress on $349-million on-campus stadium and football operations center broke slated for completion by 2027. The Bulls have posted 18 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), and 35 first-team all-conference honorees. South Florida has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, while the Bulls have made 13 bowl game appearances (going 8-5), tied for the third-most nationally in the first 25 seasons of a program's bowl eligibility. South Florida posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. The Bulls spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the AP rankings during the 2007 season.