Almost two years ago, USF football was coming off a 46-39 heartbreaker to UCF, marking the program’s 10th straight loss and the closure of another season at the bottom of the American Athletic Conference.

Coach Alex Golesh was hired less than a month later.

Now in his second season, Golesh has led the Bulls (6-5, 4-3 AAC) to their second straight postseason appearance with a 63-30 win over Tulsa on Saturday that granted USF bowl eligibility.

That feat hasn’t happened since nearly a decade ago, when the Bulls made four consecutive bowl trips from 2015 to 2018.

After taking over a program that only won four games in three seasons, Golesh said he’s proud of the team’s resiliency as they rebuild the foundation of USF football.

“The expectation is that we win games in that locker room,” Golesh said after beating Tulsa. “We’re building a really, really cool foundation of what it looks like to win, what it looks like to lead, what it looks like to work, what it looks like to face adversity.”

Related: USF rolls over Tulsa, clinches second consecutive bowl game

USF has followed a near-shutout loss against Navy two weeks ago with a historic offensive barrage. USF routed Charlotte 59-24 on Nov. 16.

The Bulls put up 715 offensive yards against Tulsa – the most ever against an FBS opponent. The previous record was 680 yards against Illinois in 2017.

USF’s 63 points were the most scored since 2015. After putting up 59 points against Charlotte, the Bulls have tallied back-to-back 50-point games for the first time since 2011.

Last year, the Bulls clinched postseason eligibility with a 48-14 win over Charlotte in their final game.

USF would go onto the Boca Raton Bowl – ending with a 45-0 route over Syracuse. It was the largest shutout win in FBS bowl history.

Related: USF football runs wild in Charlotte, keeps bowl hopes alive

What bowl game might the Bulls go to this year?

CBS Sports projects USF to play in the Cure Bowl against Texas State. That game will be played in Orlando on Dec. 20.

Others have the Bulls playing out of state. 247 Sports projects USF to play in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 27 against Oklahoma.

USF has played in the Birmingham Bowl twice already – notching wins against South Carolina in 2016 and Texas Tech in 2017.

With a week left in the regular season, projections will likely shift. USF has a chance to notch its seventh win next week against Rice.

Golesh said despite the postseason nod, he has a championship in mind.

“Right now, we’re a 6-5 team that’s fighting to get to seven [wins], and then we’ll fight to get to eight,” he said. “At whatever point we’re ready, and we’re going to work incredibly hard to do so, we’re going to play for championships.”

USF football will play on the road against Rice at 2 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Bulls Unlimited.