Temple vs. South Florida Total Pick
Will Week 4 of the college football season start with a high-scoring game when No. 21 South Florida plays host to Temple at 7:30PM ET on Thursday?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, South Florida is the clear favorite in this game, as the Bulls are getting odds of -20.5 points against the Owls. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 61.5 points. The home team has won the last three meetings between these two and they have hit the over in those three games. Thursday’s game takes place from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida and will air live on ESPN.
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Temple is off to a 2-1 start overall with wins over Villanova and UMass and a loss to Notre Dame. The Owls are 2-1 with the over as they are averaging 20.3 points per game on offense while giving up 27.7 per game on defense. The Temple defense is also allowing 488.7 yards per game, including 174.3 rushing yards per contest. Offensively, Temple has struggled to establish a run, averaging 94.3 yards per game on the ground. Ryquell Armstead is the leading rusher with 177 yards on 48 carries. Logan Marchi is leading the offense with 767 passing yards and five touchdowns.
USF has started the season 3-0, beating the likes of San Jose State, Stoney Brook and Illinois. The Bulls are 2-1 with the under thus far despite averaging 40 points per game on offense. USF is allowing just 20.7 points per game on defense and holding opponents to only 89.3 rushing yards per game. On offense, Quinton Flowers is leading the team with 678 passing yards and eight touchdowns while also rushing for 243 yards and two scores. Darius Tice is the leading rusher with 256 yards and four scores while D’Ernest Johnson is adding 215 yards and two scores on the ground. As a team, USF is posting 281.3 rushing yards per game.
Bet on Temple vs. South Florida
I have no doubts that South Florida is capable of putting up a lot of points on Temple. The Bulls should run the ball all over the Owls. The problem is I don’t see Temple having a lot of success against the USF defense. Temple can’t run the ball against bad teams, so how will they run against the Bulls? The Temple pass game isn’t strong enough to overcome the lack of a run game either. The Owls have hit the under in five straight conference games and in 9 of their last 11 games against a winning team. I expect another under to hit on Thursday.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: TEMPLE/SOUTH FLORIDA UNDER 61.5