USF Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017
By Zach Bigalke
South Florida will host the American Athletic Conference championship game for the first time after going 12-0 in the regular season. A number of teams could emerge out of the AAC West. Last year Navy took top honors, while two years ago Houston won the division and the league en route to a Peach Bowl win over Florida State.
Both teams could be in the hunt for the division this season. A rematch against the Cougars wouldn’t be unimaginable, nor would a showdown with the Midshipmen for the first time in 2017. But they will probably fall short against a stacked Memphis team that returns nine starters on offense, including quarterback Riley Ferguson and a group of senior receivers.
This year’s conference championship could be a showdown of top-20 teams. Memphis plays its toughest game of the year at home against UCLA on Sept. 16. After that, they managed to avoid both Temple and South Florida from the East in interdivisional play. The Tigers might be 11-1 entering this contest against the 12-0 Bulls.
PREDICTION: South Florida 38, Memphis 34 (13-0)
Things will be tense early, and each veteran quarterback might make first-half mistakes that deflate the scoring a bit. But after halftime the two teams will begin to get their footing. Look for the game to stay close throughout, with South Florida grinding out a late drive to take the lead with around 90 seconds remaining. Memphis will drive but, needing a touchdown rather than just a field goal, will run out of time.