BYU vs. South Florida Prediction, Odds, Spread and Over/Under for College Football Week 1

The BYU Cougars narrowly avoided a massive upset by the South Florida Bulls last September, winning by just eight points despite closing as 23.5-point favorites. South Florida wound up with disappointing 2-10 season while BYU finished 10-3, but the Bulls are optimistic they can keep things close once again.

With 10 starters returning on offense and nine on defense, the Bulls return 86% of their 2021 production. Unfortunately for them, the Cougars return 88% of their production from last year, good for the second-most in the country.

That continuity should allow both schools to fare well this upcoming season, but who has the edge in Week 1?

Let's take a peak at the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook before diving into this BYU vs South Florida matchup:

BYU vs South Florida Odds, Spread and Total

BYU vs South Florida Betting Trends

BYU

• 2-5 against the spread (ATS) last seven games

• 25-5 outright last 30 games

• 0-3 ATS last seven games as road favorites

South Florida

• 5-2 ATS last seven games

• 2-18 outright last 20 games

• 5-0 ATS last five games as home underdogs

BYU vs South Florida Prediction and Pick

South Florida is a trendy program to take a step forward this season after returning a tremendous amount of production while bringing in several key pieces, such as former Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon.

Bohanon is an electric, dual-threat signal caller who threw for 2,200 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Bears last year, adding 323 yards and nine scores on the ground. BYU struggled to contain former South Florida quarterback Timmy McClain last September, and Bohanon should be a sizeable upgrade over McClain.

The Cougars have their own dual-threat quarterback in Jaren Hall, who made his first career start back in 2019 against these same Bulls. Hall threw for 20 touchdowns to only five interceptions last year, and that ball security will significantly help an offense missing running back sensation Tyler Allgeier.

I can't ignore the spread trends coming into this matchup though. South Florida almost never wins, but it usually hangs around long enough to cover the spread. With five straight covers as home underdogs, I like the Bulls chances to keep things close thanks to Bohanon's dangerous duality.

Give me South Florida +12 in a tight game to kick off the college football season.

Pick: South Florida +12 (-110)

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.