South Florida Football: Bulls Should Have Waited to Extend Skip Holtz's Contract

According to the Bradenton Herald, the University of South Florida has extended head coach Skip Holtz's contract through the spring of 2018.

Holtz's raise wasn't much, but the extension could put the university on the line for around $8-10 million if they choose to let him go before his contract is up.

The Big East would have been better off waiting to extend the head coach's contract until they saw what he could do in 2012. As it currently stands, Holtz is 4-10 in Big East play while at USF and only 13-12 overall. In 2011 alone, Holtz led the Bulls to a 5-7 season. The team was 1-6 in the Big East and did not make a bowl game for the first time in seven years.

Stability is nice for USF, but at what cost does a university keep an underachieving coach around for that reason? With two seasons under his belt, Holtz has not proven much as the Bulls leader. Fans are frustrated, as they should be. They are even more frustrated as the coach is rewarded when many feel he doesn't deserve to be.

A financial risk for the university, USF should have put a little more thought into extending Holtz's contract. The 2012 season will definitely be an enlightening one for Holtz's South Florida career.

With 15 starters returning, including veteran quarterback B.J. Daniels, many have picked USF as a dark-horse title contender for the Big East in 2012, as reported by CBSSports.com. With expectations so high, Holtz will have a lot to prove in the upcoming season. If it ends up being a bust, the Bulls should cut their losses and accept the fact that they should have waited just a little longer to extend any contracts.

After all, things really couldn't get much worse.