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The Temple Owls (2-2) and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (2-2) meet Thursday night at Chapman Stadium in Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) opener for both sides. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Temple vs. Tulsa odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
Temple has alternated wins and losses in each of its 4 outings so far, registering wins over Akron and Norfolk State of the FCS, while suffering lopsided losses at Rutgers, and home against Miami last Saturday. The Owls have posted a 1-3 against the spread (ATS) mark, including 0-3 ATS against FBS opponents. The Under is 3-1 through 4 games, with the Over cashing last week.
Tulsa opened with a 42-7 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff of the FCS before taking it on the chin in a pair of losses to Washington and Oklahoma. It rebounded with a solid 22-14 win at Northern Illinois last Saturday, cashing as a 4-point underdog. The Under is 3-1 through 4 games for the Golden Cane, too.
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Temple at Tulsa odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 3:49 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Temple +134 (bet $100 to win $134) | Tulsa -162 (bet $162 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Temple +3.5 (-115) | Tulsa -3.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 55.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Temple at Tulsa picks and predictions
Prediction
Tulsa 32, Temple 29
Moneyline
Tulsa (-162) is a little on the pricey side for my liking. The Golden Hurricane make me a little nervous against Temple (+134), and the only reason I like Tulsa is because it is at home.
Tulsa has been terrible against the pass this season, allowing 302.0 yards per game, which is 125th in FBS, according to covers.com. The one thing the Golden Hurricane does well is run the ball, gobbling up 170.5 yards per game on the ground.
Temple’s strength on offense is passing, and it should find little resistance in that aspect of the game. The Owls can’t stop the run, though, allowing 195.3 yards per outing, so that’s a huge concern.
PASS.
Against the spread
TEMPLE +3.5 (-115) isn’t a great offense by any stretch, but QB E.J. Warner has proven to be dangerous, throwing for exactly 1,000 yards with 5 TDs and 4 INTs. He’ll be a handful to contain for the Tulsa -3.5 (-105) defense.
When Tulsa has the ball, watch for the 2-headed monster of RBs Jordan Ford and Anthony Watkins. Both players have rushed for over 215 yards while scoring 1 TD apiece.
Over/Under
OVER 55.5 (-110) might end up being the best play on the board.
The strength of each offense is the weakness of the opponent, so both of these teams should be able to move the ball up and down Skelly Field with impunity.
The last time these teams met in Tulsa on Nov. 20, 2021, the total ended up going Over, and the total has gone high in both meetings in Oklahoma since Nov. 2017.
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