There won't be a New Year's Six bowl berth on the line in the Conference USA Championship Game on Saturday afternoon, but that doesn't mean Florida Atlantic and UAB will be giving anything less than 100% as they play for a conference title. The Owls and Blazers will meet for the first time since 2014. That's due in part to them playing in separate divisions as well as UAB shuttering its program for a few years before making a return.

It's only the seventh time they've played in history, though all seven meetings have come since the 2008 season. Florida Atlantic holds a 4-2 edge through the first six contests, though UAB won the 2014 meeting 31-28.

So who wins this battle in Boca Raton? Let's take a closer look at the matchup and make some picks both straight-up and against the spread.

Storylines

Florida Atlantic: The Owls finished the regular season with a 9-3 record overall, and a 7-1 mark in conference play to win the East Division. Their three losses are nothing to be ashamed of, either, as they came against No. 1 Ohio State, UCF and a Marshall team that went 8-4 this season. Not surprisingly, Lane Kiffin and the Owls rode the best offense in the conference to this game, as they averaged 34.1 points per game. In conference play, that number bumped up to 36.4 points per game. Quarterback Chris Robison threw for 3,129 yards with 22 touchdowns and only five interceptions on the year.

UAB: The Blazers won the West Division, going 9-3 on the season and 6-2 in conference play. One of those six wins was a crucial victory over Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs went 6-2 in conference play as well, but the head-to-head tiebreaker is what sent the Blazers to Boca to take on the Owls. Unlike FAU, which was led by its offense, UAB is here thanks to a defense that allowed only 18.5 points per game this season. No team in Conference USA gave up fewer points.

Viewing information

Date: Saturday, Dec. 7 | Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
Location: FAU Football Stadium -- Boca Raton, Florida
TV: CBS Sports Network | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App

Game prediction, picks

Everything points me toward Florida Atlantic here. As good as UAB's defense has been this season, the Blazers have played one of the weakest schedules in the country. They beat Louisiana Tech, but Tech was without its starting QB and leading receiver in that game due to suspension. UAB's other seven wins against FBS competition this year came against teams with a combined record of 15-69. FAU's offense will be one of the best the Blazers have faced all season, and I think FAU has a talent and speed advantage that should play out in its favor over the course of 60 minutes. Pick: Florida Atlantic (-7.5)

So who wins UAB vs. FAU? And which side of the spread is hitting well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread to back on Saturday, all from the advanced model that has returned almost $4,000 on its top-rated picks, and find out.