While a bunch of conference championship games are being played on Saturday, two other teams will close out their regular seasons in a non-conference game. The Massachusetts Minutemen and Florida International Panthers have known a lot of tough times over the years. Massachusetts in particular has considered shutting down its program but has seen fit to continue, though the program has left a conference and chosen to go on its own as an independent (with BYU, Army and Notre Dame, the only other independent schools in the country). Florida International had been struggling, but new coach Butch Davis – a very familiar face in South Florida – has revived the Panthers, giving them what is expected to be a bowl bid in a few days.
Details
Odds: Panthers -1
Date & Time: Saturday, December 2, 12:00 PM ET
Location: FIU Stadium, Miami, FL
Broadcast: None
Reasons To Bet On The Massachusetts Minutemen
The Minutemen have battled all season long, and even though the BYU Cougars have fallen on very hard times with a 4-8 record this season, it still opened some eyes that UMass was good enough to travel across the country and win in altitude against the Cougars. The Minutemen limited the Cougar offense to just 10 points, a sign of a robust defense which hasn’t often existed at UMass over the years. This is not a complete team or a program which has discovered how to win consistently. Yet, playing an independent schedule has exposed UMass to a lot of offensive styles. The Minutemen have had to challenge themselves every week and have become tougher as the season has gone along. This should give them a great chance of being able to beat FIU in what is very nearly a pick ‘em game.
UMass has upset Appalachian State, the co-leader of the Sun Belt Conference. The Minutemen gave Mississippi State and Tennessee a battle on the road, and as mentioned, they beat BYU. If they had played an easier schedule, they might have a 6-5 or 7-4 record right now. They also had a week off before this game, whereas FIU had to play last week. That is another plus in the UMass column.
Reasons To Bet On The Florida International Panthers
The Panthers are able to win different kinds of games. They defeated Marshall 41-30, and they defeated Texas-San Antonio 14-7. They can be exposed by elite offenses such as Florida Atlantic’s, but they generally contain opponents’ offensive outputs. Butch Davis coached Miami to a Sugar Bowl win and a top-three national ranking at the end of the 2000 college football season. He revived the Miami program and enabled subsequent teams under Larry Coker to form a 34-game winning streak and come within one play of two straight national championships. Davis has restored FIU, which had once been a bowl-level program. He will have the right game plan for UMass on Saturday.
Outlook
We’ve seen a little bit of movement on this betting line as bettors seem to like UMass in this spot. Florida International opened up as a two-point favorite but the money has been on the dog since open. We now see UMass at +1 -115. As for the total, we haven’t seen a lot of movement in terms of the over-under. The betting line opened up at 55 and immediately inched up to 55.5. That’s where it currently sits as there doesn’t seem to be much of an opinion to push this line one way or the other.
This game is almost a pick ‘em, and it sure feels like one. UMass has to make another long trip to play a game, but has played tougher opposition. FIU has not been severely tested in Conference USA, but has the better coach. Motivation will be important here, since UMass can’t go to a bowl and FIU is assured of the bowl. Go with the team which knows it is playing its very last game of the season – that’s UMass. You can take them plus the one point or on the moneyline, which is basically the same thing.
Prediction: Minutemen +1
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