Boca Raton Bowl 2017: Akron vs. FAU TV Schedule, Time and Odds

Lane Kiffin has stayed in the college football news cycle mainly because of his social media presence, but he's made some noise on the field in 2017 as well. 

Kiffin's Florida Atlantic Owls have won nine straight games on the way to a Conference USA championship and a spot in the Boca Raton Bowl. 

Everything is set up for the Owls to run rampant on the Akron Zips in their home stadium and give the head coach's profile a boost as he sets himself up for a better job in a year or two. 

Akron enters Tuesday's game as the biggest underdog of bowl season, and it will need its best performance of an up-and-down year to avoid going back to Ohio as a humiliated bunch. 

Date: Tuesday, December 19

Start Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN 

Live Stream: Watch ESPN 

Odds: Florida Atlantic (-22.5) 

How Florida Atlantic Can Win 

There's no shortage of offensive weapons on the Florida Atlantic roster. 

Quarterback Jason Driskel is one of six different players to complete a pass this season for the Owls. After starting the season as the No. 3 signal-caller on the depth chart, the junior took over as starter in Week 4 against Buffalo. 

Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

In each of his last four games, Driskel has thrown for more than 200 yards and has tossed nine touchdowns during that stretch. 

However, the primary focus of the Akron defense most likely won't be on the passing game. Running back Devin Singletary, who ended the regular season with 1,796 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, will be the most explosive player on the field on Tuesday night. 

The 20-year-old is one of the hardest backs to bring down in all of college football. He earned the fifth-most yards after contact in FBS, per Pro Football Focus College Football on Twitter: 

Look for the Owls to hand the ball off to the sophomore tailback, who leads the FBS with 30 touchdowns, early and often. Singletary had the most success in the first quarter with 558 yards on 87 carries and nine scores. 

By throwing Singletary and Driskel at the Akron defense early on, the Owls should be able to set the tone and open up a wide margin that the Zips won't be able to close. 

The Owls have received plenty of attention for their offense, but their defense has improved over the last few games as well, as they held their last two opponents to 29 combined points. Although the Owls conceded 356 yards through the air in the Conference USA Championship against North Texas, they held the Mean Green to 81 rushing yards. 

Even if the Owls defense fails to get stops in the first half, they have plenty of firepower to stay on top in a shootout and then find a way to force a few punts or turnovers throughout the game. 

How Akron Can Win 

The likelihood of Akron winning the Boca Raton Bowl is as high as Kiffin not firing off critical tweets of Nick Saban during the Sugar Bowl. 

The Zips enter Tuesday's contest off their second loss of the season to Toledo in the MAC Championship, a defeat that moved their record in the last six games to 3-3. 

If there is any good news for the Zips, it's that they had two weeks to prepare for how to stop the Singletary-led FAU offense. However, Akron has produced mixed results on the defensive side of the ball in 2017. 

Duane Burleson/Getty Images

In their loss to Toledo on December 2, Akron conceded 561 total yards. If the Zips give up anywhere close to that number against FAU, they'll be facing a double-digit deficit. 

How Akron tries to counter the playmakers on the FAU roster will be key for it to stay in the game, but with a leading rusher not over 400 yards, it will have to use the ability of Kato Nelson in the passing game to throw punches back at the Owls. 

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Nelson, who is a Florida native, has excelled since taking over the starting quarterback job in November. In four starts, the 20-year-old has totaled 786 yards through the air with eight touchdowns. 

Since FAU's defense ranks 93rd in passing yards conceded per game, Nelson should at least have a chance to create some momentum in the passing game and keep the Zips in the game for a half. 

Prediction

FAU has one of the most dynamic playmakers in the nation in Singletary, and it will be playing at home in the Boca Raton Bowl.

Although there will be a good amount of pressure on the Owls, Kiffin should have them ready, and they will record a victory to close out the head coach's first season in charge. 

Florida Atlantic 47, Akron 21

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

All statistics obtained from ESPN.com.

Odds obtained from OddsShark.com.