USF Football: 5 reasons Bulls will win 2017 national title

1. An undefeated record is a very real possibility

Of course, there is a caveat to all of this. Any Group of Five team harboring pretensions of playing in the College Football Playoff will only be able to force the selection committee’s hand with an undefeated record. Even a single loss in the regular season is one too many for mid-majors with national title aspirations.

A loss wouldn’t eliminate South Florida from a New Year’s Six game. The top Group of Five champion is guaranteed access to a big-money bowl even with a defeat or two on the resume. But a spot in the playoff is another story. In that regard, little has changed from the BCS era. But there are two critical differences.

First, the number of spaces available has doubled. Had a four-team system existed in 2009, for instance, it is likely that either or both unbeaten mid-major champions TCU and Boise State would have been in the playoff bracket. Teams have been good enough to threaten the status quo in the recent past, and USF is the most talented team top to bottom that is trying to do so in 2017.

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The Bulls certainly have a record without too many potential land mines along the way. Strong merely needs to let this team do what it does best, and a 13-0 regular season and American Athletic Conference championship is completely manageable. And once they get into the playoff, anything is possible — even the first mid-major national champion in a third of a century. South Florida football is going to celebrate its 20th year of existence as a program in the biggest way possible.