Somebody will get their first FBS win of the season on Friday night when the UConn Huskies take on the USF Bulls in Tampa. Both teams are 1-2 on the season with wins over FCS teams as Connecticut downed Stony Brook and South Florida bested Western Carolina. Those two wins were by a combined total of eight points. UConn and USF have been outscored by a combined 146-65 score in games against FBS opponents.
UConn vs. USF College Football Preview
Date/Time: Friday September 19, 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
College Football Betting Odds from WagerWeb
College Football Betting Favorite: South Florida -2
Total: 46
UConn is 0-3 ATS so far in the first season under head coach Bob Diaco. This will be their first road game. USF is 1-2 against the number this season with a cover in their loss to Maryland. If you’re interested in the total on this game, neither team has exceeded 19 points in each of the last four meetings and the last three meetings have had final scores totaling less than 30 points.
Connecticut Huskies:
Bob Diaco may be wishing that he had stayed in his cushy gig as the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. So far, the Huskies have been dominated by two physically superior opponents, squeaked past Stony Brook 19-16, and lost their starting quarterback as Casey Cochran decided to walk away from the game due to concussion problems. New starter Chandler Whitmer has completed less than half of his passes this season and UConn ball carriers are averaging 1.9 yards per carry. The Huskies have scored only four offensive touchdowns through three games. The defense has played about as well as they can against offenses like BYU and Boise State with an offense that cannot stay on the field. All in all, the Huskies 2014 season has gotten off to a very rough start.
South Florida Bulls:
Speaking of bad starts, the USF Bulls cannot find anybody to play the quarterback position competently. To date, the USF quarterbacks are 30-of-84 for 454 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions. That’s a 35.7 percent completion percentage. The running game has averaged 4.6 yards per carry, led by Marlon Mack with 6.6 yards per carry. The Bulls got nearly half of their offensive output against NC State on one play, a 75-yard touchdown catch and run. One of the few bright spots has been kicker Marvin Kloss, who is 5-of-6 on field goals and has scored 22 of USF’s 70 points. Mike White is expected to be the starting quarterback, despite a 4-of-16 performance against NC State, that was exacerbated by a porous offensive line that can’t protect the quarterback. The Bulls defense had a pick-six last week, which was the lone highlight in a game they allowed 49 points and 589 yards.
Free Pick: Under 46
When ESPN looks at the ratings for this game, they will see how important gamblers are for ratings. This is probably going to be a very ugly game with a lot of bad offense. The Huskies at least know who their quarterback is going to be for the duration of the game and their run defense should look better against a more comparable opponent. These games have been competitive over each of the last five seasons and the scores have been quite low. The under looks like the best play here, but the Huskies +2 would appear to be the side to take.
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