The Old Dominion Monarchs take on the South Florida Bulls on Wednesday in the Cure Bowl. The game kicks off at 5:00 p.m. ET in Orlando, Florida.
The Bulls are listed as 3.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 53.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction, and best bet for the Cure Bowl.
Old Dominion vs. South Florida prediction, preview
Old Dominion
The Monarchs had a great season, winning nine games and finishing second in the Sun Belt. Unfortunately, they are in the same division as JMU, which was the clear class of the conference this season. That cost them a chance to win the conference, but it got them into an exciting bowl game against South Florida. This ODU team opened the season with just a 13-point loss on the road against the No. 1 team in the country, the Indiana Hoosiers. They also beat Virginia Tech on the road in non-conference play early in the season. This team has proven it can contend with high-end competition and will beat any inferior competition, with two of its three losses coming to College Football Playoff teams. However, one major issue for the Monarchs is that quarterback Colton Joseph, who leads the team in rushing as well as passing, has opted out of the game as he plans on entering the transfer portal. That means that freshman Quinn Henicle will get the start for ODU.
South Florida
It was a great season for South Florida that ultimately ended in disappointment. After pulling off an upset win over Florida and beating Boise State in its first two games of the season, the Bulls were the heavy favorites to make the College Football Playoff. However, they tripped up against Memphis and Navy, both by three points, both in conference play. This could be a flat spot for South Florida. Not only did they miss out on the College Football Playoff, but quarterback Byrum Brown has opted out of the game and head coach Alex Golesh has departed the program for Auburn. Senior Gaston Moore will be getting the start for the Bulls in Brown’s stead.
Old Dominion vs. South Florida pick, best bet
My best bet for this game is for Old Dominion to cover the spread as 3.5-point underdogs. Both of these teams are missing their starting quarterbacks, and both quarterbacks are their team’s leading passer and rusher. However, Byrum Brown is the more valuable player to his team. Brown is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, leading the nation in scrimmage yards this season. Brown is the South Florida offense, and backup Gaston Moore is a career backup with nowhere near the athleticism of Brown. ODU backup Quinn Henicle is likely going to be the team’s starting quarterback next season, and he has some playing experience in which he has performed well. Henicle is built for the same offense that Colton Joseph ran, so the ODU staff can just plug-and-play here. Alex Golesh has taken most of the South Florida offensive coaching staff to Auburn, so low-level assistants are drawing up plays for a completely new-look offense. Old Dominion should be the more motivated team and is less affected by the loss of their quarterback, so the Monarchs should have a great chance to win outright.
