Apparently, USF has, for the most part, a distaste for and/or an allergy to non-conference cupcakes.
In a release Friday, Bulls announced that they have added both home-and-home series against Maryland and Wisconsin to their future non-conference schedule.
USF will visit Wisconsin on Sept. 27, 2014, with the Badgers making a return trip to Tampa on Sept. 16, 2017. The Bulls will host Maryland on Sept. 6, 2014 and travel to play the Terps on Sept. 19, 2015.
“We are pleased to be able to add quality Big Ten opponents in Wisconsin and Maryland to our football schedule,” athletic director Doug Woolard said in a statement. “They should be outstanding opportunities for our football program as well as attractive games for our fans.”
The 2014 games against Wisconsin and Maryland will mark the first-ever meetings between the football programs. It also means that USF’s 2014 non-conference slate will consist of those two games as well as one against North Carolina State.
While they open that season against FCS-level Western Carolina, the Bulls’ 2014 out-of-conference schedule will serve as one of the better ones in the country. Even more impressive, that’s exactly the way new head coach Willie Taggart likes it.
“This is the type of schedule we want to have here at USF,” said Taggart. “We want to challenge and prove ourselves against top competition. We think it is important to play these types of non-conference games not only for recruiting, but also to excite our fan base and for the continued growth of our program.”