South Florida Bulls Football

It’s the final Thursday night ESPN game of the regular season this week and while West Virginia-South Florida doesn’t look like much on paper, it does have Orange Bowl implications—although you can bet the Orange Bowl would love to get out of its ties with the lousy Big East because it’s going to get another mediocre team.

Entering the final week, No. 23 West Virginia, the conference’s only ranked team, and Cincinnati are 4-2 in Big East play, a half game behind Louisville. The Cards’ regular season is over, while Cincinnati hosts Connecticut on Saturday.

Here is the only way WVU (8-3) will get the Orange Bowl spot: West Virginia needs to beat USF and then the Mountaineers need Cincinnati to win to create a three-way tie with Louisville. If that happens, the three would be 1-1 against each other. The tiebreaker would be highest-ranked team in the BCS standings. And the only Big East team in the BCS standings right now is WVU at No. 23, so it’s pretty clear the Mountaineers would be the choice if things break their way (Cincy should handle the Huskies).

If UC does not win or WVU falls to South Florida, the Mountaineers appear ticketed to something called the Belk Bowl (formerly Meineke Car Care Bowl) in Charlotte on Dec. 27. For Louisville to reach the Orange Bowl it’s simple: Cincinnati must lose because the Cardinals topped the Bearcats 25-16 in their Big East opener back in October. UC gets the BCS spot if it wins and WVU loses.

USF (5-6) was a preseason favorite along with WVU to win the conference this year but has been a mammoth disappointment in coach Skip Holtz’s second season. The Bulls must win this game to reach a bowl game—the school has gone to a bowl six years in a row.

It seems likely that USF would play in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl at Tropicana Field in neighboring St. Petersburg if it wins Thursday. But it’s not a sure thing that a bowl will take USF with a 6-6 record.

West Virginia at South Florida Betting Storylines

The Bulls enter off a 34-24 loss to Louisville, USF’s sixth loss in the past seven games. The Bulls, playing without injured starting quarterback B.J. Daniels, led 17-3 at one point in the second quarter and took a 24-20 lead into the fourth before coughing it up. USF has blown second-half leads in four of its games this season.

Daniels is obviously the key injury for this one and is still questionable with an AC joint bruise in his throwing shoulder suffered in a 6-3 loss to Miami. Bobby Eveld started in place of Daniels vs. the Cardinals and was 20-of-35 for 210 yards with a touchdown and an interception. USF converted only four of 15 third downs.

Eveld is more of a drop-back quarterback, much less mobile than that dual threat Daniels. On the bright side, USF should have both starting cornerbacks available vs. WVU. Kayvon Webster missed the Louisville game with concussion-like symptoms, while Quenton Washington was forced from the game early because of a shoulder injury. But both are expected to play.

West Virginia has won two straight by a total of four points.

The Mountaineers won perhaps the final Backyard Brawl for the foreseeable future—with both WVU and Pitt headed to different conferences, perhaps as early as next year but maybe not until 2014—with a 21-20 comeback win over Pittsburgh. The Panthers led 17-7 at halftime and 20-7 early in the third quarter but were limited to 80 yards in the second half.

West Virginia sacked Pitt QB Tino Sunseri 10 times (a school-record-tying four by Julian Miller), including four on Pittsburgh's final drive. WVU QB Geno Smith completed 22-of-31 passes for 244 yards and set school single-season school records for pass completions (291), attempts (448) and yards (3,741), all marks formerly held by Marc Bulger in 1998.

Under new head coach Dana Holgorsen, WVU has one of the nation’s top offenses. It leads the Big East in scoring, total yards, passing and pass efficiency. Smith averages the fifth-most passing yards per game in the nation (340.1) and has thrown 25 touchdowns with just four interceptions.

WVU also has two 1,000-yard receivers, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, for the first time in school history. The Mountaineers have increased their scoring average from 25.2 points per game in 2010 to 35.4 this year (No. 20 in nation). Passing yardage has gone from an average of 213 yards per game in 2010 to 351.4 yards per game this season (No. 6 in country).

This is the seventh meeting between the two with the series knotted at three wins apiece. West Virginia has not won in Tampa Bay since 2005. Last year in Morgantown WVU won 20-6.

West Virginia at South Florida Betting Odds and Trends

WVU has opened as a one-point favorite on NCAA football odds with the total at 50. A little more than 70 percent of the early action is on the Mountaineers.

