USF's 2026 Football Schedule is released

The South Florida Bulls football team will embark on its 30th season in 2026. On Thursday afternoon, the schedule for this landmark season was released.

This will be USF’s first season with new head coach Brian Hartline at the helm. He is the seventh head coach in program history.

It will also be the Bulls’ final season playing home games at Raymond James Stadium. USF football has called Raymond James home since its inception, but the Bulls’ brand-new on-campus football stadium will be ready to host the team by Week 1 of the 2027 season.

USF will enter 2026 with hefty expectations. The Bulls have earned bowl game appearances in each of the last three seasons. Last year, they won nine games for just the sixth time in program history and finished a perfect 6-0 at Raymond James for the first time since 2002.

It will look a lot different for USF fans this season, with 33 players departing via the transfer portal and many more graduating.

However, that does not lower outside expectations for Brian Hartline’s Bulls in his first year. Hartline and his staff brought in 41 transfer portal additions, a class rated the best in the Group of Five and 53rd nationally.

Hartline brings his own level of pedigree, winning a national championship and four Big Ten championships as an assistant coach at Ohio State.

On Thursday, the schedule for this highly anticipated season was officially released.

Week 1 (9/5): vs. Florida International University

USF’s head-to-head record: 2-0
Last matchup: 2008 (17-9 USF win)

The Bulls will look to win their fourth consecutive home opener. It will mark the final time USF opens a season at Raymond James Stadium. FIU will enter its second season under head coach Willie Simmons. Last year, Simmons helped lead the Panthers to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2019. FIU finished tied for fourth in the Conference USA standings. Simmons was a name linked by fans and pundits to USF’s head coaching vacancy before Hartline was hired.

Week 2 (9/12): at Army

USF’s head-to-head record: 1-1
Last matchup: 2004 (42-35 Army win)

USF will take on Army for the first time since the Cadets joined the American Conference. Last season, Army finished 7-6, marking the ninth time in 12 seasons under Jeff Monken that the Cadets reached six wins or more. In 2024, Army won the American Athletic Conference championship under Monken and finished 12-2. Week 2 marks the earliest point in a season that USF has played a conference opponent since the AAC was created in 2013.

Week 3 (9/19): vs. Delaware State

USF’s head-to-head record: 0-0

The Bulls’ third game will come against Delaware State, a member of the MEAC at the FCS level. The Hornets are coached by former Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who will be entering his second season as head coach. Delaware State went 8-4 last season and finished second in the MEAC. Jackson will return to Raymond James Stadium, where he played home games as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Week 4 (9/26): at Bowling Green

USF’s head-to-head record: 1-0
Last matchup: 2002 (29-7 USF win)

The Bulls’ only non-conference road trip will be against Bowling Green. The Falcons went 4-8 in head coach Eddie George’s first season. George won the 1995 Heisman Trophy as a running back at Ohio State. Before heading to Bowling Green, he spent four seasons as head coach at Tennessee State, compiling a 24-22 record. USF made similar road trips against Group of Five opponents in 2023 and 2024, losing to Western Kentucky in 2023 and defeating Southern Miss in 2024.

Week 5 (10/3): vs. Temple

USF’s head-to-head record: 4-6
Last matchup: 2023 (27-23 USF win)

USF will host Temple for its first home conference game of 2026. Last season, the Owls finished 5-7 in head coach K.C. Keeler’s first year. Keeler previously spent 11 seasons at Sam Houston State, where he posted a 97-39 record. Last year, USF won each of its home conference games by 28 points or more.

Week 6 (10/8): at UTSA

USF’s head-to-head record: 1-1
Last matchup: 2025 (55-23 USF win)

USF will travel to the Alamodome for its first Thursday night game of the season. The Alamodome has been a major home-field advantage during head coach Jeff Traylor’s six-year tenure. The Roadrunners are 33-5 at home and 25-1 against conference opponents there. USF’s last trip to the Alamodome resulted in a 49-21 loss in 2023.

Week 7 (10/17): vs. Kent State

USF’s head-to-head record: 0-0

The Bulls’ homecoming game will come against Kent State, a recent addition to the schedule. On January 30, the teams finalized the matchup. The Golden Flashes replace Alabama, which postponed its game with USF to 2026. Last season, Kent State finished 5-7 in Mark Carney’s first season as head coach after being promoted from offensive coordinator following the 2024 season.

Week 8 (10/24): Bye Week

USF’s head-to-head record: Undefeated

Week 9 (10/31): vs. UAB

USF’s head-to-head record: 3-2
Last matchup: 2025 (48-18 USF win)

USF’s first-half schedule has the potential to be manageable. The Bulls’ first four conference opponents combined for a 13-19 conference record last season. UAB fired head coach Trent Dilfer in October after a 9-21 record. The Blazers promoted interim head coach Alex Mortensen following a 2-4 finish under his leadership. Mortensen earned an upset win over No. 22 Memphis in his head coaching debut.

Week 10 (11/6): at East Carolina

USF’s head-to-head record: 9-4
Last matchup: 2022 (48-28 East Carolina win)

USF’s tough November begins with a Friday night trip to East Carolina. New defensive coordinator Josh Aldridge returns to Greenville, where he helped lead the Pirates to the American’s best scoring defense last season. East Carolina finished 9-4 and capped the year with a Military Bowl win over Pittsburgh. Pirates’ head coach Blake Harrell holds a 14-5 record since taking over as interim head coach midway through the 2024 season. USF has lost three straight to ECU.

Week 11 (11/12): vs. Memphis

USF’s head-to-head record: 4-10
Last matchup: 2025 (34-31 Memphis win)

USF will face back-to-back challenging conference games on weeknights. The Bulls host Memphis at Raymond James while riding a five-game losing streak against the Tigers. Memphis, like USF, will be led by a first-year head coach in Charles Huff, who compiled a 39-25 record over five seasons at Marshall and Southern Miss. This will assuredly be a pivotal moment in the Bulls’ season.

Week 12 (11/21): at FAU

USF’s head-to-head record: 5-2
Last matchup: 2025 (48-13 USF win)

USF’s final road game will come against in-state foe FAU. The Bulls are 2-0 all-time on the road in Boca Raton against the Owls. FAU will be led by second-year head coach Zach Kittley, who went 4-8 in 2025. Kittley is known for his Air Raid offense and previously coordinated some of the nation’s top passing attacks at Western Kentucky and Texas Tech.

Week 13 (11/27 or 11/28): vs. Tulane

This will be USF’s final scheduled game at Raymond James Stadium. For the first time since UCF left the American, the Bulls will close the regular season against Tulane. USF had faced Rice in the final week in each of the past three seasons.

Tulane enters its first season under head coach Will Hall, who was promoted from pass game coordinator following Jon Sumrall’s departure to Florida. The Green Wave won the American Championship last year and became the first team from the conference to reach the College Football Playoff. Hall previously served as head coach at Southern Miss from 2021 to 2024, compiling an 8-19 record.