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USF Bulls 2013 NCAA Football Gambling Odds & Predictions

2013-14 NCAA Previews (AAC) – Bulls

Its definitely a new era for the South Florida Bulls. After a decent first season coach Skip Holtz was not able to elevate the program as expected and quarterback B.J. Daniels has graduated, having never lived up to the potential many had in mind for the athletic marvel – now both are gone.

There may not be much excitement for his replacement but there is for new coach Willie Taggart who many agree has a very bright future.

South Florida Bulls (Team Link)
Coach: Willie Taggart
2012 Record: 3-9
Odds of winning BCS Championship: +2000 (field)
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At the end of the Holtz regime it seemed like this club was just mailing it in. A program that had gained a reputation for fearsome defense was just 7th in the Big East last season – in all categories. At the very least Taggart should infuse the program with a new energy and all players should be on notice and more accountable…but it might take awhile for the Bulls to reach their recent relative heights.

Things are going to be very different on offense in 2013. Departing QB Daniels was a rare 4 year starter although you could argue that it was 4 years of standing around waiting for him to make a play. Coach Taggart is a former running backs coach so I think the emphasis could be on establishing that part of their game, which his former team, Western Kentucky, was very good at. They were decent in that phase a year ago and sometimes it is an easier area to emphasize than the pass.

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The Bulls return only three starters on offense but will be looking to experienced players getting their first times to shine in 2013. Their entire backfield is projected to be seniors including QB Bobby Eveld, RB Marcus Shaw, and FB Ryan Eppes. Shaw has seen the most game action rushing for a career best 248 yards but the key will be Eveld, who saw more game action as a frosh and soph than he did last year as a junior. The assumption is he will win the job but he will have to beat Matt Floyd who saw more playing time than Eveld last season even though he was just a freshman.

South Florida built its program with a speedy defense but the “D” was poor last year ranking 7th in the Big East in every category. That is not a good sign because a lot of the teams that have been added to the league as it became the AAC are explosive offensive clubs. The defense returns 6 starters from last year, none more important than senior linebacker DeDe Lattimore who was third on the team in tackles and tied for the team lead in sacks last season. Defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan has a lot of experience so there is hope for turnaround there. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

2013-14 Record Projection: 3-9

Coach Taggart was not at Western Kentucky very long but he was highly sought after for the available openings this offseason. He is essentially starting USF back at ground zero as the program it won just 1 league game all last season – though there were some close losses. There are so many new faces that maybe things catch fire and this team is a .500 squad but that is about the highest ceiling that they can expect. The three wins I predict assumes they win their in-state contest against Florida Atlantic but that is no gimme given the current state of the program. Non league games against Miami (FL) and Michigan State could be very ugly, especially offensively as those are two very good defenses. They have to hope they are not too bloodied by the time conference play starts in October.

2013 Bulls Schedule

AUG 31 – McNeese State
SEP 7 – @Michigan State
SEP 14 – Florida Atlantic
SEP 28 – Miami (FL)
OCT 5 – Cincinnati
OCT 12 – @Connecticut
OCT 26 – Louisville
OCT 31 – @Houston
NOV 16 – Memphis
NOV 23 – SMU
NOV 29 – @UCF
DEC 7 – @Rutgers

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By The Wiesguy

The Wiesguy is a newcomer to the handicapping scene. Hailing from Toronto, Canada he is always sweet on the underdogs and you can often find his thoughts, musings and picks at moneydogs.blogspot.com.