College Football Betting News and Notes Friday, September 15th, 2017

MASSACHUSETTS (0 - 3) at TEMPLE (1 - 1) - 9/15/2017, 7:00 PM

Top Trends for this game.
TEMPLE is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TEMPLE is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
TEMPLE is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
TEMPLE is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in home lined games over the last 3 seasons.
TEMPLE is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest over the last 2 seasons.
TEMPLE is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MASSACHUSETTS is 1-0 against the spread versus TEMPLE over the last 3 seasons
TEMPLE is 1-0 straight up against MASSACHUSETTS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

ILLINOIS (2 - 0) at S FLORIDA (2 - 0) - 9/15/2017, 7:00 PM

Top Trends for this game.
ILLINOIS is 123-160 ATS (-53.0 Units) in all games since 1992.
ILLINOIS is 123-160 ATS (-53.0 Units) in all lined games since 1992.
S FLORIDA is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

ARIZONA (1 - 1) at UTEP (0 - 2) - 9/15/2017, 10:15 PM

Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 11-26 ATS (-17.6 Units) as a favorite of 10.5 to 21 points since 1992.
ARIZONA is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 54-87 ATS (-41.7 Units) as a favorite since 1992.
ARIZONA is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest over the last 2 seasons.
UTEP is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in September games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

MASSACHUSETTS vs. TEMPLE
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Massachusetts's last 6 games
Massachusetts is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Temple is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
Temple is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

ILLINOIS vs. SOUTH FLORIDA
Illinois is 8-17 ATS in its last 25 games on the road
Illinois is 4-21 SU in its last 25 games on the road
South Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
South Florida is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games

ARIZONA vs. TEXAS EL PASO
Arizona is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games on the road
Texas El Paso is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Texas El Paso is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home

MASSACHUSETTS @ TEMPLE
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Massachusetts's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Massachusetts's last 6 games
Temple is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Temple is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home

ILLINOIS @ SOUTH FLORIDA
Illinois is 8-17 ATS in its last 25 games on the road
Illinois is 6-15 SU in its last 21 games
South Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
South Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

ARIZONA @ TEXAS EL PASO
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Texas El Paso's last 14 games at home
Texas El Paso is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home

NCAAF Week 3

Temple was outgunned 402-353 in narrow 16-13 win on I-AA Villanova last week, after they lost 49-16 at Notre Dame the week before. Owls had only 79 rushing yards LW; they’re 7-2 as home favorites the last two years, but this team has far less experience than in recent years. UMass is 0-3 already, losing 38-28 at I-A newcomer Coastal Carolina in their only road game. Minutemen are 8-8 as road underdogs under Whipple. Temple (-13) edged UMass 25-23 at home in last meeting, two years ago.

Former Bucs’ assistant Lovie Smith returns to Tampa with his Illinois team that is 2-0 with home wins over Ball State/Western Kentucky. Since 2012, Illini is 6-15 as a road underdog; they were 2-2 LY, in Smith’s first year as coach. South Florida’s routines have obviously been disrupted by Hurricane Irma; Bulls are 2-0, with a 42-22 road win at San Jose State after they fell behind 16-0 early. USF has 16 returning starters, a senior QB (28 starts). Bulls are 7-1-1 vs spread in last nine games as a home favorite.

Arizona lost at home to Houston LW, their first I-A game. Wildcats are 4-4 as road favorites under RichRod. Arizona’s OL has 89 returning starts, which makes last week’s loss more disappointing. UTEP gave up 306 rushing yards in a 31-14 home loss to Rice LW, after they got crushed by Oklahoma before that. Miners are 12-11-1 vs spread at home under Kugler. UTEP’s qb Metz has 14 career starts. Wildcats have 7 starters back on both sides of the ball; their junior QB has 11 starts.

Armadillosports.com

Illinois faces South Florida in Tampa
By: StatFox.com

South Florida will be hosting Lovie Smith and Illinois on Friday.

