Friday Service Picks:

ACE ACE
Record 12-5 +$1814.00

S.florida +7 1/2 Buy The 1/2 -116.........................$400

Rutgers-16 1/2 -105.............................................$4 00

Okl-22.5 -101............................................... ........$300

Texas Sports Wire

FRIDAY SEPT 28-PLAY NOW

5*SOUTH FLORIDA #104 (+7 or 7½) 7pm ESPN2

5th-ranked West Virginia (4-0 SU/3-0-1 ATS) rolled over East Carolina last week in a resounding 48-7 home win as -23½ point chalks. QB Pat White completed 18-of-20 passes for 181 yards and two TD's and also had nine carries for 42 yards and two rushing TD's; while Steve Slaton had 18 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown to lead a ground attack that produced 397 yards and four TD's. Darius Reynaud finished the game with five receptions for 54 yards and two touchdowns and he also had two rushes for 58 yards. West Virginia outgained ECU 599-160 in total offense, which included a 397-106 rushing edge and a 30-13 edge in FD's. The Mountaineers have 16 starters from last year's 11-2 team, including White and Slaton, who are both legitimate Heisman candidates. WV currently ranks 10th in the nation in total offense with 525 ypg and 2nd in rushing with 357 yards per game. The defense was the team's Achilles Heel last year, but they have improved this year, giving up just 273 ypg (#15). After starting the season with a 62-24 home win over Western Michigan (-24), the Mounties won road games at Marshall (48-23 / -25) and at Maryland (31-14 / -16½) before last week's rout. 18th-ranked South Florida (3-0 SU/2-0 ATS) is off a 37-10 home win over North Carolina as -11½ point favorites. QB Matt Grothe passed for 230 yards and a touchdown in the easy win for the Bulls. Grothe completed 17-of-30 passes, while Benjamin Williams added 64 yards rushing on 15 carries with a touchdown and Amari Jackson caught four passes for 33 yards and a TD. USF had 428-164 edge in total offense and won the time of possession battle 33:54 to 26:06, but they fumbled four times, losing three. South Florida also has 16 starters returning after going 9-4 and beating East Carolina 24-7 in the PapaJohns Bowl (-5) in 2006. The offense ranks 70th in the land with 373 ypg, slightly up from last year when they averaged 361 ypg (#44). The defense is the strength of the team as eight starters are back from last year's unit that finished 25th in total "D" (298 ypg) and 35th against the run (115 ypg). The Bulls have been impressive early on, ranking 7th in the nation (237 ypg) and 13th against the run (79 ypg). South Florida opened up the 2007 campaign with a 28-13 home win over Elon (NL) and followed that up with an impressive 26-23 OT (+7) win at then 16th-ranked Auburn before posting the win over North Carolina last week. West Virginia lost just two games in 2006, with one of those a bitter 24-19 loss at home to South Florida as -21 point favs last November 25th. The South Florida defense held the vaunted WV rushing attack to a season-low 132 yards on the ground and 310 yards of total offense; and also forced four turnovers to get the biggest win in school history. West Virginia is 10-3 ATS on the road, 44-17-1 ATS when rushing for more than 200 yards in their last game and 23-10-1 ATS in their last 34 Big East games. South Florida counters with a 6-0 ATS mark at home and the Bulls are on an 8-2 ATS run in September. Coach Jim Leavitt's bunch is also 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games dating back to last year and 9-4 ATS as an underdog. This nationally televised game (ESPN) is expected to draw the biggest crowd for a home game in USF history and it will give the Bulls a chance to prove their victory over the Mountaineers in Morgantown last season wasn't a fluke.

rob ferringo

FRIDAY'S SELECTIONS
2-Unit Play. Take ‘Under’ 56.0 West Virginia at South Florida (7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 2
The Bulls have had the remedy for Steve Slaton and Pat White over the past two years and I think this total is a bit high for a game featuring two stellar defenses. The ‘under’ is 20-7 in South Florida’s last 27 games and 7-3 in West Virginia’s last 10 as a road favorite. An average of 42 points has been scored in the past two meetings, an average of just 46.4 points have been scored in WVU road games since the start of 2004, and an average of just 44.5 points have been scored in USF’s home games since the start of 2005. We have a primetime game and everyone’s thinking shootout. We’ll go the other way

Dr Bob

Rotation #104 South Florida (+7) Strong Opinion at +7 or more.

