USF will not be a pushover
At the beginning of the 2019 season, the Longhorns opened with Louisiana Tech, another Group of 5 opponent, at home. This upcoming season, it will be USF at home from the American Athletic Conference. The game would have been a lot more fun if the Bulls had kept their head coach. It would have been a reunion in Austin for former head coach Charlie Strong, but he was fired after a 4-8 season.
Instead, Clemson offensive coordinator Jeff Scott will be taking over, looking to get USF back to the days of winning 10 games a season, like 2016 and 2017. While it will be game No. 1 in year No. 1 for Scott, the Bulls will not be the traditional pushover you are used to seeing from most Power 5 schools to start the season.
Scott has been at Clemson since Dabo Swinney took over in 2009. In 2015, he took over as offensive coordinator once Chad Morris left for SMU. His offenses have been incredible, scoring at least 33 points per game every year. Having some incredible players has helped, but with the constant success the Tigers have had, most of the success can come down to coaching, especially the guy running the offense.
Sophomore quarterback Jordan McCloud will be back for the Bulls and is no stranger to playing against Power 5 teams. While it was not much, he got snaps against Wisconsin and Georgia Tech this season, going a combined 7-8 with 112 yards and a touchdown. Mix in with the offense Scott will implement and it could cause problems.
Texas will more than likely defeat USF on the opening day of the 2020 season. The Bulls will be better than just getting ran off the field from the opening minute though. Much like they did against Tulsa in 2018, the Longhorns could show cause for concern in their “easy” non-conference game.