By – Devin Sanguinett 

You don’t lose this game if everything doesn’t completely collapse. There was not a single good Buccaneers’ player on the field outside the running backs. Special teams bad. Offense bad. Defense bad. I don’t care how injured you are, this is an embarrassing loss. The Saints now have three wins on the season. At least we can commiserate with the Panthers in the corner as they probably take the division.

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The only part of this team that functioned as intended was the run game. not Bucky. He was mostly ineffective outside of a big run. Rachaad and Tucker mostly carried the slack though. Rachaad had 53 yards on 11 carries while Tucker had 29 yards on 7 carries. Thus concludes the only positive segment of this article.

Offensive Offense

The offense was complete dogshit for 90% of this game. It felt less like the Saints making good plays as opposed to the offense shooting itself in the dick. Repeatedly. With a 12 gauge shotgun. To best exemplify that, let’s look at the 4th down conversion rate. 1 for 6. Yes, you are reading that correctly. the Buccaneers failed to convert on five fourth downs. Nearly all of which were 4th and 1. It was an embarrassing display. At no point did anyone on the coaching staff question maybe just punting. No one. Because dear reader that would’ve been smart.

You want a culprit for why the offense kept sputtering, look to the man under center. Baker has done everything possible to play himself off of the team. He looks completely lost out there as he misses easy throws and makes terrible decisions. On the last play for the offense, Baker had Otton wide open in the middle. But Baker decided he didn’t like Otton’s cleats as they were dirty, so he threw the football right at them. He got completely outplayed by Tyler Shough. He wasn’t exactly being helped by his receivers as Egbuka and Godwin had some catches fly off the useless stumps on the end of their arms.

Defenseless

Oh speaking of Shough, the defense couldn’t stop him over the middle if their lives depended on it. They had some success in the first half, but in the second, it was a complete no show. Bowles was calling an iffy game, but his players completely fucked him as well. Lavonte missed an easy tackle to stop a first down conversion and five players missed tackles on Shough as he ran it for an easy TD.

That’s not to say Bowles did a good job. Because he didn’t. The pass rush disappeared in the second half and the middle of the field was wider than the grand canyon. I thought we cut our linebackers mid game as they weren’t anywhere to be seen. They also couldn’t defend on third down in the second half as the Saints converted all but one. There was a drive where the Saints passed the ball once and ran the rest of the time. It wasn’t a three and out, but a long FG drive. Bowles just didn’t adjust. McCollum wasn’t even the worst part of this defense.

Not So Special Teams 

And don’t even get me started on special teams. First kick of the game, ball goes past midfield on the return. Basic stuff that is constantly being screwed up at every turn.

If I was Jason Licht, I would pull this game up while I’m deciding who to fire at the end of the season. It should provide the answers he needs. Unless David Walker is the second coming of Demarcus Lawrence, not a single player they are missing would’ve gotten them the win. Morrison wouldn’t have done anything, nor Evans, nor McMillan, nor Kancey. We were told this team was a SB contender. They started the year 5-1 for fuck’s sake. They now sit at 7-6 with the Panthers. A Panthers team that looks infinitely better than the Buccaneers at this moment. McGaughey should be fired, that goes without saying. But you cannot retain Bowles or Grizzard if this is what the team will look like against bottom feeders. Even Baker should be under scrutiny for how he has been.

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With today’s announcement of Brian Heartline as the new USF football head coach it clear that times are changing for South Florida and they are suddenly the best Group of Five school in the country.

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USF is uniquely positioned as the premier Group of Five program, with elite academics, AAU membership, a $400M on-campus stadium opening in 2027, and a groundbreaking NIL and athlete pay structure that rivals Power Four schools. With Brian Hartline at the helm, USF is not only the class of the G5 but a legitimate candidate for ACC or Big 12 expansion by 2029–2031.

Why USF Is the Best Group of Five Program — And Better Than Some Power Four Schools

Facilities & Infrastructure

USF’s $400 million on-campus stadium (opening 2027) will be the most advanced facility in the G5, paired with a state-of-the-art broadcast hub that makes the Bulls a regular presence on ESPN and major networks. This combination of infrastructure and media visibility is unmatched by Tulane, Memphis, Boise State, UTSA, or North Texas.

