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The 2023 college football season rages on! On Thursday night, the Jacksonville State Gamecocks will make the trip to Huntsville, Texas to take on the Sam Houston Bearkats. Join us for our college football odds series where our Jacksonville State-Sam Houston prediction and pick will be revealed.
Entering play, the Gamecocks are fresh off recording a shutout against Eastern Michigan by a score of 28-0 and improved to 3-1 on the season-long campaign. With last week officially being the beginning of conference play, can Jacksonville State continue their strong start within the Conference USA and its scheduled slate?
Meanwhile, Sam Houston has gotten off to a rockier start to the season than they would've hoped as the Bearkats are still seeking their very first victory of the season. Unfortunately, Sam Houston last squared off with in-state Houston and were rocked by a final score of 38-7. With their season aspirations quickly slipping right through their fingers, will the Bearkats have enough firepower to make this a game in an attempt to reverse their struggles?
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Jacksonville State-Sam Houston Odds
Jacksonville State: -6.5 (-115)
Sam Houston: +6.5 (-105)
Over: 36.5 (-110)
Under: 36.5 (-110)
How to Watch Jacksonville State vs. Sam Houston
TV: ESPNU
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 8:00 ET/5:00 PT
*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Jacksonville State Will Cover The Spread
First things first, Jacksonville State needs some better QB play in order to take care of Sam Houston with ease. After transferring from Nebraska, signal caller Logan Smothers won the starting quarterback job in camp and has started all four games, but he is coming off completing only 47% of his passes a weekend ago against Eastern Michigan despite the victory. Clearly, Smothers will need to step up his game once the competition in upcoming games gets better.
Luckily, this is a Jacksonville State defense that spends no time messing around on the defensive side of the ball. So far, the Gamecocks have surrendered only 279 yards per game on average and also sent a message by absolutely tormenting the Eagles of Michigan. Above all else, this is a defense that loves to get after the quarterback and force turnovers. If Jacksonville State can do that again, then Sam Houston may be in for a rude awakening.
Yes, Jacksonville State has been ugly to watch on offense but be on the lookout for senior wideout Quinton Lane to make some plays in the passing game. Last week, it was Lane who paved the way to a Gamecocks win with 60 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.
Why Sam Houston Will Cover The Spread
Simply put, it has been far from a fairytale story for the 2023 Sam Houston Bearkats, but there is still 75% of the regular season remaining for them to buckle up and start putting wins in the win column.
Without a doubt, the Bearkats must figure out and get situated on offense. Believe it or not, but Sam Houston State has only scored a total of 10 points through three games and has looked out of place when trying to move the ball efficiently. If the Bearkats are going to develop any sort of rhythm with the ball in their possession, then running the ball will be a must. As it stands, Sam Houston is only averaging an unfathomable 42 yards on the ground per game which is certainly not good enough to consistently win and cover the spread. Let's face it, this offense has been one of the worst offenses in all of college football, but securing the line of scrimmage and hitting Jacksonville State square in the mouth with the running game could end up being beneficial.
Since the offense has been nearly non-existent, the pressure felt on the shoulders of this Bearkats defense has been massive. Through the first two games of the season, it was the defense that stood tall and did all they could to keep the team in games, but they were mostly taken advantage of due to some large chunk plays against Houston. At the end of the day, they were gouged for 538 yards including getting torched through the air for 352 passing yards. In order to cover the spread, Sam Houston needs to play inspired on both sides of the ball which has been hard to come by in 2023.
Final Jacksonville State-Sam Houston Prediction & Pick
Conference play is officially here! There's no doubt that Elliott T. Bowers Stadium will be rocking on Thursday night, and thanks to a raucous crowd, Jacksonville State should easily dispose of Sam Houston.
Final Jacksonville State-Sam Houston Prediction & Pick: Jacksonville State -6.5 (-115)
