Zak Drapeau's CFB Week 3 Game of the Week: 5 Miami vs 18 South Florida

Zak Drapeau
1 day ago
3 min read

by Zak Drapeau 9/11/2025 Sportz Nation

My pick for Game of the Week has to be the battle for Southern Florida in Hard Rock Stadium. My first pick that will go against College Gameday which will be in Knoxville, TN for the Volunteers matchup with Georgia. I truly believe the battle in Florida will be a much better game than theirs where I see the Bulldogs soundly winning.

This matchup was not going to be given a second thought at the beginning of the season but Alex Golesh has delivered a terrific start to South Florida's season. Defeating two different ranked opponents in the first two weeks, USF was actually 18.5-point underdogs heading into the Swamp when they beat Florida last week. The Bulls haven't torn the world apart with a high-powered offense or revolutionary defense but what they have done is play good and smart football. A +4 turnover margin and having less penalties in both games, the Bulls beat Boise State and Florida by not outplaying them but by capitalizing on every mistake they made.

On the other hand, Mario Cristobal and his Canes have picked up from their 2024 season and have started 2-0. After beating Notre Dame in one of Week 1's best games, they would roll over FCS school Bethune-Cookman by a score of 45-3. The Notre Dame game was most notable last Sunday night and was a huge statement from the Canes. Battling the team that made it all the way to last year's National Championship game, Miami's defense showed out and kept a lead until the end of the 4th Quarter when Georgia-Transfer Carson Beck made a methodical game-winning drive and sealed the game. Now ranked #5 in the country, Miami will look to dispatch USF without giving them much thought.

The reason I am picking this game over the 4 other candidates this week, (Tennesse v Georgia, Alabama v Wisconsin, LSU v Florida and Texas A&M v Notre Dame) is it's regional rivalry and the improbable rise USF has had this season that legitimately gives them a chance in a game they should have no business in.

Miami started the season Top-10 ranked and is one of the favorites to make to to the College Football Playoffs but USF wasn't even considered a Top-30 team before the season. After dominating the Broncos and shocking the Gators, could it be the Hurricanes turn to figure out that the Bulls are legit?

Zak's Prediction

Every week I take a team with the spread of my Game of the Week and also the over/under of the game. So far I'm 3-of-4 on the year and I think this week will be another good week for me.

For the actual game I am going to take MY Hurricanes to win but give me South Florida +17.5 for their spread. Considering the Bulls haven't even let up more than 16 points to either of the ranked teams they've faced so far, I see this one being much closer than 17 points.

I'll also take the Under 57.5 in the game. Neither team has had a game where the total points scored is over 57 and with a tightly contested matchup between rivals I don't see this one being a shootout either. While I have Miami winning this game comfortably, I see it being around a 28-17 win.

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