There is a reason why bettors adore bowl season. Each game feels like a series of riddles. How do these two teams match up? Will they be motivated for this game? Who is opting out? Who is even coaching this game?

All of that comes into question in Old Dominion vs. South Florida in Wednesday’s Cure Bowl in Orlando, Fla. 

Let’s try to sort through all the details for this contest, which features a spread of 2.5 points in favor of South Florida.

Cure Bowl: South Florida vs. Old Dominion odds, prediction

There’s no doubt over who the better team is in this matchup. Up until a loss to Navy on Nov. 15, it looked like South Florida was headed to the AAC Championship Game, and quite possibly, the College Football Playoff.

But that loss ended those hopes, and subsequently allowed head coach Alex Golesh to have his head turned by Auburn. Golesh will undoubtedly bring plenty of his best players with him to the Plains, a list that could include quarterback Byrum Brown.

Betting on College Football?

Brown has already indicated that he will opt out of the Cure Bowl, though he will serve as an assistant coach, for whatever that’s worth.

It’s hard to understate Brown’s importance to the Bulls. The 21-year-old’s statline was as impressive as just about any quarterback in the country this side of Fernando Mendoza, and he will command a whopping payday in the coming weeks as he decides whether to hit the portal or stick with USF for 2026.

The Monarchs will also be without their starting quarterback, Colton Joseph, who is entering the transfer portal after a stellar 2025 campaign. Losing Joseph’s dual-threat capabilities isn’t a good thing, but they should have a like-for-like swap with Quinn Henicle running the show.

Like Joseph, Henicle has shown he can beat you with his legs, which should keep the Monarchs in some sort of rhythm when they have the ball.

The same can’t be said of the Bulls. Going from Brown to Gaston Moore figures to be a massive dropoff, as Brown accounted for almost 4,200 yards and 42 touchdowns when you combine his passing and rushing stats.

With all the unknowns, this feels like a coin flip, so we’ll take the plus-money on Old Dominion.

The Play: Old Dominion moneyline (+128, FanDuel)

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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.