College Football Free Pick: Florida Atlantic Owls at North Texas Mean Green

The Florida Atlantic Owls and North Texas Mean Green will go toe-to-toe on the turf of Apogee Stadium. CBS Sports Network will televise the action and this important CUSA game is scheduled to kick off at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Betting Preview: North Texas Mean Green vs. Florida Atlantic Owls

Florida Atlantic is the road underdog in this CUSA game and is currently receiving 3 points. The Owls are also receiving +135 moneyline odds while the Mean Green are -155. If one side can create a bunch of points in the early stages it’ll produce a decent in-game betting opportunity. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 61.5 points.

This game’s opening line was -3, while the over/under has not changed after it was initially set at 61.5.

The Owls have lost 2.7 units so far in 2018 and are 3-7 against the spread (ATS). The team has recorded an O/U mark of 5-4.

The underwhelming Mean Green have lost 8.9 units this season. The team is 4-6 ATS and has an O/U record of 0-10.

The Owls are 5-5 straight up (SU), including 3-3 SU against conference opponents. The Mean Green are 7-3 SU overall and are also 3-3 SU in conference play.

The Owls are coming off a resounding 34-15 victory over Western Kentucky last week. The passing game was on point as Chris Robison completed 17 passes on 21 attempts for 231 yards. Devin Singletary (148 yards on 22 rushes, two TDs) and Kerrith Whyte, Jr. (163 yards on 21 carries, two TDs) led the running attack while Jovon Durante (seven receptions, 79 yards) and Willie Wright (five catches, 41 yards) manned the receiving duties in the win.

North Texas narrowly fell 34-31 to Old Dominion. Mason Fine completed 26-of-44 passes for 240 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. DeAndre Torrey (145 rushing yards on 25 attempts, two TDs) led the running game while Rico Bussey, Jr. (six receptions, 82 yards, two TDs) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.

Florida Atlantic has run the ball on 61.0 percent of its offensive possessions this year while North Texas has an overall rush percentage of 46.8 percent. The Owls have produced 252.0 rush yards per game (including 273.0 per game versus Conference USA opponents) and have 31 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Mean Green are totaling 147.5 rushing yards per game (135.5 in conference) and have 20 total rush TDs.

The Owls offense has tallied 224.5 yards per game through the air overall (212.0 per game against conference opposition) and has 10 passing TDs so far. The Mean Green have put up 317.2 pass yards per outing (299 against CUSA foes) and have 23 total pass scores.

Defensively, Florida Atlantic has allowed opponents to run for an average of 170.3 yards and throw for 244.7 yards per game. The North Texas D has allowed 239.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 103.5 yards per game on the ground. The Mean Green are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.56 to opponents, while the Owls have given up a 6.89 ANY/A.

Fine has connected on 229-of-353 passes for 2,786 yards, 21 TDs and two INTs. Fine’s adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 8.09 for the season and 6.55 over his past two games. In the other huddle, Robison has amassed 1,876 passing yards this season, and has completed 152-of-237 attempts with eight passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Robison’s got a 6.26 ANY/A for the year, although that number sits at 9.27 over the last two games.

Florida Atlantic Owls at North Texas Mean Green Free Pick

SU Winner: North Texas, ATS Winner: North Texas, O/U: Over

Betting Trends

The North Texas defense has sacked opposing QBs 30 times this season. Florida Atlantic has recorded just 17 sacks.

The North Texas offense has lost eight fumbles this season while Florida Atlantic has lost five.

The Owls offense has registered seven pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Mean Green have put up nine such plays.

The Florida Atlantic defense has allowed six pass plays of 40+ yards, while North Texas has given up 10 such plays.

The Florida Atlantic offense has created 25 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while North Texas has created 12 such runs.

Both defenses have allowed 11 rushing plays of 20 yards or more. The Owls have given up 49 running plays of 10+ yards while the Mean Green have given up 32 such plays.

The Over/Under for North Texas’ previous match was set at 67.5. The under cashed in the 34-31 loss to Old Dominion.

In its last three games, North Texas is 0-3 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.

Over its last three matches, Florida Atlantic is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.

The Over/Under for Florida Atlantic’s last game was set at 60. The under cashed in the team’s 34-15 win over Western Kentucky.

As a team, Florida Atlantic has averaged 6.3 yards per carry over its last three games and 6.4 over its last two.

North Texas has averaged 4.5 yards per carry over its last three outings and 5.1 over its past two.