Every team enters the start of the new college football season with a certain level od expectation placed upon them. For some teams, it’s just about doing better than the previous year and making it to a bowl game, while for others, nothing less than a playoff spot will suffice. In most cases, the expectations are dependent on the conference that a team plays in, with the Power 5 teams all looking to fill one of those 4 coveted spots at the end of the regular season. For the lesser conferences, it’s all about winning their conference championship and getting into one of the bigger bowl games.
We have a pair of teams on the opposite end of the spectrum going head to head this weekend, with the Wisconsin Badgers looking to bully their way back to the top of the Big Ten West, after seeing Northwestern win the division last season. For the USF Bulls, it’s all about making amends for an awful end to a season that started so well in 2018. Wisconsin are in as a 12.5-point road favorite, with the point total for this one set at 57 ½.
Wisconsin vs USF 2019 College Football Week 1 Lines & Expert Analysis
- When: Friday, August 30 at 7 PM EST
- Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: SiriusXM
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- College Football Week 1 Lines: Wisconsin Badgers -12.5 (Total 57.5)
Utah vs BYU 2019 College Football Week 1 Odds, Game Info & Pick
Weather Forecast
- Partly Cloudy: 32°C/89°F
- Humidity: 76%
- Precipitation: 80%
- Cloud Cover: 62%
- Wind: 10 mph ENE
- Stadium Type: Open
Why bet on the Wisconsin Badgers?
The Wisconsin Badgers are starting this season ranked at #10, and while this is a game that you would expect them to win, this is far from being an easy Week 1 outing. To get there, the Badgers will need to be a whole lot more consistent that they were last season, where they closed out the regular season on a 5-5 run before pounding Miami 35-3 in a bowl game.
When the offense was good last season, the Badgers looked like one of the better teams in the country, but they flipped between looking great and being totally unable to move the ball, which is usually when the losses came. The Badgers are a great SU road bet, going 16-4 in their last 20 games away from home. On the downside, they are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite.
Team Stats
Offense- Points per Game: 29.69
- Passing Yards: 161.23
- Rushing Yards: 273.38
- Yards per Play: 6.46
- Points per Game: 22.62
- Passing Yards: 189.08
- Rushing Yards: 155.08
- Yards per Play: 5.49
Why bet on the USF Bulls?
The Bulls saw a promising season go up in flames last year with a brutal second half of the season. It all started going wrong for USF with a 57-36 loss to Houston, which they then followed up with 4 more losses to close out the regular season. The bleeding continued in their bowl game, where they were routed 38-20 by Marshall.
It was a strange end to the season for a Bulls team that looked very strong in the first half, so it’s going to be interesting to see what version of the Bulls we get this year. The Bulls are winners of 6 consecutive Week 1 games, but this might well be their toughest yet. They are also 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games versus teams from the Big Ten.
Team Stats
Offense- Points per Game: 28.46
- Passing Yards: 243.23
- Rushing Yards: 194.62
- Yards per Play: 6.00
- Points per Game: 32.00
- Passing Yards: 199.08
- Rushing Yards: 247.92
- Yards per Play: 5.85
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Wisconsin vs USF 2019 College Football Week 1 Betting Trends
- Badgers are 8-1 SU in their last 9 games played in August
- Badgers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games played in week 1
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Wisconsin’s last 5 games played on a Friday
- Bulls are 0-6 SU in their last 6 games.
- Bulls are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 9 of South Florida’s last 11 games when playing as the underdog
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Wisconsin vs USF
Both of these teams will be looking to get off to a fast start after a disappointing end to last season. This one could be close early, but I think the Badgers will begin to pull away as the game progresses.
Score: Wisconsin Badgers 35 – USF Bulls 21
