Posted on 10/18/2007 5:05:01 PM

College Betting: South Florida vs. Rutgers - BetUS Sportsbook

By Tim Furious

College Football Betting: South Florida (6-0) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-2)

Rutgers has been here before. A Thursday night game with a somewhat overrated opponent on the national stage of prime time television. Last year they took down Louisville. Rutgers, who were once ranked as high as No.10 this season, will try to play the role of giant killer once more as they try to vault themselves in to the national title scene with a win over the No.2 ranked Bulls.

Thursday, October 18th --- Rutgers Stadium, Piscataway --- 7:30pm EST

Opening line: South Florida -2.5 (51.5)

 

South Florida Offense vs. Rutgers Defense

Finding a way to contain quarterback Matt Grothe will be the key to containing the Bulls high scoring offense. Grothe’s boys average 35.2 points per game and will face a defense that only gives up 17.2 points on average. Although the Rutgers front line excels at breaking in to the backfield, that plays right in to Grothe’s strengths.

 

The electrifying playmaker excels at passing on the run and has a fierce weapon in wide-receiver Amarri Jackson, who will be a matchup nightmare for the Rutgers secondary. Grothe’s ability to break long runs will leave the Rutgers linebackers guessing too often, creating too many chances for Grothe on the fly. Simply put, Grothe’s innate ability to patch broken plays back together will create frustration and confusion on the Rutgers side.

The defense in Rutgers is strong, but relies heavily on the Rutgers offense playing mistake-free offense. They are huge and aggressive, wreaking havoc in the backfield, but are vulnerable to speed. The Bulls have that in boatloads.

Rutgers Offense vs. South Florida Defense

Quarterback Mike Teel has sadly regressed, and is having trouble keeping the ball out of the hands of defenders. Teel has 1,817 passing yards on the year with 12 touchdowns, but has six critical interceptions. His life won’t be made any easier since South Florida’s Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams are amongst the finest corners in the league. The Bulls surrender 182.5 passing yards per game.

 

That leaves the game in the hands of Ray Rice who averages 5.0 yards per carry and has 13 touchdowns on the year. Bulls defensive-end George Selvie is one of the best in the nation, but Rutgers Pedro Sosa is a huge boy who can contain the speedy freak of nature.

Rice has had tremendous success against the Bulls. Last season he ran for 202 yards on 35 carries and scored two touchdowns. The Bulls have not allowed a 100-yard rusher all season, but Rice runs behind a massive front line that can swallow up the speedy defensive line of South Florida. Bet on Rice getting the ball between the tackles, because the outside edges will be tough to break through, despite Rice’s success on stretch plays.

NCAA Football Betting Trends

-South Florida is 3-1 ATS

-Rutgers is 3-2 SU

-Rutgers is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games

-Rutgers is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games at home

Final Verdict

Rutgers stumbled after their bye week, losing to Maryland and Cincinnati. But the Bulls have been masquerading as a top-5 team for too long. Despite their success on the field, Rutgers seems to have trouble playing up to the challenge when expectations are high, but they excel when nobody expects them to do anything.

The betting trends are pointing to a South Florida Bulls win, and their record against the spread should instill some more faith in to their betting stock. The last time a team came in to Jersey with momentum, the Rutgers fought them tooth and nail en route to a massive upset. Bet on history to repeat itself as the Knights send the Bulls spiraling down the BCS standings with a loss.

NCAA Football Free Pick: South Florida 27 Rutgers 31

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