ODU Monarchs vs. USF Bulls, Picks and Prediction for Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Use Code WWWC Bowl season continues Wednesday evening as the Old Dominion Monarchs (9–3) meet the South Florida Bulls (9–3) in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. This marks the first-ever meeting between the programs, but both teams arrive with major question marks after late opt-outs and coaching changes on the USF side that make a lot of the regular-season numbers less important. Check out more free college football bowl picks at Winners and Whiners.
ODU must turn to an unproven signal caller
ODU enters bowl season following one of the best seasons since joining the FBS in 2014, and will have a chance to match its 10-3 record from 2016. The Monarch finished 6–2 in Sun Belt play and won nine games overall, but they will be without quarterback Colton Joseph, who has opted out of the Cure Bowl.
Joseph was the centerpiece of the offense, throwing for 21 touchdowns and 2,624 yards while also leading the team with 1,007 rushing yards and 13 more scores on the ground. With Joseph out, redshirt freshman Quinn Henicle is expected to start. Henicle is only 20 for 40 passing for 238 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in his career, but brings mobility, averaging seven yards per carry, with 380 rushing yards on 54 carries with three touchdowns.
Defensively, the Monarchs rank 36th nationally in yards allowed per game and 18th in yards per play allowed (4.8) and were elite down the stretch. ODU ended the regular season by holding four of its final five opponents to 10 points or fewer, and the key pieces remain intact entering Orlando.
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Head coach and star QB are out for USF
South Florida also enters the Cure Bowl at 9–3, but with even more uncertainty. Head coach Alex Golesh has departed for Auburn, and the job has been filled by Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline. For this game, the Bulls will be led by their defensive line and now interim head coach Kevin Patrick. More importantly, quarterback Bryum Brown has opted out of the game. Interestingly enough, Brown will be an assistant coach for this game.
Brown accounted for 42 total touchdowns this season, throwing for 3,158 yards and 28 scores while leading the team in rushing with over 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns. Without him, South Florida turns to senior Gaston Moore, a former backup quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers who has seen limited action this season. Moore will have most of the team's top weapons available, but USF's fourth and fifth-leading receivers Chas Nimrod (466 yards, 3 TDs) and Christian Neptune (233 yards, 1 TDs), are both questionable due to injuries.
The Bulls played at one of the fastest tempos in the country and ranked among the most explosive offenses nationally, but more than 62% of that production flowed directly through Brown. Defensively, the Bulls rank 89th in yards allowed per game but a more respectable 37th in yards per play allowed, partly inflated by facing extra possessions due to their fast up-tempo style and quick strike offense.
Old Dominion vs South Florida Predictions
ODU vs USF ATS Pick:
- USF -3 (4 Units)
During the season, USF was the stronger team, ranking 23rd according to the College Football Power Index, while ODU was only 56th. Under normal circumstances, and with this game being played in Orlando, the Bulls would be a larger favorite, but there is a lot of uncertainty on both sides. Still, South Florida holds the edge in quarterback experience. While Gaston Moore hasn't seen a lot of action on the field, he has made an appearance in five straight seasons, which includes four seasons at Tennessee. I expect this to be a huge moment for Moore, and he offers more upside than Henicle, the redshirt freshman who will be making his first career start for ODU.
Old Dominion’s defense should keep this game competitive, but South Florida’s athletic advantage is still too strong for me to ignore with both starting quarterbacks out. I like the Bulls.
ODU vs USF Total Pick
- Under 53.5 (4 Units)
With both starting quarterbacks unavailable and USF without their head coach, I expect to see the offensive big-play potential and efficiency substantially decrease on both sides. With a mobile redshirt freshman quarterback, who is an unproven passer, expect ODU to try and shorten the game and establish itself with a run-dominant approach. On the other side, although I expect South Florida to still play with pace, they wouldn't be nearly as elite without Brown on the field.
With so many question marks surrounding starting back quarterbacks on each side, and the way both defenses ended the season, I like the under.
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