UCF coach George O'Leary, speaking on the Conference USA weekly coaches' teleconference, had high praise for No. 5 USF this week, admitting that USF's progress has come considerably faster than his program's.

"We're probably moving by inches; they've moved by yards," he said. "I think both programs have made significant strides in the direction where they're headed."

The Knights can accelerate that progress with a win Saturday in Tampa. The Bulls have opened as a two-touchdown favorite against the Knights, who nearly pulled off the upset in Orlando last year in a 24-17 USF win.

"You don't get many opportunities to play a top-10 team in mid-season, especially out of conference," O'Leary said. "It gives us an opportunity to see where we're at as a program. South Florida ... has shown what they can do. It'll be a tough football game. They play very well at home, so we're going to have to make sure we go over with our A-game and see what we can get done."