Best Bets for Tonight’s CFB Game

Football-palooza continues with another Conference USA (CUSA) tilt between Kennesaw State vs. Florida International University (FIU) set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

In the midst of a 49-day stretch that includes at least one pro or college football game, tonight’s tilt should be a competitive affair. The FIU Panthers (3-3 SU, 4-2 ATS) are listed as a 3-point underdog at home, and the total is set at 49.5. The visiting Kennesaw State Owls (4-2 SU, 4-2 ATS) carry some momentum after throttling Louisiana Tech, 35-7, back on Oct. 9.

Bettors at DraftKings placed 59% of their bets on Kennesaw State to cover the spread, but we had a good result betting Jacksonville State as a home dog last week against Delaware. Let’s see if we can dig into this matchup and cash another winning ticket or two.

Fun fact: This game is being played at Pitbull Stadium after the rapper of the same name bought the naming rights.

Best Bet for Kennesaw State vs. FIU: Against the Spread

FIU +3 (-105 at DraftKings)

Kennesaw State enters tonight on a four-game winning streak after getting crushed by No. 2 Indiana, 56-9. FIU suffered a similar blowout to Penn State, 34-0.

The Owls have deployed a dual-quarterback system with Amari Odom and Dexter Williams II. Williams threw for 290 yards and four TDs in the most recent win against Louisiana Tech, which marked Kennesaw State’s highest scoring output of the season.

Expect WR Gabriel Benyard (team-leading 398 receiving yards and four TDs) to be a factor tonight against FIU. The Panthers rank 120th (out of 136 teams) nationally, allowing 272.6 passing yards per game. FIU’s defense did benefit from the recent return of starters in the secondary, though, and picked off three passes in its last game against Western Kentucky.

FIU is led offensively by RB Kejon Owens, who’s amassed 658 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the year. He went for 195 yards and a TD in FIU’s victory over Western Kentucky. FIU won that game, 25-6, as a 10-point underdog.

Kennesaw State has yielded nine rushing TDs on the season, and Owens could be in line for another big night. FIU quarterback Keyone Jenkins (959 passing yards, three TDs, four INTs) has been up and down this season, but looked solid against Western Kentucky. He went 17-of-25 for 184 passing yards and a touchdown.

The home underdog is worth a small toss here in the final analysis. We’ll opt for taking the field goal on the spread. With moneyline odds of +130, FIU has a 43.48% implied probability of winning the game outright.

Best Player Prop Bet for FIU

Kejon Owens to Score 2+ Touchdowns (+270 at DraftKings)

His odds as an anytime TD scorer tonight are -210 at DraftKings. That’s far too much juice in our estimation. We’ll take Owens to find paydirt twice tonight against a Kennesaw State defense that gives up more than its fair share of rushing scores (see highlighted stat above).

We made this prop bet on Jacksonville State RB Cam Cook last week, at +170, and he scored three TDs in the win over Delaware.

For his part, Owens scored 2+ TDs against both Bethune-Cookman and Florida Atlantic this season.

Best Player Prop Bet for Kennesaw State

Christian Moss OVER 3.5 Receptions (+102 at FanDuel)

Benyard is Kennesaw State’s top receiver, but Christian Moss is a more than capable No. 2 option. You’re getting plus-money odds at FanDuel for a receiver that’s posted highly consistent numbers this season:

• 5 catches, 54 yards vs. Indiana
• 6 catches, 68 yards vs. Merrimack
• 6 catches, 84 yards vs. Arkansas State
• 4 catches for 66 yards vs. Louisiana Tech

While he hasn’t found the end zone yet, Moss has proven to be very reliable on a week-to-week basis. Good luck with your bets tonight!