Doc

4* south florida

Chuck Franklin

1500♦ WEST VIRIGINIA
Do I expect to see the # 5 ranked West Virginia come out with revenge on their minds and blow South Florida off the field? Yes I do. The Mountaineers are ranked second in the nation in rushing offense, led by their All-American running back Steve Slaton. This Heisman candidate is the NCAA’s third leading scorer, and he has his own reasons to come out strong against the Bulls of South Florida, as he was held to only 43 yards in last year’s upset loss to USF in Morgantown. He will definitely be anxious to improve on that performance while defeating South Florida at home by a large margin. The Mounties are a profitable 13-3-1 as road favorites, and are one of only two teams to beat South Florida at home since 2005. The Bulls are a lukewarm 5-4 ATS in their last nine games as the listed underdog, which is yet another reason to side with West Virginia.

1500♦ COLORADO w/FRANCIS over Arizona w/Webb
What a hell of a match-up this is. The Diamondbacks are sitting in first place, holding only a one game lead over the Padres and only two ahead of these Rockies , who by the way are on an 11 game winning streak and definitely keeping their playoff hopes alive. Tonight both teams are sending their aces to the mound, with Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks facing Jeff Francis of the Rockies here at Coors Field. Webb is a winning 17-10 on the season but has only a 7-7 lifetime record vs. the Rockies. The Diamondbacks have been losers in five of his last seven starts as a road dog. The 17-8 Jeff Francis has also been very profitable this season, plus he has an impressive 7-1 career record vs. Arizona. The Rockies have been winners in nine of Francis’ last ten starts as the listed favorite at home, and I expect the same result tonight.

Ethan Law - winning 21 of 24 (87.5%) Friday Night Cards this season

ONE AND ONLY MLB GAME OF THE YEAR - ARIZONA +120

Ben Burns' Friday Night Feast (USF/WV TOTAL) $40.00
Don't make a move on tonight's BIG WV/USF TOTAL until you've checked in with Ben Burns first. The Bulls were able to hold the powerful Mountaineers to a mere 19 pts in last season's meeting and the game stayed well beneath the number.

USF/WVA Under

Sports Gambling Hotline

Yikes, Milwaukee comes back home where they sport the best home mark in the league, and they promptly go out and lose a huge game to the Padres!
The Brewers have dropped 6 of their last 9, and starter Chris Capuano has lost his last 10 decisions - and Milwaukee has lost the last 17 times he has started!!!
It is real hard to feel confidant right now if you are a Milwaukee backer, so we suggest backing the surging Padres who have won their last 3, and are 4-0 in the season series against the Brewers.
True, Greg Maddux has pitched poorly of late, but his team has won 7 of his last 9 starts, and he is a big game pitcher who does wear a World Series championship ring.
Have to give the Padres their props, as they could have folded tent once Cameron and Bradley went down, but the Fathers are staying right in the thick of it with 3 games left!

Play on San Diego.
3♦ SAN DIEGO

Ben Burns comp

Game: West Virginia at South Florida Sep 28 2007 8:00PM

Prediction: South Florida

Reason: Friday night matchups don't often feature two ranked teams. However, that'll be the case this week when the fifth ranked Mountaineers visit the 18th ranked Bulls. The (4-0) Mountaineers boast one of the best offenses in the country and have averaged greater than 47 points per game thus far. They've won their four games by an average of 30 points and have beaten every team by a minimum of 17 points.
However, I expect the (3-0) Bulls to give them their first true test of the season. The Bulls are a scrappy and well-coached team which has been getting stronger and stronger. They struggled a bit in their opener, beating Elon by "only" 15 points. They followed up that effort by traveling to Auburn and upsetting the 17th ranked Tigers, winning 26-23 in overtime. Note that makes it three straight years which the Bulls have beaten a ranked opponent. Off a win of that magnitude, many teams would have suffered a letdown. Evidently, the Bulls aren't one of those teams, as they crushed North Carolina by a score of 37-10 last Saturday. You may recall that the Bulls scored a major upset over the Mountainers last season, traveling to Morgantown, as three touchdown underdogs, and winning by a score of 24-19. That was the Mountaineers' first home loss in nine games and cost them a chance both a shot at the Big East Title and a chance at a Bowl Championship Series bid. Last week's victory was their seventh straight here and brought the Bulls to 7-1 at home the past two seasons. The lone loss during that stretch was way back in September of last year and the Bulls still "covered" losing by just two points vs. Rutgers. Including that pointspread victory, the Bulls are a profitable 10-4 ATS their last 14 September "lined" games. This will likely be the biggest crowd ever for a Bulls home game. Look for the Bulls to feed off their home crowd and for them to give their guests all they can handle once again. Consider taking the points with SOUTH FLORIDA

Michael Cannon

SOUTH FLORIDA

Take the points with South Florida tonight when they host West Virginia.
A huge Big East opener for both teams as the winner of this game has an excellent chance of winning the conference.

