Soaring South Florida faces test

Now that South Florida has climbed to No. 2 behind Ohio State in the initial Bowl Championship Series standings, the Bulls are no longer a quiet secret for bettors.

Just look at Thursday night’s game at Rutgers that has South Florida listed as 2 1/2 -point favorites.

According to Sportsbook.com’s betting trend, the Bulls (6-0) were getting 93% of the bets against the spread as of Tuesday. Big support for a team not too many people knew about two months ago.

South Florida, 6-1 against the spread in its last seven games dating to last season, is led by quarterback Matt Grothe, who has rushed for at least 100 yards in the last two games.

But the Bulls will have their hands full against the Scarlet Knights, who are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven games against teams with winning records.

Led by running back Ray Rice and an athletic defense, Rutgers (4-2) will be an underdog for the first time this season.

Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson, who led his team to an upset victory over Louisiana State last week, has moved into the favorite role in Bodog.com’s latest odds for the Heisman Trophy.

Woodson is listed at 3-1, followed by Arkansas running back Darren McFadden at 5-1. Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan and Michigan running back Mike Hart are 6-1. USC quarterback John David Booty is no longer on the board.

USC opened as a 20-point favorite for its game at Notre Dame on Saturday but the line dropped to 18 after Coach Charlie Weis named Evan Sharpley as starting quarterback Tuesday.

Auto racing

With five races remaining in the Nextel Cup championship, Jeff Gordon holds a 68-point lead over Jimmie Johnson and oddsmakers have tightened the race between the Hendrick Motorsports teammates.

Bodog.com lists Gordon at 2-5 and Johnson at 3-2 with Clint Bowyer -- in third place, 78 points out -- at 5-1. VegasInsider.com has Gordon at 5-7 and Johnson at +110.

Gordon has led for 1,112 laps this season, the most among NASCAR drivers, and is listed with Johnson as 4-1 co-favorites to win this weekend’s Subway 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

One last note: Gordon has a strong record as Martinsville, where he has won seven times with nine consecutive top-10 finishes.

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