Two AAC programs walk into Raymond James Stadium under brand-new circumstances — Temple trying to prove year 2 of the K.C. Keeler rebuild is real, USF trying to prove life after Alex Golesh isn't a step back.
Bush’s Picks
TEMUSF
TEMUSF
OverUnder
Best BetSouth Florida
USF is the more proven commodity even with the quarterback race unsettled — a 9-4 season and a top-5 scoring offense don't disappear overnight, and Hartline brings a pedigree that should keep the Bulls competitive while the new pieces gel. Temple's path to an upset runs through its returning skill talent, but road wins are still the bigger ask for a rebuilding program. Lean USF to get it done at home.
Temple
+Hunter Smith steps into lead back role, 403 yards last year
+WR duo Bermudez/Chase and All-Conference TE Clarke all return
+Year 2 continuity under Keeler after 5-7 debut
−Lost both all-conference OLBs, real defensive turnover
−5-7 finish shows the rebuild isn't finished
−Road test against a more talented roster
South Florida
+9-4 in 2025, offense ranked top-5 nationally in scoring
+Landed the AAC's top transfer class under Hartline
+Hartline coordinated Ohio State's 2024 national title offense
−Lost Golesh and record-setting QB Byrum Brown to Auburn
−Returns just one starter on defense, Tavin Ward
−Unresolved QB battle between Van Buren and Kromenhoek
Start with the quarterback rooms, because both are messier than the records suggest. USF spent the offseason replacing Byrum Brown, the only 3,000-yard passer in program history, after he followed Golesh to Auburn. The Bulls brought in four transfer arms, with Michael Van Buren Jr. — a 12-start veteran between Mississippi State and LSU — and Luke Kromenhoek fighting for QB1. Temple, meanwhile, leans on more continuity: Hunter Smith steps into the lead back job after 403 yards a year ago, and the passing game still has JoJo Bermudez, Colin Chase and All-Conference tight end Peter Clarke back to catch it.
The bigger story might be on defense, and it cuts both ways. USF returns exactly one starter on that side of the ball — safety Tavin Ward — after an offseason of near-total roster churn, even as new coach Brian Hartline, fresh off coordinating Ohio State's 2024 title-winning offense, tries to install his system in year 1. Temple isn't much more settled up front; the Owls lost both all-conference outside linebackers in Cam'Ron Stewart and Ty Davis, though safety Avery Powell and linebacker Curly Ordonez give Keeler and coordinator Brian Smith something to build around.
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USF South Florida
None of this makes for a clean projection, and the number crunchers will tell you as much once lines actually post for this one. What's clear from preseason previews alone is that USF is the more talented team on paper, armed with the American's top transfer class, while Temple is the team with the head start on continuity. That tension is basically the whole game.
Temple Owls
Sep 25?vs Army—
Sep 19?@ Toledo—
Sep 12?vs Penn State—
Sep 5?vs Rhode Island—
South Florida Bulls
Sep 25?@ Bowling Green—
Sep 19?vs Delaware State—
Sep 12?@ Army—
Sep 5?vs Florida International—
Recent form.
Where USF has the real edge is track record: a 9-4 finish in 2025 with an offense that ranked fifth nationally in scoring, third in total yards. That kind of production doesn't fully evaporate just because the coordinator and quarterback left, especially with Hartline importing pieces of a national championship-level scheme. Temple's 5-7 finish under first-year Keeler was the sound of a program still finding its footing, and while the skill-position talent is legitimate, this is still a group trying to win consistently on the road against a roster with more sheer firepower.
Temple Owls
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
South Florida Bulls
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
This is also USF's last go-round at Raymond James Stadium before the Bulls move into their own on-campus building in 2027, adding a little extra juice to a Friday night, October 2nd date. For Temple, it's another data point on whether Keeler's rebuild is trending up or just treading water heading into the meat of the AAC schedule.
