Two 5-2 teams in the American Athletic Conference will meet on Thursday night as the FAU Owls visit the North Texas Mean Green at DATCU Stadium in Denton, Texas. Florida Atlantic is 2-1 in conference play, while North Texas has won all three of its American contests. The Mean Green enter on a four-game winning streak after a 10-point victory over Navy, while the Owls edged Rice 51-49 in a 100-point shootout last week.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. North Texas opens as a 14-point favorite, with the over/under set at 77.5 points — one of the highest totals of the season. The money line lists North Texas at -529 and FAU at +425.
The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates each FBS game 10,000 times, projects the Under 77.5 points as its top play. Despite both offenses ranking among the nation's most prolific, the model notes that each team ranks in the top four in passing defense within the conference. The model forecasts a combined 58 points, with the Under hitting in 86% of simulations. It also projects nearly 300 combined rushing yards, which would consume clock and limit scoring opportunities.
In addition to the total, the model indicates one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. The model entered Week 9 on a 68-59 run on top-rated college football picks, returning nearly $400 for $100 players.
