12/1/2023 0 Comments Usf conference realignment“You see what’s going on the last two years there,” he said of Russia’s war against Ukraine. He was born in Moscow, Russia, and is the son of Russian immigrants who fled the country when he was seven. Golesh is now in his first season as head coach at South Florida. And you are playing a team that player for player is going to be better than you.”Īlex Golesh, left, celebrates with then Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker last season. “Well, we aren’t quite as explosive as Tennessee,” he acknowledged. However, his talent at USF is, er, different. That included posting 52 points against Alabama in a wild victory in Knoxville last October. He’s brought in 39 new players and has implemented the breakneck offense that helped quarterback Hendon Hooker pilot the country’s top scoring unit last season at Tennessee. Despite their location, power leagues passed over the Bulls in the latest conference realignment wave while the Big 12 invited neighbor UCF.īut things are on the mend in Tampa, Golesh said. The latest doldrums - five wins in their last 34 games - was poorly timed. Residing in a talent-rich, football-crazed state and in a large population center, the struggles are staggering. Skip Holtz bottomed out with a three-win season in his third year, Willie Taggart won 10 games in Year 4 before leaving for Oregon, Charlie Strong’s program slowly declined and Jeff Scott never won more than two games in three seasons. Most of them have failed to replicate the consistency of Jim Leavitt, who helped start the program in 1997 and won 95 games in 13 seasons. The offensive coordinator at Tennessee the last two seasons, Golesh is the school’s fifth coach in a decade. Miami plays in Tampa next year, Louisville visits Raymond James in 2027 and Notre Dame has agreed to play at USF in 2029.įor Golesh, the game against Alabama provides a spotlight - nationally televised on ABC - for a program he hopes to rebuild into the consistent winner it was two decades ago. They have several Power Five programs scheduled in future seasons. The entire stadium will be open, meaning roughly 40-50% more security, concession workers and ushers. The school plans to staff the game as if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing. Raymond James Stadium seats about 69,000.Īt a USF home game, the school doesn’t seat the 25,000-seat upper decks, keeping everyone in the 40,000-seat lower bowl. ![]() “It means a lot to our student-athletes, coaches, to our ticket sales and to the city.”Īs of Tuesday, USF had about 4,000 tickets remaining, Kelly said. “To have them here, it means a lot to us,” Kelly said. Since Alabama visits this year, USF sees that as a fair trade. That’s a discount rate for the normal game against a G5 opponent, which can range from $1.5-2 million. As part of the agreement, Alabama will pay USF $1 million to travel to Tuscaloosa in 2026. “It gives our Gulf Coast fans an easier way to get to one of our games,” Byrne said. USF’s location in Tampa is in the heart of one of the country’s most talent-rich states - a recruiting boon for Saban. ![]() Playing at an NFL venue is an attractive option and a significant reason why the Tide are playing in Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, said Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne. Two of those came in NFL stadiums: Penn State at Temple (2015) and Florida at South Florida (2021). Using athletic department revenue figures from last year, the 10 richest football programs have played a total of four such games over the previous decade. ![]() It’s even more unusual when a powerhouse program plays at a G5’s home field. Of the more than 1,500 FBS games scheduled this year, only 20 feature a Power Five program visiting a Group of Five, according to data from. In a two-for-one scheduling deal, Alabama plays one game at USF (2023) and USF plays two games at Alabama (20). ![]() Saturday’s affair is the first of a three-game series that the two athletic directors, Alabama’s Greg Byrne and USF’s Michael Kelly, struck four years ago. The Tide ended the 2003 season with a game at Hawaii in a cleverly devised matchup during a year in which Bama endured a bowl ban for past NCAA violations. South Florida coach Alex Golesh watches a game against Florida A&M on Sept.
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