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THE ORACLE

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U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I DA

Destigmatizing mental health problems for college athletes

By Sam Newlon A S S O C I A T E

E D I T O R

NCAA athletes are supported both physically and academically.

Most Division I schools have special training facilities specific for college athletes. They’ve also got special academic services like tutors and study areas.

But college students are stressed out. In addition to the normal load of schoolwork and a social life, student athletes have to find a way to balance their athletic careers as well. It’s not always easy and, sometimes, these students can find themselves on the edge of a breakdown.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for student athletes after motor vehicle accidents and medical issues. Recently, however, there has been a trend of professional and college athletes alike speaking out about mental health and taking steps to destigmatize mental illness throughout sports.

Dr. Lee Dorpfeld is the behavioral health coordinator for USF Athletics.

USF was the first school in the AAC

to introduce mental health services specifically for its athletes. He has worked in sports psychology since he earned his undergraduate degree.

This is his second stint working at USF. He previously worked in the private sector and at Arizona State University, creating a similar mental health program. Former USF Athletic Director Mark Harlan approached Dorpfeld with the idea to integrate a mental health position in USF Athletics.

“It’s been embedded,” Dorpfeld said. “It’s done really well for destigmatizing student athletes asking for support and assistance.

The other thing is that it’s here, people pass by my office all the time…it’s seen as kind of a normal part of what we do.”

Dorpfeld’s office is in the corner of the Lee Roy Selmon Athletic Center where student athletes meet, study and spend a considerable amount of time.

“It’s not ‘oh they’re going to go see Dr. Lee, something is wrong with them,’” Dorpfeld said.

There are professional athletes

USF offers its student athletes in-house mental health services. Dr. Lee Dorpfeld helps student athletes with a variety of problems that include balancing school, work and a social life. ORACLE FILE PHOTO and public figures who have spoken out about their own battles with mental health. Earlier this year, Kevin Love, a professional basketball player, wrote an article titled ‘Everyone Is Going Through Something’ where

he detailed his struggle with mental health.

NFL Hall-of-Famer Brian Dawkins talked about his suicidal thoughts in his Hall of Fame induction speech. At one point, he

said he was planning a way to kill himself so his wife could get his money.

Dorpfeld said that these

n See HEALTH on PAGE 2

BOG approves limited access status for new major

NEWS

The Board of Governors (BOG) approved a limited access status for one of the

newest majors USF will offer next year.

Housed in the Medical Engineering department — also a new addition to the university, being implemented

Provost Ralph Wilcox details plans for the future of the university, praises Genshaft PAGE 3

this year — the biomedical engineering (BME) program will require students to submit a short, but separate application to be admitted.

At the BOG’s Academic and

The Republican party needs to revamp their image ahead of the 2020 elections PAGE 6

Student Affairs Committee meeting earlier this month, Provost Ralph Wilcox said USF wanted to make this program limited access due to the limited lab space available and

Officers from University Police help those impacted by Hurricane Michael PAGE 7

SPORTS

E D I T O R

FOCAL POINTS

M A N A G I N G

OPINION

By Maria Ranoni

the rigor of the program.

“We certainly don’t want to turn away any qualified students, but first and foremost,

n See BME on PAGE 3

USF women’s basketball stays strong against Oklahoma despite Laksa injury PAGE 8

NEWS 3 OPINION 6 FOCAL POINTS 7 SPORTS 8

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Continued from PAGE 1

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1966

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professional sentiments have gone a long way in helping college athletes deal with their own struggles.

“What we see is, as the more wellknown professionals come out and stuff, I think we’re seeing an increase in reporting of stressors in our college athletes for sure,” Dorpfeld said. “I think all of that goes a long way into destigmatizing these services across the professional levels as well as college sports. I hope it goes down, eventually, into high school and youth sports as well.”

Stress, according to Dorpfeld, is a catch-all term that can mean many different things to many different people. He said he mostly sees student athletes struggle with expectations and perfectionism.

Auggie Sanchez played linebacker for USF. He was a football team captain and a vocal leader for the Bulls. He sometimes got bogged down by losses, game prep and injuries, but said he always found a way to deal with those stressors.

Now a graduate assistant coach at Florida State University, Sanchez sees firsthand how some college students handle stress.

