Is it time to call USF vs FAU a rivalry?

Sure, when the Owls planted their flag midfield at Raymond James Stadium after last year’s inaugural conference matchup — a blowout 56-14 win for FAU — it may have irked some of the Bulls faithful. 

This season, after a 44-21 win on Friday, the Bulls were the ones returning the petty favor. 

USF coach Alex Golesh seemingly dissed FAU coach Tom Herman with a hasty handshake following the victory — a gesture that left Herman chasing down the Bulls coach as Golesh exchanged handshakes with Owls’ players. 

Golesh seemed to brush it off. 

“Whatever is said, I’m good,” he said after the game. 

There’s been much conversation of a rivalry between the two schools since their Homecoming matchup last year. UCF departing the conference for the Big 12 left the Bulls without a de facto rival in the American Athletic Conference. 

Related: USF’s Bryce Archie has been waiting to prove himself. Now is the time.

Herman openly expressed his wishes leading up to Friday’s game

“We don’t like them, I hope they don’t like us,” Herman said in a press conference last week. “I hope so, that’s what makes a good rivalry.”

When USF took down Syracuse during the Boca Raton Bowl last season, it wasn’t just the Bulls’ first postseason win in half-a-decade. It was a win on FAU’s home turf. 

But is it time to say FAU is officially a rival? Let’s see some of the metrics. 

Related: Amid USF’s rocky season, punter Andrew Stokes stands out

Are both programs in the same state? Yep. Are they in the same conference? Checks out. Is there plenty of social media banter between the two teams? Of course. 

Fans of the respective programs have been jawing on social media all week long. 

After the win on Friday, USF director of scouting Alex Fagan posted a picture of a tube of lipstick on FAU’s midfield logo — seemingly a response to a series of comments made by an FAU staffer in July.

After USF held a recruiting event at Raymond James Stadium with arguably less than ideal field conditions, FAU chief of staff Matt Smidebush took to X.

“Lipstick on a pig,” Smidebush said in response to a Barstool Sports post. 

The two proceeded to jaw back and forth. Fagan shot back with a comment on when USF won the Boca Raton Bowl in FAU’s home stadium. The Owls failed to make the postseason that year.

Smidebush responded with a jab of his own. 

“At least we have an on-campus stadium… you’re a joke dude,” Smidebush said. 

Is it petty online banter? Perhaps. But in the landscape of modern sports coupled with an instant accessibility to social media reactions, it’s arguably one of the the greatest litmus tests for a rivalry. 

UCF may forever be the number one rival for the Bulls, even in the midst of a conference shift it’s hard to erase over 20 years of dismay. 

But if the Bulls are looking for another friendly, intrastate rival, FAU might be that program.