The South Florida Bulls are looking for significantly better results as they come into the 2023 season. We are here to share our college football odds series and make a USF win total prediction and pick for the 2023 campaign.
USF went 11, including 0-8 in the ACC in 2022. Now, they look to improve on that mark. Things started terribly for the Bulls as they lost 50-21 to BYU. Then, they defeated Howard 42-40. But things went haywire from there. First, they lost 31-28 in a road game against Florida. USF then fell 41-3 in a horrible road loss to Louisville. Likewise, they fell 48-28 in a road tilt with East Carolina.
The misery continued with a 28-24 road loss to Cincinnati. Next, they fell 45-31 to Tulane. It kept going as they fell 42-27 on the road to Houston. Next, they followed it with a 54-28 defeat at Temple. USF fell 41-23 to SMU next. Finally, they ended the season with a 48-42 defeat against Tulsa and then a 46-39 loss to UCF.
The Bulls finished 0-4 against ranked teams. Furthermore, it was the second time in history that USF has had one win in a season. It was also the second time they have gone winless in conference play. Unfortunately, their poor play caused the firing of head coach Jeff Scott, who went 4-26 over three years.
USF did not see any players drafted in the NFL. However, they did see three players sign up as undrafted free agents. Linebacker Dwayne Bowles and offensive linemen Brad Cecil and Demetrius Harris are in the NFL now and competing for a chance for playing time.
Here are the College Football Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Over/Under Win Total Odds
Over 4.5 wins: -102
Under 4.5 wins: -120
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Why USF Can Win 4.5 Games
When you hit rock bottom, you can only go up. Therefore, USF will not win one game again. You must remember that there were four one-score games last season. No, USF is not a great team. But those four games could have gone either way, indicating four or five wins, which is right where the spread is right now.
Running back Michel Dukes is someone to look for. Significantly, he rushed 54 times for 188 yards and five touchdowns in 2022. Florida transfer Nay’Quan Wright will also add an element of action in the backfield.
The offensive line played well enough to give the offense a chance. Now, they will have two magnetic running backs running behind them. They will do all they can to open lanes.
All the defensive starters will return. However, they played badly last season. The hope is that cohesion will form since everyone will come back and enable them to gain chemistry. Ultimately, defensive coordinator Todd Orlando should get some linebackers to work with. It will be up to him to work with the pieces he has and make them shine.
USF will win five games behind good running backs and a strong offensive line. Then, the defense will get better.
Why USF Can Not Win 4.5 Games
This team was awful in 2022. Yes, they played competitively. But they also found a few games where they fell apart and lost these games by multiple scores. Now, they look to discover how to win football games again. It starts at the most important position.
Quarterback Gerry Bohanon is back for a sixth season. Ultimately, he needs to do better. Bohanon tossed for 1,070 yards, six touchdowns, and six interceptions. Somehow, he must figure out how to get the ball across the goal line. Bohanon will have less talent at wide receiver, as the corps took a hit. Thus, he must find chemistry with new players and create new plays.
The defense was the second-worst unit in America. Additionally, they were the third-worst unit in defensive scoring. There is nowhere else to go but up for the defense as it tries to figure out what went wrong. Yes, they have Jason Vaughn, who had five sacks in 2022. But the Bulls need much more than him to thrive on defense. Remember, they allowed 40+ points 10 times in 2022. That is way too many games for the defense to struggle that badly.
USF will not win five games because the quarterback is mediocre. Also, their defense is the worst in college football.
Final USF Over/Under Win Total Prediction & Pick
USF will likely win more games. However, it is difficult to see them winning five. Maybe they win three or four games. Sadly, the defense is still too bad for them to truly thrive.
Final USF Over/Under Win Total Prediction & Pick: Under 4.5 wins: -120
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