Florida Atlantic Owls (5-5) vs. WKU Hilltoppers (6-4)
November 20, 2021 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: WKU Hilltoppers -9.5 ; Over/Under: 65.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers meet the Florida Atlantic Owls on Saturday in week 12 Conference USA college football action from Houchens Industries-LT Smith Stadium. Florida Atlantic is coming off a game versus Old Dominion. In that one the Owls lost by 14 points. As for the Hilltoppers, they played Rice in their last outing. Western Kentucky ended up posting a big 21-point win. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
Florida Atlantic went 3-2 over their first five games, with wins over GA Southern, Fordham and FIU alongside losses to Florida and Air Force. After that came a 2-2 stretch with losses to UAB and Marshall with wins over UTEP and Charlotte.
In the Old Dominion game last weekend, the Owls were down 11-3 heading into the half and ultimately fell 30-16. QB N’Kosi Perry put up 184 yards with a TD, and Johnny Ford led the rush with 101 yards and a TD from 19 carries.
Over on the Hilltoppers’ side, they won their opener over TN-Martin then lost their next four to Army, Indiana, Michigan State and UTSA. Western Kentucky picked it up from there with wins over Old Dominion, FIU, Charlotte and Middle Tennessee.
On Saturday versus Rice, the Hilltoppers went into halftime with a 28-0 lead and cruised to a 42-21 victory. QB Bailey Zappe finish with 490 yards, five touchdowns and two picks. Mitchell Tinsley was tops in receiving with 10 catches for 193 yards and two scores.
The Owls are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 on turf and 2-5 ATS in their last seven after an ATS loss. FAU is 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games.
Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games and 4-1 ATS in their last five overall. WKU is 4-1 ATS in their last five in November.
PICK: I’m going to try Western Kentucky here. The Hilltoppers looked great offensively against Rice—outside of four turnovers and a spotty 4-of-10 on third downs. WKU posted 597 yards with 28 first downs and an 8.2-yards-per-play average. The Hilltoppers did give up 503 yards on the other side, but came up with five turnovers and kept the damage minimal.
As for FAU, they gave up 458 yards of offense in the Old Dominion loss. It was a sloppy game with two fumbles and 13 penalties. There were some positives on offense, but not enough for me to trust the Owls on a cover.
