SI.com Mandel ranks USF #4

[BullAdrian]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/football/ncaa/?eref=T1

[Buller64]

And what of South Florida? Both the Bulls (which knocked off No. 5 West Virginia on Friday) and Auburn have now beaten top-five foes -- but South Florida also beat Auburn. Is there another team in the country with two more impressive victories?

Later in the post Mandel also has an article on the Bulls win Friday night.

Love this quote:

Play after play, defensive ends George Selvie (who raised his staggering season totals to 9.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss) and Jarriett Buie collapsed the quarterback’s pocket within nanoseconds of the snap.

And this one sums what USF faces this season:

... but anyone who’s paid any attention to college football over the past 20 years would agree that a fast, athletic defense can take a team a long way.

It was just such a thing, in fact, that allowed Florida to win a national championship last season in spite of its own dysfunctional offense. Can South Florida pull off the same feat? Only if enough people start taking the Bulls seriously enough to be considered.

[Guest]

That was a GREAT read....

Saturday Observations I (Friday's game)

Saturday's action hasn't even begun and already the college football world has been turned ... over.

...

Anyone who took in South Florida’s 21-13 upset of the fifth-ranked Mountaineers on Friday night, however, saw an overwhelming USF defense that makes the Bulls impossible to ignore.

...

Selvie, Moffitt, Allen and Jenkins will all merit All-America consideration as the season progresses.

The Bulls are a team that can no longer be taken lightly, no matter what conference they play in, no matter how unfamiliar their acronym.

[BJ]

Mandel's been on our wagon the whole year...nice to see another good article from him

[USF-PMR]

We'll take his Man Love!

[gobulls83]

In his latest <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/stewart_mandel/10/02/power.rankings6/index.html?eref=T1">rankings</a>, he votes us fourth:

• You have South Florida No. 4. Do you honestly believe USF could beat [fill in more traditional school here]? Why shouldn't I? The Bulls have already beaten Auburn (on the road) and West Virginia. In doing so, they've shown off an incredibly fast and suffocating defense, one that helps compensate for a thus-far ragged offense. It's the same exact formula Florida rode to a national title last season. The biggest difference for South Florida: the extra word in its name.

...

South Florida Bulls (4-0)

Behind unblockable DE George Selvie (9.5 sacks), game-changing LB Ben Moffit (two INTs vs. West Virginia), playmaking safety Nate Allen (five turnovers) and lockdown corners Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams, the Bulls' defense has allowed just eight touchdowns over their past six games.

Last game: Beat West Virginia, 21-13.

Next game: Saturday at Florida Atlantic.

He has West Virginia at No. 9, UF at 14, Auburn at 17, Cincinnati at 22 and Rutgers at 23.

[kastofsna]

i never thought about the comparison between this year's team and last year's UF team, but it makes sense.

[ITBULL]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/stewart_mandel/10/02/power.rankings6/index.html?eref=T1

All I have to say is wow!!!

[tampaboi07]

South Florida Bulls (4-0)

Behind unblockable DE George Selvie (9.5 sacks), game-changing LB Ben Moffit (two INTs vs. West Virginia), playmaking safety Nate Allen (five turnovers) and lockdown corners Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams, the Bulls' defense has allowed just eight touchdowns over their past six games.

Last game: Beat West Virginia, 21-13.

Next game: Saturday at Florida Atlantic.

• You have South Florida No. 4. Do you honestly believe USF could beat [fill in more traditional school here]? Why shouldn't I? The Bulls have already beaten Auburn (on the road) and West Virginia. In doing so, they've shown off an incredibly fast and suffocating defense, one that helps compensate for a thus-far ragged offense. It's the same exact formula Florida rode to a national title last season. The biggest difference for South Florida: the extra word in its name.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/stewart_mandel/10/02/power.rankings6/index.html

[tampaboi07]

missed  it