As Hurricane Irma ripped through the Caribbean and bore down on the state of Florida last week, in-state games were not the only college football matchups that were cancelled. South Florida's road game against UConn was first bumped up to an unconventional 10:30 am start, before then being postponed indefinitely due to concerns that the Bulls wouldn't have access to any transportation to take them home after the contest. The way that the teams' schedules line up, it seems unlikely that the game will be rescheduled at all. The Illini are 2-0 and 1-1 ATS after two home wins, 24-1 over Ball State (BALL +4.5) and 20-7 over Western Kentucky this past weekend (ILL +6). USF had also already played two games and won straight-up, winning 42-22 at San Jose State (SJSU +22) and 31-17 at home over FCS Stony Brook (SB +33.5). Over the last 10 seasons, favorites of 10.5-21 points that closed out their previous campaign with three or more straight wins and return an experienced QB (USF) are 42-16 ATS in the first month of the season. Over the last five seasons, home teams that averaged 200+ rushing yards per game in the previous season with an experienced QB returning (USF) are 54-27 against teams with an inexperienced QB in the first month of the season.

Playing as underdogs to a C-USA opponent on their home field, the Big Ten's Illini looked like the superior team in a fairly decisive win over WKU. The defensive unit was the star of the day, holding a Hilltoppers offense that averaged over 45 PPG last season to 244 yards of offense in Champaign. A second quarter pick-six gave Illinois a 13-0 lead at halftime, and they led 20-0 before surrendering their only score of the game in the final quarter. QB Chayce Crouch, in his second outing as a full-time starter, wasn't particularly impressive, completing only 14 of 25 passes for 107 yards and an interception. He is a threat on the ground, though, and carried the ball 12 times for 44 yards and a touchdown. WR Mike Dudek, a 1,000-yard receiver in the 2014 season, is back on the field for basically the first time since then due multiple ACL tears. He caught a touchdown against Ball State, and caught six balls for 46 yards against Western Kentucky. He's joined in the receiving corps by last year's leading receiver, WR Malik Turner. Turner had three catches for 22 yards against the Hilltoppers. The Illini got most of their offense on the ground this weekend, with freshman RB Mike Epstein toting the ball 21 times for 111 yards. RB Ra'Von Bonner, also a freshman, carried 12 times but only managed 25 yards. Senior RB Kendrick Foster, last year's starter and the prospective starter entering this season, has only received 11 carries (for 26 yards) in two games this season.

After a beleaguered tenure as head coach of the Texas Longhorns, Charlie Strong took over what appears to be a better team—in a less pressure-filled environment—by accepting the head coaching gig at the University of South Florida. The Bulls entered the season as a top-25 team by the projection of many, largely thanks to the return of star QB Quinton Flowers. Given the expectations for the squad, though, Strong's start hasn't exactly been, well, strong. In a game that got more attention than it normally would due to its placement among several other "Week 0" matchups in late August, the Bulls somehow got down 16-0 in the first quarter to a week San Jose State team. USF scored four second-quarter touchdowns, though, and still nearly covered the 22-point spread. Week 1 was even more concerning, as USF trailed 10-7 at halftime against an FCS opponent in Stony Brook at home.They eventually won by two scores, but the game was tied as late as the fourth quarter. Flowers has had a decent start to the season, completing 30 of 55 passes for 398 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. A 54.5 CMP% and 7.24 yards per attempt, however, aren't going to put him anywhere near the Heisman Trophy that many pegged him as a dark horse to win. He does have 137 yards rushing and a touchdown on 36 carries, signaling the versatility that helps make him a game-changing QB. RBs Darius Tice (36 carries, 151 yards, 3 TDs) and D'Ernest Johnson (35 carries, 114 yards, 2 TDs) have gotten similar opportunities to one another, with Tice being the most consistent of the two thus far. Johnson was a receiving threat last season (293 yards, 5 TDs), but is yet to catch a pass this season. WR Marquez Valdez-Scantling is the team's leading returning receiver, and he leads early on this year with 10 catches for 106 yards and a TD. No other Bull has caught more than five passes, although WRs Tyre McCants (65-yard TD) and Temi Alaska (49-yard TD) each has a big scoring play under his belt.

Pac-12 Report - Week 3
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

Arizona at Texas-El Paso

The Wildcats roll into El Paso looking to rebound after a 19-16 setback in front of the home fans against Houston last time out. UTEP was routed in their opener against Oklahoma, and manhandled by Rice 31-14 in their home opener, going 0-2 ATS in the process. The Wildcats opened as 20-point favorites, and that quickly was bet up over three touchdowns. That's despite the fact Arizona is just 3-13 ATS over their past 16 games and 1-5 ATS in their past six out of conference. In addition, they have followed up a straight-up loss by going 1-9 ATS in their next 10 games while failing to cover in seven consecutive road contests. UTEP isn't much better, going 3-8 ATS over their past 11 non-conference tilts and 2-9 ATS in their past 11 following a double-digit loss at home in the previous week.