“One thing I have learned quickly since I started coaching is that all kids are different when it comes to mental health,” Sanchez said. “One thing that is very common is the pressure kids put on themselves. They want to be the best that they can so they put so much pressure on themselves.”

But combating mental health issues isn’t a one-size-fits-all fix.

“You have to handle [different situations] all differently, but showing you care allows you to help them deal with the issues they are going through,” Sanchez said. “Mental health is real and I’m fortunate enough to be in a position to help.”

Ashley Wilson (track and field), Cameron Ruff (football), Madeline Barrow (women’s golf), and Gabriel Menescal (men’s soccer) all served on the USF Student-Athlete Advisory Committee last year. In April, these four students joined Dorpfeld at an AAC academic symposium.

Each student athlete spoke about a different part of mental health.

“They took their own unique perspectives on it and said why [mental health services at USF] works

Auggie Sanchez played for USF and now coaches for FSU. As a coach, he sees how college athletes deal with mental health on a daily basis.

ORACLE FILE PHOTO

for them,” Dorpfeld said. “We went over time, nobody in the conference got up and left. Then, they had students from other schools come up and talk to them asking what it’s like and how it was so normal at USF.” USF women’s soccer coach Denise Schilte-Brown agrees with the idea that mental health is a vital part of athletic performance.

“I think every athletic department would benefit from having a mental health specialist on staff,” she said.

“The bigger issue for performance is how [student athletes] are balancing their life and when you have a clinical psychologist on staff, a mental health doctor, it’s huge for the kids.”

Some people think sports psychology is mostly visualization, where athletes picture themselves making the game-winning free throw, hitting a perfect golf shot or converting a last-second field goal.

That’s part of it, but Schilte-Brown knows that there are more important parts to mental health for an athlete.

“Of course you’d love for them to do sports visualization,” SchilteBrown said. “But I think all of that takes a backseat to having good sleep, a good diet, knowing how to manage your emotions and balance your time. When you can do those things, you can focus on sports-specific performance.”

Schilte-Brown thinks that social relationships are vital to mental health — relationships like friend groups, family, with coaches and even romantic relationships — they all go hand-in-hand with mental

health.

Part of the problem with mental health, she said, is tied to the emergence of social media and cell phone usage.

“I feel like social relationships have changed,” Schilte-Brown said. “[Students] get in college and life becomes so centered on their phone and that’s created an environment where you don’t go anywhere…You can just post something and get the likes you need.”

Some of what Dorpfeld does is helping athletes become more well-rounded. While sports are obviously a major part of all their lives, he said there are students with a variety of interests. He says having friends outside of their teams and connecting with their families and other organizations help expand the students outside of their title of being a student athlete.

Though there has been increased awareness and services through the country to help deal with mental health issues, Dorpfeld said there is still plenty of work to do and that helping people is still a long process.

Making mental health a normal part of being an athlete at USF, or any school, is a step in the right direction.

“It’s not magic,” Dorpfeld said. “It’s not them coming in and I give them some magic phrase or tell them this awesome thing and all of a sudden their problem is fixed…If you make it the norm, it’s easier for them to buy in. I think that’s why it works here.”

NEWS

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Provost maps out the future of USF

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By Alyssa Stewart N E W S

Students hoping to enter the biomedical engineering program will have to meet a strict set of requirements. ORACLE FILE PHOTO

BME

Continued from PAGE 1

we want to make sure that we secure accreditation of the program and have a comfort in students graduating in a timely path,” Wilcox said.

Dean of Academics for the College of Engineering Sanjukta Bhanja made a similar statement in an email to The Oracle last week, saying resource constraints will result in untimely graduation if too many students are admitted to the major.

According to the application on the College of Engineering’s website, the BME program is “highly selective” and will only accept the top 50 applicants each year.

Newly admitted freshman must have a minimum weighted high school GPA of 4.0 and minimum ACT and SAT math scores of 29 and 710, respectively, to be admitted specifically to the BME program.

Current USF students must meet a variety of requirements including a minimum 3.5 GPA in prerequisite courses —

including calculus, chemistry, biology and others — and no more than two attempts in any of these courses.

Transfer students have similar requirements.

USF already has a BME graduate program which is the largest in the state, according to USF Health.

Wilcox said at the meeting that 100 students have already been admitted in each cohort, graduation year, and consists of 49 percent women and 53 percent people of color.

