South Florida Bulls
2010 Record: 8-5
2010 Bowl Result: Beat Clemson 31-26 in Meineke Car Care Bowl
2010 Against the Spread: 6-7
2010 over/under: 5-8
Returning starters: 9 ( 3 offense, 6 defense)

Throughout August we are releasing pre-season previews for all the major college teams.  Our College Football Handicappers are doing plenty of research to make sure we release  winners every week during the upcoming season.

Last season, Skip Holtz took over as head coach of South Florida coming over from East Carolina. The Bulls won 5 of their last 7 games and had an outside shot of tying for the conference title in the last week of the season. A loss to UConn ended those dreams but the Bulls ended beating Clemson in the Meineke Car Care Bowl 31-26 for their eighth win of the season. This year despite returning only 9 starters, USF was picked to finish third in the Big East behind West Virginia and Pitt.

Here is a look at South Florida’s offense, defense, special teams, and schedule.

Offense

After exploding for 59 points in the opener last year against lowly Stony Brook South Florida never came close to equaling that output again. The offense struggled under new coordinator Todd Fitch’s pro style set. The Bulls’ offense was only better than 15 teams in the country last year averaging a paltry 309.7 total yards a game. The passing game was anemic with 164.5 yards a game, and the running game wasn’t much better with 145.2 yards a game. USF averaged 24.1 points a game which was 85th in the country. The offense returns only 3 starters from last year, so they are starting with almost a clean slate.

Quarterback B.J. Daniels does return for his junior year. Daniels regressed after a brilliant freshman year as he learned the new system. He completed 58.4% of his passes for 1,685 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last year. He was the team’s third leading rusher with 112 carries for 259 yards, and 5 touchdowns. Daniels tweaked his hamstring at the beginning of fall camp but is expected to be ready by the start of the regular season  If Daniels struggles or can’t go early, sophomore Bobby Eveld could see some action. Eveld threw 75 passes last season mostly in mop-up duty. Eveld did start the season finale against Connecticut though. Eveld threw for 454 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions last year.

The Bulls lose leading rusher Moise Plancher but should be fine in the backfield with the addition of transfer junior Darrell Scott from Colorado. Sophomore Dontae Aycock transferred in from Auburn after getting kicked off the team last spring. However, Aycock left the Bulls early in fall practice.  The Bulls’ second leading rusher from last season returns in junior Demetris Murray. Murray had 121 carries, 533 yards, and 4 touchdowns. He also caught 11 passes and two touchdowns. Both backs are over 200 pounds so they should wear down opponents as the game wears on.

South Florida must replace leading receiver Dontavia Bogan. The leading returning receiver is Evan Landi who had 29 catches for  402 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sophomores Terrence Mitchell & Sterling Griffin, and senior Joel Miller are the other wideouts. Andreas Shields is the new tight end.

Last season, the offensive line was one of the best in school history. This year with only 2 starters backs the line must rebuild. The line does have plenty of untested veterans with 4 upperclassmen among the starters. The line must play well or the Bulls will struggle on offense again.

Defense

South Florida won a majority of their games due to a 16th ranked defense which only gave up 318.1 yards a game, including 192.3 passing yards, and 125.8 rushing yards a game. The Bulls allowed only 20 points a game last season. They return 6 starters.

South Florida’s defensive philosophy has always been to attack and try to force turnovers. That will not change this year either. The star of the defense is sophomore linebacker DeDe Lattimore, senior cornerback Quenton Washington, and junior linebacker Sam Barrington.

Special Teams

Junior Maikon Bonani returns as the kicker. He made 17 out of 21 field goals last year. He is lucky to be alive as he missed the entire previous season following a 35 foot fall at an amusement park.

Junior Justin Brockhaus-Kann was the punter last year but only averaged 37.5 yards a punt. He is still with the program but is expected to be replaced by redshirt freshman Chris Veron.

Junior Lindsey Lamar averaged 26.6 yards per kick return last year with 2 touchdowns. Terrence Mitchell averaged 11 yards per punt return last season. Both are back to anchor the return game.

Schedule 

The Bulls open the season at Notre Dame. Coach Skip Holtz leads South Florida in that game against the program where his father Lou had so much success in the 80’s and 90’s. South Florida then has a three game home stand against Ball St, Florida A&M, and UTEP before starting the conference slate. The Bulls open up Big East play with a tough two game road trip at Pitt and UConn. The Bulls host Cincinnati before going back on the road to Rutgers and Syracuse. USF closes the season with a three game home stand against Louisville, Miami-FL, and West Virginia. With that schedule, I think more than 9 wins would be a stretch.

Betting Trends

Last season, USF was 6-7 ATS including 2-5 at home and 4-2 on the road. The over/under was 5-8 including 2-5 at home and 3-3 on the road.

Game to Play South Florida

Last season South Florida went into Cincinnati and beat the Bearcats 38-30. This year Cincy comes to Tampa October 22, and I think the Bulls have enough to cover at home against the Bearcats.

Game to bet against South Florida

As mentioned, South Florida travels to Notre Dame  and the two teams meet for the first time. Notre Dame is ranked in the top 25 in the pre-season poll and the Irish should win this game.

Check out our college football odds page for the best odds on every game.