Rejoice, Bulls fans, while there is still time.
South Florida sits at No. 2 in the first installment of this year?s BCS poll, the only poll that actually counts for anything.
But unfortunately for the Bulls, the season doesn?t end today.
With back-to-back road matches against Rutgers and Connecticut looming and home games against Louisville and Cincinnati still on the schedule, USF?s celebration could be short-lived.
I?m not trying to discredit what the underdog Bulls have accomplished so far this season. They?ve faced six opponents and defeated each one. They even knocked off West Virginia and Auburn, a Southeastern Conference team that defeated the Gators.
But the Bulls aren?t sneaking up on anybody anymore.
USF is no longer the underdog. They are the mighty Bulls. Opposing fans will storm the field if they lose.
Don?t expect Rutgers or Louisville to overlook USF the way Auburn apparently did and commit five turnovers. The Tigers were so shaken up by the loss they carried it into the next week, losing to lowly Mississippi State.
Look, USF is a very good team. But the Bulls are a long, long way from even securing a Big East championship.
Haven?t we all seen this before?
Last year it was Rutgers who was supposed to run the table in the Big East and shock the world with a BCS berth after pulling off the huge upset against Louisville.
A couple of losses and a reality check later, and everyone took the Scarlet Knights for what they were: a top-25 team, worthy of a berth in a decent bowl game.
Just as Rutgers wasn?t a national championship team last year, USF is not this year.
Did the Bulls really receive 11 first-place votes in the Associated Press poll and three in the coaches? poll?
Look, I know there are two ways to vote in a poll. You can either vote by who you think is the best or you can vote based on performance and who has earned it the most. Apparently, the AP poll is loaded with writers who prefer the latter.
I realize this has been a crazy season, but it?s not that crazy.
Does anyone really think USF is better than Oklahoma and LSU?
What about Boston College, who is also undefeated?
The Bulls aren?t even the best team in the state.
I don?t care how many losses the Gators have, would you really put money on USF if they played UF? Of course not.
I mean, we?re talking about a directional school named after a part of a state it isn?t even in. I?m from South Florida, and last I checked, Tampa isn?t a part of the region.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, the polls won?t be too kind if and when they lose.
Not only will a loss put them in jeopardy of not winning the sixth-best conference in America, they?ll drop so fast in the polls they?ll forget they were ever ranked so high.
So cherish it while it lasts, Bulls fans.
But before you book your tickets to New Orleans, consider Rutgers? big bowl win last season: a thrilling victory against Kansas State in the Texas Bowl.
