Which one-score loss would you like to have back?

[TheUpperHand]

If you could swap the results of any one-score loss in USF history which would you pick? Here's my Top 5.

1.      USF (42) at No. 13 UCF (49), November 24, 2017

This was a back-and-forth game that ended up being named one of the best of the college football season. There was nothing on the line for the Bulls as we were eliminated from conference championship contention by virtue of our loss to Houston a month before. However, a victory over the Knights would be a defining chapter in the war on I-4, likely denying UCF a Peach Bowl berth and most certainly their claimed National Championship.

2.       USF (28) at Florida (31), September 17, 2022

We were in the midst of a 4 – 23 slide with another 9 losses forthcoming so a win here wouldn’t have done much. However, had this been our “third times a charm” moment against the Gators, The Swamp would be silent as one of the worst teams in the country managed to pull out a seemingly impossible victory.

3.       No. 2 USF (27) at Rutgers (30), October 18, 2007

While the Bulls would go on to drop two more games after Rutgers, they were one score losses. Would a win here and a possible Number 1 ranking in the polls have given us enough fire to overcome the VooDoo Five curse and a close homecoming loss? An improbable National Championship appearance probably would end as bad as the bowl loss against Oregon, but might have been enough to forever alter the trajectory and perception of the program.

4.       USF (3) vs Miami (6), November 19, 2011

Since Skip Holtz was getting extended anyways and we were doomed to go 3-9 the next season, why not make it two in a row against Miami as well as secure a bowl game by moving to six wins on the year? This is assuming this win doesn’t give Doug Woolard enough reason to keep Holtz for a year 4 and forego the Willie Taggart hire.

5.       USF (10) vs No. 18 TCU (13), October 10, 2003

In USF’s inaugural CUSA season, a win here would have been our first victory against a nationally ranked team and likely would have been enough for us to secure our first ever bowl invite. This might have provided some solace following the prior years snubbing as a nine-win independent.

Honorable Mentions:

·         USF (27) vs No. 20 West Virginia (30): I could probably swap this for #4 on the list above. We had a nice semi-rivalry with West Virginia, they were ranked, and a win here would have denied them the Big East Championship. I respect WVU more than Miami, though so this ends up in the honorable mentioned column. Would have been a nice talking point, but not as meaningful as beating a major instate opponent.

·         USF (20) vs No. 23 Rutgers (22), September 29, 2006: A good win vs a ranked conference opponent that would have allowed us to break the 10-win barrier for the first time in program history.

·         USF (33) vs No. 20 Cincinnati (38), November 3, 2007: Another opportunity at a 10-win season. A win here and we might end up in a more manageable bowl game, enabling us to finish the season ranked.

·         USF (13) at UCF (17), November 26, 2021: This would have been the lone highlight of a two-win season. Why not put another iconic U on the War on I-4 trophy in the bounce house with one of our worst teams ever?

Which one-score loss in USF’s history would you like to see swing in the other direction?

Bonus: If you could swap the results of one game, period, whether it was one score or not, what would you pick? I think I’d go with the 2016 Temple game. It would have guaranteed us our first AAC championship game berth. We would have played Navy, which we already beat that year and likely would have secured our first championship. Sure, there were a lot of ranked teams that we've lost against and would have been cool to win, but this was our best opportunity to win a conference championship, I think

[Bullfrog]

Would’ve loved to beat the Gators in the Swamp. Gotta choose that one.

[Triple B]

31 minutes ago, TheUpperHand said:

1.      USF (42) at No. 13 UCF (49), November 24, 2017

This was a back-and-forth game that ended up being named one of the best of the college football season. There was nothing on the line for the Bulls as we were eliminated from conference championship contention by virtue of our loss to Houston a month before. However, a victory over the Knights would be a defining chapter in the war on I-4, likely denying UCF a Peach Bowl berth and most certainly their claimed National Championship.

You've got your seasons a little mixed up. That game should be your number one game because everything WAS on the line. We win that game, we play for a conference title. 2016 was the year that we were pretty much eliminated because of a loss to Temple a month earlier. We had to win our game but then Temple had to lose to a horrible ECU team the next day.

Edited August 18, 2023 by Triple B

[flsportsfan83]

Rutgers

[Cat941]

All of them.  No, picking #1 here.  I can't even enjoy highlights because of the outcome.  

[TheUpperHand]

7 minutes ago, Triple B said:

You've got your seasons a little mixed up. That game should be your number one game because everything WAS on the line. We win that game, we play for a conference title. 2016 was the year that we were pretty much eliminated because of a loss to Temple a month earlier. We had to win our game but then Temple had to lose to a horrible ECU team the next day.

You know, you’re right. I was matching wrong. We lost to Houston but beating UCF would have put us both at 7-1 and given us the head-to-head tiebreaker. That would definitely be #1 most meaningful game by far.

[Triple B]

16 minutes ago, TheUpperHand said:

You know, you’re right. I was matching wrong. We lost to Houston but beating UCF would have put us both at 7-1 and given us the head-to-head tiebreaker. That would definitely be #1 most meaningful game by far.

It's a definite #1 for us and would be up there for similar honors for the college football world, for that year anyway. It means, like you pointed out, we all wouldn't have been subjected to ...

 

[206BULL]

3 and it’s not particularly close for me. Skipped my once a week accounting class in the bunker to watch that game since our teacher wouldn’t cancel it. That fall was a ******* rollercoaster as a student. 

[M50_BULL]

Great idea and execution however, this thread is PAIN. Bc of that I'm out!!!!

[Ghostbuster]

Only worth comparing two for me

- The Rutgers game, while that's my gut reaction for "yes change it", is only worth it if you win out the rest of the year and compete for a natty.  If we still lose a few others and end up where we are now in the AAC, who cares.

- On the other hand, the "only war on i4 game where both teams were good" could likely have much more meaningful repercussions if you flip it to a win.  If you win 2 more games afterwards that season, maybe you butterfly effect USF to the Big12 today; or at the very least you might hold back UCF by tempering their fandom without that colley matrix season.  If they fail to demonstrate a stark raving mad fanbase (aka exploitable revenue stream), maybe they're less desirable when realignment rolls around.

 

Next let's do a "which athletic director in our history do we change out"...