Syracuse & USF Renew Football Rivalry With 2015-2016 Series

The Syracuse Orange - South Florida Bulls rivalry is, well, a weird one. Even though the Bulls are a young program and we didn't start playing them until they joined the Big East in 2005, they've kinda dominated us. Thanks to timing and a weird-looking quarterback, the Bulls beat the Orange six of the eight times the two played before we shuffled off to the ACC, leaving them in the AAC lurch.

Clearly, we need to even that number back up. Hence, we've scheduled a home-and-home with the Bulls for 2015 and 2016.

The Bulls' renewed series with the Orange, a BIG EAST Conference foe from 2005-12, will mark the fourth ACC team scheduled to visit Raymond James Stadium since 2013 when they visit Tampa on Oct. 10, 2015. The Bulls will return the trip the following season when USF visits the Carrier Dome on Sept. 17, 2016.

It's a good fit for SU for two reasons.

1. USF isn't the "powerhouse" they were in the mid-00's, so it's a very winnable game.

2. DOC Gross wanted more opportunities to get SU into Florida media markets with an expanded ACC schedule. That didn't happen, so this is the next-best option.

Looking ahead, here's what we know about the 2015 and 2016 OOC schedules...

2015: vs. Rhode Island (9/5), vs. Central Michigan (9/19), vs. LSU (9/26), at USF (10/10)

2016: vs. Colgate (9/10), vs. USF (9/17), vs. Notre Dame at MetLife (10/1)

Now all the Orange have to do is find a reasonable opponent for 2016 and we're actually ahead of schedule. That feels...weird.

How you feeling about a new series with USF? Good fit? Boring?