BULLS START BOWL SEASON OFF FOR BIG EAST

December 2008


It was not the season South Florida Bulls' fans might have envisioned, especially when the Bulls began the season 5-0 and ranked in the top 10 of the country.

However, USF ended the season on a positive note with a 41-14 win over former conference USA rival Memphis in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

The win got the Big East off on the right foot in the 2008-2009 NCAA Bowl games schedule. Matt Grothe threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns and ran fot an additional 83 yards as the Bulls dominated the Tigers, outgaining them 496 to 238 in the contest.

For the season, the Bulls went 6-0 on non-Big East games, but were a disappointing 2-5 in Big East action, with wins over Syracuse and Connecticut at home. With a conference schedule of four home games and three on the road, many predicted that USF and WVU would meet in Morgantown on December 6th to settle the conference title. However, that title match-up never materialized as both teams had seasons that missed expectations.

With spring football practice less than three months away, the Bulls can already look forward to next season. The St. Petersburg bowl win over Memphis will leave them with a better taste in their mouths from a season that was disappointing overall.

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WVU-USF: NOT QUTE FOR ALL THE MARBLES

December 5, 2008


When the Big East schedule came out, December 6th at 8 PM was when the schedule makers were hoping the Big East title would be decided. Morgantown was set to be the scene of the big match-up when South Florida came to town. However, along the way, neither team was able to hold up their end of the bargain.

Both teams enter the season-ending contest with identical 7-4 overall records, so there are still some NCAA Bowl Game implications on the line. Especially for the Bulls, whose 2-4 conference record is a big disappointment for the team that started off 5-0 and was once ranked in the top 10 in the country. A loss, and a 7-5 record is definitely bowl-eligible, but at 2-5 in the Big East, they distance themselves even more from the other teams that are bowl eligible.

West Virginia will look to finish their Big East schedule at 5-2, good for at least some form of a share of second place in the conference. as one of th ebest traveling schools in college football, the Mountaineers will likely receive the plum bowl invitation outside of conference winner Cincinnati with a win.

The game is also the last home appearance for record-setting quarterback Pat White, the catalyst of the WVU success the last few seasons. Look for the Mountaineers to make every effort to send their quarterback out on top for his home finale.

NCAA Football Odds have WVU as a 7 and a half poitn favorite. Nightime in Morgantown is a tough atmosphere for an opponent, look for WVU and their crowd to be revved up and ready to roll in this one.

Prediction:
West Virginia 34
South Florida 21

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW GAME #11: SOUTH FLOIDA

November 21, 2008


It seems like a long time ago that South Florida was 5-0 and making their move up college football's national polls. However, things have not gone well for the Bulls since they began Big East play, losing four of five games, droppig their record to 6-4. Last week's 49-16 loss at home to Rutgers might be the straw tat breaks the camel's back and USF implodes this year.

Their opponent for tonight, Connecticut, is solidly in the bowl picture, at 7-3, and coming off an easy win over Syracuse. The Huskies wil look to rely on star running back Donald Brown who has rushed for over 1,500 yards and has scored 16 touchedowns this season.

News for the Bulls has not been good throughout the last several weeks. With running back Mike Ford never getting his season going full speed because of inuries, much of the offensive responsibilities have fallen on QB Matt Grothe. Now, Grothe is banged up as well as the Bulls limp to the finish.

Still, college football odds currently have USF as the three-point favorite. However, it could be too late for the Bulls to re-start their season.

Prediction:

Connecticut 23
South Florida 17

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW GAME #10: USF

November 15, 2008


The Rutgers Scarlet Knight put their three game win streak on the line Saturday at high noon when they travel to South Florida for a Big East showdown. The Bulls, on the other hand, look to stop their slide as they have lost three of four and right their season.

Rutgers started slowly last week, falling behind Syracuse 14-0, but rallied and dominated the Orange the rest of the way to win going away, 35-17. After scoring just 79 points in their first six games against Division 1-A opponents, RU has racked up 89 points in their last two games (54 against Pitt, 35 against SU) and find themselves at 3-2 in the Big East and 4-5 overall.

Quarterback Mike Teel has been the catalyst of the turnaround, throwing for 637 yards and nine touchdowns in the two games and his improved efficiency has helped running back Kordell Young find more room. Young gained 143 yards last week against Syracuse.

The Bulls will be glad to be home after two road losses against Cincinnati and Louisville, but the season is slipping away and Matt Groethe really struggled against the Bearcats, completing just 13 of 31 and being intercepted three times.

