South Florida continues to climb up the Associated Press Top 25 rankings.
The Bulls are No. 19 this week, and they’re also tied for first in the HERO Sports Group of Five Top 25 Media Poll. They’re on a three-game winning streak, but none of those games were even their most impressive wins.
USF (5-1, 2-0 American Conference) has most recently defeated South Carolina State, Charlotte, and North Texas – and that was when UNT was in the top 10 in the G5 Top 25. The Bulls won those games by a collective margin of 180-76.
That was following a 49-12 loss at Miami, one of the top teams in the country. Before that, USF had upset Boise State and Florida, giving the Bulls two ranked wins and catapulting them into the national discussion.
Florida Atlantic, though, is a team to be taken seriously. The Owls are 3-3 and 2-1 against American Conference teams. They’ve won their last two games at Rice and against UAB at home.
New Customer Offers at BetMGM
Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l Terms
FAU vs. USF Spread & Betting Odds
USF is a -21.5 college football betting odds favorite against FAU, with the Over/Under being 72.5 as of this writing.
The moneyline for FAU is +1000, while it’s -2000 for USF.
FAU vs. USF On TV
The matchup between FAU and USF will be televised on ESPNU.
The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 18. The contest is taking place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
FAU vs. USF Prediction
I predict USF will win and cover the 21.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Over 72.5 total points.
That’s a high Over/Under for anyone, but I do think USF will win by at least four touchdowns. That’s because the Bulls have already shown they don’t mess around and beat teams they’re clearly better than on paper by wide margins.
And I think both offenses are going to put up a few points, like we saw in the USF-North Texas game.
The Bulls are second in the American in scoring offense with 40.7 points per game, and FAU is sixth with 32.8 PPG. Both USF (468.3 yards per game) and FAU (442.8 yards per contest) are in the top four in the league in total offense.
Meanwhile, FAU is second-to-last in the conference in scoring defense, having allowed 33.3 points per game. USF is slightly better, as the Bulls rank sixth with 24.7 points per game allowed.
But considering the opponents each team has beaten and how those games were won, I believe it’s clear USF is the better team. I anticipate quarterback Byrum Brown will tally plenty of yards with his arm and his legs. I also believe USF’s defense, led by linebackers Jhalyn Shuler and Mac Harris, will frustrate FAU’s offense early on to establish the tone of the game before the Bulls pull away in the second half.
