It's a battle of the birds this Saturday in Boca Raton, and it's likely the FAU Owls don't give a hoot either way. They'll be prepared and looking to rule the roost on their home field. After six straight losses, I'm sure Coach Abell will have his parliament of Rice Owls hungry and eager to get back in the win column. However, against an FAU team that owns the advantages on offense, home field, and overall momentum, I think it may take something just short of a miracle for Rice to fly out of South Florida with a victory or to even cover the spread.
The stats through the first seven weeks of the season tell much of the story. FAU enters averaging 35 points per game, while Rice has managed just 17, an 18-point difference between the two offenses. Defensively, neither side has been dominant, but Florida Atlantic's offense looks primed to take advantage of a Rice defense surrendering 29 points per game. Meanwhile, Rice's offense continues to search for consistency and now faces an FAU defense that has been good enough to let its offense take control of games. At home, that's been a winning formula, as the Owls have won all three contests in Boca Raton by at least six points and by as many as 56.
Home-field advantage only strengthens the case. Florida Atlantic is 4-2 overall and 3-0 at home as they return to Boca Raton to face a Rice team carrying a 1-6 record and a six-game losing streak. FAU possesses the more productive offense, the better overall record, and all the comforts that come with playing in front of a home crowd. Unless Rice has some magic tucked away that they haven't shown us all season long, I believe the Owls generate enough unanswered points to create separation, pull away late, and cover the 7.5-point spread.
FAU vs Rice prediction: FAU -7.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable to -8.5 (-110).
