Editor's note: Christian Alexander owns a 19-12 record (61%, +580) in college football this season.

Pittsburgh (3-1, 1-0 Big East) at #10 South Florida (5-0, 0-0 Big East)
Thursday, October 2
7:30 PM ESPN
Raymond James Stadium (Natural Grass)
Sports.com Line: South Florida -13.5, O/U 49

I’m not going to try to say I thought Oregon State had much of a chance to defeat Southern California last Thursday night. However, given the way the Beavers had played the Trojans in Corvallis in years past, I certainly put the prospect of an outright upset within the realm of possibility.

That said, what I gave absolutely no chance of happening was a game in which all the offensive talent of Southern Cal was shutout in the first half and ended the game with only 21 points. In fact, I think my exact quote was “There is no way the Trojans score less than 30 in this one.”

But that’s exactly what happened. A week later, I still can’t explain it. All I know is my play of ‘over’ 51.5 – which still could have been salvaged had Oregon State’s kicker made a 35-yard field goal and converted an extra point – ended up a loser when the Beavers won 27-20. The loss leaves me at 3-2 on Thursday nights this season.

Turning the page to this week, it’s back to the east coast as we head down to Florida for the Big East opener between South Florida and Pittsburgh in Tampa.

The Bulls were certainly one of the feel-good stories of the 2007 college football season. Actually, that’s only true for part of 2007.

South Florida was like a hot Internet stock to start 2007, making it into the top 10 of the AP poll for three weeks and rising as high as No. 2.

However, like so many of those tech stocks that tanked when the bubble burst, the Bulls ended the season unranked. Three straight losses and then a Sun Bowl appearance that resulted in a 35-point blowout to Oregon doesn’t tend to impress the pollsters.

Given that up-and-down 2007 season, the voters have been a little more cautious with USF this year. But there is no denying that with a perfect 5-0 record, the Bulls are deserving of the No. 10 ranking they currently hold.

Not that every game has been a breeze in 2008. In fact, before taking out some pent up frustration on N.C. State last weekend in a 41-10 rout, South Florida had been in three tight ballgames. (see below for season recap)

The formula for success thus far for Coach Jim Leavitt has been combining the exciting playmaking skills of QB Matt Grothe with a rock-hard defense led by All-American lineman, George Selvie.

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Grothe, who leads the Big East in passing yards per game (235) and touchdowns (8), was certainly on his game last weekend as he led the Bulls to a near perfect day, racking up 520 yards of offense against the Wolfpack.

Selvie, who has been nursing an injured ankle, is the NCAA's active career leader in tackles for loss. That ankle forced Selvie to sit against N.C. State, ending his 30-game consecutive starts streak. But Leavitt is hopeful his defensive leader will be able to go against the Panthers tonight.

Pittsburgh was expected to challenge for the Big East title and while that still could happen, the Panthers certainly didn’t start their season on a positive note.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt surely knew he would have his hands full with the season opener against Bowling Green, but most everyone expected the Panther to prevail. However, after jumping out to a 14-point lead, turnovers turned the game upside down and Pittsburgh couldn’t recover, losing 27-17.

The good news for Pitt fans is that Wannstedt and crew have righted the ship since that point, reeling off three wins, even if the competition wasn’t that great. (see below for season recap)

The Panthers depend on a steady ground game to provide their offense. Most of that comes from LeSean “Shady” McCoy, who burst on the scene as a freshman last year by racking up seven 100-yard games. McCoy might get the bulk of the carries and the headlines but Pitt also has a very effective second option at RB in LaRod Stephens-Howling. Together, the two backs proved to be a nightmare for Syracuse last weekend as they combined for 220 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

The Panthers have a serviceable, if not spectacular passing game with QB Bill Stull, who is averaging a paltry 5.8 yards per attempt, good for seventh in the Big East. With a pair of talented backs behind him, Stull usually doesn’t have to win a game with his arm but when necessary has shown to have a nice hook up with WR Derek Kinder, who is currently 10th all-time among all Pitt receivers with 114 catches.

The bad news for Pittsburgh fans this Thursday night is the load might fall much more on Stull’s plate than usual. That’s due to the fact that South Florida is fourth in the country in rush defense at 58.8 yards per game and figure to key on McCoy and Stephens-Howling all night.

With just two touchdown passes in four games, one wonders if Stull has the ability to go into hostile territory and produce enough offense with his arm to lead the Panthers to a victory. That answer to that question will likely determine whether this one is over by the end of the 3rd quarter or goes right down to the wire.

Pittsburgh (3-1, 1-0 Big East) 0-4 ATS

Bowling Green 27, Pitt 17: Four turnovers will doom you every time. They lost despite outgaining Bowling Green 393 to 294 in yards and leading 14-0. Line: Pitt -14 ATS Result: Loss

Pitt 27, Buffalo 16: Too close for comfort but in the end McCoy bailed them out with three touchdowns to seal the win. Line: Pitt -13.5 ATS Result: Loss

Pitt 21, Iowa 20: McCoy played hero again, scoring the winning touchdown from 27 yards out. Line: Pitt -3 ATS Result: Loss

Pitt 34, Syracuse 24: The Panthers rallied from an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to win just its second Big East opener in five years. Conor Lee came up huge by kicking a school record-tying four field goals. Line: Pitt -16 ATS Result: Loss

#10 South Florida (5-0, 0-0 Big 12) 1-3 ATS

USF 56, Tennessee Martin 7: The Bulls posted 28 first quarter points and kept going from there, outgaining the Skyhawks 520-97. NO LINE.

USF 31, UCF 24 (OT): Things seemed to be well in hand for South Florida as they led by 14 with three minutes left. However, the Golden Knights rallied to force OT before Matt Grothe scored the winning touchdown. Line: South Florida -13.5 ATS Result: Loss

USF 37, Kansas 34: Things looked dim down 20-3 but behind Grothe’s 338 yards passing and two TDs the Bulls staged the biggest comeback in school history. Line: South Florida -4.5 ATS Result: Loss

USF 17, Florida International 9: Nothing came easy for South Florida in this one but eventually the stronger team prevailed. Line: South Florida -28.5 ATS Result: Loss

USF 41, N.C. State 10: The Wolfpack couldn’t penetrate the Bulls defense while Grothe and company rang the bell early and often. Line: South Florida -10 ATS Result: Win