West Virginia at South Florida: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
West Virginia Mountaineers at South Florida Bulls (+1.5, 55)
THE STORY: No. 22 West Virginia needs help to qualify for a BCS Bowl game, but the Mountaineers can’t reach that goal or gain a share of the Big East title without a win at South Florida Thursday. The Mountaineers have been victorious three of their last four to give themselves a chance. If West Virginia wins and Cincinnati beats Connecticut, the Mountaineers would forge a three-way with Louisville and Cincinnati. The Mountaineers, who have lost their last two at USF, would have a highest-ranked team in the BCS and gain the bid – most likely to the Orange Bowl. South Florida looked like it would be in the running for that early after winning its first four games, but the Bulls will need a win over West Virginia to become bowl eligible.
LINE: South Florida opened as a 1.5-point favorite, however, action on WVU flipped the odds to have the Mountaineers as 1.5-point road chalk.
ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (8-3, 4-2 Big East, 5-6 ATS): The Mountaineers would lose out on a BCS bid, due to its 38-35 loss to Louisville, if Cincinnati does not beat UConn. But West Virginia has to focus on the job ahead with quarterback Geno Smith at the helm of its high-powered passing offense. Smith broke single-season school records in yards (3,741), completions and pass attempts in the 21-20 victory over Pittsburgh Friday. Wide receiver Stedman Bailey also broke the single-season school record for yards with 1,117 and Tavon Austin went over 1,000 yards.
ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (5-6, 1-5 Big East, 4-7 ATS): Quarterback B.J. Daniels, averaging almost 300 yards of total offense, is still questionable with a sore throwing shoulder but has been feeling better. If Daniels can’t go, Bobby Eveld will get another start. Eveld, a sophomore, was 20-for-35 with 210 yards in the loss to Louisville Friday with a touchdown pass and an interception. The Bulls’ top receiver Sterling Griffin could return from an ankle injury after missing four games. USF will need more than the 64 yards rushing it had last week. The Bulls have lost its last five games by a total of 25 points.
TRENDS:
* Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Mountaineers are 1-4 ATS in their last five meetings.
* Underdog is 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. USF is second in the nation in sacks and tackles for losses per game.
2. Austin is second in the nation in all-purpose yards.
3. USF has not missed playing a bowl game since 2004.
PREDICTION: West Virginia 31, South Florida 20 – If the Mountaineers can control the pass rush, they should control the game.
College Football Top 25 Betting Cheat Sheet: Week 14
By Adam Thompson
Covers.com
West Virginia Mountaineers at South Florida Bulls (+1.5, 55)
Why West Virginia will cover: West Virginia possesses the sixth-best pass offense in the nation, while USF is 84th against the pass. The Bulls are just 1-7 ATS in its last eight.
Why South Florida will cover: The Mountaineers have been playing with fire lately, winning their last two by a combined four points. And the Bulls’ offense ranks high in passing and rushing. With improvement in red zone efficiency, USF could play with anyone.
Points: The over is 7-1 in West Virginia’s last eight as a favorite and is 6-3 in USF’s last nine
NCAAF Week 14
Home side won last four West Virginia-South Florida games, with dogs covering four of last five; Mountaineers lost last two visits here by 11-8 points. USF needs win here to be bowl eligible; they've lost six of last seven games after 4-0 start, losing their last three home games by 3-3-10 points. West Virginia won five of last seven games; they've won three of four road games, despite allowing 33 ppg on foreign soil. Underdogs are 4-1 vs spread in last five WVU games, with last three decided by total of six points. Average total in West Virginia road games is 64.3.