Both teams have their sights set on the college bowls and need to finish strong. The current NCAA Football Odds have South Florida as an 8 1/2-point favorite, which seems awfully high with the way the Bulls have been struggling. Look for a tight contest that could come down to the foot of a kicker.

Prediction:

South Florida 27
Rutgers 24

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: GAME #9 USF

October 30, 2008



This week's Thursday Night special features the South Florida Bulls travelling north to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in a key Big East conference match-up. The Bulls have seen their conference championship hopes take a big hit, losing two of their last three games to fall to 1-2 in the conference.

Cincinnati is coming off a 40-16 road loss at the hands of UConn, evening the Bearcats' Big East mark at 1-1. The latest football lines have UC as a road underdog with the Bulls being a 2 1/2 point favorite in this contest.

The biggest area of concern for Cincinnati is in the injury department where quarterbacks Dustin Grutza (ankle) and Tony Pike (hand) are likely out of action again, leaving freshmen Zach Collaros and Chazz Anderson under center. Not a favorable situation against a speed USF defense

While the injury list is long for South Florida as well, only Mike Ford's name is of major concern, but they have been dealing with his gimpy ankle since the season opener. The Bulls have a very good run defense and that is the area of the game that UC will have to rely on with the inexperience at QB. That match-up is the area to exploit for the Bulls and if they can, they should put themselves back into the conference race.

Prediction:

South Florida 27
Cincinnati 17

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: GAME #8 USF

October 24, 2008


Louisville gets back into Big East conference action this weekend when they welcome the Bulls of South Florida to town. After a season opening loss to Kentucky, the Cards have won four of five, inlcuding last week's 42-23 victory over Middle Tennessee State. The lone loss was to Connecticut, their lone conference contest, meaning UL is still looking for their first Big East win of the season.

The Bulls got back into the win column last weekend by trouncing Syracuse 45-13 with a big second half effort, breaking wide open a close game at the half. USF is 6-1 on the season, and their win over SU evened their record in the Big East at 1-1 following their first loss of the season to Pitt.

NCAA Football Betting lines have the Bulls as 3 1/2 point favorites on the road to keep Louisville winless in conference play.

USF outscored Syracuse 24-0 int he second half last week and rolled up 487 yards of offense, limiting SU to just 230 last week. The Bulls showed balance, piling up 239 of their yards on the ground and the other 248 through the air. Matt Grothe accounted for 320 of their yards (rushing + receiving) and four touchdowns, showing he might be back in the comfort zone as the Bulls continue to round into shape. South Florida ranks among the top 25% of the NCAA in most offensive categories, but their rush defense has been among the best in the nation so far this season and could be a big key on the road.

Jury is still out with Louisville, despite a solid 4-2 record. Their most impressive win of the year was a home victory over Kansas State, all other contests have come against lesser opponents since the opening week loss to rival Kentucky. The strength offensively for Louisville this season has been their ground game, but that will be tested by the speed of the USF defense.

The Bulls have been on the road several times this season, while they have not been dominant in their wins against lesser opponents on the road, their experience and improvement shown last week should carry then to victory this weekend, but it might be tougher than expected.

Prediction:

South Florida 30
Louisville 27

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: GAME #7 USF

October 17, 2008


The inconsistencies of the South Florida Bulls finally caught up with them as USF was removed from the ranks of the unbeaten by Pittsburgh in their last outing, 26-21, on a late Panther touchdown. The Bulls had beaten a ranked Kansas squad and rolled over North Carolina State on the road in their previous outing, but they have also struggled against UCF and Florida International in prior contests. Now they must pick themselves back off the mat after losing their conference opener 16 days ago.

On the other side of the field this Saturday in Tampa will be the Syracuse Orange. There has been nothing inconsistent about SU this season, or in any season in the Greg Robinson era, as the Orange have been consistently woeful. Maybe they are showing some signs of life as they have made things difficult for Pittsburgh and West Virginia in their last two outings. SU is just 1-5 overall on the season and 0-2 in the Big East, their lone win has come against Northeastern...ouch!

The Bulls definitely needed a little bit of a breather after the Pitt game and the time-off should allow Mike Ford to reclaim his status as the USF go-to running back. Ford was impressive late in the game against Pittsburgh after being slowed since the season opener because of injuries. QB Matt Grothe could use the help as he has been expected to carry the full offensive load lately.

