Charlotte vs. Florida Atlantic Odds
| Charlotte Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -110 | 59.5 -110o / -110u | +210 |
| Florida Atlantic Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -110 | 59.5 -110o / -110u | -250 |
Charlotte travels to Florida Atlantic for the first in-conference matchup of the 2022 college football season.
The two programs had nearly identical seasons in 2021, each finishing with a 5-7 record. Charlotte opened with a 4-2 record before dropping five of its final six games. Florida Atlantic started 5-3 before losing its final four contests to miss out on bowl eligibility.
Florida Atlantic has won five games in each of Willie Taggart’s two seasons as head coach. Nevertheless, there are reasons for optimism from the Owls in 2022. Notably, the team returns a dozen starters — including quarterback N'Kosi Perry. However, the defense will have significant holes to fill.
Charlotte follows the same trend by bringing back nearly all its offensive production from last season. The defense was the anchor to the program last season, allowing more than 34 points per game.
The middle of the pack in Conference USA is a loaded field that features six programs aspiring to the top of the conference ladder. Charlotte and Florida Atlantic are among that group.
Both offenses enter the season in fine shape, but the defenses require some major improvements — a glaring flaw that will be showcased during Saturday's Week Zero matchup.
Charlotte 49ers
The 49ers have made it to bowl season just once since joining Conference USA in 2015. Last season, Charlotte just needed one victory in its final three matchups to make it to the postseason for a second time. But the defense floundered down the stretch, allowing 49 points per game in those three contests.
The offense returns eight starters from a unit that was serviceable last season. The 49ers utilize a spread offense that starts with fifth-year senior quarterback Chris Reynolds.
Reynolds is coming off his best season with Charlotte, passing for 26 touchdowns while averaging nearly eight yards per attempt. He takes care of the football and can make plays with his legs when needed.
The program returns its top three pass-catchers and top two running backs from last year. Behind an offensive line that features three returning starters, Charlotte's offense should exploit the myriad holes in Florida Atlantic's defense.
The 49ers defense has a laundry list of improvements in order to further its development. During the 2021 season, Charlotte ranked 117th in FBS against the run, allowing 5.5 yards per carry. The 49ers also fielded the worst pass defense in the nation, allowing more than 10 yards per pass attempt against FBS opponents.
Charlotte allowed 34 points and more than 465 yards per game last season. There is little reason to anticipate any immediate changes; three of the 49ers' top four tacklers from last season are no longer with the team.
Florida Atlantic Owls
Willie Taggart hasn’t lived up to the expectations he inherited via Lane Kiffin's departure. Taggart took over an 11-win program in 2019 and has produced five wins in back-to-back years.
Last season, the Owls defense laid an egg down the stretch. Florida Atlantic allowed 21 points per game during its 5-3 start. But that numbers jumped up to 35 points per game in its final four losses.
The Owls only return five starters from a group that allowed 25 points and more than 400 yards per game. On top of that, the defense ranked 12th in the conference in yards per rush attempt allowed (4.5). The unit was also prone to the big plays, ranking 87th in the country in explosive plays allowed.
The program brings in a new offensive coordinator in Brent Dearmon. Dearmon will have 86% of the offensive production from last season to work with according to TARP.
Quarterback N’Kosi Perry returns for his sixth year of college football after spending the first four in Miami. Perry has his top two receivers in LoJontay Wester and Je’Quan Burton coming back, along with four offensive linemen.
The 2021 Owls offense ranked 34th in the nation in explosiveness. It was a hit-or-miss group that exceeded 38 points in four matchups but failed to reach 20 points in all seven of its losses.
Charlotte vs. Florida Atlantic Betting Pick
A Conference USA matchup on opening day with two explosive offenses and two rebuilding defenses? Talk about fireworks.
ESPN's SP+ ranks both defenses outside the top 100 and credits each unit with 53% returning defensive production.
Florida Atlantic needs to replace six starters from a defense that generated only 1.3 sacks per game in 2021. The secondary is in full rebuild mode and Chris Reynolds will pick them apart if he has time in the pocket.
Florida Atlantic’s offense will find the same success it had in the 38-9 victory over Charlotte last season. Quarterback N’Kosi Perry threw for three touchdowns and 225 yards on only 11 pass attempts in that game.
Charlotte potentially has one of the worst defenses in all of Division-I FBS football. Last season the 49ers ranked outside the top 110 in Defensive Success Rate, Havoc, Explosiveness and points per possession. Florida Atlantic is going to be able to gauge this defense for big plays and will keep the chains moving.
I’m playing the over, because I expect both offenses to find consistent chunk plays against two vulnerable defenses.
