The Florida Atlantic Owls are the biggest favorite of bowl season. Lane Kiffin’s offense has been virtually unstoppable this season and the Owls are looking to cap their season off the right way. Florida Atlantic already won the Conference USA Title and now the Owls have a chance to cap off their best season ever with a bowl win at home. Their opponent will be the Akron Zips, the MAC East Champion who has surprised teams and experts all season long.
Watch the Boca Raton Bowl live on Tuesday, December 19, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. This game will be broadcast on ESPN.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Florida Atlantic -22.5
Akron +22.5
Over/Under 61.5
Odds Analysis
FAU has been one of the best teams to bet on this season. The Owls offense needed a couple games to get going, but once they did it was a beautiful thing to watch.
They started the season 1-3 SU and 2-2 ATS with losses to Navy, Wisconsin, and Buffalo, but turned it on once they entered conference play. The Owls scored at least 30 points in every CUSA game this season and that led to a perfect 9-0 record in conference with the team going 7-2 ATS.
Akron has been just as good against the number as Florida Atlantic, but that’s because oddsmakers have underestimated this team all season. The Zips were only favored in four of their 13 games this season, yet still managed to finish 7-6. They were a double-digit underdog in two of their wins, making that 9-4 ATS record even better if you bet Akron on the moneyline.
Matchup to Watch
Kiffin is considered an offensive genius due to his ability to tailor his scheme to the talent he has around him. He has done an amazing job of that this year with the Owls.
Florida Atlantic is sixth in the nation in rushing heading into bowl season, putting up over 283 yards per game on the ground. The Owls have one of the nation’s most underrated running backs in Devin Singletary and he has put up some gaudy numbers. Singletary has rushed for 1,796 yards this year and has reached the end zone 29 times.
The Zips finished 99th in the nation in total defense and are going to have a tough time stopping Florida Atlantic’s attack. They are allowing almost 200 yards per game on the ground and Toledo was able to do whatever it wanted against this defense in the MAC Championship Game. FAU’s offense is even better and could have a record-setting day.
Key Stats
Akron might be the worst team to have made a bowl when you look at its overall numbers. The Zips finished 118th in total offense and 99th in total defense and the advanced metrics look poorly upon this team too. S&P+ ranks Akron as the 110th best team in the country, and considers the Zips to have received a lot of turnover luck.
The Zips don’t have much of a ground game. Akron averaged 3.3 yards per carry this season and its two leading rushers averaged four yards or less per carry. That’s an extremely low number and shows that it wasn’t just influenced by a lot of sacks.
Additionally, the Zips aren’t much of an aerial threat. Thomas Woodson started the season at quarterback, but his performance wasn’t that great. Kato Nelson took over in early November and while he isn’t the most accurate passer, he is more of a running threat and has connected on some big plays through the air.
Free ATS Pick
Florida Atlantic is going to be able to name the score in this one. Toledo raced out to a 38-0 lead over Akron in the MAC Championship Game before shutting down its offense, but Kiffin might not want to do that. He is known for making statements and has an excellent chance to do so here. Don’t forget that this game is a day before the early signing period starts and a blowout win is a great way to highlight the program.
College Football Odds: Florida Atlantic 55, Akron 17
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