C-USA Championship 2018: UAB vs. Middle Tennessee preview, prediction

Middle Tennessee hosts UAB for the second straight week, this time in the C-USA Championship Game. Can the Blue Raiders beat the Blazers twice in a row?

Sometimes it happens that two teams end up playing a conference-game rematch a week after playing one another in the final regular season game. It will happen this year in the Conference USA title game, as Middle Tennessee gets ready to welcome UAB to Murfreesboro for a second straight week.

On Thanksgiving weekend, the Blue Raiders took down the Blazers in a 27-3 walkover. The win moved Middle Tennessee ahead of Florida International for the C-USA East title, as Brent Stockstill went 22-of-29 for 261 yards and two scores through the air. The backfield added 133 yards and a rushing score, while the defense held UAB to only 89 total yards as the Blazers laid down.

UAB has largely dominated this season with one of the nation’s top 10 defenses, but it was Middle Tennessee that came up big in their last meeting. Bill Clark’s team has been impressive after their return from their 2014 shutdown, and they are on the cusp of the school’s first-ever conference title in any league.

Middle Tennessee, meanwhile, will win their 14th all-time conference title and their first since the 2006 Sun Belt season if they take down the Blazers at home. Here’s how you can watch the Conference USA championship game on Saturday between UAB and Middle Tennessee:

Date: Saturday, Dec. 1
Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Venue: Floyd Stadium
TV: CBS Sports Network
Live Stream: CBS Sports Live | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

If Middle Tennessee is going to pull off a second straight victory over UAB, they need to make sure to keep Brent Stockstill upright. He was sacked just twice by the Blazers in the previous matchup, but that’s hardly a guarantee — especially given that UAB ranks fourth in the nation in sacks per game, and the Blue Raiders rank 108th nationally in sacks allowed.

UAB, meanwhile, needs to find their running game. In their last meeting, Middle Tennessee held the Blazers to negative-1 yards on the ground. Normally a top-30 rushing offense, the Blazers need to show that their performance the last time in Murfreesboro was an anomaly. They also need to keep from shooting themselves in the foot with penalties, something they did with frequency this year. Only three other FBS teams sustained more penalty yards lost.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: Middle Tennessee -1.5
Over/Under: 45.5

Prediction

UAB will be looking to exact revenge for falling on the road last week. The Blue Raiders will certainly generate some offense, but we are ultimately going to see Bill Clark’s team complete the turnaround from obsolescence to conference champion. Look for the UAB defense to shut down Stockstill with one of the best passing defenses in the country as they prevail by five

Final Score: UAB 38, Middle Tennessee 33