Pittsburgh Panthers (5-6) vs South Florida Bulls (3-8)
Pitt has had an up and down season…literally. They have gone the season in this order, two losses, two wins, two more losses, two more wins, two more losses. After winning last week they are hoping to maintain that form and pick up the final win they need to become bowl eligible.
Saturday December 1
Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, FL
7:00PM
Moneyline: Pittsburgh -240, South Florida +200
Spread: Pittsburgh -6
O/U: 46.5
Pittsburgh
Despite the predictability you still never know what you are going to get with this team, remember, this team came as close as any to beating Notre Dame.
Their latest win should inspire confidence as they whipped on Rutgers last week, winning 27-6. Oft maligned QB Tino Sunseri had another solid game and though nobody is thinking Heisman, it should be noted that he hasn’t thrown a pick since week 3 and is completing 65% of his passes on the season. Fellow senior Ray Graham is also finishing strong with 100+ yards in three of the last 4 games.
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The Panthers have been making money down the stretch with a 4-1 ATS record in their last 5 games. Three of those wins were as favourites so hopefully this is a team that is having confidence closing out the season. As a bettor they scare me because of their unpredictable nature but there is no doubt they are the better team in this one. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
South Florida
Another miserable season comes to a close for South Florida. I am a huge fan of Phil Steele so when he picked the Bulls to win the Big East this season I took notice. Instead the Bulls have just one conference victory. A lot of the losses have been of the close variety but the last two, against Miami and Cincinnati have been their worst of the season so they may be struggling to maintain a solid level of effort. Despite all the firings and rumours it still looks like Skip Holtz is safe even though this is the second year in a row their win total has dropped.
While Sunseri seems to have figured some things out in his senior year Bulls QB B.J. Daniels still seems to fight the game out there. Blessed with great athletic ability his numbers are down again, in fact he might be the first ever 4 year starter at QB to have his best season as a freshman. To be somewhat fair he is not blessed with great surrounding talent, but a good QB is supposed to be a difference maker.
It is hard to envision some sort of spirited effort from the Bulls this weekend so I don’t see any value in backing them. Need some empirical evidence, how about a 3-7-1 ATS record including 3 losses and a push over the last month. This team has been flat all year long so don’t get sucked in.
Spread Pick: Pittsburgh -6
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Pittsburgh 34 – South Florida 21
