Fordham takes on Bowling Green on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Bowling Green enters this matchup as a favorite of -17.5, while the total is set at 55.5.
So, where does the betting value lie for this Thursday night college football matchup? Let's take a look at my Fordham vs. Bowling Green prediction below.
Fordham vs Bowling Green Prediction
- Fordham vs. Bowling Green Pick: Over 55.5
My Fordham vs. Bowling Green best bet is on the over with the best line currently available at DraftKings, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Fordham vs Bowling Green Odds
| Fordham Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+17.5 -110 | 55.5 -110 / -110 | +525 |
| Bowling Green Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-17.5 -110 | 55.5 -110 / -110 | -750 |
- Fordham vs Bowling Green Point Spread: Fordham +17.5 (-110) · Bowling Green -17.5 (-110)
- Fordham vs Bowling Green Total: Over/Under 55.5
- Fordham vs Bowling Green Moneyline: Fordham +525 · Bowling Green -750
Fordham vs Bowling Green Preview
Fordham Rams Betting Preview: Lots of Returning Strength
Fordham returns 16 starters — eight on offense and eight on defense. The offense is highlighted by quarterback CJ Montes, who threw for 2,997 yards and 26 touchdowns last year, and is considered a top five returning quarterback in FCS for the 2024 season.
He'll have three of his top four pass catchers back from last year, including Garrett Cody and Mekai Felton, who combined to haul in 102 passes for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Fordham also returns three starters on the offensive line. Fordham saw its offense take a moderate step back in 2023 after having to replace the outstanding Tim DeMorat, who threw for nearly 5,000 yards and 56 passing touchdowns in 2022.
While I won't call for those numbers from Montes this year, I expect further growth in the passing game and more explosiveness from this group.
The defense, which was susceptible to being gashed at times last year, has a few pieces, including Claudy Robinson and Matt Jaworski on the line and James Conway at linebacker, to rely upon.
Bowling Green Falcons Betting Preview: Can Falcons Win MAC?
Bowling Green's 2023 season saw about everything you could imagine in a football season. Hanging tough with Michigan for a half, blowout losses, winning outright as three touchdown underdogs at Georgia Tech and a super competitive bowl game against Minnesota.
Retaining Scot Loeffler seems to be paying off, as has the slow rebuilding process he's navigated the Falcons through. This year, the Falcons look to take the next step and seriously contend to get back to Detroit and participate in the MAC Championship, which they haven't won since 2015.
The early offseason futures market has seen money come in on the Falcons as they're down to +650 (from +900) to win the MAC.
Bowling Green is expected to take a big step forward this season on offense and is led by quarterback Connor Bazelak, who really started to level up his performance in the second half of last season.
Bowling Green boasts a solid offensive line that returns four starters from last season and its skill guys include returning back Terion Stewart and do-it-all tight end Harold Fannin, who's a mismatch nightmare for most opponents.
The holes are at receivers, but the Falcons do have some power five transfers who can step in. Bowling Green returns a defense that was surprisingly efficient last year and played really well in MAC play, where it held opponents to just an average of 312 yards and 22 points per game.
It returns seven starters on defense but has some holes to fill in the back seven as it loses both of the defensive captain linebackers and have position battles being worked out at corner and safety.
Fordham vs Bowling Green Pick & Prediction
I want to focus on the total (55.5) for this matchup. Bowling Green and Fordham both have high expectations on offense and have quarterbacks looking to make great leaps in their second season with their program.
Fordham has played two MAC teams recently (losing 59-52 at Ohio in 2022 and beating Buffalo 40-37 last year), and each of those games had what this game could see — points!
Fordham was in early 14-0 holes in both of those games, but didn't quit. In fact, it took the lead in both games. Fordham played composed despite being in an FBS road environment, and Bowling Green's environment shouldn't intimidate the Rams.
I expect Bowling Green to post a big number here, somewhere around 38-42 points. Fordham will compete throughout, and while I won't call for it to win this game outright, it's more than capable of putting up 21-28 points.
If the game were to get out of hand and Bowling Green gets a big lead, I fully trust backup quarterback Camden Orth to run the offense (17-28, 172 yards and two touchdowns vs Mississippi State in 2022 and 8-11, 91 yards in 1.5 quarters vs Michigan in 2023).
Pick: Over 55.5 |
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How to Watch Fordham vs Bowling Green Live: Start Time, TV Channel, Location
| Location: | Doyt L. Perry Stadium |
| Date: | Thursday, Aug. 29 |
| Kickoff Time: | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN+ |
Fordham vs Bowling Green Betting Trends
Bowling Green was 8-4 against the spread last season.
