Houston plays at a very slow pace. The Cougars are fifth best in the nation in defensive efficiency. Throw out the loss to East Carolina. The Cougars held their previous six opponents to an average of 55 points per game. South Florida plays at a slower pace than any of those six Houston opponents. The Bulls have been off for 32 days. South Florida does rank a solid 63rd in the nation in defensive efficiency.

The Cougars are the last team you’d want to face when emerging from a hiatus of more than a month. Their cornerstone is sticky defense, as the eye and analytics confirm. Before the Covid-caused break, USF had gone 1-4 ATS at home. The Bulls missed out on six games and Tuesday conducted only their second practice during the hiatus with at least 10 players. Houston will be driven to erase the memory of a stunning league loss last week to East Carolina. Here is a rare instance in which spotting a home team double-digit points is justified.