Louisville football announces 3-game series with South Florida

In news that I did not expect to be writing about, Louisville football has signed a contract to play three games against the South Florida program currently being led by former Cardinals coach Charlie Strong.

The first game between U of L and USF will take place at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Sept. 24, 2022. The teams will do battle in Tampa two years later on Sept. 21, 2024, and then the series will conclude back in Louisville on Sept. 29, 2026.

““We are committed to scheduling quality programs, and we have done that with the addition of USF to our non-conference schedule,” Louisville interim athletic director Vince Tyra said in a statement announcing the series. “As former conference members, we’ve had some memorable and exciting games, and with the tradition and success sustained by both programs, I’m confident that we can continue that excitement. With the large number of Florida players typically on our roster, it’s great to reward them with a trip back to the Sunshine State.”

The headline for this series is obvious, but who knows if Strong (or Petrino, for that matter) is still in the same place four years from now. Whether he is or not, South Florida figures to remain a relevant program for the near future because of its location, and that makes the Bulls a dangerous non-conference foe for Louisville.

Louisville leads the all-time series with South Florida, 6-5. The two programs were conference mates in Conference USA, the Big East and the American Athletic Conference.