Last year, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights were the feel-good story of the college football season. This year, not so much, but they did pull off one of the better upsets of the season when they defeated #2 South Florida 30-27 Thursday night.
It happens every season. One or two Big East teams sneak up the polls, and then suffers a humiliating upset and order is restored in college football land (well, sort of). Last year, Louisville upset #3 West Virginia. Then Rutgers topped #3 Louisville. Then unranked Cincinnati beat #7 Rutgers. All of these Big East schools have similar talent levels and all it takes sometimes is a trick play, a blocked kick and one big-time playmaker (i.e. Ray Rice, who by the way, I can’t wait to see play on Sundays).
Regardless, South Florida had a hell of a run. It’s quite remarkable that a team that wasn’t even ranked in the preseason polls took only seven weeks to climb into the #2 spot. The Bulls have a hell of a team and true gamer in QB Matt Grothe. He does everything possible to win and leaves it on the field every week. It was a long shot that USF would compete for a national title all season, but it was a fun ride while it lasted.