The Syracuse defense actually had an impressive outing against the Mountaineers in their last game, before falling 17-6 in Morgantown. WVU managed just 268 total yards of offense and 92 of those came on one play late in the game on a Noel Devine touchdown run. However, the USF offense will be much better prepared this week to attack the Cuse from air and ground.

The NCAA Football Lines show USF to be a 24-point favorite in this contest. Look for a well-rested Bulls squad to get back on track and feast on some imported Oranges from central NY on Saturday afternoon.


Prediction:

South Florida 42
Syracuse 14

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: GAME #4 SOUTH FLORIDA

September 19, 2008


The South Florida Bulls are 3-0 and coming off an exciting home win over nationally ranked Kansas when Maikon Bonani connected on a 43 yard field goal to lift USF to a 37-34 win.

The impressive part of the USF start is they have won two tough games in a row (also at UCF) without Mike Ford, their talented running back, who has been injured. They may have found a talented 1-2 combination when ford returns as the speedy Jamar Taylor had some big carried in the win over KU and took some pressure of Matt Grothe who has dominated their offense since the Ford injury. A better balance offensively will go a long way in helping the Bulls continue in their quest for the Big East championship. The Bulls will close out the month of September next weekend again NC State of the ACC and then they tackle the Big East schedule, not to look too far ahead, but this Bulls team has put themselves in a very nice position to have a shot at running the table...taking care of business on the road this weekend and next weekend will make things VERY interesting.

Up this weekend is a road date with Florida International. The Bulls have already gone on the road to face a fired up Central Florida program and escaped with an overtime win. This game should not be as difficult. It is the first home game for FIU, who have lost on the road to Kansas (40-10) and Iowa (42-0), but do not expect much of a lift from being on their home field in this one for FIU. At this point, there is no NCAA Betting Line for this match-up, in reality, probably no matter, USF will will handily and continue their march for a Big East championship.

Prediction:

South Florida 48
Florida Int. 17

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: GAME #3 SOUTH FLORIDA

September 11, 2008


It is a short week for both Kansas and South Florida as they two rising programs meet for their own edition of Friday Night Lights.

I am still trying to figure out exactly how Central Florida was able to take USF to overtime last weekend. We are not really complaining, as we picked the Bulls to win, but sided with UCF plus the 14 in the sportsbook.

Anyway, it should not have been that close. South Florida out-gained UCF 504 yards to 226. Had 25 1st downs compared to just 12 for UCF. UCF was penalized 12 times for nearly 150 yards, and, it took OT for the Bulls to come out with a victory in the closing game of the rivalry.

One factor is the injury to USF star RB Mike Ford, who is again listed as questionable because of an ankle injury. With Ford out of the line-up, pretty much everything goes through QB Matt Grothe. Last week Grothe threw the ball 40 times and ran it another 20, accounting for 60 of their 85 offensive plays. Not a bad idea, but to beat Kansas, they will either need a healthy Ford or more offensive balance.

The Jayhawks are 2-0 after outscoring Florida International and Louisiana Tech 69-10 in a pair of home victories. This will be their first test and it comes on the road in front of a juiced up Friday night crowd, a tough situation for KU. However, quarterback Todd Reesing is a cool customer who threw for nearly 3,500 yards with 33 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions last season. Do not expect him to be too rattled by the environment.

Current football lines are showing USF as the 3.5-point favorite, I do think they respond in front of the home folks and are a source of pride for the Big East on Friday night.

Prediction:

South Florida 27
Kansas 21

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: WEEK #2 SOUTH FLORIDA

September 4, 2008


After watching several Big East football teams stumble all over themselves in week #1, it was refreshing to see South Florida do no such thing as they stomped on Tennessee Martin early, scoring 28 1st quarter points, in a 56-7 victory.

The task is tougher this weekend as the Bulls travel to meet in-state rival Central Florida on Saturday evening. UCF will have a nice Saturday night crowd under the lights and motivation after being humiliated 64-12 last season.

The Bulls have some tough games ahead of them with dates against Kansas and a trip to NC State in their out of conference schedule, so looking past UCF is a possibility. The Bulls have talent with Mike Ford at running back and Matt Grothe at QB, so expect them to have the leadership at key positions to get the job done.

The NCAA Football Odds indicate USF is a 14-point road favorite. Look for UCF to kick it up a notch and, while the Bulls have more talent, the Knights will keep this game from getting out of hand with some inspired play.

Prediction:

South Florida 33
UCF 21

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