Tide Illustrated staff writer Henry Sklar spoke with BullsInsider publisher Kelly Quinlan to get some insight on this week's matchup between No. 4 Alabama and South Florida.

Alabama and USF had a close matchup in Tampa last season. We've heard about how Kalen DeBoer and Alabama are preparing for this week's game in light of last year's contest, but how are Alex Golesh and the Bulls handling it?

"The one thing that is interesting about Alex Golesh and his staff is they treat every team the same and are not overwhelmed by the idea of playing a top 5 team on the road. They haven't won any of these games yet, but the approach is to treat Alabama the same as a conference opponent or anyone else.

"I think that is what you have to do when you are overmanned and overmatched at probably most spots on the field, if not all. Take it a play at a time and a drive at a time, and that is how they had some success last year against the worst offensive performance of the year in Alabama.

"USF's defense was so bad last year and that was their best game of the year so maybe that carries over into some hope as well, but everything changes the first time you get hit in the game so it will be interesting to see how they approach things."

Alabama saw USF quarterback Byrum Brown in 2023, but it seems his skillset has taken an upward trajectory since then. How has he developed?

"Brown has always been a skilled runner, and his passing has continued to improve in some ways, similar to Jalen Milroe's progression at Bama. Golesh and his offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, Joel Gordon, do a good job of keeping it pretty easy on Brown with his RPO game and getting the ball out. He has some reliable weapons in the backfield and a really talented slot receiver in Sean Atkins, but they still need some guys to step up at outside receiver and more consistent production from the TE spot to help out Brown.

"The biggest issue for the offense has been the offensive line, and that was the big question going into the season. That group was inconsistent in week one against Bethune-Cookman."

In 2023, USF finished last in the AAC in passing yards allowed per contest (288.8) and passing TDs allowed overall (29). What did they do this offseason to bolster their secondary?

"USF hit the portal hard, picking up Brent Austin (JMU) and D'Shawn Rucker (Tennessee), and Golesh signed some talented freshmen like Fred Gaskin and James Chenault who were national recruits with P5 options.

"The secondary was besieged by injuries last year, and part of the pass defense issues came via a lack of a consistent pass rush, only registering 23 sacks in 13 games. That gave opposing quarterbacks plenty of time to pick apart the defense. They have improved the defensive line in the offseason and through player development, and that should make it work better."

USF only totaled 23 sacks in 2023 (No. 92 nationally). Was improving the pass rush a priority this offseason?

"As I said above, that was a major priority in the offseason because that was a root cause for some of the pass-defense issues. Now, with Milroe opposing the Bulls, that is a double-edged sword because his escapability and legs become an issue if you can't maintain your gaps and over pursue, so that is a tough matchup for USF. USF will probably be without LB Jhalyn Shuler as well, who is probably the most talented of their linebackers so that puts more pressure on the D-line this week."

How would you grade USF’s opening game against Bethune-Cookman? Were there any key areas of improvement or stand-out performances?

"I thought that Chenault really stood out on the defensive side of the ball, along with freshman DL Jahari Grant, who made the PFF All-Freshman team this week for his performance in his first college game.

"Both sides of the ball were extremely vanilla, and Bethune-Cookman is a very bad FCS team. It is hard to gauge much from that one."

Does USF have a realistic chance of winning the Group of Five College Football Playoff automatic bid? How do you predict their season will unfold in terms of record, and why?

"I think the focus is trying to win the AAC and if they do that then they will have an outside shot at the playoffs. The schedule isn't helpful because they play at Alabama this week and host Miami two weeks later. That will be a pair of top-10 opponents on their resume and probably two losses on paper as of now.

"I think this is an 8-9-win team if they can stay healthy. The offensive line, the pass rush, and health on defense will probably determine whether they can finish in that 9-10-win range or if they drop down. The Memphis game will probably determine if they are in the playoff mix or not. If they lose that game but win the league, I think it would be a harder path with three losses, so they would need to beat Miami or, less likely, Alabama to get there. The next three weeks will be the hardest part of the schedule, and November shapes up to be a pretty easy run of games, so that could help build some momentum. Nevada and Memphis are probably the other teams in the mix for that bid."