Charlotte vs Florida Atlantic Odds, Picks and Predictions: Playing Tight in Week 0

Conference USA looks a bit different this year, as the conference is down to 11 teams from the 14 of 2022. Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Mississippi joining the Sun Belt Conference should make life a bit easier for the remaining schools.

Charlotte jumped off to a flying start in 2021, but dropped four of its final five games and failed to secure a bowl invitation. Meanwhile, Florida Atlantic was one win away from a postseason bowl invite, lost its last four, and watched the festivities from home.

Florida Atlantic is 5-2 overall vs. Charlotte, and the Owls have a three-game winning streak heading into Saturday’s matchup. Can the 49ers stop their three-game losing skid? Find out in our free college football picks and predictions with kickoff set for 7:00 pm ET.

Charlotte vs Florida Atlantic odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

FAU opened at -7 and that number has moved to -7.5. The moneyline opened at -283 and currently sits at -296. The total opened at 57.5 but moved to 59.5 in some places.  

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets.

Charlotte vs Florida Atlantic predictions

• Prediction: Charlotte +7.5 (-110)
• Prediction: Over 59.5 (-110)
• Best bet: 1H Under 30.5 (-124)

Predictions made on 8/24/2022 at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Charlotte vs Florida Atlantic game info

• Location: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
• Date: Saturday, August 27, 2021
• Kick-off: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS

Charlotte vs Florida Atlantic betting preview

Weather

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Key injuries

Charlotte: None.
Florida Atlantic: None.
Find our latest College football injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The road team is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings. Find more NCAA betting trends for Charlotte vs. Florida Atlantic.

Charlotte vs Florida Atlantic picks and predictions

Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.

Spread analysis

Florida Atlantic is probably the better team and will likely win this matchup, but 7.5 points is a half-point too much for this contest.

The 2021 Charlotte 49ers were in the hunt for a possible bowl berth, but they dropped four of their last five games and failed to receive an invite. Senior QB Chris Reynolds chucked four interceptions over the 49ers' final three games, and he’ll want to get the offense going early and often Saturday evening.

Reynolds threw for 2,860 yards with 26 scoring strikes alongside nine interceptions with a 63% completion rate in 2021. He’s one of eight returning starters for an offense finishing ninth in C-USA scoring. He’ll have his top three wideouts back, plus four returning offensive linemen and their top two running backs from 2021.

The Owls defense allowed a C-USA, sixth-best 25.8 points per game, but they lost cornerback Zyon Gilbert to the NFL and return just five starters.

The Florida Atlantic secondary is relatively new and will look to safety Teja Young to make big plays and lead the new-look defensive backfield.

The FAU offense is stacked and led by senior QB N’Kosi Perry. Perry completed 61% of his throws, tossed 20 TDs with seven picks, and tallied 2,771 passing yards in 2021. 

The senior signal-caller also scampered for 149 yards with four trips to the end zone. Perry has four starting linemen returning, along with his top two wide receivers and best two ground gainers. 

The 2021 49ers defense was lousy and allowed 27.7 points per game with the third-most rushing yards allowed in C-USA play. This Charlotte unit has to replace three linebackers, including leading tackler Tyler Murray who transferred to Memphis.

Finally, it appears we might have a Week 0 shootout in store for us Saturday night. Two hungry, experienced offenses such as these up against defenses with serious question marks has all the earmarks of a high-scoring but close affair. Getting that hook helps, and I see Charlotte covering the spread on Saturday.

Prediction: Charlotte +7.5 (-110 at WynnBet)

Over/Under analysis

57.5 points is too low for this contest, and I would comfortably bet this one up to 59.5 points if I had to.

Both offenses are good, with several returning upperclassmen for both schools. Both sides struggled at the end of 2021, and it appears each side has held onto the memory of last season's late failures and they aren't likely to repeat their disappointing finishes in 2022.

By all accounts, both senior QBs are tremendous leaders with better-than-average offensive lines with plenty of weapons surrounding them, either by air or by ground. 

The respective defenses have serious question marks, and it will take time for them to become cohesive units. It wouldn’t surprise me if these C-USA combatants exceed this total by a large number this Saturday.

Prediction: Over 57.5 (-110 at Betway)

Best bet

While I do expect a high-scoring matchup, I don’t see them scoring 30 points in the first half.

Both teams were slow starters in 2021. Charlotte averaged 12.1 first-half points while Florida Atlantic averaged 11.5, and I expect the same sort of start on Saturday. 

These teams lacked discipline at times in 2021. Charlotte was flagged for an average of 53 yards in C-USA play (61st FBS), while FAU was hit for an average of 60 yards per conference matchup (93rd) during the 2021 season.

I’d be surprised if the first-half total exceeded 30 points, and I’m going to put my money where my fingers are and play the first-half Under on Saturday.

Pick: First half Under 30.5 (-124 at PlaySugarHouse)

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