USF Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017
By Zach Bigalke
For a time in the early 2010s, East Carolina looked like they might break through as the next BCS Buster as they beat teams like Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Instead, the Pirates has fallen hard since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2014. ECU has seen their win total drop from 10 wins in their last C-USA season to eight in 2014 and five in 2015.
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Ruffin McNeill was let go after 2015, but rock bottom had yet to be reached. Scottie Montgomery took over the team in 2016, and they fell further to 3-9. Missing out on a bowl game for the second straight season, Pirates fans are hoping for an upswing in the upcoming year.
But with a schedule that begins with FCS national champion James Madison, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech before the South Florida showdown, ECU might already be in danger of missing out on the postseason by the end of September. Montgomery still has a way to go before this team is back to AAC contention.
PREDICTION: South Florida 44, East Carolina 23 (6-0)
After the trip to Greenvile, South Florida will have finished half of its regular season by the end of September. The Bulls will get a well-deserved bye week after nearly doubling the score on the Pirates. USF might reach 600 yards of offense and feature three different 100-yard rushers as they roll up the points on their hosts.