– Last Updated on June 8, 2018 7:51 am
Free Boca Raton Bowl Game Prediction: Zips vs Owls Odds
Looking for Akron Zips vs. Florida Atlantic Owls free picks? Boca Raton Bowl Game betting sees the Zips taking on the Owls Tuesday December 19th at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football bowl season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football predictions like this Akron FAU free pick.
College Football Handicapping: Boca Raton Bowl Game
(7-6) Akron Zips vs. FAU Owls (10-3)
Date: Tuesday, December 19
Time: 7:00 pm EST
Venue: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL.
NCAA Football Spread: FAU -22
NCAA Betting Total: 62
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After emerging as the best team in Conference-USA under Lane Kiffin, Florida Atlantic has won a spot in the conference’s leading bowl game.
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That means the Owls get to stay right at home, welcoming Akron from the freezing midwest to the tropical paradise that is Boca Raton.
Akron Zips
Akron finished atop the MAC East Division with a 6–2 conference record but didn’t make the championship game against Toledo a competitive game.
The Rockets were the class of the MAC. They beat Akron big in the regular season and then did they again, by 17, in the conference championship game.
The Zips struggled down the stretch because their quarterback was suspended for a violation of team rules. Thomas Woodson started the first nine games of the season and posted a quarterback rating in the 120s. He threw 14 touchdowns to eight interceptions and had a good feel for the team as the senior leader.
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Kato Nelson, a freshman, stepped in and started the final four games for Akron, going 2–2. But neither win was very convincing. The Zips beat Ohio by a field goal and Kent State by 10. The two losses were both by double-digits.
Nelson didn’t put up impressive numbers either. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes, many of them relatively conservative throws. He did throw eight TDs to just one pick, however.
But Woodson came back to appear in that Toledo game when things started getting out of hand, which leads us to believe he may play a bigger role in this game. The coaching staff has been mum on the topic of quarterback but there isn’t any doubt Woodson gives Akron a better chance to compete in this game.
FAU Owls
Reading about the Owls staying at home to play in Boca gives me the feel that it took some convincing by Head Coach Lane Kiffin to get this team on board with staying home.
From the outside, it appears the Owls were looking forward to traveling to a new city, as if the trip was more exciting than the football game. That could be a little revealing of what this team is ultimately made of. They clearly have more talent than Akron but the Zips are a blue-collar sort of hard-nosed team from the tundra coming down to sunny Florida.
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Ultimately, it will be a large advantage to play at home. There is no travel to coordinate and the familiarity of FAU Stadium, plus the fans. The Owls may have liked to travel to a new city to storm but as the game gets closer, they will be grateful, as Kiffin has been preaching.
The Owls lost three of their first four games, including losses at Wisconsin and at Buffalo, before running the table with nine wins in a row to finish a season that ended with Conference-USA Championship with a 41–17 win over North Texas.
This is a high-flying offense led by junior dual-threat quarterback Jason Driskel and a running game the rips off over six yards a carry, averaged out over the entire season. It’s been even better since those first four games. Devin Singletary ran for 29 rushing touchdowns by his lonesome and the team found pay dirt 47 times on the ground. Akron may be hard-pressed to keep up with such a potent attack.
Free Boca Raton Bowl Game NCAA Football Pick: the Owls cap their fine season with a win in front of their home fans.
I don’t think Akron is up to the task of scoring with the Owls. The Zips might hang in early but once the game opens up and FAU’s offense gets some momentum, it will be hard to stop.
4* Free NCAA Betting Pick: Akron +22
That said, let’s give the Zips some credit. It’s a team built on defense and running the football it won’t necessarily be an easy blowout for the home team.
Boca Raton Bowl Game Free Score Prediction: Akron 24 – FAU 38
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