UTSA vs. Troy picks, predictions: Cure Bowl odds, spread, lines

A pair of up-and-coming conference champions meet in the Cure Bowl as UTSA and Troy square off to kick off the college football bowl season on Friday.

UTSA has won 10 straight games including the Conference USA title match, playing behind one of the premier scoring offenses in the nation that posted 38.7 points per game, led by dual threat quarterback Frank Harris who passed for 3.865 yards and 31 touchdowns while rushing for 9 additional scores on the ground.

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Troy is in the midst of a major turnaround, winning more games this season — 11 — than it had in the previous three seasons combined — 9 — in Jon Sumrall's first season with the program, finishing as Sun Belt champions with a defense that ranked 7th nationally by allowing just 17.6 points per game.

When comparing UTSA's offense with Troy's defense, the Cure Bowl figures to be one of the more entertaining matchups of the college football bowl season.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

Cure Bowl: UTSA vs. Troy picks, predictions

UTSA prediction: The champions of Conference USA have the 56.3 percent chance to win the game outright, going by the FPI projections.

Troy prediction: That leaves the Sun Belt champion with a 43.7 percent to take down the Roadrunners going by the computer's projections.

Point spread: UTSA comes into the game as narrow 1 point favorites against Troy, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook.

Total: 56 points

Moneyline: UTSA -118 | Troy -110

Score prediction: Team Rankings projects that UTSA will defeat Troy by a projected score of 28.3 to 26.7 to win the Cure Bowl.

Preview: UTSA vs. Troy Cure Bowl game prediction, preview

How to watch: The game is set for Fri., Dec. 16 at 3 p.m. Eastern on the main ESPN network and streams live on fuboTV (Try for free).

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College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

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