The college football season starts on Friday evening for the No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers when they face the South Florida Bulls inside Raymond James Stadium.

South Florida started off with a hot seven-game winning streak in 2018, highlighted by wins against Georgia Tech and Illinois it dropped its final six contests.

In the off-season, head coach Charlie Strong hired Kerwin Bell as USF's new offensive coordinator, which should help former four-star quarterback Blake Barnett and the unit. Defensively, the Bulls gave up 30 points or more in eight of its 12 games.

Check out some key stats, leaders from last season and our Q&A team preview with Kelly Quinlan from Running the Bulls.

*Record: 7-6 overall, 3-5 in American Athletic Conference (AAC)

*Points per game: 28.5

*Opponents points per game: 32.0

*Rushing yards per game: 193.6

*Opponents rushing yards per game: 247.5

*Passing yards per game: 244.1

*Opponents' passing yards per game: 199.1

*Third-down conversions: 37%

*Opponents' third-down conversions: 41%

*Total turnovers created: 21

*Total turnovers given up: 22

Earlier this summer, we chatted about South Florida and what's ahead for them in 2019. Two months later just days away from the season starting, has there been any change in many media members' eyes about what the expectations are for this program this year?

Kelly Quinlan: I think there was an air of attitude from the players and the staff the last couple of seasons under Charlie Strong and he cleaned out his staff replacing his offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and a pair of defensive assistants and it has been a 180-degree turnaround. Kids seem to be bought into the program and there are a lot more smiles and good attitudes around. There has been some secrecy regarding exactly what Kerwin Bell plans to do as the offensive coordinator and some of their personnel and packages. That has been a little different limited some access.

The new AD Michael Kelly expects Strong and his staff to compete and win the AAC soon and given how much ground UCF has made up on them in recent years there is a lot of pressure from the fans and the athletic department as a whole to see them get over the hump of finishing second or third every year.

Always ask about injuries. Who may be out on Friday, who may be returning, and how could that affect any game plan or strategy?

Kelly Quinlan: The only significant injury is linebacker Nico Sawtelle, a key cog to the defense who missed the last seven games of the 2018 season with a neck injury. He is sort of the quarterback for the defense and had made a miraculous comeback to get back on the field this year. Given how Wisconsin likes to use the running attack to control the game and couple that with the lack of experience at linebacker that could become an issue for the Bulls defense on Friday night.

On the plus side, they got kick returner and slot receiver Terrence Horne back healthy, but he was not listed on the depth chart for Friday.

Quarterback Blake Barnett, the former four-star Alabama signee who has found a home with the Bulls after stops in Tuscaloosa and Tempe (Arizona State), is a familiar name to many in the college football world. What does he bring to the offense?

Kelly Quinlan: He is a calm and steady quarterback with an accurate arm and he has just enough running ability to give defenses honest. He won’t blow you away with any one facet of his game, but when he has a good plan and his receivers catch the ball he is a very good college quarterback. The last offensive staff often asked him to do things that didn’t fit his skill-set, but it appears that Bell has designed a scheme around what he does well and will tailor his play calls in that direction.

In your opinion what positions are areas of strength for USF, but where could there be concerns on both sides of the ball?

Kelly Quinlan: The Bulls always have speed and elite skill guys. Offensively they have a very good quarterback, running back Jordan Cronkrite and one of the best tight ends in college football Mitchell Wilcox. The receivers are a good mix of guys and the offensive line has a lot of game experience as well. Receivers have struggled with consistency game-to-game and drops were a bit of an issue at times. They have a lot of bodies, but still are looking for guys to step up.

On the defensive side, the front four is a veteran group of overachievers, but they are a little bit thin beyond the starters. They’ve been very good at times in the secondary and Mike Hampton has turned into one of the better cover corners in college football.

The linebacker position has been a real mess for several years now due to injuries and attrition. Getting production from that group will make or break this defense, in my opinion. They added former Oklahoma State linebacker Patrick Macon, who replaces Sawtelle, and they have two homegrown players in Dwayne Boyles and Antonio Grier filling the other two linebacker spots. Both were inconsistent a year ago.

Where do you feel South Florida has an advantage in the game, but also where do you see Wisconsin having the upper hand?

Kelly Quinlan: I think there is a speed edge at the skill positions and they’ve shown that whenever they play P5 teams. There are just a ton of fast kids from Florida. Where Wisconsin has an edge is on the lines of scrimmage and if USF can’t hold their own there, it will be a long day at Raymond James Stadium.

Game predictions: Who comes away with a season-opening W on Friday night?

Kelly Quinlan: I think this is a tough match-up for the Bulls. They often struggle with very physical teams and that is what I’ve seen from Wisconsin over the years, giant linemen and power running. The X-factor is how well the Bulls execute their new offense. If they get some rhythm and get clicking, I think it will be a close game. I just think the Bulls' defense isn’t good enough yet to take down a team like Wisconsin.