Kennesaw St vs FIU Betting Preview: Predictions and Best Bet for October 21

The Kennesaw State Owls will fly south to take on the FIU Panthers in a nice little Conference USA matchup on Tuesday, October 21. Both are jockeying for position in the conference race, so we should see two focused squads battle it out on ESPN2 tonight at 7:00 PM Eastern Time.

The Owls are currently sitting at 4-2, and they just pulled off a huge upset over Louisiana Tech back on October 9. On the other hand, Florida International just pulled off a nice upset of their own against Western Kentucky on October 14.

How will this one play out? We’ll dive into which team has the edge in each statistical category. Get our top predictions and best bet here. Best of luck, sports betting family.

Saturday, September 5 at 7:00 PM	Spread	Money	Total
Florida International Panthers	+12.5 (-110)	+350	O 55.5 (-105)
South Florida Bulls	-12.5 (-112)	-440	U 54.5 (-112)

Opening Odds for Kennesaw St vs FIU

Oddsmakers are making Kennesaw State a small favorite in this game, as the opening line priced the team from Georgia as a 1.5-point favorite. A little bit of money has shown up for the Owls, so the price now sits in the 3 to 3.5-point range at most online sportsbooks. Be sure to shop around for the best price.

There should be plenty of defense in this game, which is kind of strange for Conference USA. The opening total was 48.5, but some sharp money on the Over has pushed the line up to its current number of 49.5. I’ll be curious to see where the late money pushes this line before the kick.

Can Kennesaw State Stay Hot After Their Bye?

The Owls have the luxury of two competent QBs, which is something that most CUSA teams cannot say. Amari Odom went down with an injury a few weeks ago, but he could be back under center tonight since he had the bye week to get healthier. The 6’4″ sophomore still leads the team in passing yards.

Dexter Williams II has done a fantastic job in Odom’s absence. The 6’1″ senior threw for 4 TDs against La Tech back on October 9th. Williams can burn a defense with either his arm or his legs, so FIU may have to consider putting a spy on him in this Tuesday night affair.

Will FIU Finally Show Some Consistency?

The Panthers have been up-and-down all year long, as they were blown out by UConn and Delaware before putting a whooping on Western Kentucky last week. Keyone Jenkins has already thrown 4 picks this year, so he’ll have to do a better job in that department if FIU wants to pull an upset in back-to-back weeks.

FIU has struggled to stop the run this season, but I’ve been more than a bit impressed with their secondary. The Panthers rank a decent 56th in yards per pass, which is pretty good considering some of the teams they played earlier in the year.

Best Bet: FIU +3.5 (-120) (ESPN BET)

I’m keeping this one small since my numbers make FIU +3 even at home. I’m hoping this is one of those rare occasions where the bye will actually hurt Kennesaw State’s momentum instead of helping them. The Owls have won 4 in a row after starting 0-2 this season.

However, Kennesaw State has NOT been on the road since their Week 2 blowout loss to Indiana. I can’t hold that blowout against them, but not having to hit the highway for almost 7 weeks has definitely helped them. Now, they have to head to FIU for what is the Panthers’ VICE game. Pitbull Stadium will be rocking tonight

We saw this FIU team finally play up to its full potential last week against Western Kentucky, a game they won 25-6. Kejon Owens ran for 195 yards in that one, and I think the Panthers will give him plenty of carries in this one.

FIU ranks 34th in yards per rush gained, and they also have a much more reliable field goal kicker. I also like that FIU ranks 17th in time of possession, so they can play keep-away here if needed. Give me the home dog!