College Football Rankings 2017: Projected Week 5 AP Top 25 Poll

Quinton Flowers had a mediocre day on Thursday night at home, as he went just 8-of-20 passing the ball for 96 yards. But USF still blew out American Athletic Conference rival Temple 43-7 thanks to 100-yard rushing performances by Darius Tice and D’Ernest Johnson. The victory avenged last year’s defeat to the Owls and kept South Florida undefeated through the first third of the season.

Even more than the rushing display, though, the victory was fueled by a stingy defensive performance. USF allowed just 85 total yards to Temple. Owls quarterbacks Frank Nutile and Logan Marchi combined to go just 8-of-26 for 89 yards with four interceptions. At least they gained yardage; Temple finished with negative rushing yards on the night despite carrying the ball 33 times.

Defense wins championships, and it might have won South Florida the AAC East already this season. Temple was the only team standing between USF and the division title last year, and the Bulls cleared that hurdle convincingly. They will jump into the high teens of the AP Top 25 this week as they prepare for a Week 5 trip to East Carolina.