Gridiron Player Club NCAAF 4-5 Units (8/28/25)

NCAAF

3 Picks (13 Units).

5:30PM: South Florida +6 (5 Units).

We're buying South Florida in a key 3rd year for HC Alex Golesh. QB Byrum Brown is back and healthy and they return 4 of 5 starters along the offensive line. They also landed some veteran OL help through the portal. Altogether this roster returns 15 starters. The Bulls have gone 7-6 in each of Head Coach Alex Golesh's first two years. Starting QB Byrum Brown missed 8 games last year though. Prior to USF, Golesh called plays for the Volunteers offense that broke 15 school records in 2022. He's had time to develop this program and there's a ton of continuity going into this season.

Boise State just lost one of the best RBs in College history. Despite his presence they weren't exactly a prolific passing team. They'll be strong along the offensive line as per usual but there's no replacing an Ashton Jeanty. Their defense was one of the worst tackling teams in the nation last year. Their front 7 and specifically defensive line made up for the rest of the defense’s shortcomings. They only return 2 starters along that Front 7 and have 4 transfers in their 2 deep rotation. We trust USF's offense enough even if their defense struggles.

6PM EST: Ohio/Rutgers Under 51.5 (4 Units).

Ohio ranked 11th in rush rate last season and Rutgers was 46th. Ohio lost HC Tim Albin after 3 straight 10-win seasons and their first ever MAC Title. They promoted their OC to HC but it's a significant blow. Tim Albin was an offensive guy. Their dual threat QB returns, and this offense will look much the same as last year. They were able to retain their defensive coordinator though. Ohio was 14th in points allowed per game and 5th in opponent rushing yards per game last year. Ohio's run defense played well against Syracuse and hung tough against Kentucky last year despite an obvious talent gap. Rutgers will feed the run game early and often as they did last year with Kyle Monangai but Ohio should be up for the challenge. Rutgers defense struggled the first half of last season, but the talents there and so is a new DC. Ohio's set to regress offensively after losing Albin. Clock should roll early and often with these playstyles and the matchups work.

9PM EST: Miami (OH) +17.5 (4 Units).

HC Chuck Martin has built Miami Ohio into perennial MAC contenders. They won the Mac in 2023 and lost in the championship game last year. They went 9-5 last season and 11-3 the season before that. They're dealing with some turnover, but the majority of their replacements are in house guys. QB Tequann Finn is an exception and he's one of the more talented dual threat QBs out there. He spent 3 years at Toledo before transferring and winning the starting QB job at Baylor last year. An injury sidelined him, and he was granted his 7th year of eligibility through medical hardship. The RedHawks have an outright win over a Power 4 team in each of the last 2 seasons. This isn't some new spot for them and Martin has them prepared. Wisconsin returns just 4 offensive starters from last year. Not the worst thing considering they were 101st in points per game. New OC, new QB, and a lot of new faces. They did have a decent portal class but 8 of the 11 offensive starters were a part of this team last year. Wisconsin went 5-7 last year and the outlook isn't great for this season. They'll be fine defensively under Fickell but even if they vastly improve on offense, there will be some early growing pains. This total is very low and set at 39.5. We like Finn's legs to do enough to keep Miami within the number.