Week 1 of the 2024 college football season officially kicks off tonight in Piscataway, NJ, and I've got your Howard vs. Rutgers predictions.
Rutgers is hoping to jump out to another strong start this season by taking care of business at home against an FCS opponent, but my college football picks believe the Bison will hold their own on Thursday, August 29.
Howard vs Rutgers prediction
My best bet
Howard +36.5 (-110 at BetMGM)
My analysis
Rutgers finished last season at 7-6 with a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl over the Miami Hurricanes. However, they started 6-2 before dropping their final four games of the regular season. The offense completely fell off a cliff in the second half of the campaign, averaging only 11.5 points per game in those final four contests.
The Scarlet Knights went to the transfer portal to find their quarterback for this season, Athan Kaliakmanis from Minnesota. Kaliakmanis had a very inconsistent season last year for the Golden Gophers, so it is not necessarily going to be an instant fix for the Rutgers offense. They did snag FCS All-American Dymere Miller from Monmouth to join the receiving ranks, and he could make an instant impact.
The defense was the key to Rutgers' success last season, and it's returning several key players and adding defensive tackle Malcolm Ray from Florida State. However, the Scarlet Knights are missing their top two tacklers from last season at the linebacker position, including their top pass rusher, Mohamed Toure, who is out for the season.
Howard went 6-6 last season but played well in its two games against FBS opponents, losing to Eastern Michigan by 10 and Northwestern by three. Howard easily covered the 20+ point spreads in both of those contests. It will have to replace its quarterback but will still have an excellent run game behind Jarett Hunter, who was ahead of current Chicago Bears "Hard Knocks" star Ian Wheeler last season.
This spread is more points than Rutgers scored in any game last season except one. Granted that was their FCS game, it was not Week 1 and their offense was clicking at that time. This contest will see it take a bit of time for Rutgers to get their offense going with a new quarterback, and Howard will likely be able to at least run enough to gain some decent time of possession. Give me the FCS team to cover the spread.
Howard vs Rutgers same-game parlay (SGP)
Howard +36.5
Over 49.5
With this game involving an FCS team, we will not have many options for a same-game parlay. So, we will keep it simple with just a spread and total parlay. With Howard covering the spread, the Under is most likely. However, we can get better odds on the Over and I can see it hitting.
Howard allowed 33 points to Eastern Michigan last year and 23 to Northwestern. Even though I do not think that Rutgers will surpass 37 points, I could absolutely see Howard scoring 20+ points as they did in each of their two FBS games last season. This total could easily reach the 50s with Howard still covering.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Howard vs Rutgers odds
Howard vs Rutgers live odds
Howard vs Rutgers opening odds
- Spread: Howard +36.5 | Rutgers -36.5
- Moneyline: Howard OTB | Rutgers OTB
- Over/Under: Over 49.5 | Under 49.5
Howard vs Rutgers spread and Over/Under analysis
- Rutgers opened as 34.5-point favorites but has gone up two points to 36.5 as of Wednesday morning and reached 37.5 previously.
- Howard has covered the spread in all four matchups between these two teams since 2009 and has lost by an average of 28.8 points.
- The total has moved heavily towards the Over after opening at 47.5 and reaching 49.5 as of Wednesday morning.
- Three of the four matchups between these two teams since 2009 have gone Over 49.5 points.
Howard vs Rutgers betting trend to know
Rutgers has hit the Over in each of their last five games at home. Find more college football betting trends for Howard vs Rutgers.
Howard vs Rutgers game info
| Location: | SHI Stadium, Piscataway, NJ |
| Date: | Thursday, 8-29-2024 |
| Kickoff: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | BIG10 |
Howard vs Rutgers latest injuries
Howard vs Rutgers weather
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