The University of South Florida football team opens its 30th anniversary season tomorrow night, welcoming Florida International University to Raymond James Stadium for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff, streaming live on ESPN+.
The season opener marks the beginning of the Brian Hartline era at South Florida, with the former Miami Dolphins wide receiver making his head coaching debut with the Bulls.
USF will turn to LSU transfer Michael Van Buren Jr. to lead the offense after the program announced the junior quarterback as its starter to open the season.
The Bulls enter 2026 as a potential contender in The American and a sleeper candidate to make the College Football Playoff. With a favorable nonconference schedule and only a handful of heavy hitters on the conference slate, USF has an opportunity to build momentum in Hartline’s first season.
FIU, meanwhile, enters Year 2 under head coach Willie Simmons following a 7-6 campaign that included a bowl appearance against American Conference foe UTSA. Simmons will look to continue building the Panthers’ program alongside Appalachian State transfer quarterback JJ Kohl.
With both programs entering new territory, plenty of questions remain heading into Week 1. For USF, a clean four-quarter performance and a strong showing against FIU could put the Bulls on track for another 1-0 start to the season.