Big Ten Report - Week 3
By ASAWins.com

Illinois at South Florida (-17)

The Illini are surprisingly 2-0 on the season. The Illinois win total before the season that was set by the oddsmakers was 3.5 so they are over half way there in just two weeks. After getting outplayed in week one (-159 yards) yet still getting a win over Ball State the Illini looked much better last week. After getting shut down on the ground vs Ball State gaining 2.4 YPC, they put up nearly 200 yards on the ground last week. The young Illinois defense, 3 freshmen in the starting line-up, held the high powered WKU attack (45 PPG last year) to just 7 points on only 244 total yards (4.1 yards per play). To give you some perspective on that defensive performance, the Hilltoppers had over 400 yards of total offense in every game last year with the exception of their tilt with Alabama when the Tide held them to 239.

USF comes in with a 2-0 record as well with wins over San Jose State and Stony Brook. Their game last week vs UConn was postponed due to Hurricane Irma. Their 31-17 win two weeks over Stony Brook wasn’t all roses as the Bulls actually trailed 10-7 before they got things under control in the 3rd quarter. Defensively they’ve held their first two opponents to an average of just 3.9 yards per play. The Bulls have 16 starters back from last year’s 11-2 team including QB Quintin Flowers who has already accounted for 535 total yards in the first two games. Former Texas head coach Charlie Strong is now the head coach for South Florida. We’ll keep an eye on how Hurricane Irma may affect this team’s preparation leading up to this game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – USF has a 3-19 SU record their last 22 games vs Power 5 opponents. However all 3 of those wins have come in the last 2 seasons vs South Carolina and Syracuse (twice). The Bulls have been a favorite of -17 or more vs a Power 5 opponent just twice since 1980. Both games were vs Syracuse and USF won and covered both. Since 1990, the Illini have been a dog of 17 or more outside of conference play just twice (0-2 SU but 2-0 ATS).

Friday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Illinois at South Florida

The Week 3 version of “Friday Night Lights” takes us to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, where South Florida from out of the AAC will take on Big Ten representative Illinois. Both teams are undefeated to date, but it’s Lovie Smith’s squad that’s been more pleased with its play here early on. As of Thursday night, most betting shops had South Florida (2-0 straight, 0-2 against the spread) installed as a 17.5-point favorite with a total of 55.5. The Illini were listed at +600 to win outright (risk $100 to win $600).

USF finished 2016 with an 11-2 record and returned seven starters on offense and nine on defense. The Bulls lost head coach Willie Taggart when he took the Oregon job, however, replacing him with former Texas and Louisville head coach Charlie Strong. Although USF remains undefeated, it hasn’t been impressive on Strong’s watch so far. The Bulls fell behind 16-0 at San Jose State in the first quarter of their opener, but they responded to capture a 42-22 win. Nevertheless, they failed to cover the number as 21-point road ‘chalk.’ The 64 combined points fell ‘under’ the 69-point total.

In the win over the Spartans, USF went on a 28-0 run to go into halftime with a 28-16 advantage. The Bulls actually moved ahead of the number on Quinton Flowers’ one-yard TD run with 9:57 remaining. However, San Jose State’s Montel Aaron found Justin Holmes for a 22-yard TD pass with 8:25 left, and that score would hold to give the Spartans the spread cover. USF got a scoop-and-score TD from its defense, only to see it get called back and prevent the Bulls from taking the money. Flowers completed 11-of-22 passes for 212 yards and two TDs without an interception. He rushed for 70 yards and one TD on 18 carries. D’Ernest Johnson rushed for a team-best 99 yards and two TDs on 22 attempts, while Darius Tice ran for 94 yards and one TD on 20 totes. Marquez Valdes-Scantling hauled in six receptions for 91 yards, while Temi Alaka caught a 49-yard TD pass from Flowers.

