UTSA travels to Boca Raton to face Florida Atlantic on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, with the Roadrunners listed as 7-point favorites and an over/under of 72.5 points. Clear skies and a low of 72°F are forecast for the American Athletic Conference matchup.
Betting trends show UTSA at -6.5 attracting 69% of the against-the-spread handle but only 28% of tickets, while the high total has drawn 86% of the money and 60% of bets to the over. The SportsLine Projection Model projects a combined 63 points.
The first College Football Playoff rankings left UTSA (7-1, 4-0 AAC) unranked; the lone Group of 6 representative is Boise State at No. 25. The model gives the Roadrunners a 0.7% playoff chance, 40th nationally. Coach Jeff Traylor's team is +600 to reach the playoff, and a berth would likely draw power-conference interest for Traylor.
UTSA's offense averages 33.5 points per game, fourth in the conference. Senior quarterback Owen McCown, son of longtime NFL quarterback Josh McCown, has started 35 straight games and thrown for 1,751 yards, 10 touchdowns, and four interceptions this season. Running back Will Henderson III has rushed 109 times for 664 yards and five scores.
Florida Atlantic (4-4, 2-2 AAC) averages 37.8 points per game. Quarterback Caden Veltkamp has completed 227 of 316 passes for 2,536 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Wide receiver Easton Messer leads the nation with 74 catches for 898 yards and nine touchdowns, and has also returned two punts for touchdowns. The Owls' defense allows 468.9 yards and 35.8 points per game.
FAU leads the all-time series 3-2 and is 2-1 at home, but UTSA has won the last two meetings, including the 2023 game in Boca Raton. The Roadrunners have shown vulnerability on the road this season, giving the Owls a plausible upset chance at +7.5. A suggested same-game parlay pairs Florida Atlantic +10.5 with an alternate under 80.5 at +109 odds.
