American (+120) Fractional (6/5) Decimal (2.20)
Eastern Time Central Time Mountain Time Pacific Time
Help Center
Conference USA Championship Game Preview: North Texas vs. Florida Atlantic

Conference USA Championship Odds & Preview: Mean Green vs. Owls

Written by on November 28, 2017

NCAA Football Betting News
Despite playing an opponent with an identical 9-3 record, the Florida Atlantic Owls are decisive double-digit favorites to beat the North Texas Mean Green when they square off in the Conference USA Championship on Saturday and there’s a reason why. Not only have the Owls gone perfectly in conference play this season under polarizing head coach Lane Kiffin, but they also routed North Texas when the two teams met earlier this season. Now, let’s find out if the Owls can duplicate their feat to cover the NCAAF spread as big favorite this coming weekend.

North Texas (9-3) vs. Florida Atlantic (9-3) Conference USA Championship Game Preview

  • Where: FAU Football Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
  • When: Saturday, December 2, 2017, 11:00 AM ET
  • TV: ESPN2
  • Radio: 95.3 FM (North Texas) / 106.3 FM (Florida Atlantic)
  • Live Stream: Watch ESPN
  • Conference USA Championship Odds: Florida Atlantic Owls -11 (Over/Under 74)

Weather Forecast

  • Clear: 26°C/78°F
  • Humidity: 59%
  • Precipitation: 1%
  • Cloud Cover: 9%
  • Wind: 12 mph ENE
  • Stadium Type: Open

Big 12 Championship Lines & Info: TCU vs. Oklahoma

Recent Head to Head (Last 10 Games)

  • Record: Florida Atlantic leads 6-4
  • Score: North Texas 24.60 / Florida Atlantic 29.00
  • Rush Yards: North Texas 178.60 / Florida Atlantic 187.30
  • Pass Attempts: North Texas 29.80 / Florida Atlantic 33.00
  • Completion Percentage: North Texas 60.40 / Florida Atlantic 54.55
  • Passing Yards: North Texas 185.10 / Florida Atlantic 217.80
  • Total Yards: North Texas 363.7 / Florida Atlantic 405.1
  • Turnovers: North Texas 2.30 / Florida Atlantic 1.40

Why Bet the North Texas Mean Green Odds at +11?

The best reason to beat on North Texas is that they’re playing their best football of the season and have some added motivation to extract some revenge against Florida Atlantic. The Mean Green has won five straight games while scoring 30 or more points three times during the stretch and topping the 40-point plateau three times and the 50-point mark, once. North Texas man-handled Rice 30-14 this past weekend to cover the chalk as a 12.5-point home favorite and average a healthy 37.5 points per game (17th) despite giving up an overly generous 33.2 points per game defensively (105th).

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Average Score For: 37.50
  • Total Yards: 469.5
  • Rush Yards: 184.58
  • Passing Yards: 284.92
Defense
  • Average Score Against: 33.25
  • Total Yards: 414.33
  • Rush Yards: 202.00
  • Passing Yards: 212.33

Why Bet the Florida Atlantic Owls Odds at -11?

The best reason to bet on the Owls is that they are on fire and are the better statistical team on both sides of the ball in this matchup. Not only have the Owls won eight straight games, but they blew North Texas off the field in their 69-31 home win in Week 8 to easily cover the chalk as a 3.5-point home favorite in a contest they basically won by taking a 31-0 lead into the half. The Owls average a stellar 39.8 points per game this season under Kiffin (10th) while allowing 24.8 points per game defensively (53rd). FAU is a huge favorite to win the 2017 Conference USA Championship Game.

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Average Score For: 39.75
  • Total Yards: 480.17
  • Rush Yards: 283.42
  • Passing Yards: 196.75
Defense
  • Average Score Against: 24.83
  • Total Yards: 405.91
  • Rush Yards: 172.83
  • Passing Yards: 233.08

Latest Conference USA Championship Betting Trends

  • North Texas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
  • North Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 10 of North Texas’s last 14 games
  • Florida Atlantic is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
  • Florida Atlantic is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 5 of Florida Atlantic’s last 7 games

Expert Analysis and Prediction

While North Texas has won an identical nine-game just like Florida Atlantic, there’s a reason why a whopping 73 percent of public bettors like the Florida Atlantic to cover the chalk as double-digit favorites in this contest and it’s because the Owls are just better than the Mean Green in all three phases of the game. Florida Atlantic is more explosive offensively, much better defensively and showed it in their emphatic 69-31 blowout win against North Texas on October 21. Also, after examining their performances against common opponents, it’s easy to see why everyone likes FAU. North Texas narrowly got by Louisiana Tech 24-23 a month ago while Florida Atlantic blew Louisiana Tech off their field in their 48-23 on September 30. The Mean Green got by Old Dominion by a touchdown in their 45-38 win on October 28 while FAU destroyed the Monarchs 58-28 on October 10. These two Conference USA rivals may have identical records, but they are most certainly not created equal. Florida Atlantic wins and covers the spread as double-digit favorites! Pick: Florida Atlantic -11
Help Center