FAU and Tulsa both stumbled through 4-8 debut seasons under new head coaches in 2025 — now they meet again with a full year of program-building behind both staffs.
Bush’s Picks
FAUTLSA
FAUTLSA
OverUnder
Best BetFlorida Atlantic
FAU's the pick here off pure recent history — the Owls have won 3 of the last 4 meetings and reportedly blew Tulsa out in last year's game. Kittley's offseason additions give FAU more proven pieces to plug in than Tulsa's still-unsettled quarterback room. Tulsa at home is the obvious counter, but nothing in this series says bet against the Owls right now.
Florida Atlantic
+Leads all-time series 3-1 over Tulsa
+reportedly blew out Tulsa 63-16 last meeting
+added transfer pieces at WR and kicker
−Finished 4-8 in Kittley's debut season
−closed 2025 with a 42-3 loss to ECU
−quarterback picture still not fully settled
Tulsa
+Full year of development under Tre Lamb now
+new OC Kevin Barbay brings fresh scheme ideas
+playing at home in front of familiar crowd
−Went just 1-7 in AAC play in 2025
−lost the 2025 finale at home to UAB
−reported quarterback competition still unresolved
This is a second-year gut check for both sidelines. Zach Kittley took over FAU in 2025 and installed his Air Raid attack, but the Owls finished 4-8 and closed the year getting run off the field 42-3 by East Carolina. Tre Lamb's debut at Tulsa went about the same — 4-8, and just 1-7 in AAC play, capped by a home loss to UAB. Neither program has anything to show yet for the coaching change, which is exactly what makes a second November meeting between them worth watching.
FAU has had Tulsa's number lately. The Owls hold a 3-1 edge in the all-time series and reportedly hung 63 points on the Golden Hurricane in last year's meeting, a lopsided result that still hangs over this rematch. Kittley brought in transfer weapons over the offseason — receiver Brooks Johnson arriving after three seasons at Coastal Carolina and kicker Collin Rogers joining after four years at SMU — to keep building around whichever quarterback wins the job in Boca Raton. Tulsa, meanwhile, is leaning on a new play-caller in Kevin Barbay and could be sorting through a quarterback competition of its own between returning starter Baylor Hayes and a challenger for the job. Roster continuity matters more in Year 2 of a rebuild than raw name recognition, and right now FAU looks like the program further along that curve.
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FAU Florida Atlantic
TLSA Tulsa
Both teams are still auditioning for what they want to be down the stretch of a lost-feeling season, which tends to produce either total buy-in or total funk this late in November. FAU gets a shot to validate its offseason additions against a Tulsa defense that struggled to get stops all year, while Lamb's group is simply trying to avoid a second straight sub-.500 finish. History and depth both lean toward the Owls, but Tulsa playing at home for a coach still fighting for his roster's trust adds enough uncertainty that nobody should sleep on the Golden Hurricane pulling off the flip.
Florida Atlantic Owls
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
If last year's blowout is any indicator, this could turn into a track meet again rather than a defensive grind. Neither program fixed its defense in one offseason, and shootouts have a way of finding two rebuilding teams that are still figuring out how to get stops. Whichever side wins the turnover battle probably wins the game outright — margin is a coin flip, but the identity of the winner is starting to feel less so.
