UTEP vs. FIU Prediction 10/16/24 College Football Picks

In this article, we formulate a UTEP vs. FIU prediction for this Week 8 college football game on Saturday, October 12th at the Sun Bowl. Let’s take a look at the picks between UTEP Mines and FIU Panthers.

The FIU fell behind again

In the last game, FIU faced Liberty and they were confident they could be competitive, but they ended up losing to Liberty in overtime 31-24. FIU scored 14 points in the 4th quarter to force overtime, but it wasn’t enough as they still came up short. The most impressive part of the game was the defense, which allowed Kaidon Slater to only throw for 125 yards and not throw for a touchdown. Keyone Jenkins had a great game, completing 19 of his 29 passes for 245 yards, one interception and no touchdowns. Running back Kejon Owens finished the game with 15 carries for 52 yards and a touchdown.

FIU is averaging 27 points this season while its defense is giving up 28.5 points per game. The offense ranks 80th in the league while the defense ranks 95th. They have a red zone efficiency of 80 percent, which is 94th in the league.

UTEP is still looking for its first win

UTEP has had a terrible start to the season and comes into this game with a record of 0-6. Last Thursday, UTEP took on Western Kentucky and the defense struggled to give up 44 points, leading to the loss. Cade McConnell threw the ball just seven times, completing three of them for 96 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The real bright spot was the running game and Enzell Jolly finished the game with 27 carries for 119 yards. He hasn’t found the end zone, but if he can continue to run wild, this team can have a lot of success.

UTEP is averaging 16 points this season while its defense is giving up 34.5 points per game. The offense ranks 129th in the league while the pitching ranks 120th. In this game, UTEP needs a quick start on offense to really apply pressure.

UTEP vs FIU prediction

What FIU did in the last game really gives me hope and they will have success in this game. FIU will get the offense off to a fast start and UTEP’s offense will have trouble moving the ball again here. Look for UTEP to struggle to even reach the 10-point mark here. I don’t care who starts for them under Cetner, they’re really going to struggle to get the offense going here. Support the FIU against the spread here.