Official: SMU vs. USF Prediction Thread

[Harry0569]

per CFN
SMU (4-5) at South Florida (2-7) Nov. 23, 7:00, ESPN3

Why You Should Give A Hoot: If SMU is going to extend its string of postseason appearances to five, it’ll have to win two of the final three games. The Mustangs have won the games they’re supposed to over the last month, including last Saturday against Connecticut. However, with matchups against Houston and UCF still remaining, the program cannot leave Raymond James Stadium without a victory if has a prayer of playing beyond Dec. 7. South Florida was officially eliminated from bowl contention, though it’s been clear for weeks that Willie Taggart’s inaugural season would not end with a bonus game. The Bulls are a serious work-in-progress that will require a full offseason of attention, if not longer.

Why SMU Might Win: The comparison between the offenses is, well, no comparison. The Bulls are dreadful, scoring no more than 13 points five times, including in last week’s loss to Memphis. The Mustangs, on the other hand, lead the American in total offense, and are norming more than 32 points a game. QB Garrett Gilbert has quietly evolved into a prolific distributor, accounting for 22 touchdowns and just a single pick over the last five games. If SMU is able to hasten the pace and the tempo of the game, South Florida simply won’t be able to keep pace.

Why South Florida Might Win: The Mustangs have shown a penchant for flopping on D when it is least expected. And not just against the likes of Texas Tech and Texas A&M. Rutgers and Temple slapped 104 points combined on SMU, having considerable success through the air. Yeah, rookie QB Mike White regressed a week ago, but he flashed upside potential in his starting debut against Houston. He needs to get the ball in the hands of WR Andre Davis, which will help open up running lanes for Marcus Shaw.

Who To Watch Out For: Facing Memphis won’t prepare the South Florida D for what it’ll see this week from SMU. The Mustangs will flood the field with shifty receivers, such as Jeremy Johnson, Darius Joseph and Keenan Holman, all of whom have good chemistry with Gilbert.

- The Bulls are still waiting for DE Aaron Lynch to make a splash. The former Notre Dame recruit and future pro is seventh on the team in tackles for loss, and has just two sacks all year.

- The Davis versus Kenneth Acker matchup will be one of the better ones of the evening. Acker is a talented cover corner, whose number of picks is down because opposing passers prefer to avoid his area of the field.

What Will Happen: South Florida is a bad football team. SMU is a motivated one. The Mustangs understand the importance of this trip to their postseason fortunes and will operate accordingly. Their edge on offense will spark an early lead that never gets relinquished in the second half.

Prediction: SMU 34 … South Florida 19
Line: SMU -4 o/u: 55
Must See Rating: (5 Tiebreaker – 1 A Medea Christmas) … 1.5

[PonyKai]

I think we can pull this one out.

[Harry0569]

“If it were me, I'd bet everything. But that's me. I'm an aggressive gambler. Mr. Vegas. Come on. Go for it. Go for it. Yes, yes, there we go. I'm in.”
NOW WE’RE TALKING, BABY! 6-1 against the spread last week, 7-0 straight up. Just sit back, relax and strap it down …
1) Nebraska +2 over Penn State
2) Illinois -6.5 over Purdue
3) Michigan State -7.5 over Northwestern
4) Vanderbilt +3 over Tennessee
5) UCLA +2.5 over Arizona State
6) Notre Dame PICK over BYU
7) Oklahoma State +9.5 over Baylor
8) SMU -4 over South Florida
9) Missouri -3 over Ole Miss
10) Washington State -1 over Utah
- Record So Far: 42-14 SU, 29-27 ATS

[Harry0569]

How do you even get to 19 points?

2TDs a FG and a Safety? Crazy stuff from CFN

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

How do you even get to 19 points?

Miss two XP!

[feelthehorsepower]

41-17 SMU

[Pony ^]

35-14 SMU. USF is HORRENDOUS.

[ponyinNC]

38-35

We give up a 21 point lead in the 2nd half, and have to make big plays late in the 4th to hold on for the W.

C'mon guys - this is how we roll!

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

SMU 45
USF 6

[Nacho]

smu 50
usf 37

[mrydel]

You get to 19 by missing an xp and then failing on a 2 point try to make up for the miss.

[StallionsModelT]

SMU 31
USF 21

[East Coast Mustang]

Ponies take care of business on the road for once.

SMU 35
USF 17

[PonyKai]

28-20

[Stallion]

my impression from watching them is they have a defense full of BCS looking talent but offense was incompetent. The freshman QB looked very good against UH but threw 4 Ints against Memphis. They tried 3 previous QBs who each completed like 40-45% of their passes. Anyway if their freshman QB can move their offense I kind of doubt we score in the 40-50 point range. You'll be surprised how talented they are on defense for such a poor team.