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2011 Florida Atlantic Owls Gambling Odds | Predictions

College football preview guide for the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Florida Atlantic Owls CFB betting season. Kyle Hunter weighs in with his ncaa football predictions, and BCS championship handicapping analysis…

2011-2012 Football Previews – Sun Belt Conference – FAU Owls

Howard Schnellenberger is a legendary and colorful coach who has been at some big schools through the years. He is now in his 11th season at Florida Atlantic.

Sun Belt Conference 2011-2012 Football Previews: Florida Atlantic
Head Coach: Howard Schnellenberger
2010 Record: 4-8
Florida Atlantic Gambling Odds from JustBet to win BCS: +1,500 (Part of Field)
Florida Atlantic Odds from 5Dimes to win Sun Belt Conference: +1,900

FAU Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>

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Schnellenberger basically helped build this team from the ground up. In 2007 and 2008 Florida Atlantic earned a bowl berth and won a bowl game in each of those years.

The program seemed destined for big things in the Sun Belt, but Florida Atlantic has been a big disappointment the last two years.

The Owls lost a lot of key contributors from last year’s team. In fact, Florida Atlantic lost five of their top six tacklers on defense. They also lost their best receiver and their starting quarterback from 2010.

If this team is going to turn it around in 2011, it will be with quite a few youngsters in key positions.

Team Strengths:

The Owls are stacked when it comes to the linebacker position. In fact, the team will adopt a 3-4 defense this year because of their depth in this unit. Cory Henry is a quick outside linebacker who can cause matchup problems for the opposing team.

Yourhighness Morgan and Randall Johnson will also be big contributors for this group.

Alfred Morris gives Florida Atlantic a high quality runner in the backfield. Morris only ran for 928 yards last year, but that was mainly because the offensive line was awful. Morris has all the tools needed, and he should have a good senior season for the Owls.

Team Weaknesses:

Where should I start? This team has all sorts of question marks as we enter the 2011 season. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Who will be the starting quarterback for Florida Atlantic? Schnellenberger’s teams have had some pretty good quarterbacks over the last few years, but that might not be the case this season.

David Kooi appears to have the lead in the quarterback battle, but don’t be surprised if Graham Wilbert sees some time as well.

This could be a problem area for the Owls.

The defensive line was dominated by quite a few opponents last year. The Owls allowed 204 rushing yards per game in 2010, which was 115th out of 120 teams. The move to a 3-4 defense was partly because the Owls are lacking in depth on the defensive front.

Kevin Cyrille is a solid defensive end who can pressure the quarterback, but Florida Atlantic is lacking a true run stopper.

The Owls will be hurting when it comes to pass catchers in 2011 as well. Florida Atlantic lost their top three receivers from a year ago, including tight end Rob Housler and star wide receiver Lester Jean.

It’s bad enough that the Owls will be breaking in a new quarterback that is untested, but not having many weapons on the outside will make the problem that much worse.

2011-2012 Florida Atlantic Football Prediction: 2-10

Florida Atlantic opens a new stadium this year, but you have to wonder how many people will be excited to go out and see this team struggle. The Owls start with road games against Florida, Michigan State, and Auburn.

The October 1 game at Louisiana and the October 15 game at home against Western Kentucky will be important for Florida Atlantic. If they lose both of those games, this season could get very ugly in a hurry. This team has all sorts of weaknesses, and their lack of strength in the trenches will be evident all season long.

Morris is a good running back, but all the defenses will key in on him. Don’t be surprised if Florida Atlantic finishes at or very near the bottom of the conference.

2011 FAU Owls Schedule

9/3/11 7:00 PM ET @FLA
9/10/11 12:00 PM ET @MCHST
9/24/11 12:00 PM ET @AUB
10/1/11 12:00 PM ET @ULLAF
10/8/11 12:00 PM ET @NOTEX
10/15/11 12:00 PM ET WKEN
10/22/11 12:00 PM ET MTENN
11/5/11 12:00 PM ET ARKST
11/12/11 12:00 PM ET @FLINT
11/19/11 12:00 PM ET @TROY
11/26/11 12:00 PM ET UAB
12/3/11 12:00 PM ET ULMON

By Kyle Hunter

Kyle Hunter sports picks – A degree in finance and a great ability to follow important trends and statistics set him apart from the rest. Totals are Kyle's specialty, so look for a lot of totals picks from NBA, NCAAF, & the NFL. Check out his plays today.