The 2025 college football season gets an early jolt as the Boise State Broncos travel east to face the South Florida Bulls on Thursday, August 28, in a high-profile Group of Five showdown at Raymond James Stadium. Boise State, fresh off a 12–2 campaign and a Mountain West title, enters the game with momentum, consistency, and one of the country’s most explosive running backs in Ashton Jeanty, who led the nation in all-purpose yards last season. Under second-year head coach Spencer Danielson, the Broncos have maintained a balanced attack with quarterback Maddux Madsen at the helm and a defensive unit that allowed just 22.6 points per game in 2024, showing notable discipline and red zone toughness. Their offense averaged 37.3 points per contest, ranking top five nationally, and they return most of their starting skill players, including wideouts Latrell Caples and Eric McAlister, giving them firepower at every level. Meanwhile, South Florida enters with a dangerous dual-threat quarterback in Byrum Brown, who threw for over 3,000 yards and added 800+ on the ground in 2024, leading the Bulls to a 7–6 record and a bowl appearance under head coach Alex Golesh. The Bulls showed real growth last season, particularly on offense, averaging over 32 points per game and displaying tempo-based explosiveness and resilience in comeback situations. Their defense still allowed close to 30 points per game, but it was disruptive up front, creating turnovers and ranking among the national leaders in tackles for loss. In a matchup expected to push past 60 total points, both teams will look to strike early and often—Boise State with its methodical run-pass balance and South Florida with its high-tempo, spread-out approach.

The key matchup could be South Florida’s defensive front versus Boise State’s experienced offensive line, which returns four starters and has consistently controlled the line of scrimmage. Special teams also loom large, with both teams fielding reliable kickers and return threats capable of flipping field position. While Boise State holds a talent edge and more continuity across its depth chart, playing on the road in Florida heat with a Thursday kickoff adds a degree of volatility, especially against a team with a quarterback like Brown who can turn broken plays into touchdowns. For South Florida, the upset path involves hitting chunk plays through the air, taking advantage of turnovers, and keeping Jeanty from dictating the pace. Boise State, meanwhile, needs to limit Brown’s scrambling, establish an early lead, and control time of possession to neutralize the Bulls’ tempo. With two explosive offenses, a potential bowl preview atmosphere, and national eyes watching on opening weekend, this could be one of the most entertaining Week 1 games of the entire slate. Boise State enters as a near double-digit favorite, but South Florida’s blend of offensive creativity and early-season urgency means this game could be far tighter than the spread suggests. Expect scoring, pace, and big-play theatrics to dominate the night as both programs aim to make an immediate statement on the national stage.