Florida Atlantic Owls vs Michigan State Spartans NCAAF Betting Prediction

NCAAF Florida Atlantic vs Michigan Prediction 8/30/2024

The Florida Atlantic Owls and Michigan State Spartans will each be playing their first game of the season on Friday, August 30th. This game will be played at Spartan Stadium (MI) in East Lansing and televised on BTN.

Michigan State is favored at -14 as they prepare to face off against the Florida Atlantic Owls in a week one non-conference matchup. The game is set for 7:00 ET at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing (MI), and you can catch the action on BTN. This will be the first game of the season for both teams, with the over/under line currently sitting at 45 points.

Florida Atlantic Owls vs Michigan State Spartans

Florida Atlantic Records And Recent Play

Michigan State Records And Recent Play

Florida Atlantic Offense Breakdown

Florida Atlantic’s passing game averaged 215.5 yards per game last season, ranking 85th in the country. However, their rushing attack struggled, finishing 109th with just 116.4 yards per game. The Owls’ offense as a whole averaged 23.8 points per game, placing them 76th nationally. Last season’s quarterbacks have moved on, and the team has brought in Cam Fancher, who threw for 2162 yards and 11 touchdowns last season at Marshall. Fancher completed 65.4% of his passes, compared to 50% for Tyriq Starks, the top returning quarterback from last year’s team.

At the running back position, the Owls have added CJ Campbell Jr. from Florida State, who rushed for 117 yards last season. Zuberi Mobley is the top returning running back from last year’s team. In the receiving corps, Marlyn Johnson, who had 495 receiving yards last season, is the top returner. Florida Atlantic will look to improve on their 33.9% third-down conversion rate, which was 105th in the nation last season.

Michigan State Offense Breakdown

Michigan State’s passing game was ranked 97th in the country last season, averaging 199.8 yards per game. Overall, the Spartans’ offense was 104th in the nation, scoring just 15.9 points per game. Their struggles on third down were a major issue, as they converted only 30.9% of their third down opportunities, which was 116th in college football. On the ground, the Spartans averaged just 90.9 rushing yards per game, placing them 121st in the country.

This season, the Spartans are looking to improve with the addition of quarterback Aidan Chiles, who transferred from Oregon State. Chiles threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns last year while completing 68.6% of his passes. In the backfield, Michigan State returns Nate Carter and added Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams from UMass, who ran for 1157 yards last season. The top returning receiver for the Spartans is Montorie Foster Jr., who had 574 receiving yards last year.

Florida Atlantic Team Defense

Florida Atlantic’s defense allowed 25.5 points per game last season, ranking 37th in the country. They struggled against the pass, giving up 248.1 passing yards per game, which was 139th nationally. On the ground, they finished 83rd, allowing 149.9 rushing yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks also completed 63.9% of their passes against the Owls last season.

Florida Atlantic Team Defense

Michigan State’s defense allowed 28.3 points per game last season, ranking 57th in the nation. They struggled against the pass, giving up 237.4 passing yards per game, which was 118th in college football. On the ground, the Spartans finished 97th, allowing 155.7 rushing yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 138.8 against their defense, placing the Spartans 114th in the country.

Florida Atlantic vs Michigan State Trends

  • In their last five road games, Florida Atlantic has averaged 34 points per game while allowing 24. The team’s record in this stretch was 2-3 while going 3-1-1.
  • In their last five games at home, the Michigan State Spartans have a straight up record of 1-4 while going 2-2-1 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 15 points per game in these contests.
  • Going back to their previous three games as the underdog, Florida Atlantic has an ATS mark of 0-2-1 while going 0-3 straight up.
  • Michigan State has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 4-1 SU and 4-1 ATS in their last five games.

Owls vs Spartans Prediction

Michigan State is favored by -14 points in their week one matchup against Florida Atlantic. We expect the Spartans to win comfortably, with a projected final score of 32-13 in their favor.

With the over/under line set at 45 points, our best recommendation is to take the over, as it matches our projection for a combined score of 45 points. For a point spread pick, we like Michigan State to cover as -14 point favorites.


All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!


* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.