South Florida vs. Alabama Prediction, Picks & Odds – College Football Week 2

The Kalen DeBoer era at Alabama got off to a blazing start as the Crimson Tide defeated Western Kentucky 63-0. They next host the USF Bulls in Tuscaloosa.

But if there's one team that thinks it can compete with Bama, it's the Bulls. USF gave the Tide a scare last season when they let Alabama pull off a 17-3 win, despite being tied at halftime despite a 34.5-point lead.

Can the Bulls put up another good fight? My USF vs. Alabama predictions analyze this exciting matchup and bring you my favorite college football picks for Saturday, September 7.

South Florida vs. Alabama Prediction

My best bet
Under 64.5 (-110 at BetMGM)

My analysis

Alabama started the season with a bang, delivering brilliant results with a 63-0 win over Western Kentucky.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe was extremely efficient (a little too efficient for those of us who put the “over” on his passing yards), throwing for 200 yards and three touchdowns on just 7 of 9 passes.

Highly touted freshman wideout Ryan Williams caught two of those passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns, while the Tide ran for an incredible 334 yards and six touchdowns.

But South Florida is not intimidated by the Crimson Tide. Alex Golesh has been impressive in turning this program around quickly. The Bulls finished 7-6 last season after winning just four games in the previous three seasons. And they enter this season as AAC contenders.

South Florida delivered brilliantly in its opening game, defeating FCS Bethune-Cookman 48-3 to erase a 43-point lead. After losing to Alabama last season, the Borys are confident about this matchup.

But this time everything will be a little different.

This time, Jalen Milroe will play. The game is in Tuscaloosa, where the weather forecast does not call for torrential rain. Milroe was questionably benched for this game after the loss to Texas. Kalen DeBoer will not be benched on Saturday.

But in one respect it will be similar to last year: I believe that the Tide will make it difficult for the Bulls to score points in this duel.

Alabama comes into this matchup with one of its most balanced defensive units in years. They're fresh off a shutout against Western Kentucky in which they committed two turnovers.

Meanwhile, USF's plays and run-based offense could give them some life for a while. But finishing offenses could be a problem. And while the Bulls will likely be inferior in the long run, their defense returns eight starters and should be improved once again this season.

All in all, I think the point total is a bit over-hyped due to Alabama's outburst last week and is way too high for this matchup.

South Florida vs. Alabama – Same Game Parlay Bet (SGP)

Below 64.5

Jalen Milroe over 254.5 passing yards

Byrum Brown under 174.5 yards

If you get Byrum Brown to get under his passing yards quota, it's basically a continuation of the total for the whole game.

Alabama made Western Kentucky quarterback TJ Finley's life hell last week, limiting him to just 18 of 31 passes for just 92 yards, a minuscule 2.9 yards per attempt, and intercepting him twice.

The Tide did a great job of keeping things under control and I think they can repeat that performance against Brown. Add to that USF's need to keep the running game going and run down the clock and Brown seems like a safe bet to stay under that number.

On the other hand, in Alabama's game against Western Kentucky last week, I would have predicted that quarterback Jalen Milroe would exceed his passing yardage target of 240.5 yards. He didn't. But he was super efficient, going 7-9 for 200 yards.

And a few short interceptions allowed the Tide to get the ball into the end zone early against the Hilltoppers. And boom. At halftime the score was 42-0.

It was assumed that he averaged 230 yards per game last season for an offense that ranked 120th in passing percentage and that he was going to a coach who ranked in the top 10 in that category when he was in Washington.

I'm going to go back to basics here and choose “over” again because I believe that line of thinking is still correct and Milroe should be passing the ball a lot more this season when all is said and done. And he's facing a South Florida defense that ranked 104th nationally in opponent passing yards per attempt last season.

Learn how to bet on the same game in an accumulator bet with these helpful tips and strategies.

South Florida vs. Alabama Odds

Live odds for South Florida vs. Alabama

Opening odds for South Florida vs. Alabama

• Spread: South Florida +31 | Alabama -31
• Money line: South Florida +2,500 | Alabama -10,000
• Over/Under: Over 63.5 | Under 63.5

Odds courtesy of BetMGM

Spread and Over/Under Analysis for South Florida vs. Alabama

• The spread for this matchup reached 31 and remained there before kickoff on Friday night.
• I would lean slightly towards Alabama here. Milroe will play this time and Alabama's defense seems to be better overall this season.
• The total amount was initially 63.5 and was increased by one point, so that it currently stands at 64.5.
• I think that this spread is already a bit too high at the opening number.

Things to know about the betting trend between South Florida and Alabama

Alabama has covered the spread in 6 of their last 8 home games, returning +3.80 units and a 43% ROI. Find more college football betting trends for South Florida vs. Alabama here.

Game info South Florida vs. Alabama

South Florida vs. Alabama: Latest Injuries

Weather in South Florida vs. Alabama

Monitor conditions during the game with our college football weather information.

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