This week's picks

UAB vs. South Florida Prediction and Pick, Week 9 2026

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Data updatedOct 31, 2026
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Picks two teams at random. Any FBS team can come up.

How we picked it

How we picked it

Three ratings look at a team in three different ways. The numbers' pick is the team at least two of them favor.

Where the game is won

Where the game is won

Each row puts one team's unit against the unit it faces, by national rank out of all FBS teams. An edge is a gap of 25 spots or more.

Ratings: SP+ via CFB Update; PRIME via primecfb.com. Box and play stats computed from CollegeFootballData.com play data (via the public cfbfastR files), FBS games only for scoring. Rushing yards here exclude sacks, so they run higher than official totals. Ranks are out of 138 FBS teams.

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UAB at South Florida

Week 9, Sat, Oct 31, 12:00 PM ET, Raymond James Stadium.

The numbers say: South Florida, 77% to win.

The game

KickoffSat, Oct 31, 12:00 PM ET
TVESPNU
WhereRaymond James Stadium
Weather83°, cloudy, wind 8 mph
LineSouth Florida −7.5, total 41.5
Line movementOpened South Florida −9.5; moved 2 points toward UAB. Total opened 46.5, down 5.
SeriesSouth Florida leads 3–2
Last meetingSouth Florida 48–18 in 2025

The ratings and the line

MarginWin chanceTotal
SP+South Florida by 15.186%50
PRIMESouth Florida by 4.863%
EloSouth Florida83%
The lineSouth Florida −7.5, opened −9.541.5, opened 46.5

Margins include home field. SP+ is Bill Connelly's rating; Sources has PRIME and Elo. Line and total from DraftKings, as of Fri, Oct 30, 7:43 PM ET.

Who wins, UAB or South Florida?

The numbers say: South Florida. 77% chance to win

Which matchups decide UAB vs. South Florida?

All three ratings favor South Florida, by 4.8 to 15.1 points. South Florida's best matchup is its defense, 22nd in EPA per play allowed, against UAB's offense at 122nd. UAB's way back in is its pass defense, 27th in EPA per pass allowed, against South Florida's passing game at 113th.

UAB with the ball

South Florida with the ball

Who's out for UAB and South Florida?

UAB

South Florida

How UAB and South Florida compare, in charts

Each chart puts all 138 FBS teams on two stats; UAB and South Florida are lit. Dashed lines are the FBS averages, and up and right is better. Ranks in parentheses. Games through Oct 24, 2026.

How UAB's and South Florida's players compare

The scatter charts show the top 40 FBS players at the position by both stats combined, plus the players lit here. Dashed lines are the averages; up and right is better. Ranks are among every FBS player at the position with enough snaps. Takeaways are interceptions plus fumble recoveries. Games through Oct 24, 2026.

How do SP+, PRIME and Elo rate UAB and South Florida?

On a neutral field, SP+ has South Florida 12.6 points better (63rd to 110th). PRIME also has South Florida ahead, by 2.3. Elo, which only sees results, also has South Florida ahead (46th to 91st).

UABSouth Florida
SP+ overall-10.4 (110th)2.2 (63rd)
SP+ offense20.0 (109th)26.5 (72nd)
SP+ defense30.5 (103rd)24.5 (54th)
SP+ special teams0.1 (54th)0.1 (54th)
PRIME net-6.7 (97th)-4.4 (91st)
PRIME offense-4.72 (102nd)-6.45 (111th)
PRIME defense-1.53 (84th)2.14 (51st)
PRIME SOS-6.2 (102nd)-8.5 (127th)
PRIME SOR-0.5 (83rd)0.1 (65th)
Elo1396 (91st)1613 (46th)

Opponent-adjusted power ratings. These drive the projection.

Who's better once you adjust for the schedule?

UAB's offense ranks 122nd in adjusted EPA per play, and the South Florida defense it faces ranks 22nd in EPA per play allowed. South Florida's offense ranks 115th against UAB's 50th-ranked defense. Both defenses have the edge on the offenses they face. The biggest edge on the board is South Florida's efficiency: 72nd in adjusted success rate, against UAB's 103rd-ranked defense. Adjust for opponents and South Florida's offense falls from 71st to 115th in EPA per play: a lot of that came against soft defenses.

