With the blowout loss, Florida State fell 11 spots in the AP Poll to No. 13 now in Week 4. The question now is, how are the Seminoles going to respond? Any chance at a College Football Playoff spot is in peril unless the Seminoles finish very strong.
FSU travels to Tampa this week to take on an undefeated South Florida Bulls team in Week 4 of the regular season. A win here is essential for Florida State.
This matchup in Week 4 of the regular season will take place on Saturday, September 24, 2016, at 12 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium.
NCAA Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Florida State -6.5
South Florida +6.5
Over/Under 61
Odds Analysis
This spread is pretty low for a team that was just ranked No. 2 in the country, but a horrible loss and an ensuing road game makes it so. However, the betting public is backing the Seminoles heavily at an 81 percent clip.
The scoring total is a bit high as the “under” is taking 80 percent of the action early on.
Player to Watch
Dalvin Cook -- The Florida State running back is really in need of a big game. The junior tailback accumulated just 54 yards on the ground last week in the Seminoles’ loss to Louisville and is averaging a disappointing 4.2 yards a carry so far this year.
He still leads the rushing attack this season, with 288 yards in three games, but hasn’t lived up to expectations so far and has only recorded two touchdowns. Part of what is so disappointing to Seminoles fans so far is the fact that Cook’s sophomore season was anything but average.
He finished with 1,691 yards and 19 touchdowns and averaged 7.4 yards a carry, breaking FSU’s single-season rushing record with his performance. Saturday would be a good time for a breakout performance for a Florida State team that’s in desperate need of a energy boost.
Matchup to Watch
South Florida offense vs. Florida State defense -- The Bulls are 3-0 and are averaging nearly 50 points per game, so while this isn’t Louisville, it’s another tough test for the Seminoles.
South Florida quarterback Quinton Flowers has thrown for 711 yards with seven touchdowns and only one interception to lead the team to an undefeated start. The Bulls are averaging nearly six yards per carry but it could be tough to do that against an uptick in competition.
The Bulls look good and Florida State struggled last week defensively, but it would still be a surprise to see South Florida score at will in this one.
Free ATS Pick
It’s hard to think about anything else but last week for many Seminoles fans, but Florida State had a good start to the 2016 season. The team defeated Ole Miss 45-34 in Week 1 and captured an anticipated blowout win over Charleston Southern the following week, dropping 50 points on the Buccaneers.
With Miami, Clemson and Florida among some of the biggest remaining tests for the Seminoles, righting the ship now is essential. One bad loss is tolerated in college football, but there’s no room for error after that.
Florida State’s Deondre Francois is 65-of-102 for 782 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. He was held to just 101 passing yards last week against Louisville so the freshman will definitely need to be more effective this week.
Saturday’s game marks the fourth meeting between the two schools. Florida State leads the contest 2-1 all-time. The Seminoles defeated the Bulls 34-14 at home last year and hope to get back on track with another win.
That should happen, although expect South Florida to put another scare into the reeling Seminoles.
NCAA Football Odds: Florida State 33, South Florida 30
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