Florida State South Florida Odds

The Sunshine State is host to a non-conference tilt between a pair of its FBS programs. The #13 Florida State Seminoles are on the road looking to knock the South Florida Bulls from the ranks of the unbeaten Saturday afternoon. The game kicks off from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, at 12 pm ET. National television coverage is provided by ABC. Florida State, according to the Vegas odds, is a 5 point favorite with the over/under set at 61 points in this contest.

Florida State took a 63-20 beating on the road to #10 Louisville last week in their ACC opener. South Florida knocked off an ACC school themselves, downing Syracuse 45-20 on the road last week. This is the fourth all-time meeting between the schools. Florida State has a 2-1 edge, having won the last two. That includes a 34-14 win in Tallahassee last season. South Florida’s lone win in the series came with a 17-7 win in Tallahassee back in 2009.

Early Lean on Florida State -5

Florida State was absolutely thrashed by Louisville in what was easily the worst loss of the Jimbo Fisher era. The Seminoles never led and was only within single digits for a total of 13:26 in the game. It took 10:10 for Louisville to jump out to a 14-0 lead. After the Seminoles cut it to 14-10 early in the second quarter, the Cardinals jumped back up by 11 just 3:16 later. That was the start of a 49 point avalanche by Louisville that left Florida State buried. Two garbage time scores only managed to make the final score slightly more respectable. This was a flat out whipping, plain and simple.

Redshirt freshman Deondre Francois is the man under center for Florida State. He completed 65 of 102 passes for 782 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Dalvin Cook leads Florida State in the rushing department. He has 50 carries for 228 yards and two touchdowns. He is third on the team in receiving with nine catches for 118 yards. Jacques Patrick (17 carries, 107 yards, TD) is a capable back if given an opportunity. Travis Rudolph (team high 15 catches, team high 219 yards, 3 TD) and Jesus Wilson (14 grabs, 186 yards) are the leading receivers for the Seminoles. Kermit Whitfield contributes seven catches for 70 yards. Ricky Aguayo stepped in for his brother Roberto, who kicks for the Buccaneers. He hit all 12 extra points and nine of 10 field goal attempts with a long of 47 yards.

South Florida could have easily mailed last week’s game against Syracuse in after falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter. Instead, the Bulls outscored the Orange 45-3 over the last three quarters to win going away in a hostile environment. The victory marked the second greatest comeback in school history. South Florida closed last season on a roll, winning seven of their last nine after a 1-3 start. That gives them 10 wins in their last 12 games. The Bulls are not a team to take lightly, especially with their bruising ground game.

The Bulls are in the top 40 in the FBS in pass (34th at 270 ypg) and rushing (19th at 248.7 ypg) offense this season. South Florida is 5th in the nation in scoring offense with 49.7 points per contest. Quinton Flowers completed 41 of 75 passes for 711 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception. He has 150 rushing yards and two scores. Marlon Mack (18 carries, 173 yards, 3 TD) is part of an effective run game. Darius Tice (28 carries, 165 yards, TD), D’Ernest Johnson (139 yards) and Adams (104 yards, 4 TD) all are moving the sticks. Adams leads the team with 11 catches for 153 yards and two scores. Marquez Valdes-Scantling (eight receptions, 151 yards, TD) and Johnson (seven grabs) are solid options when the Bulls do throw.

This one is going to be a challenge for both sides. The Seminoles are minus a couple of key defensive starters in Derwin James and Josh Sweat. Both are out with knee injuries. Louisville took advantage of James being out of the mix last week. South Florida likely attacks the defensive line with the ground game as Sweat is missing. The Bulls have to fight perception that they aren’t able to compete against a ranked Power Five foe. It’s a heady experience to say the least. South Florida hangs in but Florida State’s talent shines through late. The Seminoles get a closer than expected victory to bounce back from last week’s blowout loss. For more free picks for this week and beyond, check us out here!

Florida State is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games on grass. South Florida is 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

 

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