by Rod Pearson
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Venue: Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu, HI
Where to Watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: USF +3, SJSU -3; Over/Under: 61 points
Bet365: Point Spread: USF +3, SJSU -3; Over/Under: 60.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: USF +3, SJSU -3; Over/Under: 60.5 points
Season Record
South Florida Bulls: 6-6 (4-4) (7th place, AAC)
San Jose State Spartans: 7-5 (3-4) (5th place, MWC)
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Recent Form
South Florida Bulls: lost their last game on the road against the Rice Owls 35-28.
San Jose State Spartans: won their last game at home against the Stanford Cardinal 34-31.
South Florida Bulls vs San Jose State Spartans Preview and Analysis
South Florida is entering this game with a 6-6 record overall and they have a 4-4 record in their conference games too. They are 3-3 in their home games, 3-3 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They lost their last game against Rice 35-28. Bryce Archie was the starting QB and he completed 19/35 passes for 227 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Nay'Quan Wright led the team in rushing yards with 35 and 1 TD. Sean Atkins led the receivers with 110 receiving yards on 7 receptions and 1 TD. Mac Harris led the defense in that game with 9 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles while Ben Knox and Michael Williams II each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.
San Jose State is entering this game with a 7-5 record overall and they have a 3-4 record in their conference games too. They are 5-2 in their home games, 2-3 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against Stanford 34-31. Walker Eget was the starting QB and he completed 33/49 passes for 385 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Lamar Radcliffe led the team in rushing yards with 43. Nick Nash led the receivers with 91 receiving yards on 8 receptions and 2 TDs. DJ Harvey led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Jalen Apalit-Williams led the defense in sacks with 1. DJ Harvey, Isiah Revis, and Robert Rahimi each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.
South Florida vs San Jose State Prediction
The current betting odds have San Jose State listed as a 3 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. San Jose State has looked good in their games this season with their 7-5 record overall, but their 3-4 conference record has them lower in the MWC. They ended the regular season with a big win over Stanford and they have gone toe-to-toe with some decent teams this season, putting up a ton of points in a lot of their games. Meanwhile, South Florida has looked good in their games this season with their 6-6 record overall which was enough to get them here, but their 4-4 conference record has them in the middle of the AAC. They have looked great on offense this season and definitely improved under Alex Golesh, but their defense has been a big issue still. They have been giving up a ton of points all season to bad offenses and are even coming off a loss to Rice in their last one, giving up 35 points in that game. San Jose State also had a terrible defense this season as they were giving up a ton of points, but their offense was able to keep them in a lot of those games. They also played a much tougher schedule with teams like UNLV and Boise State who made the CFP, and San Jose State did look a lot better on defense against the weaker teams they faced. South Florida played a weaker schedule in the AAC this season and their defense was still giving up a ton of points against those weaker offenses. This will likely be a game where both offenses put some points up, but San Jose State does have the slight edge on defense and that will be enough for them to win this game. The best way to place a bet here is on San Jose State to cover the spread in this game.
South Florida San Jose State Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Tuesday, December 24, 2024 (8:00 pm ET start time) is SJSU 49 USF 42.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
South Florida Bulls: 3-9 ATS off a road loss. 2-6 ATS off a road loss against a conference rival. 5-12 ATS after playing their last game on the road. 20-11 OVER in all lined games. 9-5 OVER off a loss against a conference rival. 7-4 OVER vs. good passing teams averaging 250 or more passing yards/game.
San Jose State Spartans: 8-3 ATS when the line is +3 to -3. 10-4 ATS in non-conference games. 13-6 1H ATS after playing a game at home. 7-1 1H ATS vs. good offensive teams - scoring 31 or more points/game. 7-3 OVER when the line is +3 to -3. 3-1 OVER after a 2 game home stand.
Key Injuries
South Florida Bulls: B. Brown (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Powell (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed.
San Jose State Spartans: N. Nash (WR) Out - Personal. M. Miller (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed.
Notable Quotes
"There's the team that's really happy to be there, then there's the team that's there to win a football game.” - Alex Golesh on playing in the Hawaii Bowl.
“We are ecstatic to be invited to the Hawai’i Bowl. So happy for our entire program! Everyone, especially our players worked extremely hard for this amazing reward. We have coaches and players from Hawai’I, and it will be a cherished experience to play in the Hawai’i Bowl against such a great program in South Florida." - Ken Niumatalolo on playing in the Hawaii Bowl.
Starting Lineups
South Florida Bulls
WR Smith, JeyQuan
WR Singleton, Keshaun
WR Atkins, Sean
TE Singletary, Payten
QB Brown, Byrum
RB Joiner, Kelley
San Jose State Spartans
WR Lockhart, Justin
WR Hurry, TreyShun
WR Nash, Nick
TE Stewart, Jacob
QB Brown, Emmett
RB Bates, Jabari
Statistical Leaders
South Florida Bulls
Passing: B. Archie (1679)
Rushing: K. Joiner (766)
Receiving: S. Atkins (695)
Touchdowns: K. Joiner (13)
San Jose State Spartans
Passing: W. Eget (2224)
Rushing: F. Chalk (661)
Receiving: N. Nash (1382)
Touchdowns: N. Nash (16)
Coaches:
South Florida Bulls: Alex Golesh (2nd season)
San Jose State Spartans: Ken Niumatalolo (1st season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
