Tonight's Temple vs. UTSA Prediction & Picks: College Football Week 13

UTSA Roadrunners wide receiver David Amador scores a touchdown against the Marshall Thundering Herd as we offer our Temple vs. UTSA prediction. — UTSA Roadrunners wide receiver David Amador scores a touchdown against the Marshall Thundering Herd. Photo by Andrew Dieb via Imagn Images

Despite beating Florida Atlantic 18-15 in overtime last week, the Temple Owls fired head coach Stan Drayton. They are 3-7 entering tonight's game against the UTSA Roadrunners, who've won three of their previous four.

Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. ET at the Alamodome in San Antonio (ESPN2), and the home Roadrunners are 16.5-point favorites at FanDuel and BetMGM.

My Temple vs. UTSA prediction, part of our Week 13 college football predictions, expects the Roadrunners to continue their recent success and cover at home.

Temple vs. UTSA updated betting info

UTSA is 3-2 ATS in the last five and is either a 16.5-point or 17-point favorite at our best college football betting sites. The line hasn't moved much in the lead-up to tonight's contest, fluctuating between 16.5 and 17 points.

The total opened at 55.5 but has climbed to as high as 56.5 points. The Owls are 2-3 O/U in the last five, while the Over hit in the last five UTSA tilts.

Temple vs. UTSA prediction & best bet

College football picks based on the odds from our best college football betting sites. Odds subject to change.

Against the spread pick: UTSA -16.5 () vs. Temple ⭐⭐⭐
My best bet: Evan Simon Under 217.5 passing yards () ⭐⭐⭐

Temple vs. UTSA ATS prediction: Week 13

UTSA to cover the spread: -16.5⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -110 via BetMGM | Implied probability: 52.38%

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UTSA is coming off an impressive win

UTSA has not met preseason expectations after winning nine games last year and being picked to finish second in the American preseason poll. However, few can argue that it is playing its best football currently. It is coming off a 48-27 win against a North Texas team in which it was favored by just 1.5 points.

The Roadrunners smartly picked their poison against North Texas, allowing 239 rushing yards on 9.6 yards per carry against a Mean Green team that only ran the ball 40% of the time entering the week. However, UTSA took away North Texas’ biggest strength, holding a team that had ranked in the top 36 in Pass Success Rate and EPA/Pass to 241 passing yards and 6.7 yards per attempt.

Roadrunners have a big homefield advantage

Under head coach Jeff Traylor, UTSA is 44-19 overall, which is the most wins and the best winning percentage (.698) in program history. And while the Roadrunners are 54-30 all-time in home games, they are an impressive 28-3 (.903) at the Alamodome.

Furthermore, not only is UTSA 15-2 in November under Traylor, but it is a perfect 10-0 in such games at Alamodome.

UTSA’s defensive pressure should wreck the game

I am chalking UTSA’s poor run defense last week up to its respect for the North Texas passing attack, as the Roadrunners entered the game ranked third nationally in Rush Success, and tops in the country in Line Yards.

The Roadrunners have lived in opponents’ backfields all season, as they ranked third in Havoc entering last week.

UTSA’s aggressiveness defensively has made it vulnerable to explosive pass plays. But Temple is not built to take advantage of that, as quarterback Evan Simon has completed 58.5% of his passes or fewer with a QBR of 35.0 or worse in back-to-back weeks. His longest completion in that span has gone for 23 yards.

DraftKings is the only one of our top sports betting sites with a spread as high as -17, and BetMGM is one of the lone competing sportsbooks offering a line of -16.5 at the standard -110 juice.

Through BetMGM’s -110 odds, a $10 winning wager would pay out $19.09.

Temple vs. UTSA best bet

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Evan Simon Under 217.5 passing yards ⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -115 via bet365 | Implied probability: 53.49%

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Temple has fired offensive-minded head coach Sean Drayton (he was a former running backs coach before becoming the head coach) and replaced him with defensive-minded interim head coach Everett Withers, who was serving as the team’s defensive coordinator. That move is unlikely to improve quarterback Evam Simon's play.

While Simon has not thrown an interception in back-to-back games, he has a 10:3 TD:INT ratio in home games and a 3:3 TD:INT ratio on the road.

He faces a UTSA defense riding a streak of 20 consecutive games with both a takeaway and a sack. The Roadrunners have 16 takeaways through 10 games this season, and last week, Zah Frazier became the first Roadrunner player to intercept multiple passes in two or more games in a season.

Simon’s Over of 0.5 interceptions is too expensive to back, as it is juiced as high as -225 (carrying a 69.23% implied probability) at bet365. Therefore, I am backing the Under on his passing yards as a three-star play, as UTSA’s pesky defense will likely have Simon keeping the ball out of harm’s way more often.

Temple vs. UTSA odds

See all of this week's college football odds and NCAAF scores.

Temple vs. UTSA live odds

Temple vs. UTSA opening odds:

Temple +16.5 (-110 via BetMGM)
UTSA -16.5 (-110 via BetMGM)

Temple vs. UTSA game info

When: Friday, Nov. 22
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Alamodome (San Antonio)
How to watch: ESPN2
Weather: Indoors
Favorite: UTSA -16.5 (-110 via BetMGM)

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Written By:
Mike Spector

Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”