After four years, USF will have to come back to the BOG to present updated information about this program given its strict limited access status.

This program is considered foundational in the new medical engineering department, according to Wilcox.

“Medical engineering is one of our preeminent focus areas and as we continue to strengthen our preeminent position, our plan is to invest in more faculty and more space,” Wilcox said.

E D I T O R

In hopes to maintain the legacy of USF President Judy Genshaft and open the “doorway to a new era,” Provost and Executive Vice President Ralph Wilcox spoke to an audience of USF faculty members to set new academic and community-oriented standards for the new year.

Wilcox addressed USF faculty for his 10th consecutive annual address. While marveling at the achievements that have happened this year in relation to research and preeminence, Wilcox introduced new strategic plans to improve student graduation rates and methods to build stronger relationships on campus in preparation for consolidation.

Wilcox never missed an opportunity to recognize Genshaft, in which the audience applauded in full support.

“It is difficult to imagine USF without Judy (Genshaft),” Wilcox said. “Whose energetic style, dogging determination and wave of commitment to our mission has guided us through periods of uncertainty and has served us with extraordinary success.”

In mapping out the future for USF, Wilcox said he hopes to “reimagine summer” by implementing a 12-week summer B program for First Time in College (FTIC) students.

The College of Engineering and Department of Mathematics and Statistics will be at the forefront of deciding the logistics for the new program.

Wilcox encouraged the faculty members to make it their responsibility to build a pathway for student graduation.

Wilcox said he has a goal to work toward reducing the skyrocketing student debt, in which he addressed the new Textbook Affordability Project (TAP). The program provides informative, effective and active solutions to the rising cost of textbooks, according to the TAP

Provost Ralph Wilcox plans to put more of a focus on affordability and diversity moving forward. ORACLE FILE PHOTO website.

Even though there has been progress in reducing debt for African Americans, Hispanic and white students, as well as first generation and Pell grant recipients, Wilcox said there are still areas in need of improvement.

“A significant inequity continues on the basis of gender,” Wilcox said.

“With women graduating at much higher rates than male counterparts, this is just not acceptable. Collectively, we must take up the challenge to better support our students for a more successful path to graduation.”

Wilcox said he would like to improve the quality of graduate and faculty members success. He hopes to recruit graduate students, create an academic environment in which graduate students can thrive, better understand post-graduate needs, evaluate the quality of degrees and strengthen mentoring.

Likewise, Wilcox envisioned improving the quality of faculty members by redesigning and investing in mentoring programs, supporting expansion, institutionalizing fellowships and rewarding faculty success.

Wilcox demonstrated peer acknowledgment by allowing faculty members in leadership to stand up to represent their department in hopes to provide a “face to a name”

approach and build a stronger community.

In providing support for students, a “Love Over Hate” campaign will be designed by Student Affairs in hopes to combat hate speech and create a more inclusive environment.

With the approaching consolidation of the three USF campuses — Tampa, St. Pete and Sarasota-Manatee — by July 1, 2020, Wilcox recognized the hard work and frustration faculty members have been facing over the past couple of months.

“While many of you have felt the pain first hand because I know you were intimately involved in the planning process, I am absolutely confident that consolidation will eventually come to represent a win, win, win,” Wilcox said.

Wilcox applauds USF’s selfmade academic success by crediting Genshaft’s performance. However, he said to the faculty that the work is only now beginning.

“I know of no better message than that shared by President Genshaft.

She reminded us that nothing has ever been handed to us. We are not bound by storied traditions and nothing has ever been handed to us,” Wilcox said. “Everything we have achieved, we have earned.

“At USF, we shape our own future.”

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BASKETBALL Continued from PAGE 8

game early in the third quarter.

Determined to stay in the game, the team leaned on Ferreira to step up for the offense. She continued to deliver, as she drained a threepointer to start off the third and put up three more buckets right after.

“I made the first shot, so I felt really confident. But I felt as a team everyone was sharing the ball and whenever I was open I would take the shot,” Ferreira said. “If I missed, they were going to get the rebound, we were just confident and playing together.”

Rader showed out in the last 12 minutes of the game, scoring before the buzzer at the end of the third quarter and continued to express her dominance of the floor in the fourth quarter, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists.

“I thought [Rader] did a good job on the glass, I think she was very assertive when we moved it through her,” coach Jose Fernandez said. “When we have

5 a rising in her in the high post when she can put it on the floor and get to the rim, it creates a new dimension for us.”