WVU is 5-6 ATS this season and 3-1 ATS on the road. USF is 4-7 ATS this season and 2-4 at home. ‘Over/under’ records: WVU 8-3, USF 6-5.

WVU is 11-0 ATS in past 11 road games vs. teams with a losing home record. But the Mountaineers are only 1-4 ATS in past five following a win. USF is 1-4 ATS in past five following a loss and 0-7 ATS in past seven Thursday games.

The ‘'over'’ is 4-1 in WVU’s past five road games. The ‘'under'’ is 4-1 ATS in past five between these schools. The underdog has covered in four of the past five as well.

College Football Picks: West Virginia at South Florida Betting Predictions

I love WVU in this game, whether Daniels plays or not. The Mountaineers simply have way more talent—and if Daniels doesn’t play, the QB faceoff is an incredible mismatch.

And while USF might be slightly motivated to play in a bowl game, WVU will certainly have the edge in that category.

The Bulls have a decent defense but have given up at least 34 points to the likes of Louisville, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, so I expect at least that many for West Virginia.

I’m sure the Bulls can manage at least 20, so take the ‘'over'’ as well.

Doc Moseman is the owner of Doc’s Sports football picks Web site.

The Louisville Cardinals and South Florida Bulls are going in different directions.

The Cardinals got off to a very slow start, but have come on strong down the stretch, with wins in four of their last five games. Suddenly, they are staring at a chance to grab a share of the Big East title.

The Bulls, on the other hand, have completely fallen apart down the stretch. They started 4-0, but have since gone 1-5. They're going to need to finish strong if they want to earn bowl eligibility.

Let's take a closer look at this matchup:

Where: Raymond James Stadium

When: Friday, Nov. 25 at 11:00 a.m. ET

Watch: ESPN2 and streaming online at ESPN3.com

Listen: Live audio streaming on UofLSports.com and GoUSFBulls.com; U of L Radio Network for Louisville radio, 620 WDAE AM for South Florida radio.

Betting Line: South Florida -3, according to Sportsbook.

Key Storyline

The Bulls' chances of winning the Big East evaporated weeks ago, but the Cardinals can earn a share of the Big East title with a win on Friday. Louisville hasn't won the Big East since 2006, so you know the Cardinals are going to be fired up.

Who Might Not Play for Louisville

According to the USA Today, the Cardinals have a couple of injuries they'll be monitoring this week. Defensive end Marcus Smith is still feeling an ankle injury he suffered in Week 10, and defensive tackle Greg Scruggs is still dealing with a foot injury. Both are questionable for Friday's game.

Who Might Not Play for South Florida

The Cardinals are dealing with a couple injuries, but the Bulls are dealing with a bunch (again via USA Today). Linebacker Curtis Weatherspoon (knee) and quarterback B.J. Daniels (shoulder) are both listed as doubtful for Friday's game. Tight end Isaac Virgin (shoulder), fullback Chris Breit (shoulder), wide receiver A.J. Love (shin) and defensive end Claude Davis (ankle) are all questionable.

BCS/Top 25 Poll Implications

There are neither. Both the Cardinals and the Bulls are well outside the BCS Top 25, and neither of them will be playing in a BCS bowl this year. The best thing either team can do is hope for a bowl bid.

What They're Saying

While the present Cardinals football team has its hands full preparing for Friday's game, much of the attention in Louisville at the moment is focused on former Cardinals star Lenny Lyles, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 75.

“Lenny was an icon,” Louisville head coach Charlie Strong said, according to The Courier-Journal. “He was one of the first African-American players to come into this program. He’s done so much. And when you think of him he was one of those players who didn’t need the spotlight. He was always behind the scenes.”

Lyles played for Louisville in the 1950s, and would eventually be the No. 11 overall pick in the 1958 NFL Draft.

Meanwhile in Tampa, Greg Auman of the St. Petersburg Times points out that the Bulls could be in line for a rather significant matchup if they can get one more win to become bowl eligible. Another win could put them in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg, in which they could face East Carolina.

In case you've forgotten, South Florida head coach Skip Holtz used to coach at East Carolina.

Writes Auman:

If the Bulls can get win No. 6—and that's still a big if, with games against Louisville and West Virginia and QB B.J. Daniels' status uncertain due to a shoulder injury—then having Holtz against his old team would be the best sell the bowl could ask for.

