USF football to take on Old Dominion University in Cure Bowl

TAMPA, FLA., DEC. 5, 2025 - South Florida (9-3; 6-2 American) will look to capture a third straight bowl win for just the second time in program history when it takes on Old Dominion (9-3; 6-2 Sun Belt) in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl on Dec. 17 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

The StaffDNA Cure Bowl presented by Coca-Cola is hosted at Universal Orlando Resort. The game will kick off at 5 p.m. and be televised on ESPN. The game is one of many fundraising events hosted by the Orlando Sports Foundation that supports cancer research. Over $6.35 million has been raised for the cause since 2015.

Tickets start at $25 plus fees and are currently on sale. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets to the game using this LINK.

"The Cure Bowl supports a tremendous cause that we are excited to champion, and we look forward to our Bulls taking on a very talented Old Dominion team on Dec. 17," CEO of USF Athletics said. "It's a short drive for Bulls Nation to Camping World Stadium, and I look forward to a great turnout in Green and Gold as we pursue a third straight bowl win for just the second time in program history."

Orlando will mark the Bulls' 10^th different bowl location as South Florida makes the 13^th bowl appearance in program history, which is tied for the third-most in the first 25 seasons of a program's bowl eligibility. South Florida's 8-4 mark in bowl games ranks fourth nationally in winning percentage among programs with 10 or more bowl appearances. It will mark South Florida's first meeting with ODU.

"We are excited to go and finish this season strong against a very good Old Dominion team in the Cure Bowl," Interim Head Coach said. "Our guys are preparing for the opportunity to post a third straight bowl win and to compete for a 10^th win on the year, something that has only been accomplished here two other times."

South Florida will be looking to post a 10-win season for just the third time in program history and the first since going 10-2 in 2017. The Bulls will also be pursuing a third straight bowl win to go alongside victories in the 2023 Boca Bowl (45-0 vs. Syracuse) and 2024 Hawaii Bowl (41-39 5OT vs. San Jose State). It would be just the second run of three straight bowl game wins in program history and the first since the Bulls won the 2008 St. Petersburg Bowl (41-14 vs. Memphis), 2009 International Bowl (27-3 vs. Northern Illinois) and 2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl (31-26 vs. Clemson).

ODU posted a 9-3 record on the year and went 6-2 in the Sun Belt Conference, the finish second in the East Division to James Madison. Their losses on the year came at Indiana (27-14) in the season opener, at Marshall (48-24) and at James Madison (63-27). Indiana and James Madison are currently ranked No. 2 and No. 25 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Monarchs also have wins on the year at Virginia Tech (45-26), vs. Liberty (21-7) and vs. Coastal Carolina (47-7).

The Monarch won their final five games to close out the regular season and received votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll. They bring the No. 7-ranked rushing offense (236.9 ypg), No. 16-ranked total offense (460.8 ypg) and No. 20-ranked scoring defense (19.3 ppg) into the Cure Bowl.

The Cure Bowl is in its 11^th season since first being played in 2015. Ohio defeated Jacksonville State, 30-27, last year. Tulane is the only American Conference team to have won the Cure Bowl, knocking off Louisiana, 41-24, in 2018.

USF saw a program record 11 players earn all-conference recognition - including First Team honorees and - when the American Conference announced postseason honors. The Bulls posted just the fourth six-win conference season in program history, and closed out the program's fourth undefeated home campaign, and first since 2002, with a 52-3 rout of Rice to end the regular season.

The South Florida offense enters the postseason with ranked No. 2 nationally posting 501.7 yards per game and No. 4 scoring 43.0 points per game. The Bulls posted a program record five games scoring 50 points or more in the regular season and seven scoring 48 or more.

Up Next
USF will formally introduce the Brian Hartline as the seventh head coach in program history on Monday, Dec. 8 at 11 a.m. at the Sam and Martha Gibbons Alumni Center on the Tampa campus. The event is open to the public.

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ABOUT THE STAFFDNA CURE BOWL
The StaffDNA Cure Bowl is more than a game. It is a platform to raise awareness for cancer research and recognize those that are fighting cancer or have survived cancer. Funds raised from the StaffDNA Cure Bowl directly benefit cancer research organizations such as the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). Since 2015, the bowl has helped raise a collective $6.35 million dollars to benefit cancer research. To learn more, visit CureBowl.com.

ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 28th season in 2024 with its second-straight bowl victory in the Hawai'i Bowl. The Bulls earned a third straight bowl appearance in 2025 and the program's first College Football Playoff ranking. USF completed construction on a new $22-million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023 and a $349-million on-campus stadium and football operations center broke ground in the fall of 2024 and is slated for completion by 2027. The Bulls have posted 18 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), as well as 35 first-team all-conference honorees. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and the Bulls have made 12 bowl game appearances (going 8-4), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. USF posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings during the 2007 season.