Charlie Strong continues to build success at South Florida, as the No. 23-ranked Bulls carry a 5-0 record into Week 7 of the season. South Florida will be competing on a short week as it looks to move to 6-0 and keep its New Year's Six hopes alive, traveling to Tulsa to battle a struggling Golden Hurricane team that sits at 1-4 on the year. Strong and the Bulls have a bit to go, but they've crept into the rankings and are firmly still in the AAC race for another season.
Viewing information
Date: Friday, Oct. 12 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Chapman Stadium -- Tulsa, Oklahoma
TV: ESPN | Live stream: WatchESPN
Storylines
USF: Junior running Jordan Cronkite is the player of the moment for USF, setting both school and AAC records with 302 rushing yards against UMass. Cronkite currently averages third nationally in yards per game and yards per carry, bringing a three-game run of 100-yard performances into Friday night's game. While USF started behind rival UCF in the polls, the Bulls have an interesting case for consideration by the selection committee with two wins against Power Five opponents.
There seemed to be an assumption that this might be a year for a step back without Quinton Flowers, but former Alabama and Arizona State quarterback Blake Barnett has been productive as a dual-threat weapon, and Cronkite is emerging as a star. Through six games, USF is looking every bit as much of a New Years' Six contender as UCF.
Tulsa: Tulsa can hang in a shootout, and I think Philip Montgomery (16-4 when Tulsa scores 40 points or more) is more than happy to play that kind of game. Until the Houston loss, the Golden Hurricane had been getting really solid defensive play in the second half of games and using that to get in position to win. Tulsa has really missed running D'Angelo Brewer -- who became the school's all-time leading rusher against USF last season -- but it's getting good production from the one-two punch of sophomores Shamari Brooks and Corey Taylor II (786 combined yards, eight combined rushing touchdowns).
Game prediction, picks
Home team underdog on a weeknight is a principle. When you give me the hook, I'm jumping all over Tulsa. I think there's a chance they win outright, but definitely think it's a buy-low opportunity for the Golden Hurricane after four straight losses. Pick: Tulsa +7.5
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