College Football Odds, Pick for FAU vs UAB (Saturday, Nov. 4)

Let's head down to Birmingham, where the UAB Blazers will look to get back on track against the Florida Atlantic Owls in a conference clash.

Luckily for the Blazers, quarterback Jacob Zeno is expected to return from injury.

So, let's not waste any time and make our picks for FAU vs. UAB.

The Owls' offense took a hit when quarterback Casey Thompson was ruled out for the remainder of the season, but I'd argue that Daniel Richardson isn't much of a downgrade. I know it was against Charlotte, but I liked how efficient Richardson was as he completed 19-of-26 passes and threw three touchdowns.

Digging into FAU's offensive metrics, there isn't much to get excited about. The Owls are a bottom-30 team in a majority of offensive categories, including rushing success rate and Havoc allowed.

Oddly enough, the Owls are 59th in offensive line yards, so the offensive trench has been able to get a consistent push. They continue to move at a rapid pace and are 112th in rush rate.

Richardson should expect to continue to do the heavy lifting in this matchup, which is a terrific one for him. The Owls' offense should find a ton of success through the air, which should lead to some quick scoring drives.

I don't want to spend too much time breaking down this defense because it's nothing to write home about. However, I do want to point out that this unit is 12th in PFF coverage and 33rd in tackling.

The Blazers' offense also loves to go at a rapid pace, so the Owls will need to rely on their decent secondary to slow down Zeno. If the Owls can improve their ability to finish drives, I see no reason why they can't hang a big number on the scoreboard.

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I've written up every Blazers' game this season and have great respect for this offense. It's absolutely massive that Zeno is going to play in this game because the Owls' secondary is pretty stingy.

Offensively, the Blazers rank 34th in passing success rate and 11th in line yards.

The running game has also been fantastic and I think the threat of Zeno's arm will open up more opportunities for Jermaine Brown Jr. and Isaiah Jacobs on the ground.

I'm not quite sure what's worse, the Blazers' ability to tackle or Trent Dilfer's addiction to screaming at teenagers. I can't even put together a full sentence giving this defense any sort of praise.

The Blazers are in the bottom 10 in the majority of defensive categories, including rushing success rate and finishing drives. I guess the semi-good news is that the Blazers are 89th in passing success rate, which is all the Owls want to do on offense.

Regardless, the Blazers' offense should have plenty of success.

Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Florida Atlantic and UAB match up statistically:

Florida Atlantic Offense vs. UAB Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	103	133
Line Yards	59	128
Pass Success	74	89
Havoc	110	78
Finishing Drives	89	123
Quality Drives	98	132

UAB Offense vs. Florida Atlantic Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	12	81
Line Yards	11	100
Pass Success	34	59
Havoc	107	118
Finishing Drives	63	63
Quality Drives	60	45

Pace of Play / Other

PFF Tackling	12	77
PFF Coverage	33	106
Special Teams SP+	87	133
Middle 8	102	73
Seconds per Play	24.7 (26)	24.3 (19)
Rush Rate	45.5% (112)	48.3% (106)

The Blazers' offense will probably be the best unit on the field, but their horrific defense prevents me from backing them.

I'm surprised the under has taken some money given both of these horrific defenses, but maybe the market isn't adjusting for Zeno's return. I love the over in this spot, as these lightning-paced offenses should get plenty of chances to explode.

Even if FAU's offense struggles out of the gate, the Owls move so fast that there should be a ton of possessions with very little clock churning.