South Florida at Syracuse: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
South Florida Bulls at Syracuse Orange (+3.5, 51.5)
THE STORY: One team will end a frustrating few weeks when South Florida visits Syracuse for a Big East battle Friday night. Syracuse was riding high after beating West Virginia Oct. 21, but has dropped games at Louisville and UConn since and still needs a win to become bowl eligible.
South Florida won its first four games before losing the last four - the longest slide in the program’s 15-year history. The Bulls were beaten by three points in each of the last two games -- blowing a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead in a 20-17 overtime loss at Rutgers Saturday. South Florida has been outscored 70-42 in the fourth quarter and overtime. Syracuse is 4-1 at home and USF is 1-3 on the road.
LINE MOVES: South Florida opened as a 4-point road favorite but has been bet down to 3.5. The total opened at 51.5 and has remained steady.
ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (4-4, 0-4 Big East, 3-5 ATS): Bulls quarterback B.J. Daniels has thrown for 2,027 yards and 12 touchdowns, and rushed for 440 yards and four TDs. But four of his five interceptions have come in the last three games. Darrell Scott rushed for 100 yards for the first time in five games at Rutgers, but was held out of practice with injuries early this week and is day to day. Linebacker DeDe Lattimore has become a major factor with 40 tackles and 3.5 sacks the last four games.
ABOUT SYRACUSE (5-4, 1-3 Big East, 3-6 ATS): The Orange are ranked 99th in the nation in rushing offense. Leading rusher Antwon Bailey has totaled 120 yards in his last two games after four straight 100-yard performances. Quarterback Ryan Nassib has 18 touchdown passes and six interceptions. Wide receiver Alec Lemon had a career-high 157 yards last week and has a team-leading 47 receptions. Safety Phillip Thomas has six interceptions, which leads the Big East and is tied for second in the nation.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Syracuse won last season in Tampa, but USF won the first five in the series – three at the Carrier Dome.
2. USF leads the nation in tackles for losses per game with nine and is second in sacks (3.5).
3. Syracuse’s Nick Provo has set a single-season school record for receptions for a tight end (39).
TRENDS:
* Bulls are 5-1 ATS in their last six meetings.
* Favorite is 5-1 ATS in their last six meetings.
* Bulls are 0-6 ATS in their last six conference games.
* Orange are 1-4 ATS in their last five conference games.
PREDICTION: Syracuse 28, USF 24 – The Bulls have been finding ways to lose and the Orange will be pumped up to seal a Bowl bid at home.
South Florida at Syracuse
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
Three weeks after trashing West Virginia by a 49-23 count in a Friday night ESPN game, Syracuse (5-4 straight up, 3-6 against the spread) is back in the national spotlight for another tilt on ESPN’s family of networks. This time around, the Orange will take on South Florida at the Carrier Dome.
Most betting shops are listing South Florida (4-4 SU, 3-5 ATS) as a four-point favorite with a total of 51½. Gamblers can take the ‘Cuse on the money line for a plus-160 return (risk $100 to win $160).
Doug Marrone’s team returns home after losing back-to-back Big East road games. The ‘Cuse lost a 28-21 decision at UConn last Saturday as a two-point underdog. The Huskies outscored the Orange 14-0 in the final stanza.
Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw a pair of costly interceptions. The Orange had 365 yards of total offense compared to UConn’s 311 but came up short nonetheless.
USF has lost four consecutive games and has dropped five in a row ATS. The Bulls started the year with four straight wins, including an upset victory at Notre Dame in Week 1, but they are simply fighting for a bowl bid at this point after losing at Pitt (44-17), at UConn (16-10), vs. Cincy (37-34) and at Rutgers (20-17 in overtime).
USF junior QB B.J. Daniels is enjoying an excellent season, throwing for 2,027 yards with a 12/4 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio. Daniels, a product of Tallahassee Lincoln High School’s powerhouse prep program, can also get it done with his legs. He has rushed for 432 yards and four touchdowns.
Darrell Scott is USF’s leading rusher this season, gaining 612 yards on 108 carries. Scott has five rushing TDs and a 5.7 yards-per-carry average. Daniels’ favorite target is sophomore wide receiver Sterling Griffin, who has 40 receptions for 493 yards and two TDs.
Nassib has completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 1,960 yards with an 18/6 TD-INT ratio. The Orange’s leading receiver is Alec Lemon, who has 47 catches for 531 yards and four TDs. Nick Provo has 39 receptions for 410 yards and six TDs.
Syraucse’s ground game is all about senior RB Antwon Bailey, who has 798 rushing yards and six TDs on 177 totes for a 4.5 YPC average.
When these Big East rivals met last year in Tampa, Syracuse captured a 13-9 win as an eight-point underdog. Daniels struggled mightily for the Bulls, connecting on just 9-of-23 throws with a pair of interceptions. In the five previous meetings, USF won each time both SU and ATS.
The ‘over’ is 6-3 overall for the ‘Cuse, 3-2 in its home games. Meanwhile, totals have been an overall wash for USF (4-4) but the ‘under’ has cashed at a 3-1 clip in its four road assignments.
Syracuse has won four of its five home games this year, going 3-2 versus the number. As for USF, it has lost three in a row both SU and ATS on the road since winning at Notre Dame as previously mentioned.
As a home underdog during Marrone’s three-year tenure, the ‘Cuse has compiled a 4-4 spread record. The Bulls are 0-3 both SU and ATS as road favorites under Skip Holtz.
ESPN2 will provide television coverage at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets
To win the SEC East and return to the Ga. Dome, South Carolina will need to beat Florida and hope Auburn can upset Georgia. Most books are listing the Gamecocks as 3½-point favorites with a total of 40½. They gave up the division lead for the first time this year by dropping a 44-28 decision at Arkansas last week. QB Connor Shaw sustained a concussion late in the fourth quarter against the Hogs, but he has been cleared to play and did practice on Wednesday. The Gators, who are plus-150 on the money line, ended their first four-game losing streak since 1988 with last Saturday’s 26-21 win over Vanderbilt. However, they failed to take the cash as 13½-point home ‘chalk.’ UF owes USC one after Steve Spurrier’s squad came into The Swamp and dealt out woodshed treatment in the form of a 36-14 clubbing to clinch the school’s first trip to the SEC Championship Game since joining the league in 1992.
The Penn State Board of Trustees was left with no choice but to fire Joe Paterno late last night. The decision was a complete no-brainer. I didn’t have that opinion until I read the grand jury report late Wednesday afternoon. For anyone that disagrees with Paterno’s dismissal, I urge you to read the grand jury report. Once you do, you’ll understand. Again, it was a complete no-brainer.
LSU falls into the classic letdown situation Saturday night when it hosts Western Kentucky as a 42-point home favorite. Granted, it’s been against Sun Belt competition, but I have point out that the Hilltoppers have won five consecutive games. They are 3-0 ATS on the road this year, 3-1 ATS as double-digit underdogs. I’ll be on Western Ky. to cover as an enormous underdog in the ideal situation.
Tennessee has scored 28 total points in its last four SEC games. The Volunteers are 14-point underdogs Saturday at Arkansas. I thought the Razorbacks should’ve been favored by 17.
Miami and FSU play each other Saturday. Who knew?!