College Football Predictions: WVU vs. South Florida Preview

Written by Jake Thompson
Tuesday, 29 November 2011 20:05

It’s time to preview the Thursday college football game between WVU and South Florida with predictions on the score.

The #20 WVU Mountaineers (8-3) will hit the road this week for their game against the South Florida Bulls (5-6), and we hope that our predictions and preview will help everyone win some easy money.  Start time of the WVU vs. South Florida game is set for 8:00 PM ET and the game will be shown live on the ESPN channel.

The home team has won 4 straight games since 2007 when these squads meet up, including last year when WVU won 20-6 at home as 10-point favorites.  The Bulls pulled a 30-19 upset at home in 2009, and again as underdogs in a 21-13 game in 2007.  WVU is a 1.5-point road favorite at 5Dimes Sportsbook for this one and just about every college football bettor I know is taking them.  5 of the 6 head-to-head meetings between these schools have gone under the total, yet the line of 55 has been bet up heavily since debuting at 50 earlier in the week.

WVU’s Offense vs. South Florida’s Defense:

The Mountaineers average 35.4 points per game while passing for 351.4 yards each time out thanks to quarterback Geno Smith (3741 yards, 65.0%, 25 TD, 5 INT).  He’s a perfect fit for the high-flying offense, but WVU has been held in check a bit lately after putting up big numbers against lesser teams earlier in the season.  South Florida hasn’t given up more than 20 points in any of the 6 meetings with WVU since 2005, and their defense hasn’t given up more than 24 points this year in games in which they were outgained in passing yards.

South Florida’s Offense vs. WVU’s Defense:

The Bulls have an excellent balance on offense, rushing for 186.0 yards and passing for another 251.7 on average while scoring 29.5 points per game.  They’ve been tough to stop at home but, like WVU, they are also struggling a bit lately after beating up on weaker teams before conference play started.  The Mountaineers have given up a ton of points this season in games in which they were outrushed, and there shouldn’t be any reason that South Florida can’t beat them soundly in that category tonight.

WVU vs. South Florida Predictions:

The only teams to put up a ton of points against South Florida this season have been able to outrush them, and I don’t think WVU has a chance to do that.  That being said, Cincinnati, another high-flying passing attack, put up 37 points on the Bulls earlier this season.  The Bearcats run the ball much better than WVU, but their ability to beat this defense through the air is concerning.  That being said, my WVU vs. South Florida predictions have me calling for the Bulls to use their rushing attack to keep the Mountaineers’ offense off the field, and for this game to be a high-scoring affair.  South Florida is a small home underdog and I’ll gladly take them in what I believe to be an even matchup or even slightly in favor of the Bulls.

Bet on the WVU vs. South Florida game at 5Dimes Sportsbook and receive a 50% cash bonus on top of your first deposit just for using our link to sign-up!

WVU 27

South Florida 31