UABSouth Florida
EPA per play (adjusted)+0.01 (122nd)+0.04 (115th)
EPA per pass (adjusted)+0.08 (128th)+0.12 (113th)
EPA per rush (adjusted)+0.04 (94th)+0.03 (103rd)
Success rate (adjusted)40.2% (84th)41.4% (72nd)
Success rate, standard downs (adjusted)44.6% (108th)49.0% (38th)
Success rate, passing downs (adjusted)31.5% (48th)29.0% (102nd)
Explosiveness (adjusted)0.93 (78th)0.91 (111th)
Line yards per carry (adjusted)2.94 (78th)2.78 (121st)
Open-field yards per carry (adjusted)1.01 (106th)0.91 (126th)
EPA per play allowed (adjusted)+0.07 (50th)+0.04 (22nd)
EPA per pass allowed (adjusted)+0.12 (27th)+0.13 (34th)
EPA per rush allowed (adjusted)+0.08 (79th)−0.01 (16th)
Success rate allowed (adjusted)44.4% (103rd)42.3% (77th)
Explosiveness allowed (adjusted)0.93 (63rd)0.87 (1st)
Line yards allowed per carry (adjusted)3.16 (121st)2.92 (57th)
Open-field yards allowed per carry (adjusted)0.98 (28th)1.11 (61st)

The same efficiency numbers, adjusted for the offenses and defenses each team has faced (CollegeFootballData.com). A good number against a soft schedule shrinks; one against a hard schedule grows.

Who's more efficient, UAB or South Florida?

UAB is better running (66th in EPA per rush) than throwing (130th). South Florida's run defense ranks 21st, so the defense has the better of it. South Florida is better running (58th in EPA per rush) than throwing (87th). UAB's run defense ranks 77th.

UABSouth Florida
EPA per play+0.03 (112th)+0.13 (71st)
EPA per pass−0.04 (130th)+0.17 (87th)
EPA per rush+0.10 (66th)+0.12 (58th)
EPA per 3rd-down play+0.32 (102nd)+0.39 (90th)
EPA per play allowed+0.04 (43rd)+0.01 (29th)
EPA per pass allowed+0.06 (31st)+0.11 (46th)
EPA per rush allowed+0.08 (77th)−0.06 (21st)
EPA per 3rd-down play allowed+0.39 (67th)+0.37 (57th)

Expected points added per play, from CollegeFootballData.com. EPA measures how much each play changes the points a team can expect from the drive. Zero is break-even; +0.20 is very good. Not adjusted for opponents.

Who scores more, UAB or South Florida?

UAB is outscored by 1.3 a game, and South Florida by 11.5. UAB's offense ranks 103rd in scoring, and the South Florida defense it faces ranks 10th in points allowed. South Florida's offense ranks 83rd against UAB's 73rd-ranked defense. Neither side of the ball has a clear edge.

UABSouth Florida
Points scored23.3 (103rd)26.6 (83rd)
Points allowed24.6 (73rd)15.1 (10th)

Per game, FBS opponents only.

Which offense has the edge?

UAB's best matchup is third downs: its offense ranks 35th in 3rd down conversion rate, and South Florida's defense ranks 74th in 3rd down conversions allowed.

UABSouth Florida
Pass yards / game171.3 (122nd)— ()
Rush yards / game187.4 (45th)— ()
Yards per play5.85 (92nd)— ()
Yards per carry4.90 (86th)— ()
Yards per attempt8.44 (39th)— ()
Completion %64.8% (62nd)— ()
Success rate45.2% (57th)— ()
Explosive play rate10.5% (110th)— ()
3rd down conversion45.4% (35th)— ()
Sack rate (taken)11.8% (130th)— ()
INT rate (thrown)3.5% (111th)— ()
SUPLEX55.1% (78th)— ()

Per game and per play, from play-by-play.

Which defense has the edge?

South Florida's defense is best placed to get home: it ranks 62nd in sack rate, and UAB's offense is bottom-20 at avoiding sacks (130th). That's a mismatch.

UABSouth Florida
Pass yards allowed / game128.9 (2nd)187.0 (31st)
Rush yards allowed / game199.7 (123rd)156.1 (77th)
Yards per play allowed4.94 (15th)5.48 (52nd)
Yards per carry allowed5.05 (84th)4.59 (51st)
Yards per attempt allowed5.13 (3rd)7.00 (66th)
Success rate allowed40.6% (57th)42.5% (74th)
Explosive plays allowed8.8% (14th)10.3% (50th)
3rd downs allowed36.7% (53rd)39.0% (74th)
Sack rate (generated)6.9% (50th)6.5% (62nd)
INT rate (generated)2.8% (59th)1.1% (123rd)
SUPLEX allowed50.6% (44th)52.3% (55th)

What opponents managed against them.

Who wins up front?

South Florida has the better number in 6 of 10. The biggest gap is stuff rate (defense), where South Florida ranks 21st and UAB 128th.

