The No. 19 Liberty Flames (8-1) meet the Connecticut Huskies (5-5) Saturday at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Conn. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET (CBS Sports Network). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Liberty vs. Connecticut odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Flames, ranked No. 23 in the College Football Playoff rankings, picked up a giant 21-19 win at Arkansas last week as a 14-point underdog, Liberty’s 2nd straight outright win as a ‘dog of 7 or more points. Liberty has won 6 in a row since its lone setback at Wake Forest on Sept. 17, a 1-point loss.
The Huskies have already gone Over their preseason win total, but UConn now finds itself needing 1 win in the final 2 games to qualify for a bowl game. UConn has put itself into position for the postseason with a 4-1 SU mark in the last 5 games, and the Huskies have covered 6 in a row. The Under is 5-0 in the last 5 for Connecticut, too.
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Liberty at Connecticut odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 10:09 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Liberty -800 (bet $800 to win $100) | Connecticut +520 (bet $100 to win $520)
- Against the spread: Liberty -14 (-115) | Connecticut +14 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 45.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Liberty at Connecticut picks and predictions
Prediction
Liberty 24, Connecticut 17
Moneyline
Liberty (-800) will cost you 8 times your potential return, and that’s quite a bit risky, especially on the road.
In addition, the Flames could have a little bit of a hangover here after a thrilling win on the road against an SEC team, followed up with a trip against a .500 independent. Liberty should win, but this could be closer than some think.
PASS.
Against the spread
Play CONNECTICUT +14 (-105) catching the 2 TDs, and if it happens to go up to 14 and a hook or more, go even heavier.
The Huskies don’t have the prettiest numbers overall, but the offense has been a lot better as the season has gone on. The offense is averaging just 18.5 PPG overall, but UConn has exceeded that total with 21 or more points in 3 of the last 4 outings. The run game is exceptional, going for 187.6 yards per game, and it will be a test for the Liberty D.
Over/Under
UNDER 45.5 (-110) is the lean here. Liberty has rolled up 30.0 PPG, but it underachieved last week with just 21 points. The defense has been air-tight, allowing just 17.7 PPG in the previous 3, all Under results.
UConn is also on a 5-0 Under run lately, so you have to keep rolling with the Under until further notice.
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