The Boca Raton Bowl on Saturday will feature a familiar face when Florida Atlantic heads out on its home field. The Owls took home their second conference championship in three seasons with Lan Kiffin at the helm, and their reward is a bowl game in their backyard against SMU.
This will be the sixth Boca Raton Bowl in history, and Florida Atlantic has a chance to make some of their own. A win in this game would make the Owls the first two-time Boca Raton Bowl champion. That's not an opportunity that comes along every day. As for SMU, this will be the Mustangs' first time playing in the game.
Who walks away with the Boca Raton Bowl trophy on Saturday night? Let's take a closer look at the matchup and storylines to follow before making some expert picks both straight up and against the spread.
Storylines
SMU: Bowl games aren't something that have happened often for SMU in recent years. Since the program received the death penalty from the NCAA, this will be only the sixth time the program has gone bowling since starting back up in 1989. The last bowl appearance came in the 2017 Frisco Bowl, which the Mustangs lost and then saw Chad Morris leave for Arkansas. Well, SMU is in a much better position now. SMU is 10-2 and has won 10 games in a season for the first time since 1984, which was one of those seasons that led to that pesky death penalty! Sonny Dykes has done a terrific job in his second season, and a win would give SMU 11 wins in a season for only the third time in program history.
Florida Atlantic: Lane Kiffin led the Owls to two conference titles and two Boca Raton Bowls in three seasons, but he will not be around to coach the team in this game. He has since left to take over at Ole Miss. Still, Kiffin or not, this has been a terrific bounce-back season for the Owls. They fell to 5-7 last season and missed a bowl game altogether. Now they have a chance to tie the 2017 team for the most wins in a single season.
Viewing information
Event: Boca Raton Bowl
Date: Saturday, Dec. 21 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: FAU Football Stadium -- Boca Raton, Florida
TV: ABC | Live stream: WatchESPN.com
Boca Raton Bowl prediction, picks
This is a game that could quickly turn into a shootout, but I'm leaning SMU's direction because I think it's in the best position to win. First of all, its coach will be on the sideline. FAU not only has to play this game without Kiffin, but as mentioned earlier, it is playing this game in its home stadium. You have to wonder how motivated this FAU team will be to play in the game. SMU seems like the safer play all things considered. Pick: SMU (-3.5)
Who wins SMU vs. Florida Atlantic? And what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on Saturday in the Boca Raton Bowl, all from the top expert who has returned nearly $3,400 to his followers.
