USF and FAU close out November with a lot to prove — one program on the way up, the other trying to climb out of a rough debut season.
Bush’s Picks
USFFAU
USFFAU
OverUnder
Best BetSouth Florida
USF brings the better résumé into this one — a 9-win season a year ago, a top-rated transfer haul, and an FPI ranking that puts the Bulls clearly ahead of FAU in the conference pecking order. FAU's coming off a 4-8 debut under Kittley that ended on a lopsided loss, and until that changes, USF is the side to trust to just win the game outright.
South Florida
+9-4 in 2025, first unbeaten home season since 2002
+Landed AAC's No. 1 transfer class this offseason
+Blew out FAU 48-13 in last meeting
−Lost record-setting QB Byrum Brown to the portal
−First-time head coach Brian Hartline untested
−Closed 2025 with a Cure Bowl loss to Old Dominion
+Program committed long-term with 5-year Kittley deal
+Actively addressed O-line/D-line depth via portal
−Finished just 4-8 in Kittley's debut season
−Closed 2025 with a lopsided 42-3 loss
−2026 win total set at a modest 5.5
Both sidelines look different than they did last time these two shared a field. USF fired up a QB controversy of a different kind this offseason — not who starts, but who's left to throw to. Byrum Brown, the record-setting arm behind USF's breakthrough 2025 season, followed ex-coach Alex Golesh to Auburn, taking a chunk of the receiving corps with him. New coach Brian Hartline, poached from Ohio State's offensive staff, inherits a roster in transition and a defense that has to replace a season's worth of continuity. FAU's setup reads more stable: Zach Kittley enters year 2 with Caden Veltkamp back at quarterback, the same transfer arm that's supposed to be the foundation of the turnaround.
The injury and roster-churn picture matters as much as any depth chart here. USF's headline number this offseason wasn't a stat line, it was a portal count — nearly 30 players out the door, offset by the AAC's top-ranked incoming transfer class. That's a lot of new pieces trying to gel fast. FAU's roster is quieter but has its own scars: a 4-8 finish and a 42-3 no-show in the season finale exposed depth issues on both lines that Kittley spent the winter trying to patch through the portal.
Show fees
11:00 PM CT
Spread
ML
Total
USF South Florida
FAU Florida Atlantic
Whatever gap existed between these two programs a year ago showed up in the box score — USF ran away with it 48-13 behind that Golesh-Brown era offense. That result doesn't mean much for personnel that's mostly gone now, but it's the shadow hanging over Boca Raton heading into this one, and it's part of why oddsmakers still lean the visitors' way.
South Florida Bulls
Nov 12?vs Memphis—
Nov 6?@ East Carolina—
Oct 30?vs UAB—
Oct 16?vs Kent State—
Oct 8?@ UTSA—
Oct 2?vs Temple—
Sep 25?@ Bowling Green—
Sep 19?vs Delaware State—
Sep 12?@ Army—
Sep 5?vs Florida International—
Florida Atlantic Owls
Nov 13?@ Tulsa—
Nov 5?vs UTSA—
Oct 29?@ North Texas—
Oct 17?@ Army—
Oct 3?vs Texas Southern—
Sep 25?@ UL Monroe—
Sep 19?vs Florida International—
Sep 12?vs Navy—
Sep 5?@ Florida—
Recent form.
USF's pitch for 2026 is buy-in on Hartline before results, backed by an ESPN FPI ranking that already has the Bulls above FAU in the league pecking order. FAU's pitch is continuity — Veltkamp gets a full offseason as the guy, and a five-year commitment to Kittley signals the administration is playing a longer game than one bad debut season. Neither team enters this one loaded with proven answers, which is exactly why a game between two rebuilding in-state programs still carries some intrigue.