The Bulls know they will continue to face obstacles with their star player out for the season, but they feel that they are still a force to be reckoned with.

Especially after a season high for Ferreira, finishing with 34 points, and having Rader finish with a double-double.

“I think the biggest key was we were able to play those four post players and we did such a great job on the glass. [Ferreira] had a phenomenal performance tonight, but I think she did an even better job on the defensive end,” Fernandez said. “We’re just going to be a different team without [Laksa] on the floor. We have to change some things on the offensive end on what we run.

Defensively I think we did a good job of keeping people in front of us and not fouling. Good team win, but we have to get back to work tomorrow.”

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OPINION

U N I V E RS I T Y O F S OU T H F L O R I DA

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Republicans need a rebranding

By Jesse Stokes E D I T O R

I N

C H I E F

Florida’s automatic recounts are coming to an end with Republican candidates claiming victory — again.

It appears as though the Democrats’ highly-anticipated blue wave turned into a mere drop of water in Florida.

However, conservatives need to rejoice now, because the era of a red Florida can easily dissolve over the next four years.

Even more than rejoicing, Republicans need to rebrand.

We are currently in perhaps the most polarizing era of American politics. Polarization is a detriment to the global American image and to our national way of life. Being indoctrinated to believe that those who you disagree with are the enemy is a form of totalitarian groupthink at its finest.

Republicans need to rebuke this before it gets even more out of hand.

Especially now, that Democrats hold of the majority of Congress, Republicans need to extend an olive branch across the aisle.

Conservatives must be passionate about working with their liberal peers to create legislative actions that benefit all Americans.

Another image change necessary for Republicans to continue to be successful in Florida comes down to the embracement of a simple plant.

According to the Pew Research Center, 62 percent of Americans support the recreational use of marijuana. Of Democrats, 69 percent support recreational use. Similarly, 68 percent of Independents say they support

Republicans need to take the time before the 2020 elections to rebuild their image and parts of their platform. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

the legalization of recreational marijuana.

Adversely, according to the same poll, only 45 percent of Republicans support recreational use.

If right-leaning Florida legislators hope to gain traction come 2020, it is time they realize what century they are in and put their fears of marijuana use aside.

Finally, the state of Florida just voted to restore voting rights to more than one million nonviolent felons.

Last week, President Donald Trump said he is in support of and will help lead a bipartisan effort toward reforming the American prison system.

“Today, I am thrilled to announce my support for this bipartisan bill that will make

our communities safer and give former inmates a second chance at life after they have served their time,” Trump said last week.

He also vowed to consider ex-cons for employment in the White House moving forward.

Trump is, in this case, leading by example. This is exactly the track that conservatives, especially in Florida, need to take.

It was made clear that the majority of Floridians view our justice system to be flawed.

Instead of working against reformations, Republicans need to fall in line behind Trump to not only rebuild the justice system but rebuild their image as well.

Jesse Stokes is a junior majoring in political science.

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T H E O R AC L E

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Let the newspapers remain as they are Once, during my freshman year of college, my byline graced the front cover of The Oracle.

The women’s basketball team won the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, they were my beat.

While far from hard-hitting journalism, it was a proud moment in my young writing career. My mother still has a copy of that front page at her home.

It’s sad that there are those among the faculty at USF that want to prevent others from having that same opportunity.

It’s sad, too, that there are others still who want to combine the editorial efforts of two distinct papers into one beige, nondescript publication.

Student newspapers should exist to reflect the identity of just that: the students.

Collegiate publications exist to serve the interests and needs of the student body, not the overall monolith that the university projects to the public.

Combining the attributes of The Oracle in Tampa and The Crow’s Nest in St. Pete would rob both of their mission: to serve their students.

Other suggested efforts to curb publishing costs would bring to an end the very spirit of The Oracle and Crow’s Nest

altogether.

As the university transitions into a new presidency, there are also debates over who or what should share in the burden of financing an on-campus football stadium and more. Isn’t this the most vital time to provide students a reputable outlet for their journalistic artistry?

Consider too the ongoing national debate about fake news.

The only way to defend or persecute the existence of fake news, let alone combat it, is for genuine journalism to have the opportunity to take center stage.

USF administration, instead of silencing students, should promote civil discourse. It can do this by allowing the campus papers to thrive as separate, distinct entities.

