NCAA Betting Odds – Florida Atlantic vs. Florida International
Florida Atlantic Owls (4-7 SU, 3-8 ATS) at Florida International Golden Panthers (3-8 SU, 4-7 ATS)
Saturday, December 5 – 7 PM ET
NCAA Betting Odds: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL -2, Total 62.5
Here are some of the NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
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FAU has covered one of its last five games
FAU has covered two of its last six road games
FAU has lost four of its last six road games SU
FAU has played its last five road games OVER the total
FIU has covered one of its last six games
FIU has lost eight of its last 11 games SU
FIU has played 13 of its last 19 games OVER the total
FIU has covered two of its last six home games
FIU has lost 13 of its last 19 home games SU 
FAU has covered four of the last five meetings
This is a traditional rivalry, if you consider “tradition” to be something that goes back six years. These teams, members of the Sun Belt Conference, meet every season in the last game of the year, in what became known as the “Shula Bowl,” primarily because the original coaches – FAU’s Howard Schnellenberger and FIU’s Don Strock – were both part of Don Shula’s Miami Dolphin organization. Schnellenberger remains at Florida Atlantic, but Strock has moved on.
This game is between two teams who are among the poorest in the country at defending the run. FIU allows 5.4 yards per carry, while FAU has yielded 6.2 yards a pop, and only Eastern Michigan is worse. This offers at least something of an explanation as to why these teams have not only found little success beating other teams, but are also losing in the NCAA betting odds.
FAU is the team that can exploit the weakness more, because it has the best running back on the field, by far, in Alfred Morris, a sophomore who has carried the ball for 1234 yards this season and has posted three consecutive hundred-yard games. Morris’ presence has to be considered critical, because the Owls lost their quarterback, pro prospect Rusty Smith, with an injury. That is not to say his substitute hasn’t done well. Everybody is impressed with Jeff Van Camp, a junior who has completed 60% of his passes for 10 TD’s and just two interceptions.
FIU’s secondary gives up over eight yards an attempt, and they don’t necessarily counter so well with their own quarterback, Paul McCall (13 TD’s, 8 INT’s). T.Y. Hilton, who is perhaps the best athlete on either team, got off to an auspicious start, with 34 catches and a kickoff return for a TD in his first four games, but he has slowed since then.
FIU may well have benefited by the experience in playing non-conference opposition. In fact, it is the only non-SEC team to have played both #1 Florida and #2 Alabama (not to mention Rutgers). However, FAU has a lot of players who have competed in two bowl games, and Schnellenberger, who won a national title at Miami, has had his team keyed up pretty well for this game over the last few seasons, winning and covering each of the last three.
This game is being played for the first time at FIU’s newly-remodeled stadium. Still, we’re going to take the points with the visitor, which also happens to be the better offensive team. That’s Florida Atlantic, the two-point underdog in the BetUS NCAA betting odds.
OUR PLAY: FLORIDA ATLANTIC +2 ***
