College Football Predictions – Florida Atlantic Owls 2017 NCAA Football Preview
2016 Recap
2016 Record – 3-9
2016 ATS – 3-8-1
Threes are wild.
The Owls staggered to the finish line with a 3-9 record and that made it three consecutive campaigns with THREE wins. They only managed to bag victories against S Illinois, Rice and UTEP and at one point lost seven straight games. Lane Kiffin is the new sheriff in town and we think this might be the only team in the FBS he has not worked for yet. Expectations just went up. Let’s see what the Owls can do in 2017.
2017 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
Conference USA – TBD
East Division – TBD
OFFENSE
This might be fun. New OC Kendal Briles (via Baylor) has a full toy chest to work with as 9 starters are back in 2017. There is an ongoing battle for the starting QB gig and it appears that Florida St transfer De’Andre Johnson is the frontrunner. Jason Driskel and Daniel Parr have also looked the part in fall camp. We feel pretty good about the QB spot given the offensive minds on the coaching staff.
The running game should be fantastic. Amaze your friends by alerting them to the fact that RBs Devin Singletary and Greg Howell rushed for a combined 1,800 yards and 25 (!) TDs last season. They are both back in the mix and the offensive line returns 4/5 starters. The WR group is deep and they just added Auburn transfer John Franklin (WR/QB) to the mix. It feels like points are gonna be raining down in Boca Raton.
DEFENSE
There was a definite stench wafting over the defense last season as they allowed 39.8 points and 514 yards per game while yielding 66% completions. Yikes. They bring back 8 starters on defense this season but will be without their star DE Trey Hendrickson who is off to the NFL. We have serious concerns about the DL that is lacking in size and returns only a couple of starters. The LB unit looks good with a pair of returning starters including last year’s leading tackler Azzez Al-Shaair (2nd Team CUSA). The starting secondary group returns intact and features 2nd Team CUSA honoree S Jalen Young who had 100 tackles in 2016. The Owls have also added a number of talented transfers on defense this season. It remains to be seen how this all comes together but we feel a decent sized improvement is forthcoming.
SPECIAL TEAMS
This is a mixed bag. The return units should be good and PK Greg Joseph made 10/14 FG attempts in 2016. They do, however, have to replace their really good P Dalton Schomp.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot
Nothing of note. There are no back-to-back roadies and the non-conference slate includes something called Bethune-Cookman and Buffalo.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
The OWLS have a DOCUMENTED undefeated record in bowl games (2-0) but last visited the land of the postseason in 2008.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 6.0
MEGALOCKS says:
Overall, we give the OWLS a 6.0 ATS Value Rating (Above Average) this season.
Oh boy. These are the types of teams that we almost never back vs Vegas. It’s hard to fly under the radar with your boy Lane Kiffin as head coach and a Baylor-style offense putting up big numbers. And then there is the defense. We just have a gut feel that the QB situation could be better than we think and the transfers on defense could make a big difference. We would be surprised if they did not gain bowl eligibility and think they can be a money maker if you pick your spots.
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