And as we all know, selling these bowls is the only thing that matters.

Louisville Player to Watch

The Cardinals are not a strong offensive team, but they got a nice lift from freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater against UConn this past Saturday. He didn't throw any touchdown passes, but he did run for two. Because Louisville's defense is so good, the Cardinals don't need much from Bridgewater, but they will gladly accept whatever he gives them.

South Florida Player to Watch

You just have a bad feeling that B.J. Daniels isn't going to be able to play on Friday. If he can't go, it will be up to Bobby Eveld to move the ball for the Bulls. He should probably be ready for action, no matter what Daniels' status is.

Key Matchup

Regardless who is under center for the Bulls, it's not going to be easy to move the ball on Louisville's defense, which is arguably the best unit in the Big East. If South Florida can't find a way to generate some offense, this game is going to get away from them very quickly.

Prediction: Louisville 24, USF 17

This is not going to be a pretty game to behold, but I think the Cardinals will ultimately come away with it. Daniels' injury status is a huge concern, and I think the Bulls will be overmatched against Louisville's defense.

A pivotal Big East matchup takes place tonight as the Pittsburgh Panthers host the South Florida Bulls.

Ranked at No. 16 in the country, the Bulls haven't had a challenge since the opening week, and because this is a Thursday night showdown, there is added pressure on the Bulls to deliver, so expect a close one. 

This will be the last time these two teams face each other as conference opponents because Pittsburgh is headed to the ACC next year. That makes this matchup even more intriguing as both teams want to out duel the other one final time. 

With that said, lets dig into some more specifics about this Big East battle. 

When: Thursday, Sept. 29, 8:00 p.m. ET 

Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA

Watch: ESPN, ESPN3.com

Spread 

According to bodog.com, the Panthers are favored by a field goal, which is an accurate assessment. Neither team has been absolutely spectacular, although Pittsburgh did a better job of slowing down Notre Dame. The Bulls didn't really beat Notre Dame because the Fighting Irish beat themselves.

I like the Panthers ever for the upset in terms of the Top 25 Polls. It's a home game, and that should be the difference maker tonight as the Bulls are finally exposed.

Over/Under 

 According to bodog.com, the over/under is set at 52. Take the over here because there isn't going to be much defense in this game. The Panthers defense was pretty good a week ago, but this week has been all about getting the offense back on track and one of these two teams will score in the 30's tonight. 

Key Injuries

 Bulls' defensive backs Quenton Washington, Tyson Butler and Ernie Tabuteau all have different injuries, but the only one questionable for tonight's game is Tabuteau. Defensive tackle Demi Thompson is questionable with a back injury, and wide receiver Terrence Mitchell is out with a concussion.  

Panthers' offensive lineman Chris Jacobson and linebacker Dan Mason are both out indefinitely with knee injuries.

BCS/Top 25 Poll Implications 

Pittsburgh has lost two games in a row, and while a win tonight would greatly help him, it's unlikely they'll see the Top 25 this season. 

South Florida is No. 16 in the country, and if they lose tonight they will be out of the top 25. They have a chance to reach a BCS bowl if the win the Big East, but a loss tonight will make it much harder to achieve that.

Keys to a South Florida Win 

 The Bulls need to continue their success with running the ball, but creating turnovers is key for South Florida tonight. 

They need to start off strong or else they'll fail to get momentum going. However, creating turnovers will always give a team a boost in momentum, but they have to put points on the board afterwards.

Keys to Pittsburgh Win 

 Give the ball to Ray Graham, and let him do his thing. Graham is seventh in the nation in rushing, and the offense is built around him.

He has to find success early and often tonight, and of course his quarterback Tino Sunseri can't make any mistakes.

Prediction 

 The Panthers will thrive at home as Ray Graham has a phenomenal night rushing the ball. The Bulls will start off 0-1 in Big East play because they'll be exposed in Pittsburgh tonight. 

Pittsburgh 30, South Florida 24

South Florida and Pitt are ready for a Thursday night Big East prime-time showdown. It is the first conference game for both teams.

The Bulls look like the class of the conference early, but they are going to be on the road in this one, and Pitt is far from a pushover.

This should be a great game.

Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh

When: 8:00 p.m. EDT

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN3 

Radio: Full list of South Florida Bulls radio networks, full list of Pitt Panther radio networks

Betting Line: South Florida -3

Injury Report for South Florida (injury information via USA Today):

• Probable: OL Tony Kibler (knee), CB Quenton Washington (knee), CB Tyson Butler (hamstring)
• Questionable: DB Ernie Tabuteau (back), DT Demi Thompson (back)
• Doubtful: WR Terrence Mitchell (concussion)
• Out: DT Todd Chandler (academics)

Injury Report for Pitt (Injury information via USA Today):

• Out: OL Chris Jacobson (knee), LB Dan Mason (knee)
  

BCS/Top 25 Poll Implications

The Bulls have been on a steady ascension all season. They started off the year beating Notre Dame, and they haven't stopped winning since.

South Florida does not have a very big margin for error if they want to work their way into the BCS. They only have one team left on their schedule that is currently ranked in the Top 25. If they want to make a run at the BCS, they have to win this one.

Pitt sits at 2-2. If they want to make it into the Top 25 they have to start a winning streak. They cannot afford to drop this game and fall below .500 if they want to make a serious run at being ranked.

Key Storyline: Can South Florida dominate the Big East?

The Bulls are off to a tremendous start. They are exceeding expectations and looking good doing it. They clearly look like the class of the weak Big East; now they just have to prove it.

USF was just 3-5 in Big East play a year ago. This is their first conference game of the season, and they should view this a chance to send a message that they are ready to be the Big East bullies.

What They're Saying:

South Florida needs to learn how to keep the pedal to the medal for four quarters and focus on improving as the season progresses. ESPN touched on this:

"The Bulls racked up 575 yards—373 on the ground—in beating UTEP 52-24 on Saturday, but kept the ball for a season-low 24:02 and didn't seal it until a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.

"'You never take one for granted,' [head coach Skip] Holtz said. 'You're excited about the positive things that happened on the field. But you pinch yourself because you've got to do so many things better.'"

 

Player to Watch for South Florida: QB B.J. Daniels

Daniels has 1,071 yards, and he has done it efficiently. He is completing just more than 66 percent of his passes, and he has eight touchdowns to just one interception.

Daniels has this passing game cruising. They are 23rd in the nation with 295 passing yards per game.

Player to Watch for Pitt: RB Ray Graham

Graham has rushed for 508 yards on 5.1 yards per carry and has also reached pay-dirt six times. He is also Pitt's leading receiver with 21 catches, totaling 129 yards on those receptions.

Graham is the centerpiece of this offense who will draw plenty of attention from the Bulls' defense.

Key Matchup: B.J. Daniels vs. Pitt's front seven

As I mentioned, Daniels is lighting it up. If he has time, he is going to carve up any defense. Pitt has to get pressure on him and put him on the ground often.

The Panthers need to disrupt his rhythm, and Pitt has a solid pass-rush. They harassed Notre Dame's Tommy Rees into two turnovers last week and hit him often. They will need to do the same in this game for Pitt to have a chance.

Prediction: South Florida 27, Pitt 20

Is there any doubt that the Big East Conference is the weakest of all the BCS conferences?

For one thing, there’s only one Big East team remaining without a loss and that is No. 16 South Florida as the Bulls' open conference play on Thursday night’s ESPN national TV game at Pittsburgh.

And secondly, USF is the only team in the conference with a win over a ranked team so far this year—coming in the season opener over Notre Dame, which isn’t ranked any longer.

This one could be the final meeting as conference foes for the Bulls and Panthers, with Pitt ACC-bound. The Big East says it will keep Pitt until the 2014 season as Pittsburgh and Syracuse are obligated to stay 27 months after notifying the conference it will leave. But most believe some sort of negotiated buyout will get those schools out sooner so they aren’t playing multiple lame-duck seasons.

South Florida at Pitt Betting Storylines

The Bulls were always going to go as far as QB B.J. Daniels took them. He has been wildly inconsistent in his career, with a completion percentage in the mid-50s and 25 touchdowns against 22 picks entering this year.

But the dual-threat junior seems to have figured things out in 2011, completing 66.1 percent of his passes for 1,071 yards, eight touchdowns and just one pick. And he has run 39 times for 201 yards and two scores. He’s in the argument with West Virginia’s Geno Smith as the conference’s best offensive player so far.

