A hurricane brings USF football back to Camping World Stadium, formerly Citrus Bowl Stadium, for the first time in 19 years. While USF has only appeared in the iconic venue once, the venue represents bygone eras of USF football and missed opportunities.
Playing four years in a row from 2005-2008, USF only played at Camping World Stadium once in 2006. Legendary USF quarterback Matt Grothe threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 73 yards in a 24-17 win over UCF. Grothe's 27-yard touchdown pass to Ean Randolph with 3:20 left in the game put the Bulls ahead. A sack by USF's Chris Robinson on 4th and six from the USF 10 sealed the win with 22 seconds left.
UCF moved to its current home, FBC Mortgage Stadium, the following year. USF never played at Camping World again. However, this 2006 game is a reminder of the early stages of the War on I-4 and USF's Big East days.
USF also had two windows to play in bowls hosted at Camping World Stadium. From 2010-2013, the Big East and later the AAC sent their runner-ups to play in Orlando's Champ Sports/Russell Athletic Bowl at Camping World Stadium.
USF never made it to the bowl, peaking at fifth in the Big East in 2010 and earning a Meineke Car Care Bowl (now the Duke's Mayo Bowl) bid that year. This was their only bowl appearance in that span. In 2014, the Russell Athletic Bowl abandoned its AAC tie-in for an agreement with the Big 12, which continues today.
Luckily, another opportunity to play in a bowl at Camping World Stadium presented itself when the Cure Bowl began operations in 2015. The Cure Bowl started as an AAC versus Sun Belt matchup and stayed that way until 2019.
From 2015-2018, the Bulls were too good to play in a bowl at Camping World Stadium, instead landing in the Miami Beach Bowl in 2015, Birmingham Bowl in 2016 and 2017, and the Gasparilla Bowl in 2018. Meanwhile, the AAC sent 6-6 schools to the Cure Bowl in 2016 and 2018 while vacating the bowl in 2015 and 2017. In 2019, the bowl moved to Orlando City FC's Exploria Stadium.
Despite their proximity to Orlando and rivalry with longtime tenant UCF, the Bulls' trip to Camping World Stadium is almost 20 years in the making. Of all circumstances, a hurricane finally brought the Bulls back. A trip to one of college football's most historic bowl venues is one of the only silver linings of the tragic and scary situation of Hurricane Milton. Hopefully, the Bulls can provide more hope to their fans and the region by staying unbeaten in Camping World Stadium.
