Strength in Unity.

[Soapy]

vs.

ALA | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 42
TOL | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 29

ALA QB Melvin Ingram: 19 of 25, 243 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 17 carries, 89 yards
TOL HB Quincy White: 11 carries, 56 yards

--

vs.

MICH | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13
STAN | 7 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 38

MICH HB Drew Reid: 9 carries, 46 yards
STAN HB Bryan Nash: 21 carries, 184 yards, touchdown

[James]

That Michigan State game was a sign of things to come. Can only do so much when you throw 5 picks.

[Soapy]

The Postmortem: USF football season ends with a whimper following roaring start
Jonathan Bright -- BullsNation.com Football Reporter

It was never competitive.

This is probably the biggest and most lasting takeaway from USF's 44-21 loss to Michigan in the College Football Playoffs Quarterfinals, the same Michigan team that USF beat 63-19 earlier in the season. Yet, it somehow seemed predictable as USF's season was unraveling at record speeds.

The Bulls had lost faith in their starting quarterback Mark Cunningham weeks ago and similarly, Cunningham was playing like someone that had lost faith in themselves, the scheme and the offense around them. It appeared earlier in the season that new offensive coordinator Peter Nicholson had instilled some confidence into Cunningham and had solved the turnover issues that plagued him last season but those issues quickly returned around the midseason mark.

While it's easy to blame the loss on Cunningham, USF's elite defensive unit just never got off the bus that night, surrendering big runs to Drew Reid. They could never force Michigan's offense to rely on Bubba Hennessy's arm and instead allowed the Wolverines to stay on schedule and continue to lean on that running game. All-Americans Brent Lawrence, Brandon and Marcellus Smith were nowhere to be found along the defensive line as Reid rushed for over 200 yards.

Michigan's 38-13 loss to Stanford the next week added credence to the fact that Michigan didn't simply get better since their earlier season matchup but that USF had gotten worse, appreciably worse, as evident in their regular season finale against a five win Michigan State team that they struggled to put away.

A lot will be made of USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. deciding to leave Cunningham in the game, the frosty interactions with offensive coordinator Peter Nicholson for much of the last month of the season and the general direction of the program. To add even more spice to the intrigue, the resignation of Malcolm Francois Jr. at Navy adds even more drama to what should be a captivating few next weeks as the Bulls fell short of making history and winning three straight national titles.

[Soapy]

That Michigan State game was a sign of things to come. Can only do so much when you throw 5 picks.

f mark cunningham, all my homies hate mark cunningham

[Caesar]

Mailbag question: has Malcolm Francois, Sr. wore out his welcome as USF coach after decades of questionable coaching practices given struggles to produce harmonious environments for the athletes?

[Soapy]

vs.

ALA | 7 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 33
STAN | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 24

ALA QB Melvin Ingram: 22 of 31, 261 yards, 3 touchdowns, 22 carries, 85 yards
STAN QB Andrew Jones: 14 of 30, 152 yards, touchdown, 2 interceptions, 17 carries, 36 yards

Promotional Bowls
Tampa Bay Bowl
#14 Minnesota (11-2, 7-2) -- 35
Texas (4-9, 3-6) -- 17

LA Bowl
Michigan State (5-8, 2-7) -- 7
#16 Ohio State (11-3, 7-3) -- 31

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Purdue (8-5, 5-4) -- 38
#19 Georgia (7-5, 5-3) -- 26

Las Vegas Bowl
#15 Oklahoma (8-5, 5-4) -- 25
LSU (8-5, 5-4) -- 42

*winners of promotional bowls will play the 2043 season in the Champions Division

2043 ANAC Membership
Champions Division
USF
Alabama
Michigan
Stanford
Virginia Tech
Georgia Tech
Purdue
LSU
Minnesota
Ohio State

Contenders Division
East
Georgia
Auburn
Michigan State
Florida
Tennessee
Pittsburgh
Arkansas
Wisconsin

West
Texas
Oklahoma
Oregon
BYU
Missouri
Colorado
UCLA
Iowa

Rising Division
East
Penn State
Miami
Florida State
UCF
Notre Dame
Mississippi State
Ole Miss
West Virginia

West
USC
Oklahoma State
Washington
Nebraska
Kansas State
Kansas
Texas A&M
Indiana

Notable Bowls
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
#11 South Alabama (12-2, 8-1) -- 63
Penn State (7-6, 4-5) -- 30

Gasparilla Bowl
Florida (10-4, 8-2) -- 31
#24 SMU (10-4, 8-2) -- 28

Holiday Bowl
#17 TCU (9-4, 6-3) -- 13
San Jose State (10-4, 6-3) -- 14

Alamo Bowl
Iowa State (9-5, 8-2) -- 31
#18 San Diego State (11-3, 7-2) -- 38

Citrus Bowl
#10 Army (9-3) -- 24
#9 Virginia Tech (11-2, 9-1) -- 55

[supahotfire]

wooow michigan really pulled the revenge card

[Soapy]

San Jose State hires USF offensive coordinator Peter Nicholson to be next head coach
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles

USF offensive coordinator Peter Nicholson second stint at USF also lasted just one season as the Bulls' offensive play caller is heading to San Jose State to be the team's head coach following the hiring of David Wilson at Purdue.