In Week 2, USF went to intermission trailing Stony Brook 10-7 in its home opener. The Bulls didn’t take their first lead against the FCS foe until Flowers found Valdes-Scantling on a six-yard scoring strike with 2:43 remaining in the third quarter. After extending the lead to 17-10 with a short field goal, the Seawolves pulled even early in the final stanza on a Stacy Bedell 54-yard TD run. USF answered on its ensuing drive when Flowers connected with Tyre McCants for a 65-yard TD pass. Tice’s 14-yard TD run with 1:40 remaining put the game on ice, but Stony Brook easily covered the spread as a 35-point underdog. Flowers completed 19-of-32 throws for 186 yards and two TDs with one interception. He also rushed for 67 yards on 18 carries, while Tice ran for 57 yards and two scores on 16 attempts. McCants had a pair of catches for 74 yards and one TD.

USF saw its Week 3 game at UConn postponed due to Hurricane Irma.

Illinois (2-0 SU, 1-1 ATS) opened the season by slipping past Ball State, 24-21 as a five-point home ‘chalk.’ The Illini led 16-7 at halftime, but the Cardinals took a 21-16 lead with a pair of third-quarter TD runs. Smith’s squad got a one-yard TD run from Mike Epstein with 2:06 remaining, and a Chayce Crouch three-yard run on the two-point conversion gave Illinois a 24-21 advantage. The defense held off Ball State to preserve the victory.

Illinois could muster just 216 yards of total offense compared to 375 for Ball State. The home team’s defense forced two turnovers, however, and made a key fourth-down stop. Epstein finished with 54 rushing yards and two TDs on 11 carries. Crouch completed 10-of-19 passes for only 145 yards with one TD and one interception. Epstein had two catches for 32 yards as well.

Illinois improved to 2-0 with last week’s 20-7 home win over Western Ky. as a 6.5-point home underdog. The 27 combined points dropped ‘under’ the 51-point tally. The defense was the story for Smith’s troops again, forcing two turnovers including a 10-yard pick-six by Julian Jones to give Illinois a 13-0 lead at halftime. This unit held the Hilltoppers to 244 yards of total offense and jus six rushing yards on 16 attempts. Crouch’s nine-yard TD run midway through the third quarter gave the Illini a 20-0 lead. Western Ky. didn’t get on the board until QB Mike White’s two-yard TD run with 11:38 remaining. Epstein rushed 21 times for 111 yards, while Crouch ran for 44 yards and one TD on 12 carries. Crouch struggled throwing the ball, though, connecting on just 14-of-25 passes for 107 yards with one interception.

The Illinois defense has been led by Del’Shawn Phillips, a juco transfer who was Smith’s prize recruit who arrived in Champaign-Urbana in time for spring practice. Phillips has recorded a team-high 22 tackles, one TFL, 0.5 sacks and one QB hurry. Meanwhile, junior LB Tre Watson has produced 16 tackles, one interception for a 21-yard return, one fumble recovery with a 34 yards return, 0.5 TFL’s and one QB hurry.

Illinois DE James Crawford is suspended indefinitely for unknown reasons. Crawford had 18 tackles and one tackle for a loss last season. Also, sophomore LB Jake Hansen, who was penciled in as a starter coming out of spring practice, is done for the season due to a knee injury. Sophomore RB Reggie Corbin hasn’t made his season debut yet due to undisclosed reasons. Corbin, who is listed as ‘questionable’ at USF, rushed for 523 yards and two TDs while averaging 6.1 YPC last year.

USF staring senior WR Ryeshene Bronson, who had 21 career starts, was lost to a season-ending shoulder injury.

Arizona at UTEP

As of Thursday night, most spots had Arizona (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS) listed as a 23-point favorite with a total of 58.5. The Miners were +1250 on the money line (risk $100 to win $1,250).

Arizona started the season with a 62-24 win over Northern Arizona as a 26-point home favorite. The 86 combined points soared ‘over’ the 68.5-point number. Junior QB Brandon Dawkins was the catalyst for the offense, rushing for 92 yards and two TDs on seven carries. He also completed 7-of-13 passes for 89 yards and one TD without an interception. Nick Wilson added 87 rushing yards and one TD on eight attempts. Junior Tony Ellison had five receptions for 79 yards.

