South Florida vs Western Kentucky Odds: Reed’s Quest for 5,000 Yards
QB Reed Elected To Stay at Western Kentucky For Senior Season
The South Florida Bulls will face off against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in Week 1 of the college football season.
Last year was an abysmal year for South Florida fans. The Bulls finished 1-11 and 0-8 in the AAC. Therefore, they’ve hired a new head coach, Alex Golesh, to take over the program.
The program was so bad that the Big 12 added UCF but didn’t bring UCF into its conference. USF would’ve been a great rep for the Big 12. Instead, they’re stuck in the AAC.
On the bright side, South Florida is much easier this season. But that NCAAF schedule doesn’t start so easy. The Bulls will begin their season against Western Kentucky, who finished 9-5 last season. Western Kentucky is known for developing quarterbacks.
We’ll see what senior quarterback Austin Reed has in store for the Hilltoppers this year.
Here’s a look at the South Florida vs Western Kentucky odds for this Week 1 matchup featured on CBSSN.
South Florida vs. Western Kentucky 
Location: Houchens Industries – L.T. Smith Stadium
Day/Time: Saturday, September 2, 3:30 pm ET, 12:30 pm PT
Streaming: CBSSN
Expectations are Low for South Florida
Believe it or not, South Florida has a rich history of success. They’ve had some excellent football years as a program.
Although South Florida has fallen off a bit, there’s a lot of optimism around the program with new head coach Alex Golesh. Golesh was the former offensive coordinator for Tennessee and UCF, and he knows how to put together a top-tier passing game.
He’ll have QB Gerry Bohanon back at quarterback for his sixth season. Bohanon has thrown for nearly 3,500 yards in college football but only completed 56.9% of passes in 160 attempts with South Florida last year.
Bohanon threw six touchdowns but also had six interceptions. With Baylor as the starter the year prior, he threw 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The potential is there. The decision-making will be okay.
He needs to be in the right system. And I think he will be under Golesh as head coach.
Bohanon won’t have the most lethal receivers. But he’ll have Sean Atkins and some transfers like Michael Brown Stephens from Minnesota and Jaden Alexis from Texas.
Golesh made Tennessee’s offense the top offense in the nation last year with Hendon Hooker. He also turned Jalin Hyatt into one of the best receivers in the country. It might take some time, but this offense should develop when everything clicks.
South Florida also added Nay’Quan Wright from Florida. He’ll be paired with Michel Duckes at running back, which gives them a quality 1-2 punch.
While the offense will almost certainly improve, the defense should be much better. It was awful last season, don’t get me wrong. But the defense was able to return most of its starters. There’s a lot of experience on this defense, and guys are familiar with their teammates. That’s a big plus to begin a season.
Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando worked with Florida Atlantic last season. He drew up schemes to take the ball away and did well.
It’s not going to be a quick fix in South Florida. But with low expectations, South Florida could gradually improve without background noise.
Western Kentucky Stayed In The Conferece-USA!
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers weren’t asked to join the American Athletic Conference. However, a lot of their rivals did. Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA are now in the AAC.
The Hilltoppers have already had a lot of success recently. But their college football scores are about to be more lopsided than ever in conference play.
The Hilltoppers retained Austin Reed for another season. Reed considered leaving for Louisville but stayed with Western Kentucky after throwing for over 4,700 yards. He also added 40 touchdowns and threw just 11 interceptions.
He’ll still have Malachi Corley, who added nearly 1,300 yards and 11 touchdowns. Michael Mathison will also be back after hauling 52 catches and three touchdowns.
However, Western Kentucky added Blue Smith from Cincinnati, Jimmy Holiday from Tennessee, and Za’Vian Capers from Auburn. Those are some intriguing prospects that can make an impact as early as this year.
Meanwhile, the offensive line kept teams away from the backfield. They were fifth in the nation in tackles for a loss allowed and tenth in the country in sacks allowed. The team lost Rusty Staats to Texas Tech and Gunner Litton to Auburn, but I still think this offensive line should dominate up front for Reed and the passing game.
On the other hand, the defense won’t be asked to do too much. They’ll need to get a few stops. That would ultimately be enough for this Western Kentucky offense and certainly be enough against South Florida.
South Florida vs. Western Kentucky
The Western Kentucky offense will be lethal, as always. Reed had a chance to play in the ACC and likely could’ve gone to many Power-5 teams if he was interested. However, Western Kentucky develops quarterbacks and sends them into the NFL prepared.
Just look at Bailey Zappe, for example.
The Over is 4-0 in Hilltoppers last four non-conference games.
The trends in the South Florida vs Western Kentucky odds also favor the Over.
Last year, South Florida’s secondary was one of the worst in the nation. The pass rush was weak, and the run defense wasn’t excellent.
Todd Orlando was a solid selection as defensive coordinator. But while he earned some takeaways with Florida Atlantic, he didn’t get a ton of pressure in the backfield. The Owls didn’t earn many sacks or get many tackles for a loss to Orlando at Florida Atlantic last year.
Western Kentucky’s offense will throw all over Florida Atlantic. The offensive line will hold its ground, and Western Kentucky will put up a lot of points.
That’s ultimately what the South Florida vs Western Kentucky odds believe, too. The total for this game is 69.5, with Western Kentucky favored by 11.5 points. Western Kentucky figures to do well with this year’s NCAA football against spreads.
Points, Points, and More Points!
I’ve talked a lot about Western Kentucky’s offense. It’s good. They did some great things last year, and there’s no reason they won’t continue that under Reed at quarterback this year.
But I also believe South Florida will improve offensively. They’ve got one of the best offensive minds in college football and a sixth-year senior at quarterback in Gerry Bohanon. The talent doesn’t match Tennessee. But no one would be shocked if Alex Golesh develops these receivers into absolute studs. If Bohanon can be more accurate with the ball and gets more time in the pocket, we’ll also see points out of South Florida.
I’d back the Over in this game.
For NCAAF betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
