BEST LINES: Pinnacle +14 -108 Bet365 +14½ -115 SportsInteraction +14½ -110 5DIMES +14½ -115

Posted at 9:30 AM EST. 

#407 Florida International +14.5 over FLORIDA ATLANTIC

7:00 PM EST. Rivalry games produce the unexpected. Nicknamed ‘The Shula Bowl’, the FIU/FAU rivalry has been balanced and competitive, as each side has won two of the previous four meetings. The culture is undoubtedly changing in both the Panthers and Owls’ camps and this is attested to the coaching that both institutions acquired in 2017. Florida Atlantic picked up former USC Head Coach Lane Kiffin. We can recite you his credentials but we will summarize it by saying his resume speaks for itself. The same applies to Butch Davis, the current Head Coach of Florida International. Both teams are in position to set records for wins in a season, as neither Florida Atlantic nor Florida International have ever won more than eight games in any campaign. Both teams are also bowl eligible for the first time in many years (FAU’s last bowl bid was in 2008, FIU’s was in 2011) so winning this rivalry game is the whip cream and cherry on top.

A hiccup by the Panthers last week has resulted in FIU being given a lack of respect in this market. FIU enters off a loss at home against Old Dominion where the Panthers were a 10-point choice at the close. This result has activated the sell switch on FIU in this market but we must highlight that the Panthers were set up for that letdown, as they went on a rampage throughout the Conference USA in the three weeks previous to that affair. In the three-game winning streak leading up to their demise against ODU, FIU closed as a 13-point pup against Tulane, a 14½-point pooch at Marshall, and a 6½-point dog against UTSA. The Panthers won two of those three contests by double-digit margins and were victorious by no less than a touchdown in any of the three results. FIU’s plight against Old Dominion gives us an opportunity to take advantage, as they are up against a team whose stock is through the ceiling.

Florida Atlantic continues to win at will. The Owls have won six in a row and have covered in five of these six contests with their only against-the-spread loss over that span coming in the most absurd of manners imaginable. Readers of this space know exactly what we’re talking about, especially after Lane Kiffin tweeted out, “We didn’t want to cover”. It has been called one of the worst beats in betting history. FIU has been disrespected all season long. Last week they were a big favorite and lost after three weeks of being an underdog and winning big. The Panthers have embraced the underdog role and now they’re being disrespected again, perhaps more than any time this season. That chip on their shoulder they’ve had all season prior to last week returns here and the Panthers likely bring this one in well under the number.   

Open an account today at Pinnacle Sports and take advantage of their -104 style pricing on sides and totals, which is 60% better than other sportsbooks.