College football is about to kick off a whole new chapter in 2025! The House Settlement is all set, the NIL era is officially here, and the transfer portal isn’t going anywhere. With athletes getting a share of $20.5 million in revenue, there’s definitely some cash to spread around. Colleges can choose not to participate, but honestly, who would want to? Their future might depend on it! With all these big changes happening, one AAC program is going all in with a massive $350 million investment.

“If you build it, they will come,” the famous quote from the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, is something college football teams are following to the word and letter. USF football last year finalized a project for their new stadium. It will cost them $350 million. The new stadium will have an indoor capacity of 35,000. This may look like a lot of money; frankly, it is for USF. However, the tough choices are to be made when one has to choose between evolving or dying in the new CFB world. It’s anyone’s guess why USF is choosing the former with this gamble. Their Athletic Director, Michael Kelly, summarized the whole thing aptly.

“We know with revenue sharing, you need revenue in order to share it. It’s really been a long evolutionary plan. And its time came.” The AD described the current CFB scenario and said it was either “Go big or go home.” The stadium is reportedly set to be completed in 2027, and FrontOfficeSports recently shared that the construction has now begun and described the facilities that would be there at the stadium.

“USF begins construction on new $348 million stadium. USF’s state-of-the-art stadium will have a huge student section with the ‘Bull-U’ logo, a DJ deck, and student-only concessions. Outside, fans will have a big tailgating area with a lawn, walking trails, and a tree canopy, making a unique gathering spot before games,” posted frontofficesports’ IG account along with several model pictures of the whole stadium.

Getting the funding for the stadium wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. It included $200 million in debt, $50 million from donations. The rest came from capital funds and various revenue streams. With such a hefty debt, the stadium could face some economic challenges and financial risks. Because of this, fans are understandably anxious about the whole project.

The USF Bulls football program is pretty new, with just 28 years under its belt since starting in 1997. For a while now, people have been talking about the need for their own stadium, but nothing has really happened. Instead, they’ve been playing all their home games at Raymond James Stadium, which is where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play. Unfortunately, this setup hasn’t been great for them. They’re stuck paying a hefty annual rent of $2.66 million (in 2023) and don’t get to keep any of the money made from their games. So, the idea of having their own stadium would be a big deal for them. Still, not all the fans are on board with it.

Fans react harshly to USF’s recent stadium announcement

One of the users commented on frontofficesports’ IG post about the transportation nightmare the stadium brings. “Transportation nightmare project, and where is parking for 35,000 people gonna be at?” While another user commented about the costly nature of the whole endeavor, highlighting that the program should have gotten more seats at $350 million. “Should’ve made it hold more for this price.” Undoubtedly, the 35,000-seat capacity may feel less, but it’s done for a reason.

Raymond James Stadium, where Tampa Bay plays, is almost twice the capacity proposed for the Bulls’ stadium. However, the reduction in capacity at USF was done to make the audience’s experience more intimate. For instance, the stadium has a 360-degree concourse that will sit just 10 rows off the field, and the farthest seat will still be closer to the field than what Raymond James Stadium offers. Still, several users had their reservations.

One of the users highlighted the absence of a dome in the stadium and pointed to the hot Florida weather. “No dome in hot a– Florida?” Another user remarked on similar concerns. “Just make sure it’s not a POS tin can like UCF’s own. Thanks.” The absence of the dome part is also a conscious design by the engineers and USF.

The stadium features an 8,000-seat student section in one of the end zones and is quite close to USF’s student dormitories. Moreover, the stadium is constructed in such a way that the visiting teams will have more sun on their side, making their experience more grueling in Florida’s heat. It is expected that the presence of the South Tower on the home side will keep the team in the shade, and according to studies, the opponent’s side will be almost 15 degrees hotter. That’s brilliant, right?

Lastly, one of the users commented on USF’s recent on-field results and cautioned that having such an expensive stadium wouldn’t translate to filled seats. “That’s a wild waste of money for a school that will have trouble filling it.” Last year, the team went 7-6 in the AAC, and the year before, they had a similar record. While the records may seem modest at best, considering their 1-11 season in 2022, the team has shown significant progress under their new head coach, Alex Golesh. The verdict?

The stadium isn’t just there to attract an audience to games but also to host concerts and multi-sports events that could boost revenue for the program. But that also won’t be their end goal, as they would want to follow in the footsteps of SMU and UCF and finally move to a Power 5 conference after being overlooked in recent years. And the stadium, with a $350 million tag? It’s a perfect initial step to get an invitation, right?