Academic Prestige

• AAU membership: USF is one of the few G5 schools with this distinction, aligning it with elite research universities.
• US News rankings: #38 in Most Innovative Schools and #68 in Best Value Schools, proving USF’s blend of affordability and forward-thinking academics.
• Recognized nationally as a “Top 10 university on the rise”, USF’s trajectory is backed by measurable progress in rankings and student success.

Leadership & NIL Innovation

• Rob Higgins, USF’s CEO of Athletics, is the first of his kind in college sports, signaling a business-first approach.
• Athlete Pay Program: $10M direct pay initiative over three years.
• Revenue-sharing ceiling: $20.5M under NCAA’s new rules, putting USF ahead of most G5 peers and even some P4 programs.

Coaching Pedigree

• Brian Hartline, former Ohio State offensive coordinator and elite recruiter, was hired in December 2025.
• Hartline helped Ohio State win the 2024 CFP National Championship and produced multiple NFL receivers, bringing credibility and recruiting power to Tampa.

Comparison With Other G5 Programs

• Tulane: Strong NIL fund ($3.5M) but lacks USF’s AAU status and stadium scale.
• Memphis: FedEx-backed $25M NIL deal is impressive, but facilities trail USF’s $400M stadium.
• Boise State: Recognized for NIL innovation, yet limited by market size and academic profile.
• UTSA: Growing NIL support, but lacks national academic recognition and media market reach.
• North Texas: Solid facilities, but NIL and academic prestige lag behind.

Why USF Surpasses Some Power Four Programs

• Facilities: By 2027, USF’s stadium and broadcast hub will rival or exceed many ACC/Big 12 schools.
• Market size: Tampa Bay is a Top 12 media market, far larger than Boise, Memphis, or Tulane.
• Financial commitment: USF’s NIL and athlete pay programs are competitive with mid-tier Power Four schools.
• Trajectory: With Hartline’s recruiting power and institutional growth, USF is positioned for sustained success.

Final Thoughts

USF isn’t just the best G5 program today — it’s building the infrastructure, academic prestige, NIL power, and coaching pedigree to surpass mid-tier Power Four schools. With its stadium, AAU membership, NIL innovation, and Tampa Bay market reach, USF is the most logical candidate for ACC or Big 12 expansion between 2029–2031.

Bottom line: USF is not waiting to catch up — it’s already operating like a Power Four program.

The NBA wants 12 cities to house permanent franchises.

The National Basketball Association appears to be ready to expand by 2027. But it will not happen in the United States, Canada or Mexico. Instead, there will be a startup league in Europe. The NBA is targeting a 16 team circuit and has 12 cities in mind. London and Manchester in England, Paris and Lyon in France, Barcelona and Madrid in Spain, Milan and Rome in Spain, Berlin and Munich in Germany and Athens, Greece and Istanbul, Turkey. The NBA has not officially signed any deals yet. In terms of expanding the 30 team NBA to 32, nothing seems imminent with Las Vegas and Seattle available and there has not been any mention of Mexico City joining the league even though the NBA recently played its annual Mexico game.

The International Basketball Federation or FIBA, the governing body of global basketball, is helping the NBA form a European league. There could be a problem though. There is an established European league. The Euroleague has been around in one form or another since 1958 and has 18 teams. The NBA is aiming for a league that will also try to maximize the commercial potential of basketball in Europe while honoring the European basketball traditions. The NBA also has a problem that was not anticipated. American tariffs. The European Union’s reaction to the levies has not been favorable to the United States. Will Europeans be open to an American business coming to the continent under present conditions and sentiments? Madrid, Barcelona, Athens are taken but there are plenty of other basketball markets in Europe that are open although the NBA could poach some of those teams in The Euroleague to join its new league. The NBA is in the business of making money and if it pushes out the EuroLeague to do so, so be it.

Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191

Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com

The NBA will go head to head with the Euroleaague.