Finally, I offer these thoughts: A university that changes its logo, its slogan and acts to silence students by consolidating its award-winning publications fails to be more than a for-profit experiment.

What’s preeminent about that?

Alex Cobb is an USF alumnus with a degree in religious studies and former Oracle sports writer.

Letters to the Editor are published at the discretion of The Oracle’s Editorial Board. Letters should not exceed 400 words and should include a name and title or major. All letters are subject to editing for content, grammar and length. Submit Letters to the Editor to oracleeditor@gmail.com.

FOCAL POINTS

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‘Every bit of that city was touched by the hurricane’ University Police officers traveled to the panhandle to aid in relief efforts after Hurricane Michael.

By Amelio Nazarko C O R R E S P O N D E N T

Broken trees, buildings and hearts.

That was the scene when Hurricane Michael made landfall in Florida’s panhandle as a category 4 storm on the afternoon of Oct. 10.

Officers Hector Torres and Kevin Betancourt of the University Police Department knew they had to do something. So they went to Panama City to aid the hurricane relief effort in the days that followed.

Torres was in Panama City from Oct. 10 to Oct. 17 and Betancourt made the trip from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5.

Betancourt wo r ke d in the Panama City Po l i c e D e p a r t m e n t ’s communications center and Torres was there mainly to keep order in the community.

With winds that surpassed 155 mph, Hurricane Michael left an immense amount of destruction in its wake.

Both Torres and Betancourt said they were not mentally prepared for how much the storm ravaged the area.

“All the trees were down,” Betancourt said. “Either a tree was snapped at a 90-degree angle or every tree was

hanging down at a 45-degree angle. Everywhere you look, there was just open skies.

Every bit of that city was touched by the hurricane.”

Both said they were shocked to see how many houses were displaced and destroyed. They also said they felt a deep responsibility to help the members of the community in any way they were able.

For Betancourt, this meant doing his part in the communications center of the local police department. In doing so, some of the first responders and dispatchers were given time to evaluate the state of their own families and homes before going back to work to further help the community as a whole.

“I had to speak with the citizens on 911 calls,” Betancourt said. “What this did was allow dispatchers who were sometimes working 24 hours an opportunity to go home and get their lives assessed.”

For Torres, he said his primary concern was being visible to make sure people knew they were not alone in the effort to rebuild their lives. He said he did his best to help clear as many driveways and roadways from the vast amount of debris.

Torres and Betancourt

said what may have stood out the most was the first responders who were putting their families, homes and livelihoods aside to better serve and protect their community. “(The local first responders) were on that same receiving end,” Betancourt said. “They were helping people, but they also needed help. Having myself and Officer Torres there helped take some weight off their shoulders.”

Torres and Betancourt said they were touched by the community’s ability to maintain a positive and appreciative attitude in the midst of the chaos.

“These people lost everything, and they were out there feeding us and making sure we had everything we needed to keep helping the community,” Torres said. “It was very humbling seeing the community come together in that way.”

This gratitude resonated with both of the officers, and they are hopeful that the city will rebuild as soon as possible.

“I don’t know what it takes to rebuild a city,” Betancourt said. “But, there’s a great level of support coming in from the country. I wish them a speedy recovery.”

Some of the framing on the local buildings were destroyed and spewed about the cities. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/HISTORIC CITY OF BAINBRIDGE

With winds over 150mph, road signs in the cities of North Florida and South Georgia were flattened. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/ HISTORIC CITY OF BAINBRIDGE

The wind speeds were so high that some of the bricks on the sides of buildings were blown off. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/ HISTORIC CITY OF BAINBRIDGE

SPORTS

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RUNDOWN

USF Football falls short against Tulane

After taking a 17-0 lead into halftime Saturday against Temple, USF let the Owls score 27 unanswered points in the second half.

The 27-17 defeat is the Bulls’ fourth straight, the most for the program since 2013.

USF lst to Tulane 27-17 Saturday. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/GOUSFBULLS

USF (7-4, 3-4) only scored three times — two rushing touchdowns

by Jordan Cronkrite and a 35-yard field goal by Coby Weiss. Through the air, Blake Barnett threw 14-for-23 for 82 yards and two interceptions.

After sitting out last week’s game with a shoulder injury, Barnett’s return wasn’t what he hoped for.

