2008 Temple Owls Football Betting Preview

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

NCAA Football Wagering Preview – Temple Owls

These aren’t your grandfather’s Temple Owls. Actually, these aren’t even your 2006 Temple Owls.



That’s right, that Temple team that used to be the fire hydrant that every college football betting team relieved on is now respectable. In two seasons, head coach Al Golden has taken Temple from being a doormat to what could potentially be a serious threat in the MAC in another two years.

After a 1-11 season, then a 4-8 season, you can expect the Owls to continue improving the football wagering win total in Golden’s third season.

Offense

Temple returns all 22 starters from last year, which is a good sign on both sides of the ball.

On offense, their quarterback situation is in good hands with Adam DiMichele, who is still rehabbing from a fractured fibula, and Vaughn Charlton. DiMichele is a special player and Temple needs him to be ready for the start of the season.

DiMichele led the Owls to a 4-4 record and three consecutive wins before breaking his leg. The Owls finished with the conference’s worst scoring offense, but that was partially because they only averaged six points-per-game in their final four outings without DiMichele. They averaged just over 20 points per game with their stud quarterback.

The rushing attack has been a focal point in the offseason after the Owls rushed for only 93.3 yards per game last year. There aren’t a ton of explosive, playmaking runners on this team, though. Last year the Owls averaged 2.7 yards per carry.

The lone real playmaker on offense is wideout Bruce Francis. He had 731 receiving yards and six touchdowns last year.

Defense

While the offense is vanilla, the defense is the strong suit on this team.

Temple had the best unit in the MAC last year (total yards) and finished second in scoring defense. And since the Owls return all 11 starters on defense so they expect to be just as good this year.

Up front on the defensive line, tackle Andre Nesbitt is a real stud. He had 8.5 sacks from the tackle position last season, which is phenomenal.

In the middle, the linebacking corps is being shuffled around a little bit with former special teams standout Alex Joseph seeing some more time. He might end up being the starter in the middle.

The secondary displayed its skills last year when they allowed the fewest passing yards in the MAC. Keep an eye on free safety Dominique Harris. The junior safety should be an all-MAC first teamer this year.

Outlook

The defense is outstanding, so the Owls have half of what they need to win a MAC title.

The real key here is Temple’s offense. It wasn’t very good last year and outside of the experience factor, there aren’t a ton of expectations to turn it around. But experience might make more of an impact than you might think: Temple played more freshmen than any other team in the nation over the past two seasons.

Temple could make a bowl game this year but is a year away from being a serious player in the MAC.

BetUS sportsbook already has tons of college football Futures betting available for those of us who can't wait. Bet on the Heisman winner, Conference and Divisional winners and, of course, the 2009 BCS National Championship winner.