Florida International vs Liberty: NCAA Football Predictions, Odds & Best Bets (10/8)

Buckle up! We’ve got some College Football on the slate tonight that needs to be discussed. But wait. Isn’t it only Tuesday? You are absolutely correct, but the footballs gods have decided to bless us with a ball game on the gridiron tonight. It might not be the most exciting matchup, but it is football, as the Liberty Flames host the Florida International Panthers for some Conference USA action. Like I said, at a glance, not the most thrilling matchup for a standalone game, however we’ve still got to break this game down for some potential edges on the betting board.

Liberty came into this season widely regarded as a potential College Football Playoff squad. It would more than likely take an undefeated season including a C-USA Championship, but they could sneak in as the 5th Conference Champion. However, with the way Boise State is playing, they will need to do some work. The Flames are 4-0 and coming off a bye week. Their last game was on September 21st, beating East Carolina 35-24. They haven’t been obliterating teams, and are only 1-3 against the spread, but they are still unbeaten and look to stay that way as huge favorites to FIU.

The Panthers of Florida International are 2-3 on the season, and coming off a conference win last week against Louisiana Tech. In two road games, they’ve gotten crushed, losing a combined 69-27 to Indiana and Florida Atlantic this season. Now, while FIU may be a bit more battle tested since they played the Hoosiers, Liberty is a much more talented squad. It will take a lot for the Panthers to pull of this 17 point upset, but can they do it? Or will the Flames roll over Florida International?

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Florida International vs Liberty: Tuesday Night Football

Quinton Cooley has 4 TDs and nearly 400 yards for the Flames this season

Matchup Information – Florida International vs Liberty

• Venue & Location: Williams Stadium (Lynchburg, VA)
• Date: Tuesday, October 8th, 2024
• Kick Off: 7:00pm Eastern
• Broadcast: CBS Sports Network

Betting Odds

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Spread

• FIU +17 (-106)
• Liberty -17 (-114)

Money Line

• FIU +700
• Liberty -1100

Total

• Over 55.5 (-110)
• Under 55.5 (-110)

Can Panthers Extinguish Flames on the Road?

Keyone Jenkins leads the Panthers against Liberty tonight

The Panthers certainly have their hands full tonight. Offensively, they really aren’t anything special, defensively, the same, and overall, they are a bit unpredictable. FIU opened the year covering a 24.5 point spread at Indiana by the hook, only putting up 7 points all game. The next week, as 3.5 point underdogs, they beat Central Michigan by 36 points. Next week at FAU at 3.5 point dogs again, lost by 18. Then this team has the audacity to host Monmouth as 12 point favorites at home and lose outright, following by another win as a 2 point underdog to Louisiana Tech.

If I really had to guess, I think this is a game that Florida International forgets how to play football, but somehow finds a way to cover the backdoor. For a team that is score 31 points per game, 17 is a big number to cover. Especially considering the Flames love to pound the ground and chew up the possession clock.

Their RB Quinton Cooley is running for nearly 100 yards per game, and QB Kaidon Salter is adding another 32 per game with his legs. Florida International allows nearly 200 rushing yards per game and over 4.7 per attempt. If Liberty is able to control the line of scrimmage, which they are more than capable of, I see them doing whatever they please offensively. Cooley has a very inflated line as I’m sure Vegas expects a big game from the kid. However, I’ve got my eye on a different Liberty player to run the ball well this evening.

FIU Panthers vs Liberty Flames Best Bets

Kaidon Salter leads the Liberty offense this season

Florida International vs Liberty Prediction:

Best Bets: Kaidon Salter (LIB) Over 36.5 Rushing Yards (-115) Bovada

Now, I implore you to do your line shopping on this specific prop. It is literally all over the place. I’ve seen anywhere from 38.5, all the way down to 27.5, so please make sure you get the best number available. But let’s discuss why this guy will use his wheels tonight.

Salter is a dual threat QB with 131 rushing yards on the year. He’s only running for 3.3 yards per carry and 32.8 yards per game, but he’s coming off a tough game with 12 carries for 36 yards. In big time games, this guy is going to need to step up for his team, and I see him doing that tonight.

He’s had a minimum of 9 carries in every single game, ran for at least 23 yards in every game, and has only been sacked 7 times all year, twice at most in one contest. FIU has also had problems slowing down mobile QBs. When CMU threw in their dual threat freshman QB, he ran 3 times for 23 yards late in that game. Cam Fancher of FAU also ran 14 times for 64 yards and a TD in their matchup. With a running threat like Salter, I think he is able to scramble and clear his rushing yards prop tonight.

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