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My pick: USF 27-14
Posted Oct 18, 2007 by Brett McMurphy
Updated Oct 18, 2007 at 12:17 PM
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Add two more to the list of non-Bull-ievers. Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke and ESPN’s college football historian Beano Cook had this to say about USF:
Plaschke writes: “You know college football is more whooah than Nellie when the most important game of the week is on a Thursday night. And that game is between South Florida and Rutgers. You don’t buy generic peanut butter, I don’t buy unknown college football. It is a sport not built on parity, it is a sport built on passion.
And how can anyone feel passion for a school called South Florida that isn’t actually located in south Florida, a No. 2-ranked team that has played half of its season like a Division II team, with wins against Elon, Florida Atlantic and Central Florida?”
Adds Cook: “At the end of the day, there will still be no parity in football. South Florida is like George Costanza. He gets lucky occasionally, but then he goes back to being George Costanza.”
On to my picks:
1-USF will defeat Rutgers 27-14. Last season Rutgers RB Ray Rice romped for 202 yards against USF, but this year he’s without the lead blocking of FB Brian Leonard, now in the NFL. In Rutgers four wins this year, Rice averaged 27 carries and 157 yards. In two losses – 27 carries, 95 yards – and that was against the nation’s No. 43 (Maryland) and No. 49 (Cincinnati) defenses. Tonight USF’s No. 11 ranked defense comes to Jersey. Not even Rutgers alum James Gandolfini and his Soprano buddies can help the Scarlet Knights. And just like the Sopranos’ finale, the Bulls “Don’t Stop Believing” in their quest to reach the BCS title game.
2-USF will not score more than 28 1/2 points. Although the offense broke out last week against UCF, the Bulls will face a much tougher defense this week and on the road. USF scored 20 at Auburn (in regulation) and 28 at FAU (until a meaningless TD in the final minute), so I think they’ll stay under 28 1/2 points in Piscataway.
3-Ray Rice will have more yards rushing. Rice hasn’t been held below 72 yards this season and should be the game’s leading rusher simply because he’ll get 25-30 carries.
4-Mike Teel will have more yards passing. Teel already has four 300-yard games this season and when Rice finds the going tough, I think Teel will be forced to pass even more. Grothe may finish with more total offense yards, but Teel will have more yards passing.
5-Taurus Johnson will have more yards receiving. Johnson has established himself so far as the Bulls’ most consistent receiver and should come up big on the national stage.
Bonus #1: USF will be ranked No. 2 The way this year has gone, No. 1 Ohio State will probably lose, but I can’t pull the trigger. I say USF stays at No. 2.
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Reader Comments
Por (Ben Forlaw) on October 18, 2007 (Suggest removal)
Plaschke’s a big nerd. He always gets beat on Around The Horn, so I have no respect for his opinions.
As for Beano, how can you respect the opinion of anyone with that handle?
Suggest removalPor (Donald Murray) on October 18, 2007 (Suggest removal)
Plaschke should start covering gardening and Cook should retire since neither one of them pay attention. A large school like USF puts graduates all over the country and we are passionate about our Bulls (win or lose).
Suggest removalPor (Brian) on October 18, 2007 (Suggest removal)
I am getting tired of people saying that they do not know where USF is. Have they ever heard of TAMPA? It is amazing that people are aware of small bune-dock college towns but do not know one of the most important things about Tampa. That is pretty darn ignorant from a big city Writer from the LA Times. By the way, are we a little sore that USC is not doing well?
Suggest removalPor (Eric Sachse) on October 18, 2007 (Suggest removal)
Beano needs to take some Beano because all that comes out of is mouth is some foul smelling gas.
Suggest removalPor (Brian Rolph) on October 18, 2007 (Suggest removal)
Jaba the Hut or otherwise known as Beano Cook is a has been. He is some forgotten nobody that needs to just retire and go away. People can’t relate to his incoherent babblings any longer. As for the other clown. Please keep reporting on that crime ridden dump know as LA. I hope you enjoy living in the smog capital of the planet. What does USC stand for anyway? University of Southern Cal. It’s OK for them though?
Suggest removalPor (Rick Tally) on October 18, 2007 (Suggest removal)
In case anyone would like to set this idiot straight… bill.plaschke@latimes.com.
Suggest removalPor (Stephen Blackehart) on October 18, 2007 (Suggest removal)
Plaschke’s a typical homer, always viewing the world through the USC/UCLA POV. What writers like him fail to see is that the rankings have (or should have) nothing to do with your program over the last 20, 50 or 100 years, and everything to do with THIS SEASON. Maybe we (USF) succeed in the national spotlight from here out and maybe not, but RIGHT NOW we are better than most of those teams. Why is that such a problem?
Suggest removalPor (Jim Davis) on October 19, 2007 (Suggest removal)
Am I the only one who was infuriated by the theft of a Bulls touchdown at the end (4:09 to go) of the 2nd half?
ESPN made the call for the booth officials before the play was even over! They proclaimed that the loose ball on the blocked field goal was being propelled forward, and the touchdown would be nullified, even before the replays began.
I was amazed when the booth officials overruled the officials on the field. Am I the only one watching the broadcast who wanted to know if the booth officials were within earshot of Doug Flutie et al? Do ESPN announcers and NCAA reviewers know the meaning of a ‘premature cognitive commitment’!?!
The Bulls were ripped off, and it was ESPN that made the call, not the NCAA!
Suggest removalPor (Lou Villarosa) on October 20, 2007 (Suggest removal)
Some of those USF critics just view things the way they want to see them. I’ve read all these criticisms of Jim Leavitt - about having tandrums, throwing down the headphones etc. Yes the play calling could have gone different. But was ignored was Rutger’s Schiano yelling in the ref’s all night, running onto the field protesting the scooped up ball(He should given at least a warning flag. The referees were simply intimidated. Despite all this the Bulls did not play well when it counted. Rutgers should considered themselves very lucky to have won.
Suggest removalPor (Troy Ward) on November 21, 2007 (Suggest removal)
“And how can anyone feel passion for a school called South Florida that isn’t actually located in south Florida, a No. 2-ranked team that has played half of its season like a Division II team, with wins against Elon, Florida Atlantic and Central Florida?”
With a comment like the one above you need to educate yourself. All of the schools you mentioned are other Division I (one) schools…find out the difference between Division I and Division II or Division III, before you continue to make uninformed comments.
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