Army Black Knights Host Temple Owls

The Temple Owls (4-8 SU, 4-4 Conf. 804 ATS, 3-9 O/U) posted an unimpressive 4-8 overall record in 2007 and 4-4 record in conference play but need to do better than they did last season when they finished last in the conference in rushing offense, total offense and scoring offense if they expect to win the MAC East in 2008.

The Owls should be able to win some low-scoring games this season but will also need to maintain the fine defensive play they displayed for most of last season despite allowing Bowling Green and Army to roll up 48 and 37 points on them respectively last season.

Year three under head coach Al Golden could be something special at Temple as the school has had some stellar recruiting classes recently. The Owls led the conference in pass defense and total defense a year ago and could do it again this season based on experience alone.

The Army Black Knights (3-9 SU, 4-6-1 ATS, 4-6-1 O/U) and head coach Stan Brock will have big concerns about a secondary that lost three starters from last season, including safety Caleb Campbell who was drafted by the Detroit Lions.

The Black Knights are also going to be a work in progress on offense in 2008 as the team returns just four starters from last season.

The Black Knights averaged just 16.9 points per game while allowing a whopping 30.3 points per contest. The Owls, averaged 300.8 total yards of offense last season while putting up just 16.4 pints per contest

Here is a look at the key trends for each team heading into tonight’s contest:

The Owls are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games on turf.

The Owls are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games in August.

The Black Knights are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 vs. MAC.

The Black Knights are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games on turf.

The Under is 5-0 in Owls last 5 games on turf.

The Over is 8-2 in Black Knights last 10 games on turf.

NCAAF Odds

Temple Owls -7 -110

Army Cadets +7 -110

Over 41 -110

Under 41 -110

Analysis: While the Temple Owls are slowly improving under head coach Al Golden and will likely win this matchup, something tells me that Army is going to cover the 7-point spread - and challenge for the outright win in this matchup.

NCAAF Free Picks: Army Black Knights +7 Points/Over 41 Total Points