State bragging rights will be on the line to start the 2013 college football season when the Florida Atlantic Owls and the Miami Hurricanes clash at Sun Life Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30. This Conference- USA/ACC matchup is set to kick-off at 8 p.m. (ET), and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.

The Owls are coming off a dismal 2012 campaign in which they won just three of 12 games overall and posted a 2-6 record in its final season in the Sun Belt Conference. They were especially bad on the road with just one victory in seven games. The total went “over” in four of their last six games.

Miami tied North Carolina for the best record in the ACC Coastal Division last season at 5-3, but neither team was eligible for postseason play. It went 7-5 overall after starting the season 4-1 and the total stayed “under” in five of its last seven games.

Florida Atlantic at Miami Storylines

Florida Atlantic had its issues across the board last season. Its passing game generated an average of 237.6 yards a game to complement a ground game that was ranked 110th in Division IA with just 112.3 yards a game. This lack of production led to a meager scoring average of 20.5 points, which was ranked 107th in the nation. The defense was not that much better. It fell to 86th overall in the country in points allowed after giving up an average of 30.8 points a game.

The Owls will make their Conference-USA debut with quite a few new faces on both sides of the ball. There are just two starters back on the offensive line, but they will have running back Jonathan Wallace in the lineup after leading the team in rushing last season with 668 yards. Also back is wide receiver William Dukes, who caught 63 balls for 979 yards.

The Hurricanes have to be extremely optimistic for bigger and better things this season with almost its entire offense back from last year. While they struggled to consistently run the ball, the passing game was ranked 25th in the country with an average of 295.4 yards a game. Stephen Morris completed just 58.2 percent of his throws, but he still passed for 3,345 yards and 21 touchdowns. Miami will also have its leading receiver back in Phillip Dorsett. He posted 58 receptions and averaged more than 14 yards a catch.

Miami’s defense will also be loaded with talent from last season with nine starters expected back. The only problem is that this unit was the cause of most of the team’s problems in 2012. It gave up an average of 30.5 points a game and was torched for 40 points or more in four separate games.

Florida Atlantic at Miami Week 1 Odds with Betting Tends and Futures Odds

Looking at BetOnline’s early lines for Week 1 of the college football season, the Hurricanes have been opened as prohibitive 31-point home favorites over their Conference-USA foes. The total for this game remains “off” the board at this time.

The Owls are 6-0 ATS in their last six road games and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 nonconference games. The total has stayed under in 23 of their last 35 games outside of the conference.

The Hurricanes are 5-0 ATS in their last five games at home and 4-0 ATS in their last four games played in the month of August. The total has stayed under in 36 of their last 51 nonconference games.

This will be the first meeting between these two teams in recent memory.

Florida Atlantic at Miami Picks and Week 1 Betting Predictions

Looking at Florida Atlantic’s nonconference schedule, this will be the toughest test by far. While head coach Carl Pelini would love to make a big splash as his team transitions to a new conference, it will not be on opening day. Miami is in desperate need of getting out of the gate fast in an effort to grab some national attention, and the Owls are the perfect opponent to run up the score against. While you never like to give this many points on opening day, stick with the Hurricanes minus the spread.

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