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College Football Countdown: No. 47 USF

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USF quarterback BJ Daniels returns to lead the Bulls' offense. Credit: Al Messerschmidt / Getty Images.

The Orlando Sentinel has ranked all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country. We’ll take a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 120 to our projected No. 1 team. We will not be including the four teams the NCAA lists as still reclassifying to the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

Today at No. 47: USF

Coach: Skip Holtz (13-12, entering third season at USF; 51-39 at FBS level, entering eighth season)

2011 record: 5-7 (1-6 in Big East, tied for seventh place in Big East)

Look back: USF got off to a hot start in the 2011 season, earning a historic 23-20 win at Notre Dame. The Bulls then earned a 37-7 win over Ball State, a 70-17 win over Florida A&M and a 52-24 win over UTEP. After opening with a 4-0 record, the Bulls would go 1-7 the remainder of the season. The team lost 44-17 at Pitt, 16-10 at UConn, 37-34 against Cincinnati, 20-17 in overtime at Rutgers, 6-3 against Miami, 34-24 against Louisville and 30-27 against West Virginia. The Bulls’ sole Big East win was a 37-17 road victory over Syracuse. A mix of penalties, turnovers and defensive errors at the worst time cost the Bulls a string of close games.

Offensive starters lost/returning: 3/8

Defensive starters lost/returning: 3/8

Key losses: OL Jeremiah Warren, S Jerrell Young, RB Darrell Scott

Top returnees: QB B.J. Daniels, WR Sterling Griffin, OL Mark Popek, DE Ryne Giddins, LB DeDe Lattimore, K Maikon Bonani, RB Demetris Murray, LB Mike Lanaris, CB Kayvon Webster

Strengths: USF returns the Big East’s most experienced quarterback in athletic leader B.J. Daniels. While Daniels has suffered injuries and turned in some erratic performances, he remains a dynamic playmaker. He enters the 2012 season ranked seventh in Big East history in total offense (7,992 yards). Daniels needs 2,883 yards to tie former teammate Matt Grothe as the conference’s all-time leader in total offense (10,875 yards).

Daniels is one of many returning USF starters. The team will bring eight offensive starters and eight defensive starters, ranking the team No. 8 nationally on Phil Steele’s list of most experienced teams. The returning athletes include the team’s three starting linebackers and top three receivers from last season.

Weaknesses: The Bulls return the core of a lineup that was projected to perform relatively well in the Big East in 2011, but the group underachieved. It’s unclear whether the sore core group of players will be able to get to improve execution in crunch time and get over the mental toll of losing so many close games last year. The other big challenge USF faces is keeping Daniels healthy. Injuries have hounded him throughout his career. The Bulls’ offensive line must step up to protect Daniels and he has to make better decisions under pressure if the team is going to be successful in 2012.

Outlook: Even if it hits some bumps in the road, USF returns a veteran lineup of talented athletes who should help the Bulls compete for a Big East title and earn a bowl invitation.

2012 Schedule
Sept. 1 UT-Chattanooga
Sept. 8 At Nevada
Sept. 13 Rutgers
Sept. 22 At Ball State
Sept. 29 Florida State
Oct. 6 At Temple
Oct. 20 At Louisville
Oct. 27 Syracuse
Nov. 3 UConn
Nov. 17 At Miami
Nov. 23 At Cincinnati
Dec. 1 Pittsburgh

Rest of the countdown:

No. 48 North Carolina

No. 49 Illinois

No. 50 Tulsa

No. 51 California

No. 52 UCF

No. 53 Pittsburgh

No. 54 Arizona

No. 55 BYU

No. 56 Ohio

No. 57 Temple

No. 58 Purdue

No. 59 Arkansas State

No. 60 Vanderbilt

No. 61 Connecticut

No. 62 Arizona State

No. 63 Wyoming

No. 64 Northern Illinois

No. 65 Utah State

No. 66 Louisiana-Lafayette

No. 67 Marshall

No. 68 Western Michigan

No. 69 Louisiana Tech

No. 70 Kentucky

No. 71 Air Force

No. 72 Western Kentucky

No. 73 UCLA

No. 74 Toledo

No. 75 FIU

No. 76 San Jose State

No. 77 North Texas

No. 78 Iowa State

No. 79 Nevada

No. 80 Eastern Michigan

No. 81 Hawai’i

No. 82 East Carolina

No. 83 Texas Tech

No. 84 Washington State

No. 85 San Diego State

No. 86 Ball State

No. 87 Navy

No. 88 Tennessee

No. 89 Kent State

No. 90 Louisiana-Monroe

No. 91 Bowling Green

No. 92 Syracuse

No. 93 Minnesota

No. 94 Boston College

No. 95 Kansas

No. 96 Oregon State

No. 97 Rice

No. 98 Ole Miss

No. 99 Colorado

No. 100 New Mexico State

No. 101 Duke

No. 102 Idaho

No. 103 Army

No. 104 Maryland

No. 105 Colorado State

No. 106 Miami (Ohio)

No. 107 UTEP

No. 108 Troy

No. 109 Fresno State

No. 110 Central Michigan

No. 111 Indiana

No. 112 Memphis

No. 113 Middle Tennessee

No. 114 UAB

No. 115 Buffalo

No. 116 Tulane

No. 117: FAU

No. 118: UNLV

No. 119: Akron

No. 120: New Mexico




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