The South Florida Bulls have announced their 2026 football schedule for their 30th season. This will be a monumental season for USF as it will be their last season of football at Raymond James Stadium. USF’s new on-campus stadium is set to open in 2027.
This is also the inaugural season for new head football coach Brian Hartline, who was hired in December to take over for Alex Golesh, who departed for Auburn.
USF is coming off a nine-win season and third consecutive bowl appearance, so expectations will be high in Hartline’s first season as head coach.
The Bulls will also look very different on the field this fall as 33 players left the program via the transfer portal and graduation.
Hartline has been busy restocking the roster at USF, bringing 41 players from the transfer portal, and bringing in the best recruiting class in the AAC. As an assistant at Ohio State, Hartline was part of four Big Ten titles and a National Championship.
One thing you will notice about the 2026 schedule is that the non-conference portion is much easier than what the Bulls faced last season. Non-conference games against BYU, Florida, and Miami have been replaced on the schedule by FIU, Army, Delaware State, and Kent State.
USF will open the season in week one on Sept. 5, hosting in-state foe FIU. The Bulls are 2-0 all-time against FIU.
In week two (9/12), the Bulls open AAC play and travel to Army for a matchup with the Black Knights. This will be USF’s first trip to Army since 2003.
In week three (9/19), USF will be back home to play Delaware State. This will be the first meeting ever between USF and Delaware State.
In week four (9/26), the Bulls hit the road for their only road non-conference game of the year at Bowling Green. In their only previous matchup, USF defeated Bowling Green 29-7 in 2002.
In week five (10/3), the first week of October, USF opens the home portion of the AAC schedule with a matchup against Temple. This is another team that USF has not played since 2023. The Bulls won that matchup 27-23.
In week six (10/8), the Bulls will travel to Texas for a matchup with UTSA. This will also be the Bulls’ first Thursday night game of the season. Last season, USF won handily at home, beating the Roadrunners 55-23.
In week seven (10/17), USF is back home for Kent State, a school in the Mid-American Conference. This will be the first ever meeting between these two schools.
USF will have its bye week in the eighth week of the season. Then the Bulls’ stretch run will begin.
In week nine (10/31), UAB will come to Tampa to play the Bulls. USF won easily in their most recent matchup last season, 48-18.
In week 10 (11/6) USF hits the road for a Friday night road contest at East Carolina. The last time these two teams met was in 2022, when USF won 48-28.
In week 11 (11/12), USF will host Memphis on a Thursday night. It is always a good matchup when these two AAC powers collide. Memphis won last year’s matchup in Memphis, 34-31, eliminating USF from playing in the AAC title game.
In week 12 (11/21), the Bulls will travel across the state to face their archrivals, FAU. USF won last year’s matchup 44-21 and owns a 4-2 lead in the series.
In week 13 (11/27 or 11/28), the Bulls will wrap up the season by hosting Tulane. The Green Wave are the defending AAC champions and earned a spot in the College Football Playoffs last season. This game could decide the AAC Championship next season.
On paper, this should be, at minimum, a nine-win season for USF. Anything less will be a huge disappointment, even with a first-year head coach.
The Bulls will open spring practice on March 11. The spring game will be on Sunday, April 19 at Corbett Stadium.