South Florida Football: 2017 Bulls season preview, predictions

South Florida football ended 2016 with the best record in the American Athletic Conference but didn’t win the league. Will the Bulls take the crown in 2017?

A year ago, South Florida lost only twice. The first came at home against Florida State in September, hardly a season-crushing defeat. Then the Bulls fell to Temple midway through an otherwise dominant season, and the Owls took the AAC East as a result. Instead of playing for the conference title against Navy, USF was left out of the New Year’s Six running.

Now that Willie Taggart is coaching in Eugene, though, it falls to Charlie Strong to prepare this team for the pressure of front-runner status in 2017. With a talented roster back in Tampa, the Bulls have a shot at capturing the Group of Five’s automatic spot in a major bowl game.

All they will need to do, of course, is win their conference title. The automatic bid goes to the top-ranked Group of Five champion, and that has cost teams like Boise State and Houston a shot at a prime bowl invitation in the past.

Expectations are high for South Florida in 2017, and rightly so. A veteran team has clear goals, and anything short of meeting them would be a disappointment. With an easily navigable non-conference schedule, USF will also be trying to stay perfect through the regular season. What lies in store for the Bulls in 2017?