You would never normally tune into the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders taking on the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners. But guess what, college football betting can make any matchup interesting, especially when they’re the only college football game in town Friday.
The Blue Raiders have been smacked around in their first two games of 2020, while the Roadrunners will try and improve to 3-0 in the Conference USA standings.
We break down the NCAA football odds and give our best college football picks and predictions for Middle Tennessee vs. UTSA on Friday, September 25 with kickoff set for 8:00 p.m. ET.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners betting preview
Weather
This game will be played in the Alamodome in San Antonio. So if the weather is a factor, something has gone horribly wrong. Be sure to monitor other college football gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
Middle Tennessee: No injuries to report.
UTSA: Brenden Brady RB (Out), Zakhari Franklin WR (Questionable), Dadrian Taylor S (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Something’s got to give. The Blue Raiders are 0-5 ATS in their last five games in September, but the Roadrunners are just 1-10 ATS in their last 11 home games versus a team with a losing road record. Find more NCAA football betting trends for Middle Tennessee vs. UTSA.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
Despite both teams being members of C-USA, this will be the first time Middle Tennessee and UTSA have faced off on the field since 2016.
It has been just an awful start to the season for the Blue Raiders. Middle Tennessee had a 42-0 whooping handed to them by Army, and followed that by getting smashed 47-14 against Troy last week.
It just seems like nothing is working for the Blue Raiders. Starting QB Asher O’Hara hasn’t thrown a TD, but has three interceptions and is averaging just 4.2 yards per attempt this season. And they are rushing for just 3.1 yards per carry.
To make matters worse, the Blue Raiders defense hasn’t been much better. They are allowing 432 yards per game and have let teams rumble all over them, to the tune of 290 rushing yards per game. And I’ll give you one guess as to how UTSA prefers to move the football. Yup, on the ground.
The appropriately-named Roadrunners are rushing for nearly 280 yards per game, at a clip of 5.6 yards per carry. While the quality of UTSA’s opponents hasn’t been great, they have shown some positive play, while Middle Tennessee has shown us nothing to this point. And in college football, it is usually a safe bet to back the solid running team versus one lacking any semblance of a (run) defense.
PREDICTION: UTSA -6.5 (-105)
Over/Under pick
UTSA opened the year by winning a 51-48 overtime shootout over Texas State, easily eclipsing the total of 57.5 — even before the extra frame. But the Roadrunners followed that up by grinding out a 24-10 win against FCS Stephen F. Austin, sending the Under 54.5 bettors home happy.
Meanwhile, Middle Tennessee is 2-0 to the Under this season because they have yet to do their part offensively, scoring just 14 total points this season. But they may be able to do a little better than that in this one.
The Roadrunners allowed nearly 450 yards and 36.4 points per game last season and just gave up 41 points in regulation to Texas State in their opener. While UTSA should be able to ride its run game to pull away late, the defense still has some question marks and Middle Tennessee should be able to do enough to take down this total.
PREDICTION: Over 59.5 (-110)
Team to Score First Prop Pick
No super in-depth analysis on this one. We know UTSA has scored against other FBS teams, even if it was just against meager Texas State. Middle Tennessee has scored just 14 points in two games and it’s not surprising that they haven’t opened the scoring in either game. With the Roadrunners favored by about a touchdown, they’re a good bet to open the scoring.
PREDICTION: UTSA (-155)
Middle Tennessee vs UTSA betting card
- UTSA -6.5 (-105)
- Over 59.5 (-110)
- Team to Score First - UTSA (-155)
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s NCAA Middle Tennessee vs. UTSA picks, you could win $51.31 on a $10 bet?
Use our NCAA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on college football?
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