Daniels has led the Bulls to a whopping 122 points combined the past two weeks in wins over Florida A&M and UTEP. Daniels threw for 202 yards and rushed for 130 with three total touchdowns against the Miners. The Bulls are No. 10 in the nation in scoring at 45.5 points per game, but they haven’t played anyone other than the Irish. The offense has topped 500 yards in each of the past three games, the first time in program history that has been accomplished.

Pitt, by the way, is No. 115 in the nation in pass defense.

Pitt (2-2) was supposed to have a high-powered offense this year with the arrival of head coach Todd Graham and his up-tempo scheme from Tulsa. But that hasn’t been the case so far, with Pitt ranking just 73rd in the nation in scoring at 27.3 ppg. Last week Pitt lost, 15-12, to Notre Dame with QB Tino Sunseri managing just 165 yards in the air. The Panthers could well be 4-0 as they led Notre Dame, 12-7, midway through the fourth quarter and they blew a 21-point second-half lead the week before vs. Iowa.

The Panthers’ best offensive player is RB Ray Graham. He had eight catches against Notre Dame for 43 yards to go along with 21 rushes for 89 yards and is eighth in the nation in rushing.

These teams have met eight times all-time, with Pitt winning the past three to take a 5-3 series advantage. Last year it was a defensive struggle in Tampa, a 17-10 Pitt victory. Neither team managed 300 yards of offense.

South Florida at Pitt Betting Odds and Trends

Pittsburgh is a two-point favorite with the total at 52, according to college football odds. USF is getting nearly 75 percent of the early action.

Pitt is just 1-3 ATS this season, while USF is 3-1. Bulls are 5-0 ATS in their past five road games,  but 0-6 ATS in their past six on Thursday. Pitt is 10-1 ATS in their past 11 following a loss. Panthers have covered just once in their past seven Thursday games. The favorite is 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings between these two. The "under" is 5-2 in USF’s past seven Big East games. The "under" is 7-3 in Pitt’s past 10 as a dog.

College Football Picks: South Florida at Pitt Predictions

The first quarter should be quite interesting in this one. The Bulls have outscored their first four opponents 65-7 in the first quarter. The Panthers have not allowed a point in the first quarter this season, outscoring their opponents 29-0.

I always like the home team in these quick turnaround games when the clubs are even for the most part, because there’s less disruption for the home club. And, for example, USF couldn’t practice on Sunday because of weather and had to practice at nearly 10 p.m. on Monday night. So I have to say take Pitt here and give the points. I’d also go with the "over."

Doc’s Sports is your source for all things college football - picks, articles, live odds and more. Click Here for more info.

Since 2008, I began to make 17 bold predictions on the upcoming college football season. While I am sure I have a losing record in these, it won’t stop me from making more.

Here we go with the 2011 set:

1. Heisman invites per conference—two Pac-12, one SEC, one Mountain West. That's all. 

2. One of the big name coaches currently not with a team will have a job before the season ends. 

3. Some coach on no ones hot seat list will be out by week nine. 

4. Virginia Tech CB Jayron Hosley will again lead the nation in interceptions. Cliff Harris and John Boyett at Oregon will lead as a combo. 

5. The Big-Ten will change the names of the divisions known as Legends and Leaders (this is less of a prediction and more what I hope happens).

6. Conference realignment will shift to the 14 team conference and not quite to the 16 team model just yet. 

7. No major FCS upsets. Beware of the Sun Belt.

8. Despite popular belief, the Mountain West will prove to be really no different than what the WAC was with the departure of Utah and BYU.

9. The Sun Belt has a solid showing, but doesn’t finish as the 11th conference.

10. Three Stoops brothers as head coaches. 

11. Utah and Nebraska play in their new conference championship games in their first years in    the new conferences. 

12. An SEC team doesn’t win the National Championship.

13. A one-loss Mountain West champion plays in a BCS bowl.

14. Navy joins the Big East.

15. Despite all the griping and moaning by some people, the new taunting rule will not impact the outcome of a game without the penalty being well deserved.  

16. The most recent team that came up to FBS, Western Kentucky, will not be the worst team in the nation.

17. USF becomes the last of the Big East expansion teams to make a BCS bowl (Lousiville, Cinci, and Uconn all have already gone).

