After enjoying a bye-week following South Florida’s road upset of the Auburn Tigers in Week-2 of the season, the Bulls get back on the gridiron for the first time as a ranked team when they take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. Following the Auburn victory, the Bulls didn’t quite make it into the top-25 but jumped in this week’s AP poll at 23rd and 24th in the USA Today poll.
North Carolina’s visit to Tampa for the game with USF also marks another first for the Florida school. The Tar Heels are the first BCS team to come to Ramond James Stadium as a Bulls opponent. Kickoff is set for Noon ET and will be televised by ESPN.
Oddsmakers at online wagering leader Sportsbook.com have installed USF a double-digit favorite with a -13 point chalk with a 50 total. Currently money line odds have not been made available. North Carolina is not getting much respect in early wagering action with 78 percent of bets siding with South Florida.
North Carolina head coach Butch Davis said he is looking forward to the test USF will present because it will give the team a chance to work on aspects that have been problematic.
"This will be a big challenge," Davis said. "For us to become a better football team, we've got to make some strides and improve in some of the areas that have been issues for us."
"We've got to do a better job in run defense, and that starts with the tackling aspect of it," Davis said. "We've got to play in kind of a more of a gang-tackling, swarming-type defensive mentality to try to get more guys to limit some of the run after the catch and run after contact."
USF coach Jim Leavitt knows it won’t be long before North Carolina turns it around under Davis’ leadership and wants to make sure his players heads aren’t up in the clouds when the game kicks off.
“Everybody wants to look at other games, big games coming up,” said USF defensive end George Selvie. “Coach Leavitt really makes us focus on the game that's ahead. We have to play this game. If we lose this game, the rest of the other games don't matter. We've got to win every week to be consistent."
Online wagering leader Bodog.com has the Tar Heels as +13 ½ point road underdogs.
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