Sun Belt Conference rivals collide when the defending conference champion Arkansas State Red Wolves take on the 1-4 Panthers of Florida International Thursday night in Miami (7:30 pm ET, ESPNU).

FIU, a pre-season favorite to win the Sun Belt, was an early two-point favorite over 2-3 ASU.

The home team has won five straight in this series and covered the spread in the past four.



View Arkansas State vs Florida International Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had set the Golden Panthers as 1-point favorites on the Sportsbook line for this contest.

Power Rankings / Prediction: The Golden Panthers sit at No. 110 in the current NCAAF Power Rankings here at OddsShark, while the Red Wolves are at No. 39 on that chart. Math models have concluded that the Red Wolves will win this game 30-18.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Florida International's No. 80-ranked offense, averaging 25.6 PPG, against a Red Wolves defense that ranks No. 89 this week at 30.6 PPG. The Golden Panthers aerial game is averaging 222.6 yards per game, more than the Red Wolves secondary allows through the air, 159.2 YPG per game.

Defensively, the Red Wolves feature the league's No. 118-rated road run defense, allowing 322 yards per game. Florida International, meanwhile, ranks No. 58 in rushing offense at home.

Arkansas State lost its last outing, a 26-13 result against Western Kentucky on September 29. Arkansas State failed to cover in that game as a 1.5-point favorite, while the 39 combined points took the game UNDER the total. The Red Wolves suffered a Week 5 loss against Western Kentucky in their last game, falling 26-13 at ASU Stadium.

Florida International was a 48-20 loser in its last match on the road against Louisiana-Lafayette. They failed to cover the 6.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score of 68 sent OVER bettors to the payout window. Florida International was hammered in its last outing, as Louisiana-Lafayette ran up a 48-20 score against them at Cajun Field.


Arkansas State Red Wolves Trends:
When playing in October are 7-3
When playing on turf are 6-4
After being outgained are 7-3
When playing within the conference are 8-2

Florida International Golden Panthers Trends:
When playing in October are 5-5
When playing on turf are 5-5
After being outgained are 6-4
When playing within the conference are 5-5

A few Red Wolves at Golden Panthers trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arkansas State's last 6 games when playing Florida International
Arkansas State is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Arkansas State's last 11 games on the road
Arkansas State is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Florida International
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Florida International's last 6 games when playing Arkansas State
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Florida International's last 5 games
Florida International is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games at home
Florida International is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games


Next up:
Arkansas State home to South Alabama, Saturday, October 13
Florida International home to Middle Tennessee, Saturday, October 13