Tag: sportsbook

Florida Atlantic (0-1) at No. 16 Michigan State (1-0) Gambling Preview + Predictions

The Florida Atlantic Owls gave Michigan State a pretty good game last year before losing 30-17. Howard Schnellenberger’s Owls are much weaker than they were last year, but the Spartans are still a very powerful team.

Can Florida Atlantic hang in there this year or will it be a complete mismatch?

Florida Atlantic vs. Michigan State
Spartan Stadium
Saturday September 10, 12:00 PM EST
NCAA Football Odds from JustBet
Moneyline: Off
College Football Spread: Michigan State -32 (-110) Florida Atlantic +32 (-110)
Over/Under: 50.5
FAU vs. MSU ATS Gambling Stats –>

A few years ago Florida Atlantic appeared to be a program that was destined to become a perennial leader in the Sun Belt Conference. The team won a bowl game in both 2007 and 2008, but since then the program has turned south in a hurry.

Last year’s team went 4-8, and most of the top players from that team graduated. The Owls were thrashed 41-3 by Florida in their season opener last weekend. Graham Wilbert is the team’s starting quarterback, but he is very inexperienced.

Alfred Morris is a talented runner that the team must get involved as often as possible, but the offensive line is a real problem area. Rob Housler and Lester Jean were both stars in the passing game last year, but both are in the NFL now. The defensive side of the football doesn’t look any better for this squad.

The team is stacked at the linebacker position, but everywhere else on the field they have question marks. The defense moved to a 3-4 over the offseason primarily because they were struggling badly to find quality defensive linemen. Florida picked up six yards per carry last week, and this run defense will be tested by the Spartans this weekend.

Expect it to be a long season for the Owls.

Michigan State wasn’t particularly impressive in their 28-6 victory over Youngstown State last weekend. The Spartans led just 7-6 late in the second quarter, but they did play better in the second half.

Kirk Cousins was extremely efficient last week in the season opener. Cousins went 18 for 22 passing while throwing for 222 yards. B.J. Cunningham caught nine passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. Edwin Baker, Le’Veon Bell, and Larry Caper are all very talented running backs for Michigan State. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

The Spartans have as much talent in the backfield as any team in the Big Ten this year. Look for Michigan State to try to pound the football consistently this week.

The Michigan State defense employed the bend but don’t break philosophy last week against Youngstown State. Greg Jones was the unit’s leader last year, and it wouldn’t surprise me a bit to see a big drop in production from the linebacker position this season.

Jerrell Worthy is a defensive tackle that all the NFL scouts have their eyes on. Worthy can take over a game at any time, and he does a great job of both rushing the passer and stuffing the run.

Michigan State is looking to prove that last year’s run was no fluke. Florida Atlantic will likely be at the bottom of the Sun Belt this year.

I think this one could get ugly pretty quickly.

I don’t like laying this many points, but I think the Spartans dominate here.

NCAA Gambling Trends:

Under is 10-1 in FLATL last 11 games on grass.
FLATL are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
FLATL are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games on grass.
Over is 7-1 in MCHST last 8 non-conference games.

Free College Football Pick: Michigan State -32
Score Prediction: Michigan State 45 Florida Atlantic 7

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