ESPN airs USF football; Yankees to play Bulls

The South Florida football team stood in the spotlight last season, rising to No. 2 in the Bowl Championship Series rankings for the first time in school history. The spotlight continues to shine on the Bulls as the Big East Conference announced the 2008 schedule Monday, which has four USF games nationally televised on ESPN or ESPN 2 – making the Bulls tied with Louisville for the most by any Big East team.

Four guaranteed ESPN/ESPN2 games prior to the season’s start set another school record.

The last game of the 2008 season will be televised when the Bulls travel to Morgantown, W. Va., to play the Mountaineers. USF defeated West Virginia the last two seasons, and last year’s game attracted a record crowd of 67,012 at Raymond James Stadium.

The first televised game airs on ESPN on Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. when the Bulls travel to Orlando to play the University of Central Florida. The two teams played three times in their history, and USF won them all.

The second aired game is on ESPN on Oct. 2 when USF plays host to the Pittsburgh Panthers.

The Bulls travel to Cincinnati to play the Bearcats on Oct. 30 for the third televised game. The Bearcats defeated the Bulls last season 38-33.

The Bulls schedule isn’t complete, so more games could be announced as the season nears. One noteworthy game that isn’t scheduled for television is the Sept. 13. matchup against Kansas – last season’s Orange Bowl champion.

DENSON MISSES ANOTHER GAMEBrittany Denson, junior guard on the USF women’s basketball team, missed Saturday’s game on the road against Georgetown (14-12, 4-9), and will not play against No. 14 Notre Dame (21-6) on Wednesday.

“Brittany Denson didn’t make the trip (to Georgetown). That’s a team issue that we’re dealing with,” USF coach Jose Fernandez said.

The junior transfer from the University of Miami has played in 15 out of 27 games this year, starting six. She is averaging 20.8 minutes per game.

INFIELD SUSPENSIONUSF baseball coach Lelo Prado suspended senior infielder Dexter Butler indefinitely for undisclosed reasons.

Butler played in 58 games last year, starting 56. He hit for a .324 batting average and attained a .421 on-base percentage.

USF PLAYS YANKEESThe USF baseball team will play the New York Yankees for the first time at Legend’s Field in Tampa on Friday. Tickets cost $10 for students.

“It is going to be special to play at Legends Field,” USF coach Lelo Prado said in a press release. “We have played in a lot of minor league parks, but it is not like playing against the New York Yankees. It is going to be a fun day for USF baseball.”

The game will be the first spring training game of the season for the Yankees.