The Temple Owls and Duke Blue Devils meet for the first time ever on the gridiron as they face off in the 2018 Independence Bowl. It's raining ahead of Thursday's 1:30 p.m. ET kickoff, but the forecast calls for dry conditions and temperatures in the 60s by game time. Temple, out of the American Athletic Conference, is in the midst of an 8-4 season that included signature wins over Maryland, Cincinnati and Houston. Duke, out of of the ACC at 7-5, had impressive road wins at bowl-bound Northwestern and Miami. Temple is a 3.5-point favorite and the Over-Under is 53.5, down a field goal from the opener, in the latest Temple vs. Duke odds. Before you make any Temple vs. Duke picks and 2018 Walk-On's Independence Bowl predictions, check out what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.

The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times, and those who have followed it have seen massive returns. Over the past three years, this proprietary computer model has generated a jaw-dropping $4,210 profit for $100 bettors on its top-rated point-spread picks.

The model made some huge calls on Championship Week, including nailing Ohio State (-16.5) against Northwestern and Oklahoma (-9.5) against Texas. And when it comes to all top-rated picks, the model has been red-hot, entering the 2018 college football bowl season on a blistering 45-25 run. The same model has hit almost 70 percent of its straight-up bowl picks over the past three years. Anybody who has been following it is way, way up.

Now the model has evaluated the latest 2018 Independence Bowl odds. We can tell you it leans to the under and it also has locked in a strong against-the-spread pick, saying you can bank on one side in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can get that selection only over at SportsLine. 

The model has factored in that Temple's offense is capable of quick-strike scoring. Averaging nearly 36 points per game, the Owls' vertical game centers on its two most lethal receiving targets -- Ventell Bryant and Branden Mack. Bryant leads the receiving corps in both receptions (47) and yardage (659). His senior experience is also key in rallying teammates during key moments of games. Mack, a sophomore with 556 yards and five scores, can line up in the slot or out wide.

Temple is a commanding 8-3 against the spread versus FBS teams this season, compared to 6-5 for Duke. And when it comes to point differential, Temple has the edge as well, plus-12.1 to minus-4.1. Temple has won six of its last seven games straight-up and covered five times during that span.

But just because Temple has had success on offense this season doesn't mean it will cover the Walk-On's Independence Bowl spread against a talented Duke squad.

The model also knows that when Duke was at its best earlier in the season with impressive wins against Army, Northwestern and Baylor leading them into the AP Top 25, the Blue Devils were able to consistently win the turnover battle. That will be a big key at the Independence Bowl 2018 against Temple on Thursday. 

Quarterback Daniel Jones is expected to be healthy enough to play against the Owls after suffering a lower-body injury in Duke's regular-season finale, which should help the Blue Devils' offense make smart decisions with the football. But the game really hinges on the Duke defense's ability to create multiple turnovers. 

Duke won all five of the games in which it forced multiple turnovers. In games where Duke didn't force a single turnover, the Blue Devils were 2-5. So if Duke's defense can take advantage of a Temple offense that threw 18 interceptions this season and turned it over 28 times in 12 games, it will go a long way towards a Blue Devils cover.

Who wins Temple vs. Duke? And which side of the spread cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to be all over in the Independence Bowl, all from the computer model that has returned over $4,200 to $100 bettors, and find out.