Temple a Slight Favorite at South Florida in Week 11; Bulls 5-2 ATS Since Getting Shoutout by Wisconsin

• The South Florida Bulls (4-4, 2-2 AAC) host the Temple Owls (5-3, 2-2 AAC) Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. ET
• Temple is a 1.5-point favorite and the total is at 50 on both sites
• South Florida has won three of its last four after starting the season 1-3

The South Florida Bulls host the Temple Owls in an American Athletic Conference East Division tilt on Thursday night (Nov. 7, 8:00 PM ET). Sportsbooks think it will be a tightly-contested affair, setting the Temple vs USF odds at Temple -1.5.

Temple Owls vs South Florida Bulls Odds

Odds taken Nov. 5

Tale of Two Seasons

As noted above, South Florida’s first third of the season couldn’t have gone much worse. Jonathan Taylor and the Wisconsin Badgers blew the doors off the Bulls, 49-0, in Week 1 at Raymond James Stadium in a game that saw Taylor account for four touchdowns (two rushing and two receiving).

It didn’t get much better the next week as the Bulls fell to Georgia Tech, 14-10, in Atlanta. A 55-16 Week 3 win over South Carolina State was quickly forgotten thanks to a 48-21 drubbing at the hands of SMU.

But credit Charlie Strong’s team for rebounding in the second third. With wins in the three of their last four, including a 27-23 win against BYU in Tampa, the Bulls have righted the ship.

The final third –and it’s a daunting one — of the 2019 USF campaign begins Thursday. And with conference heavyweights like Cincinnati, Memphis and UCF following Temple, South Florida needs to win this week at home.

And That’s the Way It Is

USF’s recipe for success of late has been the play of running back Jordan Cronkrite. Over his last four outings, Cronkrite has averaged 127.8 rushing yards per game and scored four touchdowns. The one-time Florida Gator busted off 129 yards on the ground on only 12 carries last week against East Carolina.

While the contest will be played under the lights, the game-time temperature is still expected to be in the low-to-mid 80s with high humidity. Those conditions, combined with Cronkrite being in the middle of a definite groove, seem to favor the Bulls — not the Owls.

QB Anthony Russo, LB Chapelle Russell, and S Amir Tyler addressed the media following today’s practice. ?

We kick off on Thursday at USF at 8pm.
Watch live on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/dDvymzwSpn

— Temple Football (@Temple_FB) November 5, 2019

That said, Temple is a slight favorite for a reason. The Owls handed Memphis its only loss on the season and beat a ranked Maryland squad. First-year head coach Rod Carey has his defense going, too, as the unit has held opponents to a paltry 33.6 percent third-down conversion rate. Owls players are ready for prime time Thursday.

Bullish on the Bulls

Both teams have been involved in high-scoring affairs recently, so the over is a solid play. But considering the moist conditions and the way Cronkrite is running the ball over the last month, I expect the team from Philly to wear down over the course of 60 minutes and perhaps even encounter cramping issues late.

The wager with better value is South Florida on the moneyline at even odds.

Pick: USF (+100)