Could Miami vs. USF be Florida's next big rivalry?

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -- When teams step out of conference to end the regular season, it's traditionally for a matchup of in-state rivals.

Think Florida-Florida State. Georgia-Georgia Tech. Clemson-South Carolina.

The "rivalry" between Miami and South Florida isn't exactly at that level yet.

By 2013, that might change.

Starting with Saturday's trip to Tampa, the Hurricanes are planning to end their next five regular-season schedules against the Bulls. The teams have only met once, a 27-7 Miami win in 2005, so it's not a real rivalry yet. Given South Florida's rapid ascent in college football, combined with the schools going head-to-head for recruits, it's a series both sides take seriously.

"It's an in-state game," Miami coach Randy Shannon said. "There's going to be some fire, there's going to be some excitement in the air. It's probably going to be a sold-out stadium, one of those type of deals. It's South Florida having an opportunity to get on the map, beat the University of Miami. And our players have to understand, it's a rivalry game."

South Florida would say it already is on that map.

Only two seasons ago, the Bulls -- who didn't even play their first game until 1997 -- were ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25, getting 11 first-place votes in the poll released Oct. 14, 2007. And earlier this season, South Florida went into Tallahassee and stunned Florida State 17-7, a win that Bulls coach Jim Leavitt said afterward "changes history."

Getting a chance to take down Miami, that alone is a reward for the Bulls.

"We've only been Division I-A, what, eight years? We haven't been around a long time," Leavitt said Monday. "I really thought, if there was a way we could play one of those schools and try to build a game, then I thought it would really help our program as we continue to try to build this. Miami agreed to play us for this stretch, and hopefully it will continue after that."

No. 19 Miami (8-3, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) almost surely will consider that plan.

Already this season, the Hurricanes have played on national television seven times, something that certainly helps recruiting. So does visibility around the talent-rich Sunshine State. Miami started the year in Tallahassee against Florida State, went to Orlando a few weeks later to play Central Florida, and now ends the slate in Tampa against the Bulls (7-3, 3-3 Big East).

NCAA rules forbid Miami from arranging tickets for recruits at opposing stadiums. But some 2010 prospects found their way to the games at both Florida State and Central Florida, and the same probably will happen again Saturday.

"It helps out because people get to see you in the state," Shannon said.

Leavitt can envision recruiting benefits as well. It's already a selling point for the Bulls -- if recruits sign now, they'll get the chance to play Miami four times. The state's "Big 3" -- Florida, Florida State and Miami -- still get most blue chip prospects, but USF is starting to win some of those recruiting battles, too.

"Miami, we all know what they've done," Leavitt said. "They've won all the national championships, more than anybody else in this state. They're a very, very powerful program. We'll see how it all goes."

Miami is stepping away from conventional thinking by agreeing to the series of end-of-season games.

Of the 65 teams in college football's six most prominent conferences -- the Southeastern Conference, ACC, Big 10, Pac-10, Big 12 and Big East -- only 10 are ending the 2009 regular season by facing a non-league opponent.

South Florida isn't one of them. The Bulls close Dec. 5 against Big East rival Connecticut.

For Miami, this is it until the bowl game, and that makes it important to Shannon, who said his mood for the next few weeks will be dictated by Saturday's outcome.

"It's going to be tough. It's going to be huge, because we can end on a good note," Shannon said. "You always want to end on a good note."

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)