USF Bulls vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Prediction, 9/2/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: USF Bulls vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023

Location: Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, KY

TV: CBSSN

Odds/Point Spread: Hilltoppers (-15)

Total/Over-Under: 70.5

The USF Bulls (1-11 last season) are en route to Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium on Saturday, September 2, 2023 where they will compete against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (9-5 last year). USF opens this contest as 15-point dogs. The over/under comes in at 70.5.

The USF Bulls ended the year having earned a 1-11 record. In their last game, the Bulls played the UCF Knights and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 46-39. Brian Battie led the offense in rushing for the Bulls with 19 carries for 144 yards (7.6 yards per carry). Byrum Brown went 13/20 with 140 yds passing and 1 TD. He had a QB rating of 130.3 and finished the contest with 1 pick. Against the run, the Bulls conceded 345 yards on 47 tries, which averages out to 7.3 yds per run allowed. USF allowed 24 pass completions on 29 tries for a total of 202 yards, and a completion percentage of 82.8%. In all, they tallied 63 plays which gave them 438 yards. The USF Bulls ended up running the ball 43 times and recorded 298 yards, which had them averaging 6.9 yds per attempt.

Regarding scoring, the USF Bulls held an average of 28.0 points per contest. As a unit they maintained an average of 197.9 yards rushing, which was 27th in college football. The Bulls racked up 4,690 total yards for the prior season. USF compiled 18 touchdowns through the air and 25 rushing touchdowns. USF tallied 234 1st downs as a team, and they were called for 55 infractions for 443 yards. They turned the football over 20 times.

The Bulls ranked 130th in college football concerning team defense, conceding 41.2 points per contest. The opposition ran for an average of 6.1 yards per tote and 234.6 rushing yards per contest last season. For the season, they conceded 2,815 yards on the ground in 12 games. Concerning yards through the air, the Bulls conceded 3,384 yards which had them sitting in 114th in Division 1. In their 12 games played, they allowed 282.0 yards per game through the air and allowed a completion percentage of 73.2%. They allowed 516.6 yards/outing which had them sitting 131st in Division 1. They gave up 25 touchdowns through the air as well as 37 touchdowns on the ground.

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The Hilltoppers finished the season having a 9-5 record. In their last game, the Hilltoppers got the win with a final of 44-23 against the South Alabama Jaguars. Markese Stepp ran the football 7 times for 63 yds, ending the game with 9.0 yds per carry for Western Kentucky. Austin Reed (4 TDs) ended the contest with 497 yds on 36/55 passing while his quarterback rating was 161.7. He threw 1 interception and his average yards per pass attempt was 9.0. Western Kentucky surrendered 25 rushing attempts for 44 yards (1.8 yards per rush). The Hilltoppers secondary gave up a completion percentage of 67.3%, relinquishing 377 yards on 37 out of 55 passing. The Hilltoppers finished the contest with a total of 677 yards on 82 plays (8.3 yds per play). Western Kentucky ran for 6.0 yards per carry, finishing the game with 155 yards on 26 attempts.

In terms of how much they scored, the Hilltoppers ranked 15th in college football holding an average of 36.4 PPG. Last season, the Hilltoppers racked up 4,931 yards via the pass not to mention an average of 352.2 passing yards per contest, which was ranked 2nd in D-1. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers had an average of 497.3 yards per contest, ranking them 7th in college football. The Western Kentucky offense compiled 805 yds of penalties on 87 violations, which was good for 32nd in D-1 in terms of helping out the other team.

The Hilltoppers relinquished 23.4 points per game, which had them in 44th in the country. Western Kentucky gave up a total of 2,066 yards on the ground (147.6 yards per contest) and 17 touchdowns rushing over the course of last season. Overall, they conceded 328 total points. They allowed 21 touchdowns via the pass as well as 236.1 yards per game, which had them in 85th in Division 1. The Hilltoppers defense took part in 1,025 plays, which had them sitting 128th in the nation.

Who will win tonight's Bulls/Hilltoppers college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Bulls +15

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