The FAU Owls (5-2, 4-1 C-USA) visit the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (2-7, 1-4) Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff. Below, we analyze the FAU-Southern Miss college football betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
FAU at Southern Miss: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:50 a.m. ET.
- Money line: FAU -304 (bet $304 to win $100) | Southern Miss +240 (bet $100 to win $240)
- Against the spread/ATS: FAU -8.5 (-110) | Southern Miss +8.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 42.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
FAU at Southern Miss: Three things to know
- The Owls hit the road for the second straight week. They stepped out of conference and were dumped 20-3 at Georgia Southern last week, struggling against the triple-option offense. The defense was stout as usual, as the Owls have allowed 20 or fewer points in every game this season.
- FAU’s defense allows just 299.6 total yards per game to check-in sixth in the country while ranking eighth in passing yards allowed per game (170.9). The Owls are also third overall in the nation with just 12.4 PPG allowed through seven outings.
- Southern Miss lost 32-21 in the opener against South Alabama, and head coach Jay Hopson resigned after just one game. Scotty Walden took over, but he left to be the head coach at FCS Austin Peay, who will compete in the spring. So, defensive coordinator Tim Billings has been handling the head coaching duties.
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FAU at Southern Miss: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
FAU 26, Southern Miss 13
Money line (ML)
FAU (-304) is a better team overall, and it has the coaching stability. Southern Miss (+240) is having a rare down year. With FAU’s struggling offense, posting just 18.4 points per game, you cannot risk three times your potential return. PASS.
Against the spread (ATS)
FAU -8.5 (-110) is a fairly risky play, as the Owls have struggled on offense, as mentioned above. The seven-loss Golden Eagles will have a hard time moving the ball on the Owls and their sturdy defense. FAU covered the spread in its only road game as a favorite of a touchdown or more, topping rival FIU 38-19 Nov. 13. It was easily its best scoring performance of the season but another breakout here wouldn’t be shocking.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 42.5 (+100) is always risky in this day and age of offense, but FAU is a throwback. The Owls do not score much on offense, and their defense is stout. USM is averaging just 14.3 PPG across its past four games, and a visit from the Owls is not what the Eagles need to get going.
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