The South Florida football program is a bit maddening. For the past handful of years, the Bulls have always been considered a Big East contender, but something always seems to get in their way—usually themselves.

This is one of those programs that wins a game or two each year that it probably shouldn’t (at Miami last year, FSU the year before) and loses one it shouldn’t (Syracuse at home last year). Thus, USF usually ends up in some second-tier bowl because its fans don’t travel well.

It will probably be more of the same this year as the Big East media picked USF to finish third in the conference.

Coach
Skip Holtz arrived from Connecticut to replace the ousted Jim Leavitt last year and he had a solid season, leading the Bulls to an 8-5 record, including a win over Clemson in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

There’s no question that USF did seem to improve at the end of last season. And Holtz and his staff should have an advantage over Big East contenders West Virginia and Pittsburgh: continuity. Holtz spent his first year getting to know his players, but now they can simply maximize their talent because the players know his system.

Both WVU and Pitt have brought in new head coaches—two in the Panthers’ case. Meanwhile, every member of USF’s staff is back from last year.

Offense
The key to the offense is simple: inconsistent QB B.J. Daniels. He shows signs of being a dual-threat star (think of new FSU starter E.J. Manuel), but he also has had some questionable decisions and he has regressed from his freshman year. Last season Daniels completed 58.4 percent of his passes for 1,685 yards, 11 TDs and 13 interceptions. Holtz’s system restricted his freedom a bit. But no quarterback in the Big East conference has more experience than Daniels, who has started 22 games.

In fairness to Daniels, he had to adjust to a third offensive coordinator last year and had to deal with a receiving corps that was beset with injuries and lost two of its top three pass catchers, including A.J. Love, who had 56 catches two seasons ago but missed last year with a torn ACL. Love is back as is Sterling Griffin, who missed last year with an ankle injury.

At running back, look for a mix of Darrell Scott, a former top recruit in the nation who transferred from Colorado, and holdover Demetris Murray (542 yards rushing in 2010). The line has to replace three starters. Overall, four starters are back on this unit.

Defense
This unit lost six starters, including three on the line and none more important than All-Big East performer Terrell McClain.

The staff expects a breakout season from sophomore end Ryan Giddins, who is the highest-rated recruit ever to commit to USF. He had 3.5 sacks last year.

Linebacker DeDe Lattimore will likely be the star of the defense. He had a great 2010 season, finishing second on the team with 69 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, in being named a Freshman All American.

In the secondary, three starters are back.

2011 South Florida Bulls Football Schedule
USF opens at Notre Dame, where Holtz was an assistant for eight years and where his father coached Notre Dame to its last national title (1988) during his tenure there. If the Bulls take that one, they should open 4-0 as they will be favored in home games vs. Ball State, Florida A&M and UTEP.

Then USF is at Pittsburgh on a short week—but the Panthers also will have played just a few days earlier and against Notre Dame.

The Bulls then get more than two weeks off before visiting UConn, where it shouldn’t be too cold yet on Oct. 15. USF has never been a good cold-weather team.

Next follows a home game against Cincinnati and road games at Rutgers and Syracuse (at least the Bulls visit New York in the winter for a dome game). I expect USF to be 6-3 entering a three-game homestand to close the season vs. Miami (Fla.), Louisville and West Virginia.

2011 South Florida Bulls BCS and Big East College Football Odds
USF’s over/under win total for the regular season is eight at Bodog with its odds to win the Big East at 5/2 (second behind West Virginia). South Florida’s odds on WagerWeb to win the national title are +10000.

2011 South Florida Bulls Football Predictions
It’s time for this team to take the next step. The Bulls played in their sixth consecutive bowl game and are now one of four programs to win their last three postseason appearances. But they aren’t exactly playing in top-flight bowls. I don’t think they will this year. More than eight wins is unrealistic, so I would go with the "under" as 7-5 looks about right to me.

If Daniels becomes a superstar, USF might contend for the Big East title because in that weak conference a 5-2 record is probably good enough to win it (it was last year). And that WVU game in Tampa to end the year could well be for the conference crown.

Explosiveness, balance, power, speed and vision.

Those are the five traits I value most in a running back.

Very rarely do you come across a total package back who possesses an equal amount of all five traits.

It’s a category reserved for only the elite rushers of the game.

