The 2020 college football season opens for Stephen F. Austin and UTEP at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Tex. with a Saturday evening kickoff at 9 p.m. ET. We analyze the Stephen F. Austin-UTEP college football betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Stephen F. Austin at UTEP: Betting odds and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:25 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: UTEP -286 | Stephen F. Austin +225
- Against the Spread/ATS: UTEP -7.5 (-110) | Stephen F. Austin +7.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 54.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Stephen F. Austin at UTEP: Three things to know
- UTEP barely scraped by an FCS team in its opener last season, holding off Houston Baptist by a 36-34 score. It was the Miners’ only victory of the season, as they finished 1-11 straight up while going 3-9 ATS. The Miners are also a dismal 2-34 SU across the past three seasons.
- Stephen F. Austin didn’t fare much better at the FCS level last season, winning just three of 12 contests. It was a rough offseason, too, as NCAA violations forced the Lumberjacks to have to vacate their 29 wins dating back to 2013.
- This is the first-ever meeting between these two Texas schools on the gridiron.
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Stephen F. Austin at UTEP: Odds, betting lines and picks
Prediction
UTEP 27, Stephen F. Austin 24
Moneyline (ML)
There is no possible way you can back UTEP (-286), risking nearly three times your potential return. Again, they have won just two games in the past three seasons. Even if they were playing a Division III team, the advice would be the same. If anything, taking Stephen F. Austin (+225) as a value play would be better.
The best play is to AVOID.
Against the Spread (ATS)
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (+7.5, -110) has NFL-caliber talent in the secondary, and that’s going to help the Lumberjacks hang in this game. Oklahoma State transfer Kris McCune comes over to boost them at safety, and cornerback Willie Roberts is a legit NFL prospect and All-Conference talent.
In fact, they’d both easily start for the Miners. SFA might not be able to pull off the straight-up win, but it will cover the number, and it’s especially attractive at seven and a hook as opposed to a flat seven.
Over/Under (O/U)
The lean is to the UNDER 52.5 (-110), but confidence is not high considering UTEP allowed an unseemly 35.9 points per game in 2019. A small-unit wager is fine, based upon a slow start for both offenses after limited spring and summer practices.
Plus, the strength of UTEP is its run game, and ragging the clock is always a friend of the Under bettor.
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