Nicholson also interviewed with Kansas, Louisville, Illinois and UL Lafayette before being hired by the Spartans. He was briefly linked to the opening at UCF following the firing of DeMarcus Bennett but was never formally interviewed with the Knights hiring Old Dominion head coach Alex Pitts.

Bennett will be an expected candidate to replace Nicholson as OC but the top of the list will of course by former Navy offensive coordinator Malcolm Francois Jr. who is the son of USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. and a former player and assistant coach for the Bulls, coordinating the team's record breaking offense with Jeff Jones at quarterback.

Current USF receiver coach Jimmy Marks is expected to follow Nicholson to San Jose State in a similar role.

[Soapy]

wooow michigan really pulled the revenge card

tell me about it brudda smh

[Soapy]

The Bullpen: The rumors run wild following Peter Nicholson's official departure from USF
Jonathan Bright -- BullsNation.com Football Reporter

The hiring of Peter Nicholson twelve months ago took many by surprise, both inside and outside of USF's football program as Nicholson's exodus a few years prior was less than clean. Nicholson spent just one season at USF before being hired to replace Brandon Pierre at Missouri who USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. had publicly been critical of his firing.

Nicholson took the job without Francois Sr's blessing according to multiple reports but the two rekindled the relationship over the years and eventually Nicholson was hired to replace Rhett Lashlee last season.

It was always going to be a tough interpersonal situation for Nicholson given how his last stint with USF ended and who he was replacing, not only a well respected offensive mind in Lashlee that had led USF to a national championship but someone that Francois Sr. considered a personal friend.

According to multiple reports, Nicholson and Francois Sr. never had a strong personal relationship so when the performance on the field started to decline, Francois Sr. reportedly stopped speaking to Nicholson altogether outside of organized meetings.

Many within the program also felt that Francois Sr's decision to leave Mark Cunningham in the CFP Quarterfinal against Michigan was to spite Nicholson who had vouched for Cunningham to remain the starter. The two didn't speak after the game according to the Tampa Bay Chronicles and haven't since with Francois Sr. not returning calls from various programs when asked about Nicholson as a potential head coach.

It was an intriguing re-hire at the time and it certainly flamed out despite the hot start.

‣ Mailbag from Caesar: has Malcolm Francois, Sr. wore out his welcome as USF coach after decades of questionable coaching practices given struggles to produce harmonious environments for the athletes?

At this point, Francois Sr. is an institution of his own and one that can at times be bigger than USF's athletic department and certainly the football program. While his tenure has been marred with controversy and reports of a toxic culture, USF's recruiting finishes and performance on the field do not speak to a team and a program that has lost their buy-in from players and prospective players.

Would USF's athletic department and decision makers ever come to the conclusion to gently push Francois Sr. out? No. Would the addition of Francois Jr. (more on that later) perhaps ease that transition of power and speed it up? Yes. Francois Jr. served as a great mediator during his tenure at USF as he's a lot more easy going than his father and is also well respected by those in the athletic department.

‣ Jimmy Marks' hiring at San Jose State clears the runway for Francois Jr's return

USF receiver coach Jimmy Marks has accepted co-offensive coordinator role at San Jose State, following Nicholson to the west coast.

The decision might not have entirely been Marks has USF has been in discussions with Francois Jr. for the past month or so regarding a permanent role for him after serving as an advisor since his resignation from Navy in December. If USF is able to come to an agreement with Francois Jr, he'll likely return as the team's receiver's coach on top of being their play caller.

What is the hold up with Marks gone now? Francois Jr. ideally would want another head coaching opportunity and with a few openings left, this is likely the cause for the delay but many within USF's program feel very strong that Francois Jr. will ultimately be the team's next offensive coordinator.

‣ Mark Cunningham not expected to enter transfer portal, had positive discussions with Francois Sr. in recent weeks

As soon as Nicholson was announced as head coach at San Jose State, many expected quarterback Mark Cunningham to follow in his footsteps and exodus out of the program, potentially to San Jose State.

This doesn't appear to be the case as Cunningham reportedly met with Francois Sr. according to The Athletic and had a 'positive conversation' regarding Cunningham's senior season at USF with the Georgia native not likely to enter the draft following the end to last season.