2025 South Florida Football Predictions: Bulls Ranked 87th in RJ Young's Ultimate 136

By RJ Young
Updated Aug. 10, 2025 9:32 p.m. ET

This isn't your average college football ranking.

My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:

  • Who do I think is good?
  • Why do I think they're good?
  • What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?

Here is a look at where South Florida lands in my Ultimate 136.

USF ranking: 87
Last year’s ranking: 70
Top player: QB Byrum Brown: Posted the first 3,000 passing yard season in school history in 2023 as well as throwing a school record 26 TD passes; in five games last season, threw for 836 yards and ran for 269, with 2 TD passes and 3 TD rushes.

[South Florida's 2025 schedule]

RJ's take: If Byrum Brown earns the start after suffering a season-ending injury last season, it's not hard to see Alex Golesh’s Bulls increasing their 2024 season win total from seven. With the addition of former Charlotte RB Cartevious Norton and Oklahoma RB Sam Franklin, the run-game could be the most explosive yet in Tampa.

Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando is gonna send ‘em, and he's gonna have his unit hunting for fumbles and balls in the air. It’s a gambler’s defense. But when he catches a run of the right looks it can be as hot as any in the country. Add to this 13 players who've played more than 200 snaps and 10 upperclassmen out of the portal all on defense, and you can see the vision for a dictating-terms defense.

[Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]

USF Win Total Odds: Over 6.5 (-128) Under 6.5 (+104)

Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school's rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I'll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.