USF FOOTBALL FORTUNES BRINGING BIG BUCKS TO BUCS: As the fortunes of University of South Florida football rise, so do the fortunes of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

The TAMPA TRIBUNE goes long in explaining how the NFL franchise is making a little profit at the expense of the Bulls’ up-and-coming program. Both teams share Raymond James Stadium, and 18th-ranked USF is expecting their first-ever sellout when 5th-ranked West Virginia comes to visit Friday night.

You would think the school would be thrilled with all the potential reveune coming in. Well, yes and no. It’s always a big confidence boost for a home team to have 65,000 fans screaming for you - especially when you can sell $1.3 million worth of tickets.

However, the Bucs could be getting as much as $300,000 in parking and concession sales under the Friday night lights. And they may even snatch some extra green from Bulls merchandise sales.

According to the agreement signed by the pro team and the Tampa Sports Authority, the Bucs get all the profits when Jeff Garcia & Co. take the field. In addition, Malcolm Glazer “also gets the first $2 million of profit from parking and concessions at non-Buc events annually, such as concerts and USF games.”

A win over the Mountaineers can make a big statement for the Bulls, and a bigger bank statement for the Bucs.