USF Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017

South Florida gets just one chance to make a statement against a Power Five team this season. The Bulls welcome Illinois to Raymond James Stadium for a Friday-night showdown. This Illini team lost half the starters from a group that won just three games last season. Lovie Smith enters his second year in Champaign with a continuing rebuilding project on his hands.

This is the first game South Florida has ever played against the Fighting Illini. But the Bulls are 0-5 all time against Big Ten teams. They’ve lost to Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and twice to Maryland since 2005. Charlie Strong will be looking to reverse that trend in his first season at the helm in Tampa.

Illinois ranked in the top 20 in passing defense last year. That, however, was mostly due to the fact that opponents could run at will against the Illini defense. That could be the case once again as Illinois is fighting uphill against the fleeting dream of bowl eligibility.

PREDICTION: South Florida 41, Illinois 27 (4-0)

South Florida will finally break its drought against the Big Ten, knocking off Illinois by two touchdowns at home. This is a game where D’Ernest Johnson and Darius Tice could really make some noise. The pair of running backs should be able to punch in big yards and multiple scores against Lovie Smith’s mismatched defense.