Rich Rodriguez’s team lost a 19-16 decision as a one-point underdog in Week 2. The 37 combined points went ‘under’ the 64.5-point total. The Cougars never trailed, but there were a pair of ties (3-3 & 10-10) until Dillon Birden’s three-yard TD run with 45 seconds left in the second quarter gave UH the lead for good. Major Applewhite’s club added a safety in the second half and limited UA to a pair of field goals to garner the victory in its season opener (after its Week 1 game was postponed due to Hurricane Harvey). Dawkins completed 17-of-29 passes for 178 yards without a TD or an INT, and he was held to 26 rushing yards on 13 attempts. UA’s J.J. Taylor rushed for a team-best 87 yards on 17 carries, while junior WR Shun Brown had four catches for 79 yards.

Arizona has posted a 4-4 spread record in eight games as a road favorite since Rodriguez took over in 2012.

UTEP (0-2 SU, 0-2 ATS) has been clobbered twice to date, losing 56-7 at Oklahoma and 31-14 at home vs. Rice. Remember, the Owls lost 62-7 to Stanford in their opener in Sydney, Australia, two weeks before coming to El Paso and winning handily as 1.5-point road underdogs. The 45 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 55-point total. In the loss to the Sooners, the 63 combined points slithered ‘over’ the 62.5-point tally thanks to a one-yard TD run from OU’s Marcelias Sutton with 10:20 left in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma dominated UTEP with a 676-167 advantage in total offense. The only highlight for the Miners was Walter Dawn’s 17-yard TD run to knot the score at 7-7 midway through the opening quarter. Junior QB Ryan Metz completed only 10-of-18 passes for 56 yards, while Dawn finished with 56 rushing yards and one TD on just seven carries.

Rice scored the first 17 points at the Sun Bowl last week, keeping UTEP out of the end zone until Warren Redix’s 44-yard TD catch from Metz trimmed the deficit to 17-7 late in the third quarter. After the Owls extended their lead to 24-7, Metz’s one-yard TD plunge made it 24-14 with 4:56 left. Rice added another TD on a short run to the put the game on ice. Metz threw for 203 yards and one TD without an interception. However, he injured his shoulder late in the game and is now considered out indefinitely.

With Metz, who had a 14/4 TD-INT ratio in seven starts in ’16, sidelined vs. Arizona, senior Zack Greenlee will get the starting nod. Greenlee is in his second season with UTEP after starting six games at Fresno St. as a freshman and sophomore. He had a 14/6 TD-INT ratio while playing for the Bulldogs. In ’16 for UTEP, Greenlee started four games and threw for 695 yards with a 5/3 TD-INT ratio.

UTEP owns a 5-7 spread record in 12 games as a home underdog during Sean Kugler’s five-year tenure.

Both teams are dealing with a slew of injuries. In addition to Metz, sophomore tackle Greg Long is out for the season with a leg injury. Long started four games in ’16 as a redshirt freshman and earned All C-USA Freshman honors. Also, starting junior center Derron Gatewood is ‘doubtful’ for undisclosed reasons, and starting sophomore LB Jayson VanHook is ‘out’ for the season with a shoulder injury. VanHook had 36 tackles, one sack and 4.5 TFL’s in ’16.

Arizona’s Wilson, the senior RB, is ‘questionable’ with an ankle injury along with starting senior nose guard Parker Zellers. Three UA starters are ‘out,’ including sophomore safety Isaiah Hayes, senior LB DeAndre’ Miller and junior TE Trevor Wood. Miller had 18 tackles, three sacks, and two TFL’s last year, while Wood caught seven balls for 49 yards. As a true freshman in ’16, Hayes recorded 38 tackles, one sack and 1.5 TFL’s.

Arizona has owned this head-to-head series by winning 22 of 23 games dating back to 1958. UTEP’s lone victory over the Wildcats came in 1970.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

There’s a third televised game Friday night. That side and total available for bettors involves Temple playing host to UMass. As of Thursday night, most spots had the Owls listed as 14.5-point favorites with a total of 52. The Minutemen were at +450 on the money line (risk $100 to win $450). Mark Whipple’s team is 0-3 both SU and ATS after losing vs. Hawaii (38-35), at Coastal Carolina (38-28) and vs. Old Dominion (17-7). As for Geoff Collins’s first squad at Temple since taking over for Matt Rhule, it is out to a 1-1 SU start but has yet to cover the number. The Owls lost 49-16 at Notre Dame before holding off Villanova 16-13 at home in Week 2. Temple is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games as a home favorite, while UMass is 8-8 ATS as a road ‘dog during Whipple’s tenure. The Minutemen are 5-2 ATS in their last seven such spots. This game will kick in Philadelphia at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU.