“It’s really hard for me not to put that all on myself,” he said. “Can’t have turnovers like that. Gotta play better. I’ve got to take it as a lesson.”

A bright spot for USF was Cronkrite becoming USF’s fifth player to run for 1,000 yards in a season.

For this weekend’s full coverage, including takeaways from the Saturday’s game, visit, www. usforacle.com

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Women’s Basketball

Even without Laksa, USF beats Oklahoma 87-70

By Jeremy Johnson C O R R E S P O N D E N T

USF took a tough loss to its starting lineup last week when Kitija Laksa suffered a seasonending injury.

The Bulls (4-0) took on Oklahoma (2-1) at home Sunday and showed out for their fans with an 87-70 victory over the Sooners.

Knowing their team was down a player, the Bulls put their depth on full display.

“I think collectively as a team we came together, it’s extremely hard and we are so very emotional about what happened to [Laksa].”

Alyssa Rader said. “She is a great teammate and an amazing player to play with, and we are here for her...Defensively we will stay the same, but offensively everyone had to step up.”

What seemed to be a slow start

for USF in the first quarter was turned around after a timeout.

Allowing Oklahoma to go on an 10-2 run within the first few minutes of the game, the Bulls found their rhythm after the timeout.

Senior Laura Ferreira and freshman Sydni Harvey took the reins for the team offensively.

Ferreira knew she had an obligation as a senior to lead her team. Going into halftime Ferreira lead the team with 13 points and Harvey right behind her with 10 points.

Rader helped keep the Bulls in the game by preventing Oklahoma to get many second chances at shots. She recorded a team-high 11 rebounds Sunday.

“We need to get more off the board, we needed to come and crash. It helped when we would go on runs, because it builds

Laura Ferreira scored 34 points in USF’s first game this season without senior Kitija Laksa. Ferreira shot 8-of-11 from three-point range Sunday. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE/GOUSFBULLS confidence,” Rader said. “As a team we kept rolling through it, you get a stop you get a shot.”

Ending the first half with a lead of eight points, the Bulls

struggled to keep their high-tempo offense going at the start of the second. Immediately, they allowed Oklahoma to rally back and tie the

n See BASKETBALL on PAGE 5

Commentary

The importance of the War on I-4

By Brian Hattab S T A F F

W R I T E R

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

This was supposed to be the game of the year — a rematch for the ages.

A game that was going to put the AAC back at the forefront of college football.

Instead, USF is reeling heading into its War on I-4 matchup with No. 11 UCF, while the Knights are exactly what everyone expected they’d be heading into their game in Tampa.

It’s hard not feeling let down by what this game has turned into — a game for pride rather than prize.

The Bulls were eliminated from AAC East championship contention after their loss at Cincinnati on Nov. 10, while UCF won the division on

Saturday after defeating the same Bearcats team.

So, other than the aforementioned pride — which does come with a trophy, at least — what else is left at stake in Friday’s game?

A chance for UCF to complete another undefeated season, which may or may not end with another claimed national championship.

For USF — well, at least the trophy would be a nice thing to display.

Neither are exactly compelling reasons for people to tune into ESPN at 4:15 p.m.

Before anyone thinks this is another negative piece about a disappointing football season — it’s not.

It’s not totally the fault of USF players and coaching staff — yes,

you read that right, there’s only so much the coaching staff can do with the number of injuries it has had to account for. The Bulls have had to play a high number of freshman this season — at last count by The Oracle, that number was more than 30.

Likewise, when you’re an underclassman and facing the likes of Houston, Cincinnati, Temple and now UCF, there’s only so much you should be expected to be capable of.

The growing pains that were evident during the early season games against Illinois and ECU were not able to be covered up with last second victories in recent weeks against better competition.

But, at the end of the day, this game was supposed to mean something greater than just a natural rivalry.

This was supposed to be a matchup between two AAC schools on the rise, with something to prove.

Yet, here we are with a USF team that has lost four straight games with a massive storm heading right toward the Bulls and Raymond James Stadium this week.

Hopefully the pride of playing an in-state rival that has made a lot of noise in the college football world the past two seasons is enough to motivate the Bulls. Perhaps the idea of snapping the longest winning streak in FBS is enough for USF to play football like it’s never played before.

But it’s a shame it’s come to this.

This game was supposed to mean so much more.