FIU vs UTEP prediction & betting tips - October 16 | College Football Week 8

The FIU Panthers are on the road to play the UTEP Miners on Wednesday, at 9 p.m. ET. The game can be watched on CBSSN.

FIU (2-4, 1-1 CUSA) is coming off a 31-24 OT loss to Liberty. Meanwhile, UTEP (0-6, 0-3 CUSA) is coming off a 44-17 road loss to Western Kentucky.

FIU vs UTEP: Preview

FIU is a 6-point favorite on the road, while the over/under is 49 points.

The FIU Panthers are coming off a close OT loss to Liberty where they were big underdogs. FIU rushed for three touchdowns in the game, as the passing game was challenging.

Despite the loss, coach Mike MacIntyre was proud of his team's performance as Liberty is one of the best Group of 5 teams.

“Our kids fought and had a lot of grit,” MacIntyre said, via Miami Herald. “Liberty is the best Group of 5 team in the nation, and our guys kept pushing and competing... “We took them right to the wire. We had a lot of momentum (going into overtime). We need to learn from this and take the next step. We need to realize how good we can be."

The Panthers will now go on the road against UTEP as FIU looks to keep their running game going. Kejon Owens leads the way this season with 265 yards and four TDs. Meanwhile, quarterback Keyone Jenkins has thrown for 1,349 yards, nine TDs, and five interceptions. Eric Rivers has 448 receiving yards and three TDs.

Defensively, FIU has been led by Travion Barnes who has three sacks and 70 tackles.

UTEP, meanwhile, is still searching for its first win of the season, but coach Scotty Walden believes the team is taking the right steps.

“The first positive we came of halftime ready to play, which was huge. That was a vast difference, but I don’t like the way we started the game," Walden said, via KTSM. "When it was 7-7, we had our chances, but we threw an interception and gave them the ball in plus territory and [WKU] capitalized on it. they’re a good football team. I love the way our kids came out [in the second half]... I told our guys we need to stay the course and keep fighting. We must keep swinging and keep pushing."

UTEP is led by Kenny Odom who has 435 receiving yards and four TDs. On defense, the Miners are led by KD Johnson who has 2.5 sacks, while Dorian Hopkins leads the team with 52 tackles.

Although Walden feels his team is improving, its defense is still concerning. It should struggle against FIU who has a solid offense that went toe-to-toe with Liberty.

The Panthers will go on the road and be able to score and leave Texas with a much-needed win.

Prediction: FIU 28, UTEP 21

FIU vs UTEP: Betting Tips

Tip 1: FIU -6 (-108)

Tip 2: Kejon Owens anytime touchdown scorer

Tip 3: Keyone Jenkins over passing yards