Thursday Night College Football Preview

South Florida at Rutgers

            South Florida enters this game coming off a huge conference victory over West Virginia last week.  The Bulls are 6-2 overall and 4-3 ATS in 2009 but are in desperate need of another conference victory as they are just 2-2 in conference play.  Not only will South Florida be seeking to go over the .500 mark in conference play but they will be looking to avenge last year?s 49-16 home loss to the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers.  Rutgers on the other hand has very similar records to South Florida as they are 6-2 SU and 4-4 ATS.  They are also just 1-2 in conference play but have won and covered 4 of their last 5 games.

            B.J. Daniels has stepped in at quarterback for South Florida and has done a decent job.  However, this team is much more dangerous on the ground than they are through the air.  They rank 35^th in the country in rushing offense, averaging nearly 180 yards a game on the ground.  However, South Florida may have to get some big plays out of their inexperienced quarterback in order to come away victorious as Rutgers boasts a stout front seven.  The Rutgers? run defense ranks 26^th in the country and is only giving up an average of 3.3 yards per carry.  Daniels is prone to make mistakes as he has thrown 6 interceptions this year so expect Rutgers to crowd the line of scrimmage in order to make South Florida beat them throwing the ball which is not the strength of this offense.

            Rutgers has struggled moving the ball on offense as they rank 87^th in the country in total yards and 84^th in passing yards per game.  Like South Florida, they are a better running team than they are passing.  However, their rushing attack is not as potent as South Florida?s.  Rutgers is averaging 146 yards on the ground but just 85.3 in their last three games.  South Florida?s front seven isn?t quite as tough as Rutgers? as they are allowing a little over 130 yards rushing per game.  Both these teams rely on running the football and playing solid defense.  This game will be won up front in the trenches and also by whose quarterback can step up and make plays on third down.

It?s interesting how similar these two teams are from their records to their style of play.  South Florida opened as a 1 point road favorite and that line has stayed at that number all week.  When evaluating these teams, you have to consider the fact that South Florida has played a tougher schedule.  Aside from Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, Rutgers hasn?t faced a team of the same caliber as South Florida.  South Florida on the other hand, did beat up on some inferior opponents in the early part of the season but has played four tough games against Florida State, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia.  Thursday night should be an electric atmosphere in Piscataway on a Thursday night where Rutgers seems to thrive.  In the end, something?s got to give and we will find out who the better team is.  We will also see if Rutgers? record is the result of playing inferior opponents.