Friday Night Lights - Kansas Jayhawks at South Florida Bulls

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Friday, September 12

BetUS NCAA Betting Odds: SOUTH FLORIDA -3.5

Here are some of the NCAA football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* KU has covered 11 of its last 13 games

* KU has won 14 of its last 15 games SU

* KU has played its last five games UNDER the total

* KU has covered six of its last seven road games

* KU has won five of its last six road games SU

* KU has lost 16 of its last 23 road games SU

* KU has played four of its last five road games UNDER the total

* USF has won five of its last six games SU

* USF has won ten of its last 12 home games SU

I don't know if this offers any perspective, but last season both these programs emerged, and both were at one point rated in the top five. When it came to the post-season, a point where both teams should have been highly motivated, South Florida was destroyed 56-21 by an Oregon team that had a first-time starter in the game, while Kansas beat Texas last year (that's not the case this season), while South Florida grabbed a major scalp against West Virginia on this field.

But to have life-and-death with a Louisiana Tech, can get rid of the ball quickly, somewhat mitigating the effect of Selvie. And the USF secondary, which has had to replace NFL draftees Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams at the corners, has yet to be tested.

We like Matt Grothe as a gritty leader, but he needs to develop into a more accurate and dangerous passer. And South Florida needs to have a more efficient running game outside of that which Grothe himself supplies. Much has been made of some of the athletes the Bulls still have on defense, but Kansas, which has covered 11 of its last 13, used its own quickness on the defensive side to score a shutout of Louisiana Tech, who scored an upset over Mississippi State in their opener the week before. And take note that in its last three games combined, South Florida is minus-9 in the turnover category, And as most people who follow college football know, Kansas was tops in the nation in that category last year.

The Jayhawks are obviously more formidable at home than they are as a traveler. But we like the situation where we are getting points with a team that might be one of the nation's best. Grab the 3.5 points with Kansas, the underdog in the BetUS NCAA football betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: KANSAS +3.5 ***

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

(Charles Jay of http://www.ebookies.com gives it more than the old college try as a contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)