UTSA vs Temple Prediction - College Football Picks 10/7/23

Temple Owls (2-3) vs UTSA Roadrunners (1-3)

Game Info: Saturday, October 7, 2023 at 2:00 pm (Lincoln Financial Field)

Betting Odds: Temple Owls +14 -- Over/Under: 55 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The UTSA Roadrunners and Temple Owls face off on Saturday in a college football showdown at Lincoln Financial Field.

UTSA has been Disappointing

UTSA has been very disappointing this season and a big reason has been because they have been without their starting quarterback Frank Harris has been hurt to start the season and they sit with a 1-3 record. In the last game against Tennessee, Owen McCowen completed 18 of his 20 passes for 170 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. UTSA’s offense hasn’t been good enough and they are averaging 19.3 points per game. The defense is giving up 28 points per game. The big question heading into this game is the status of Harris. He is officially questionable for this game.

UTSA Betting Trends

UTSA has won 20 of its last 21 games against conference opponents.
UTSA has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four games as a favorite.
UTSA has won the first half in each of its last four road games against conference opponents.
Eight of UTSA's last nine October games as a favorite have gone UNDER the total points line.

Temple Needs Defense to Step Up

Temple’s defense has really struggled the last couple of games and is going to need to be better here. Two games ago against Miami, Temple was defeated 41-7 and in the last game against Tulsa, they were defeated 48-26. At the end of the first quarter they were down 14-3 and they couldn’t bounce back. Temple is averaging 21 points while their defense is giving up 31 points per game. In the last game EJ Warner completed 27 of his 49 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

Temple Betting Trends

Temple has lost each of its last seven games in October.
Temple has covered the spread in seven of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked teams at Lincoln Financial Field.
Temple has lost the first half in six of its last seven games against conference opponents at Lincoln Financial Field.
Five of Temple's last six October home games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

Shane’s Free Pick

This is a matchup between an offense that has struggled in UTSA and a defense that has struggled in Temple. Even if UTSA doesn’t have Frank Harris back in this game, they are going to get good quarterback play in McCowen and that is going to be enough for UTSA to find success here. Back to UTSA to cover the spread here.