NCAA Football Previews – No. 23 West Virginia Mountaineers vs. South Florida Bulls
The West Virginia Mountaineers will look to keep their Big East title hopes alive when they travel to Tampa this Thursday night to tangle with the South Florida Bulls in the regular season finale for both teams. The kick-off is slated for 8 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Date/Time: Thursday, December 1 8 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa FL
Broadcast: ESPN
Mountaineers at Bulls lines by BetOnline.com
Point spread: Mountaineers -1
Over/Under: 50
West Virginia remains the only ranked team in the Big East, but it needs a win and some help to be considered the best team in the conference. It comes into this game at 8-3 straight-up (5-6 against the spread) on the year and 4-2 SU in Big East play. The total has gone ‘over’ in eight of its 11 games this season.
Look for a heavy dose of quarterback Geno Smith and the Mountaineers’ sixth-ranked passing offense in this game as they will undoubtedly take to the air against a Bulls’ defense that gave-up three touchdowns through the air in a loss to Louisville last Friday.
The loss to the Cardinals was South Florida’s sixth in its last seven games in what can only be described as a major disappointment for this once up and coming program. The Bulls have slipped to 5-6 SU (4-7 ATS) and need a win on Thursday night just to secure a bid to a bowl game. The total has gone 6-5 in their 11 games.
Bulls’ quarterback B.J. Daniels remains questionable for this contest after missing last Friday’s game with a shoulder injury. His loss against the Mountaineers would make things even more difficult for an offense that is ranked 52nd in the country in scoring. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Mountaineers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games on the road and 4-0 ATS in their last four games following an ATS loss. The total has gone ‘over’ in six of their last eight conference games.
The Bulls are 0-4 ATS in their last four home games and 1-7 ATS in their last eight games against the Big East. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of their last five games at home.
Head-to-head in this series, West Virginia is 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings and the total has stayed ‘under’ in five of the last six games. These two last played one another in Tampa in 2009 with the Bulls coming away with a 30-19 victory as 2.5-point home underdogs. Last season, West Virginia came out on top 20-6 as a 10-point favorite.
South Florida has been in just about every game it played this season, but has repeatedly shot itself in the foot in terms of sealing the deal. This Thursday night should be no different as West Virginia hangs on long enough to come away with the win.
The Pick: West Virginia 31 vs. South Florida 28