UABSouth Florida
Big Uglies: offensive line45.2 (107th)43.7 (116th)
Big Uglies: defensive front45.0 (96th)54.6 (32nd)
Line yards per carry3.13 (50th)2.85 (101st)
Line yards allowed per carry3.38 (129th)2.72 (39th)
Second-level yards per carry1.00 (96th)1.14 (59th)
Open-field yards per carry0.91 (102nd)0.83 (109th)
Stuff rate (runs stopped at or behind the line)16.4% (49th)21.3% (111th)
Stuff rate (defense)13.4% (128th)22.8% (21st)
Power success (short yardage)73.5% (61st)73.5% (61st)
Power success allowed69.2% (58th)69.2% (58th)
Front-seven havoc allowed11.6% (123rd)9.5% (84th)
Front-seven havoc10.4% (49th)12.4% (17th)

The lines. Big Uglies is our rating for each offensive line and each defensive front: adjusted line yards (30%), stuff rate (20%), power success (15%), sack rate (20%) and front-seven havoc (15%), against every FBS team. 50 is average, and every 10 points is a standard deviation. Line stats from CollegeFootballData.com, garbage time out.

Who wins the turnover battle?

UABSouth Florida
Interceptions thrown / game0.71 (61st)— ()
Fumbles lost / game0.71 (99th)— ()
Giveaways / game1.43 (88th)— ()
Interceptions / game0.71 (66th)0.29 (119th)
Fumbles recovered / game0.71 (24th)0.00 (131st)
Takeaways / game1.43 (41st)0.29 (137th)
Turnover margin / game0.0 (67th)— ()

Per game, from play-by-play.

Which team has more talent?

South Florida has the more talented roster (52nd in the 247Sports talent composite; UAB is 92nd). South Florida also plays further above its talent: −0.4 points of SP+ beyond what its roster predicts, to UAB's −6.9.

UABSouth Florida
Talent composite606.2 (92nd)703.8 (52nd)
Blue-chip ratio6.0% (92nd)12.9% (57th)
Players on roster106 (99th)113 (51st)
Rated by 247Sports67 (106th)93 (14th)
5-star players0 (37th)1 (24th)
4-star players4 (88th)11 (53rd)
3-star players57 (86th)77 (10th)
Below 3-star6 (20th)4 (38th)
2026 transfers in39 (14th)44 (6th)
Transfer share58.2% (13th)47.3% (22nd)
SP+ vs. talent-6.9 (110th)-0.4 (66th)
Returning production79.6% (13th)12.6% (117th)
Returning passing production100.0% (11th)5.8% (91st)
Returning rushing production63.3% (53rd)-0.7% (118th)
Returning receiving production73.5% (16th)23.8% (96th)
2026 recruiting class (national rank)135 (133rd)90 (90th)
Recruiting rank, last four classes112.5 (116th)70.2 (71st)

247Sports team talent composite and 2026 transfer portal class. Star counts cover only the players 247Sports rates, not walk-ons, so they add up to less than the full roster. Ranks are out of all 138 FBS teams.

Where did each team's wins come from?

UAB is +0.5 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is coaching (−1.1). South Florida is +1.5 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is schedule (+1.7). UAB's record is running 1.1 wins ahead of its play on luck alone, so it's not as good as the record says.

UABSouth Florida
RECEIPTS (total)+0.5 (57th)+1.5 (30th)
Schedule RECEIPTS+0.8 (53rd)+1.7 (13th)
Roster RECEIPTS-0.2 (84th)+0.2 (60th)
Coach RECEIPTS-1.1 (115th)+0.0 (65th)
Luck RECEIPTS+1.1 (9th)-0.3 (90th)

Where the wins came from. Every team starts as a .500 team. Then each win (or loss) goes to the schedule, the roster, the coaching or luck, and the four add up to the real record. Wins above or below a .500 team.

UAB at South Florida: questions people ask

UAB vs. South Florida prediction: who will win?

The numbers pick South Florida, 77% chance to win. All three ratings favor the same team. South Florida's best matchup is its defense, 22nd in EPA per play allowed, against UAB's offense at 122nd.

Where can I watch UAB vs. South Florida, and what time is it?

Sat, Oct 31, 12:00 PM ET at Raymond James Stadium. It's on ESPNU.

What's the projected score of UAB vs. South Florida?

SP+ projects South Florida 32–17. That's from this season's SP+ offense, defense and special teams ratings, with home field worth 2.5 points.

What's the line for UAB at South Florida?

DraftKings has South Florida −7.5, total 41.5. The numbers pick winners, not bets.

What's the UAB vs. South Florida series history?

South Florida leads 3–2. Last meeting: South Florida won 48–18 in 2025.

Who are the players to watch in UAB vs. South Florida?

UAB: Ryder Burton (1,169 passing yards), Roderick Robinson II (436 rushing yards) and C.J. Smith (350 receiving yards). South Florida: D.J. Crowther (513 rushing yards). Season totals through Oct 24, 2026.

More on this game

Numbers through the games of Oct 24, 2026. SP+ as of Oct 27, 2026. Updated every week.

UAB and South Florida: team pages with every stat and national rank. Compare any two teams.