The University of South Florida Bulls travel to play the No. 11 Florida State University Seminoles at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium this week. The game starts at 7:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, Sep 12 and will air on ESPN.
Florida State blew out Texas State 59-16 last week. Everett Golson had an outstanding performance passing the ball in the win, completing 19 of 25 passes for 302 yards and four TDs. Dalvin Cook also had a big game with 156 yards and two TDs on 19 attempts. Not to be outdone, South Florida routed Florida A&M 51-3 in its matchup. Elkanah Dillon had a big game for the Bulls, totaling four receptions for 126 yards and one TD.
The Seminoles are a considerable 29-point favorite and the Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at 52 points.
The Seminoles are off to a good start to the season with a 1-0 record Straight Up (SU) as well as Against The Spread (ATS). On special teams, Florida State has some playmakers. They average 148 return yards per game, 25th in Division I.
On the other side, the Bulls have also come out of the gate playing well with records of 1-0 SU and ATS this season. South Florida has found a lot of success on the ground. Its 275 rushing yards per game ranks 23rd in Division I. Switching gears to the South Florida defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. The Seminoles need to protect their quarterback against the sack-happy Bulls. The defense ranks 14th in the country in sacks with four per game. The Bulls make it hard on their opponents down the stretch, averaging 21 points in the final quarter.
Predictions: SU Winner – FlaSt, ATS Winner – SoFla, O/U – Under
Notes
Florida State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
Florida State is 24-1 SU in its last 25 games.
Florida State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Florida State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Florida State’s last 10 games at home.
Each team is 1-0 SU when leading after three quarters.
According to overall FBS team rankings, South Florida is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 23rd-ranked rushing attack will face the 63rd-ranked run defense of Florida State, while its fourth-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 25th-ranked running game of the Seminoles.
