Two 4-1 American Conference teams meet in prime time. UTSA hosts South Florida on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Alamodome in San Antonio, on ESPN, according to Underdog Dynasty and UTSA's game notes. UTSA is favored by 7 points.

The Alamodome is the story. Under coach Jeff Traylor, UTSA is 35-5 at home since 2020 and 25-1 against conference teams there, the school said. This season, the Roadrunners average 52 points per game at home and 17.7 on the road, Underdog Dynasty noted.

South Florida's first-year coach, Brian Hartline, poked at that reputation. "I heard that it's really loud there. I'm trying to figure out what the population size is," he said this week. UTSA answered by offering $9 "Brian Hartline Special" tickets, a nod to his college jersey number.

The Bulls lean on defense. They allow 14.6 points per game and have not given up more than 24 in any game. But their offense has struggled. They lost 17-13 at home to Temple last Saturday, their first loss. Quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. has 896 passing yards and no interceptions in 123 attempts, and D.J. Crowther leads the team with 393 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

UTSA won 16-14 at Rice last week to open conference play. Quarterback Owen McCown has seven touchdown passes and two interceptions. Running back Will Henderson III has topped 80 rushing yards in all four wins. Guard Ben Rios is a game-time decision.

The series is tied 1-1, with each team winning at home. South Florida won the last meeting 55-23 in Tampa last November. UTSA won 49-21 in 2023.

The stakes are real. Neither school has reached the American Conference title game, which is set for Dec. 5. ESPN's broadcast team is Matt Barrie, Chase Daniel and Paul Carcaterra, and SportsCenter on Campus airs live from the Alamodome plaza Thursday afternoon.

What we know: Both teams are 4-1, and UTSA is a 7-point favorite at home.
What we don't: Whether UTSA guard Ben Rios will play.