The South Florida Bulls will try to snap their seven-game losing streak when they face the SMU Mustangs on Saturday afternoon. USF has lost three straight games by double digits, including a 54-28 setback at Temple. SMU has won three of its last four games, including a 77-63 victory against Houston last week.
Kickoff is set for noon ET. The Mustangs are favored by 17.5 points in the latest USF vs. SMU odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 71.5. Before entering any SMU vs. USF picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on South Florida vs. SMU. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football odds for South Florida vs. SMU:
- South Florida vs. SMU spread: USF +17.5
- South Florida vs. SMU over/under: 71.5 points
- South Florida vs. SMU money line: USF +500, SMU -700
- South Florida vs. SMU picks: See picks here
Why South Florida can cover
USF has played just one home game since Oct. 1, so the Bulls will be excited to return home on Saturday afternoon. They nearly upset Florida and Cincinnati earlier this year on the road, and they also covered the 17.5-point spread in a loss to Houston two weeks ago. South Florida is capable of being a competitive team, but the betting market is not giving the Bulls any credit.
Head coach Jeff Scott was fired on Sunday, leading to Daniel Da Prato being named the interim coach. An interim coach can often lead to an inspired effort in the following game, so that is something to monitor. Sophomore running back Brian Battie has rushed for 728 yards and six touchdowns on 112 carries, averaging 6.5 yards per attempt. Battie can help South Florida control the time of possession, limiting SMU's chances of running up the score.
Why SMU can cover
These teams could not be trending in more opposite directions right now, as SMU is coming off a performance of the ages. The Mustangs set school records for points in a game (77), total touchdowns (11), passing touchdowns (nine) and 433 total yards in the first half in their win over Houston last week. Quarterback Tanner Mordecai was responsible for all nine passing touchdowns, including seven in the first half.
Mordecai now has an SMU-record 13 games with 300-plus passing yards during his career. The Mustangs scored touchdowns on their first nine drives of the game and are still alive for the conference championship and a bowl game berth. None of that bodes well for a South Florida team that just fired its head coach and ranks No. 129 out of 131 FBS teams in points allowed per game (39.9).
How to make South Florida vs. SMU picks
The model has simulated SMU vs. South Florida 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins South Florida vs. SMU? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the SMU vs. South Florida spread you need to jump on Saturday, all from the model that has crushed its college football picks, and find out.
