South Florida head coach Alex Golesh says his team won’t serve up a cupcake when it travels to Alabama in Week 2 of the regular season. The Crimson Tide will host the Bulls inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 7. While there is more hype around Alabama’s two games following that matchup — at Wisconsin (Sept. 14) and vs. Georgia (Sept. 28) — Golesh warns that South Florida shouldn’t be taken lightly.

During an appearance at the American Athletic Conference's media days Tuesday, Golesh was asked about having to play both Alabama and Miami this season. The way he sees it, that matchup goes both ways.

"Yeah, 'Bama and Miami have got to play South Florida," Golesh said.

Based on last season, Golesh has a point.

Playing in the first leg of a two-for-one series, Alabama struggled during its trip to Tampa, Florida last year, escaping Raymond James Stadium with an ugly 17-3 win over South Florida. That game saw quarterback Jalen Milroe benched for Tyler Buchner and later Ty Simpson, as Alabama managed 310 total yards, including just 107 yards through the air.

Alabama and South Florida headed into halftime tied at 3. Trailing 10-3 midway through the fourth quarter, the Bulls drove to their own 44-yard line before quarterback Byrum Brown was intercepted by Alabama safety Malachi Moore. From there, the Tide put the game away with an 11-play drive that saw Simpson punch in the game-clinching touchdown run from a yard out with 33 seconds remaining.

Golesh took over South Florida last season after spending the previous two years as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator. Following the loss to Alabama, he led the Bulls to a 7-6 season, including a 45-0 win over Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl. Now in his second year, with the program, Golesh is looking for his team to take another step forward. A chance to upset Alabama in Tuscaloosa presents an opportunity to do just that.

"I think going to Alabama is absolutely huge for us," Golesh said. "They came to our place. We had every opportunity to go be successful in that game. We couldn't finish it. Now we get to go redeem ourselves.

“That's what college football is, man. To me, you don't want to go play in Tuscaloosa? You don't want to host Miami at home? I think it's awesome. I think that's what college football is. Our guys will be more than ready to go play those games. That's what we're recruiting to, is opportunities to go play big-time college football on national TV, as you should, represent this conference and go give yourself a chance.”

Alabama’s Week 2 matchup against South Florida is set to kick off at 6 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN. Before the game, the Crimson Tide will honor retired head coach Nick Saban with a ceremony to unveil the newly-named Saban Field. Following this year’s game, Alabama and South Florida will conclude the series in 2026 when the Tide hosts the Bulls again.