Football

The 10 Greatest Wins in USF Football History

From Louisville and Auburn to The Swamp, these are the victories that have defined South Florida Bulls football.
USF Athletics Football  ·  7/1/2026
Photo Courtesy of GoUSFBulls.com

USF football is still one of the youngest programs in the FBS, playing its first game in 1997. Yet in less than three decades, the Bulls have built a surprising collection of unforgettable victories. Some launched the program onto the national stage. Others announced that USF belonged among college football's rising powers. And a few simply became instant classics. These are the 10 biggest wins in Bulls football history.

10. 2025: USF 34, No. 25 Boise State 7

The 2025 season began with expectations unlike any in recent USF history, and the Bulls immediately lived up to the hype.

Boise State entered Tampa ranked No. 25, but USF dominated from start to finish, winning by four touchdowns. While an even bigger upset was still to come a week later, this victory proved the Bulls weren't simply preseason darlings. They were legitimate contenders.

Looking back, it became the first chapter of one of the greatest seasons in school history.

9. 2009: USF 30, No. 20 West Virginia 19

West Virginia had already become one of USF's favorite opponents.

Three years after shocking the Mountaineers on the road and two years after the unforgettable showdown in Tampa, the Bulls did it again. Quarterback B.J. Daniels accounted for three touchdowns, and the defense forced four turnovers to knock off another ranked West Virginia team.

By 2009, beating the Mountaineers had become more than an upset. It had become a rivalry.

8. 2006: USF 24, No. 7 West Virginia 19

The Louisville victory proved USF could beat a ranked team.

This win proved the Bulls could do it anywhere.

Facing a Top 10 opponent in Morgantown, USF erased a fourth-quarter deficit behind quarterback Matt Grothe and stunned the seventh-ranked Mountaineers. It was the first road victory over a Top 10 team in school history and confirmed the Louisville upset wasn't a one-time fluke.

7. 2009: USF 17, No. 18 Florida State 7

Programs gain respect by beating traditional powers.

Florida State represented exactly that.

Behind quarterback B.J. Daniels and a dominant defensive effort, the Bulls earned their first victory over the Seminoles. The win reinforced USF's reputation as one of the nation's most dangerous nonconference opponents and remains one of the program's biggest victories over a blue-blood opponent.

6. 2008: No. 19 USF 37, No. 13 Kansas 34

This wasn't just a ranked win.

It was one of the most dramatic finishes in school history.

After watching a 14-point fourth-quarter lead disappear, the Bulls drove into field-goal range, where freshman kicker Maikon Bonani drilled a 43-yard game-winner as time expired. Raymond James Stadium erupted, giving USF another nationally televised signature moment.

5. 2011: USF 23, No. 16 Notre Dame 20

Winning at Notre Dame will always carry weight.

Played through two lengthy lightning delays, the Bulls outlasted the Fighting Irish in South Bend to earn one of the biggest road victories in school history. The win propelled USF into the AP Top 25 for the first time under Skip Holtz and gave the program another iconic national victory.

4. 2005: USF 45, No. 9 Louisville 14

Every program has a breakthrough moment.

This was USF's.

The Bulls overwhelmed ninth-ranked Louisville in their first season as members of the Big East, earning the first ranked victory in school history. Chad Simpson's 94-yard kickoff return became one of the defining highlights of the afternoon as USF announced it was ready to compete on a much bigger stage.

Without this game, many of the victories that followed may never have happened.

3. 2007: USF 26, No. 17 Auburn 23 (OT)

This was the night college football truly discovered South Florida.

Traveling into one of the SEC's toughest environments, the unranked Bulls stunned Auburn in overtime when Matt Grothe connected with Jesse Hester Jr. for the winning touchdown.

The victory launched USF into the national rankings for the first time in school history and set the stage for one of the most remarkable climbs college football has ever seen.

Within a month, the Bulls were ranked No. 2 in America.

2. 2025: USF 18, No. 13 Florida 16

Few road wins in modern college football compare to winning in The Swamp.

USF did exactly that.

The Bulls stunned the Gators on a game-winning field goal as time expired, earning their second ranked victory of the young season and vaulting into the AP Top 25.

The victory also secured a remarkable piece of history, making USF the first Florida program to record road victories over each of the state's other six FBS schools.

It instantly became one of the defining moments of the Alex Golesh era.

1. 2007: No. 18 USF 21, No. 5 West Virginia 13

No game has ever meant more to USF football.

West Virginia entered Raymond James Stadium undefeated and ranked fifth in the nation. The Bulls answered with perhaps the finest performance in school history.

Matt Grothe repeatedly escaped pressure to make game-changing plays, Ben Moffitt returned an interception for a touchdown, and a record crowd of 67,018 watched USF defeat one of the country's national title favorites.

Two weeks later, the Bulls climbed to No. 2 in the AP Poll, the highest ranking in school history.

Nearly two decades later, this remains the gold standard for USF football.

Honorable Mentions

A few games narrowly missed the cut but remain unforgettable moments in Bulls history.

  • 2002: USF 31, Pittsburgh 17. One of the program's earliest wins over a future Big East opponent.
  • 2007: USF 64, UCF 12. The largest margin of victory in the rivalry and a statement during the Bulls' magical season.
  • 2016: USF 48, South Carolina 22. The Birmingham Bowl victory gave Willie Taggart's program its first 11-win season.
  • 2017: USF 44, Texas Tech 35. A comeback victory in the Birmingham Bowl that capped another 10-win season.
  • 2025: AAC Championship Game. If the Bulls completed their championship run, it deserves mention for delivering the program's first conference title.

Every USF fan has their own favorite memory. Some will never forget Louisville announcing the Bulls' arrival. Others will choose Auburn, Florida, or The Swamp. But when it comes to the game that defined USF football, it's hard to top the unforgettable night when the Bulls knocked off No. 5 West Virginia and climbed to No. 2 in the nation.