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Jacksonville State makes the jump to FBS football as they open their season with UTEP. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a UTEP-Jacksonville State prediction, pick, and how-to watch.
UTEP finished 5-7 last season and just missed a bowl. UTEP struggled to start the year, with losses to North Texas and Oklahoma to open the year. They got their first win of the year in the Battle of I-10 before falling to New Mexico. They would win three of their next four, but then lose three of their last four to finish off the year 5-7. Dana Dimel is building a solid program in El Paso though. After finishing 1-11 in each of his first two years, he is 12-13 in his last two seasons, with a bowl game. UTEP sits 55th in returning production this year, and a huge chunk of that is on the offensive line. There are expectations of a bowl this year for the Miners. They have a win total sitting at 5.5 with the over being favored.
Rich Rodriguez makes his return to the FBS ranks in Conference USA as the Jacksonville State Gamecocks move from the FCS ASUN Conference up to CUSA. Jacksonville State has also been a successful program since joining the FCS Ranks. They have won ten conference titles since 1996 and played in the National Title game in 2015. Last year, it was a 9-2 season and another ASUN championship. Still, they were not eligible for the postseason due to their planning to make the jump to FBS. Expectations for Jacksonville State this year and tempered, as they have a win total of just 4.5 games with the under being favored.
Here are the UTEP-Jacksonville State College Football Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: UTEP-Jacksonville State Odds
UTEP: -1.5 (-105)
Jacksonville State: +1.5 (-115)
Over: 53.5 (-112)
Under: 53.5 (-108)
How to Watch UTEP vs. Jacksonville State
TV: CBSSN
Stream: FuboTV
Time: 5:30 PM ET/ 2:30 PM PT
*Watch College Football games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The UTEP Could Cover The Spread
The Miners have four returning starters on the line, including Steven Hubbard at left tackle. It should be the best offensive line in the conference and will be protecting a returning quarterback. The Miners bring back Gavin Hardison at quarterback, who should show some more consistency this year. If UTEP is going to win this game, Hardison has to be more efficient. UTEP ranked 107th in EPA on passing downs last year. Last year, Hardison threw for 2,044 yards with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He had flashes of quality play last year though. While he threw three interceptions without a touchdown while losing 25 yards rushing against New Mexico, he also hit Charlotte for three touchdowns with 50 yards rushing and no turnovers. The key will be Hubbard showing he can be consistently good in this game.
Running the ball will be a must for UTEP as well. Deion Hankins will be the primary back behind this offensive line. Last year’s ear, Hankins ran for 701 yards on just 140 carries while doing three times. He ran for over five yards per carry last year but needs to find the endzone more. He scored nine times in 2020 and six in 2021. Still, he was a backup last year to Ronald Awatt, so a bigger role will be expected for him. If he can find the end zone in this game, that could go a long way to getting UTEP the win.
On the defensive side of the ball, UTEP was one of the best in Conference USA last year. They got behind the line of scrimmage regularly, being led by Praise Amaewhule. Amaewhule had a slightly down year last year, but part of that was due to him being doubled on blocks regularly. With Brynton Thomas on the line, he should get some more room to make plays. The issue for this defense has been creating turnovers. They had just five interceptions last year. Against a Jacksonville State offense that runs well and holds the ball well, that could be an issue, and keep the game close.
Why The Jacksonville State Could Cover The Spread
Jacksonville State will be looking to run an uptempo and run-heavy offense. They have signs of the old Rich Rodriguez West Virginia offenses when they were good, with some new twists. Leading the offense will be Zion Webb. Webb has been the starter for the past two seasons at Jacksonville State. In both of them, he was not the most prolific passer. He threw for just over 1,700 yards in both while throwing at least ten touchdowns and eight interceptions. Webb is great on the ground though. He improved his rushing last year and ran for 645 yards and 13 scores.
Webb also has some new weapons in his offense. Dallan Wright comes in from Virginia Tech and Jamarye Joiner from Arizona. Wright has not seen time in college yet but has the size and speed to make an impact in this offense. Joiner had a solid year back in 2019 for Arizona going for 552 years and five touchdowns, but has not seen a lot of actions since. Meanwhile, top receiver Sterling Galban is back after going for 433 yards and three scores last year.
At running back, the Gamecocks have a good tandem who will flank Zion Webb. Anwar Lewis is back. Last year he ran for 840 yards and eight scored for the quad. Meanwhile, ULM transfer Malik Jackson joins the squad. He ran for 507 yards last year and six scores. The two backs paired with Webb should be a potent offensive combination.
Jacksonville State also brings two amazing defensive ends to Conference USA. Chris Hardie and J-Rock Swain know how to get to the quarterback and will cause a lot of pressure. Hardie had 5.5 sacks last year and was a consistent force in the opposing backfield. Swain had five sacks last season and compliments Hardie well The Gamecocks also have a secondary that can create turnovers and limit offensive movement. The secondary, who is bringing back a large amount of starters, allowed just 216 yards per game last year.
Final UTEP-Jacksonville State Prediction & Pick
This will be a great game to watch. UTEP is looking to get back to a bowl, and beating Jacksonville State is the first step in that. Meanwhile, Jacksonville State is looking to make a statement in their first FBS game. The defense for Jacksonville State is solid and will limit UTEP in this one. While UTEP has a great offensive line, the offensive weapons are lacking. Meanwhile, they have a solid offensive set that can keep pressure on any defense they will face. Expect a lot of running in this game, with Jacksonville State getting a few explosive plays and their first win as an FBS program.
Final UTEP-Jacksonville State Prediction & Pick: Jacksonville State +1.5 (-115)