‘Five Tool’ backs are the ones who can simultaneously will their offense to the end zone while wowing crowds with dazzling highlight-reel runs.

Because the competition is so questionable at the high school level, it’s hard to judge how great a young running back really is, and it's difficult to tell if he's actually a 'Five Tool' back.

The greatest high school running back I’ve ever seen in my lifetime is Adrian Peterson.

After catching a glimpse of Peterson at the annual Army All-American game back in 2004, I was convinced that he was the only high school football player who I've seen who was physically equipped to make a successful jump straight to the NFL.

Peterson was so great and so dominant that he turned out to be the player who first got me interested in college football recruiting.

In the years that have followed, out of the hundreds of different highlights I’ve seen of top running back recruits, there’s only been one prospect who I’ve even thought of putting in Peterson’s class and that was Darrell Scott out of California’s St. Bonaventure High School.

Scott, who was rated as the No. 1 back of the 2008 class by both Scout and Rivals recruiting services, may not have been quite the same sheer unstoppable force that Peterson was during his time at Palestine High School, but you could tell from just one look that Scott had been blessed with the same type of physical gifts.

The 6’1’’, 215-pound high school senior was rumored to run a sub-4.4 40-yard dash and if you’ve seen some of Scott’s high school film, that actually seems pretty believable.

After running for over 2,400 yards and 35 TDs and pacing St. Bonaventure to a division and state championship as a senior, it came time for Scott to decide on his football future.

All the major colleges came calling.

Schools such as USC, Texas, Michigan, Miami, and Florida State all offered Scott the chance to come be a star and flaunt his talents in front of millions, but the highly touted recruit had other plans.

Shockingly, Scott made the decision to sign with Colorado, a program not traditionally known for bringing in five-star recruits.

At the time, then-head coach Dan Hawkins was entering his third season in Boulder with a combined 8-17 record, but somehow, Hawkins managed to reel in the one of the biggest football fishes in the country.

Scott arrived at Colorado and instantly became one of the most popular players on the team, but he ended up eventually losing out in a position battle with lesser known teammate Rodney Stewart and he never recovered.

His production as a freshman, just 343 rushing yards and one touchdown, never came close to matching his initial hype and midway through his second season, it became clear to Scott that going to Colorado was indeed a mistake and a misjudgment.

Sadly, it appeared that Scott had wasted the phenomenal potential he showed as a high school standout.

Second chances in major college football don’t come along all that often, but Scott may have lucked out and found the ideal situation to try and wage his comeback in 2011.

In the 14-year history of the South Florida football program, the team has never had a running back drafted by an NFL team.

Sure, the Bulls have had their fare share of successful ground attacks over the years but the team has never truly produced a bona fide star at the position.

Andre Hall, the team’s all time leading rusher, is the best back in school history and I bet 80 percent of college football fans have no idea who he is.

The Bulls have been waiting for a big time running back and they may have finally backdoored their way into one after Scott’s transfer down to Tampa.

From all the reports that I’ve seen and read this spring, it sounds as if Scott has the right mindset and the right attitude to buckle down and get to work this season.

There is no sense of the typical ego that you sometimes see from former highly praised and highly publicized high school recruits.

The former five star prospect may have to fight for carries early on in the season with backfield mates Demetris Murray and Dontae Aycock, but if the big junior can get going quickly, he should become the offense’s featured back relatively early.

At this point, Darrell Scott is still an unproven commodity who has the promise and the potential but lacks the production to back it up.

Can Scott be the most effective running back in the Big East this season?

Oh yeah, he’s got the talent, but guys like Cincinnati's Isaiah Pead, Pittsburgh’s Ray Graham and Louisville’s Victor Anderson will have their say as well.

With the departures of Jordan Todman, Bilal Powell, Delone Carter, Noel Devine, and Dion Lewis, five of the conference’s top six rushers from a year ago, there’s now plenty of room for running backs to make a name for themselves this season.

Even though it’s still early, if you told me I had to pick a favorite to win the Big East this season, I’d have to go with South Florida.

We already know players like QB B.J. Daniels will be crucial to the offense’s ultimate success, but it should be interesting to see how big of an impact Scott will have.

Now that Bryce Brown's getting a fresh start at Kansas State and Darrell Scott is looking to make moves at South Florida, don't be surprised if 2011 turns out to be the season of redemption for former top running back recruits.