 Led by interim coach T. J. Weist, the Bulls ended their season with a 46–39 OT victory over South Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl on December 29, 2016.On January 12, 2017, Quinton Flowers was named the 2017 College Football Performance Awards National Performer of the Year.On December 11, 2016, USF announced that former Texas and Louisville head coach Charlie Strong would become the Bulls' new head coach, the fourth in school history.