Importance of USF matchups vs. Alabama, Miami in Group of Five College Football Playoff race

With the expansion of the College Football Playoff this season, a Group of Five team will make the field. The five highest-ranked conference champions have spots in the new 12-team formats, leaving four Autonomous Four conference champions and one more spot for the G5.

USF could find itself right in the middle of that conversation. The Bulls, led by quarterback Byrum Brown, appear ready to make some noise in the American Athletic Conference this season and make a run at that CFP bid.

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A signature win would help in the eyes of the committee, though. That’s where the games against Alabama and Miami come into play, and On3’s Andy Staples said they might not be easy, but the pieces could be in place.

“USF has a better opportunity than any team in the Group of Five in terms of being able to notch that signature win because they’ve got two chances at it,” Staples told Kaiden Smith on Andy Staples On3. “One is going to be very difficult. One, I think we’ve got to kind of wait until we see what the team looks like Week 1 to know how difficult it will be. … They play at Alabama, and they get Miami at home.”

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USF, of course, came close to beating Alabama last season. The Crimson Tide kept Jalen Milroe on the sideline as Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson got looks at quarterback. Although Alabama got the 17-3 victory, the offensive issues were apparent, and Milroe became the starter the rest of the way.

USF doesn’t have that question this year. Brown is the starter, and Staples said a signature win is important. However, the Bulls have to get over the hump and win the conference, as well.

“USF – Alex Golesh, their coach, knows Byrum Brown is definitely the guy,” Staples said. “So they’ll have their chances. But they also have to go ahead and win the American, and USF has been in this league for a while, has never been able to break through. They were in the Big East when it was still the Big East, and even those Jim Leavitt teams that came close.

“You remember, they had the one that beat West Virginia on a Friday night in October. They rise to No. 2 in the rankings, and then just the bottom falls out. They’ve never quite lived up to that promise. But when they got the QB now, you start to think maybe this is the year they can do it.”

Why QB play will be important in the AAC

USF came in as a contender in Staples’ latest College Football Playoff bracketology, although Boise State got the Group of 5 appearance in the field. Smith noted the importance of quarterback play for whichever team gets that spot in the CFP, and the American has perhaps the best of the bunch.

The question comes down to whether teams can successfully make it out of the league without mistakes. That might not happen, and the conference’s strength is a factor in that.

“I think quarterback play is just gonna be important for all of these teams we’re talking about,” Smith said. “If you have the best quarterback in the matchup, it just makes things significantly better for you. You mentioned the Sun Belt being the deepest conference, the Mountain West has an argument there. But I think when it comes to the top of conferences, the AAC with Memphis and UTSA and a Tulane team we can talk about that I love and even USF in the mix with a quarterback that can compete in Byrum Brown every matchup.

“I think this is gonna be a tough league to win, and I think … if you are one of those four teams in the AAC, can you make it out of this league unscathed? Probably not. It’s gonna be very hard, just given the matchups. But does the committee maybe see a team like USF or some of these teams that are the conference champion out of this conference, maybe do we crown them as the team that’s worthy to be in that 12-team Playoff just because they have to face each other and go through that gauntlet?”