Nebraska RB Tre Bryant has been ruled ‘out’ of Saturday’s home game vs. Northern Illinois due to a knee injury. Bryant has rushed for 299 yards and two TDs on 51 attempts through two games.

During David Cutcliffe’s 10-year tenure at Duke, his teams have compiled an incredible 12-2 spread record in 14 games as a double-digit home favorite. The Blue Devils are 14-point home ‘chalk’ Saturday vs. Baylor.

Friday's NCAAF Game of the Day: Illinois at South Florida
Covers.com

Illinois Fighting Illini at South Florida Bulls (-17, 55.5)

Illinois goes after its third straight victory to open the season and will face its most difficult challenge yet when coach Lovie Smith’s team visits a familiar place to take on well-rested No. 21 South Florida on Friday night. Smith returns to the site of his last job with NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the Bulls had last week’s game at Connecticut cancelled due to complications with Hurricane Irma.

The Fighting Illini knocked off Ball State and Western Kentucky while giving up a total of 28 points in their first two contests with a young defense that will be tested against an experienced team that has scored at least 30 points in 19 straight games. “They’re being put in situations that are new to them each week,” Smith told reporters of his defense after a 20-7 victory over Western Kentucky last week. “But, again, they’ve stepped up to the plate, and they’re taking advantage of it.” USF was not really sharp in its first two games, despite putting up 73 points combined and winning by an average of 17, but senior quarterback Quinton Flowers leads the way for a talented offense that can beat foes with the run and the pass. The Bulls did not practice over the weekend after the UConn game was canceled and will have to brush off some rust as they prepare for their second-to-last non-conference matchup of the season.

LINE HISTORY: South Florida opened as 14-point home favorites and that number has jumped to -17. The total hit the betting boards at 51 and jumped all of the way up to 55.5. Follow the complete line history here.

INJURY REPORT:

Illinois - DB J. Dunlap (Questionable, Leg), RB R. Corbin (Questionable, Undisclosed), OL D. Kramer (Questionable, Leg), OL J. Fagan (Questionable, Undisclosed), RB D. Brown (Questionable, Undisclosed), TE N. Echard (Doubful, Knee), DL J. Crawford (Out, Suspension), LB J. Hansen (Out For Season, Knee).

South Florida - OL G. Bethel (Questionable, Leg), WR R. Bronson (Out For Season, Shoulder).

ILLINOIS (2-0 SU, 1-1 ATS, 0-2 O/U): Three freshmen have started on defense for Smith’s squad, including linemen Bobby Roundtree (three sacks) and Isaiah Gay (one sack), while junior linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips leads the way with 22 tackles and a half-sack. Junior wide receiver Mike Dudek, who has missed the last two seasons after suffering two torn ACLs in his left knee, is off to a strong start with eight catches for 93 yards and a score to lead the receiving corps. Junior quarterback Chayce Crouch has thrown for 252 yards with one touchdown strike and two interceptions in the first two games while freshman running back Mike Epstein has rushed for 165 yards and two TDs.

SOUTH FLORIDA (2-0 SU, 0-2 ATS, 0-2 O/U): Flowers threw for 398 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception in the first two games, but his accuracy has not been as sharp (55.6 completion percentage) as in the past. The Bulls would like to get their rushing attack going again after managing just 153 yards in the close win against FCS member Stony Brook last time out, and will look for senior D’Ernest Johnson to return to his opening game form (99 yards on the ground) after gaining 15 on Sept. 2. USF’s defense will still have to get better but linebackers Nico Sawtelle and Auggie Sanchez lead the way for the Bulls, who have picked off five passes in two games.

TRENDS:

* Fighting Illini are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
* Bulls are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 non-conference games.
* Under is 7-1 in Fighting Illini last 8 non-conference games.
* Over is 9-2 in Bulls last 11 home games.

CONSENSUS: The underdog Illini are getting 66 percent of the action and the Over is picking up 56 percent of the totals wagers.