Boise State has been so good for so long nobody can remember when they were bad – if they ever were. Boise is the Alabama of the Group of Five, the conferences just a notch below the Power Four. If you beat Boise, you have to be really good or really lucky or maybe a little bit of both.
In what will be arguably the most important game South Florida has ever played, the Bulls are going to try and take down Boise in their opener in Tampa Thursday.
This is big. Win this, and you give yourself a chance to go all the way, and by all the way we mean you have a shot at the College Football Playoffs. There’s no guarantee, of course. You still have to beat Memphis. And Navy. And some think Florida Atlantic will be sneaky good. But you have a shot.
Because the highest ranked team from the Group of Five gets an automatic bid to the CFP, and if you beat Boise, you’re in position to be that team. Remember Boise, 11-1 during the regular season last year with only a 37-34 last minute loss to Oregon staining its record, was the Group of Five’s rep in 2024.
So, if you’re USF and you can somehow win this game, you jump start your chances even if you lose to Miami and Florida. But you have to finish, as USF Coach Alex Golesh likes to put it (Boise’s Spencer Danielson says the same thing about his team).
“They had six games going into the fourth quarter that were one score games,” Golesh said. “They know how to finish, and that’s what it takes to win.” Golesh says the Bulls, who have never been in this position before, will be ready. “We’re locked in to the task at hand,” Golesh said according to USF’s football website. “For us it’s a huge challenge, and what we have to do to be successful is play really, really good football.
“We have to play really hard for four quarters and I bring up that fourth quarter stat because this (Boise) is a team that is used to going into the fourth quarter and finishing football games.”
Indeed they are. But one interesting aspect to this game is that Boise State seems to view it as just as critical to its success as USF does, which shows the respect Danielson has for the Bulls.
“Who ever wins this game it’s not gonna be the team who has the most emotion, it’s going to be the team who executes,” Danielson declared according to Boise’s football website.
And both these coaches are big on “process.” Golesh has been all about that since the day he got here and if anything he stresses it more now. “We’re process driven and I’ve hammered that home,” he declared. “Our preparation is the same no matter who you’re playing.”
“We want to have the best process in the country,” Danielson said. “As a coach that’s what we control. To me, I want to make sure we’re preparing our players to be their best. I want to make sure they have everything they need to be successful.”
Besides sticking to the process and finishing in the fourth quarter, there is an X-factor in this game that could decide it, and that’s USF quarterback Byrum Brown. Going into this season, Brown has most definitely been underrated because of the injury plagued season he had in 2024.
But he’s not underrated by Danielson. “Their quarterback, No. 17, Brown, he will be one of the best football players we see all year on either side of the ball,” Danielson declared. “I’m not just talking about one of the best quarterbacks we’ll see, he’s one of the best football players we will see during the 2025 season.
“I have a ton of respect for him,” Danielson continued. “I’ve done a lot of research on him over the summertime, getting to know more about him. Man, I’ve got a lot of respect for the young man, his character, how he leads,” Danielson said.
“He gets a lot of credit for how he runs the ball – which he should. He can make every throw. He’s big and strong. He’s an NFL quarterback. We’ll see him play on Sundays here soon; he’s earned that,” Danielson commented.
“He’s a leader; how he speaks, he grabs your attention in his interviews. We’ve got our hands full with 17,” Danielson remarked.
And USF will have its hands full with Boise, which is why this game will be in the national spotlight. Upstart USF against been there, done that Boise State.
“The big thing for us is that we get to do it (play) on a national stage and that’s awesome for us as we continue to build our brand, our football program,” Golesh said. “It’s the next opportunity to put it on display.”
Indeed it is. Just don’t screw it up.
PAT’S PICKS: Boise over USF-USF has Brown, and he may be up to the task. But Boise has Power Four-type talent. They’re a proven commodity and used to playing – and winning – big games.
Florida over Long Island U-Are you kidding me?
Alabama over FSU-Look out for this one. This is not your father’s Alabama and Kalen DeBoer is definitely not Nick Saban and FSU is definitely better than last year. Maybe a lot better.
Notre Dame over Miami-Miami paid Carson Beck more than $4 million to come play for then. If Beck was that good Georgia would have kept him.
UCF over Jacksonville State-UCF was a disappointment in the Big 12 and Scott Frost was a disappointment at Nebraska (after leaving UCF) and if the Knights lose this one it will be more than a disappointment. It will be a disaster.