South Florida is a battle-tested team, having won in Auburn earlier this season and they knocked off West Virginia last year in Morgantown, 24-19 as a 21-point road dog.

The South Florida defense is what’s going to keep them in the game tonight, as they possess outstanding speed, especially in the secondary, that will keep Mountaineer stars Patrick White and Steve Slaton from breaking away for long runs.

White is a more polished passer this year, and coach Rich Rodriguez will no doubt try to catch the Bulls overplaying the run with some play-action passes. But that will play into South Florida’s strength as they have some defensive backs that will be playing on Sunday’s when their college career is over.

On offense the Bulls attack is directed by sophomore quarterback Matt Grothe. His ability to hurt teams with his legs forces the defense to respect that aspect of his game, and thus enhances his ability to find his targets downfield.

Grothe threw for 279 yards against West Virginia last year, and is currently riding a streak of 127 passes attempted without an interception.

The Bulls front seven were responsible for holding White and Slaton to 60 yards rushing last year and forced three turnovers by White.

If they can contain the spread offense and keep the Mountaineers dynamic duo from breaking outside, they will stay close in this game.

Grothe will have to move the chains either by scrambling or hitting his passes downfield against a suspect West Virginia secondary.

The South Florida kicking game woes are the only thing holding me back from calling for an outright win by the Bulls, but I love them getting this many points in front of a record home crowd tonight.

Take the points as the Bulls stay close tonight.

Daniel Perkins ATS Advice Professional

West Virginia(4-0) @ South Florida(3-0)
8:00pm EST
Line: Home +7

This game is the Mountaineers offense vs the Bulls defense. Everyone is high on the South Florida Bulls giving West Virginia their only loss last season, what some of them are forget is QB Pat White was fighting an ankle injury in that game and was not nearly as effective as he will be this game. Pat White is one of the smartest quarterbacks in the nation. He knows how to follow his blocks and run for yards in the open field. He has a strong grasp on rolling out of the pocket and knowing when to hand the ball off. Steve Slaton has 10 touchdowns which is one short of the NCAA lead and almost always gains yards each carry. Noel Devine is averaging 11 yards per carry and Owen Schmitt throws a change up at defense when he hit’s the middle with power running instead of quick bursting speed. Darius Reynaud will have to elude the Florida man to man coverage to be effective tonight. Beating the safety and getting behind the defenders will be key for good passing yards tonight for West Virginia. The Bulls have won 41 of their last 52 games at home but are 5-4 as home underdogs. West Virginia has covered 4 of their last 5 Big East openers. If West Virginia can slow down the Bulls offense they will put up too many points for South Florida to handle. South Florida has a great line backing crew but they are not big enough to stop the speed of West Virginia and cover tonight.

Pick: Mountaineers -7

Ben Burns' Friday Night Feast (USF/WV TOTAL)

Don't make a move on tonight's BIG WV/USF TOTAL until you've checked in with Ben Burns first. The Bulls were able to hold the powerful Mountaineers to a mere 19 pts in last season's meeting and the game stayed well beneath the number.

USF/WVA Under

JEFF BENTON

I know West Virginia’s offense is incredibly explosive – they’ve scored at leatst 31 points in six straight games and 12 of their last 13, topping the 40-point mark 11 times since the start of the 2006 season. I’m also aware that South Florida’s offense, while not nearly as productive as the Mountaineers’, is solid, putting up 30 points per game this season.

At the same time, though, both teams field stout defenses that not only don’t give up many points – West Virginia is allowing 17 points per game, while South Florida is giving up 15.3 ppg – but both are outstanding against the run, with each allowing around 2.5 yards per carry.

Well, history tells me that in these kinds of marquee showdowns between conference rivals, the defenses, more often that not, dictate tempo. Surely, we’ve seen that in the last two meetings between these teams, which have featured finals scores of 24-19 (last year) and 28-13 (in 2005). Neither one of those games came close to going over the total.

Finally, you have to believe that both coaches will start this game rather conservatively out of fear that an early turnover will shift momentum, possibly for good. And since both of these are run-oriented offenses, that’s gonna chew up the clock and result in fewer possessions.

Throw in the fact that this total is inflated – it always is in these weeknight national TV games because the public always bets the over – and the UNDER is the way to go here.

(based on a 1 to a 10 Rating)

3 West Virginia-USF UNDER the total