The Troy Trojans (5-2) take on the South Alabama Jaguars (5-1) in a pivotal Sun Belt matchup Thursday night. The kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET. Below we continue our College Football odds series with a Troy-South Alabama prediction and pick.

Troy is 5-2 but has won 4 straight games after a 1-2 start. Troy battled 7th-ranked Ole Miss in week 1 and lost a heart-breaker on a Hail Mary to Appalachian State in week 3. The Trojans are 3-1 in Sun Belt Conference play and are currently second in the Sun Belt West. They're coming off a 17-14 victory over Texas State.

South Alabama is 5-1 and has won 3 consecutive games. The Jaguars' only loss came in a 1-point game to 9th-ranked UCLA. South Alabama is 2-0 in Sun Belt Conference play and is currently first in the Sun Belt West. The Jaguars are coming off a 41-34 victory over UL Monroe.

Here are the Troy-South Alabama college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Troy-South Alabama Odds

Troy Trojans: +3.5 (-120)

South Alabama Jaguars: -3.5 (-102)

Over: 46.5 (-110)

Under: 46.5 (-110)

Why Troy Could Cover The Spread

Troy is a defensive-minded football team who has a fearsome defensive line and pass rush. The Trojans allow just 19.3 points per game – good for 3rd in the conference. They're second in the conference with 22 sacks and have yet to allow an opposing offense to score 30 points against them.

The Trojans' offense is a pass-first unit that may be without their starting quarterback. Typical starter Gunnar Watson left last week's game with an injury, although head coach Jon Sumrall expects Watson to be ready for this week's game. Watson has had a solid year for the Trojans. Despite missing the end of last week, he's thrown for 1691 yards and 6 touchdowns this season. He's completed 63% of his passes, although he has thrown 7 interceptions.

If Watson is unable to play, betters shouldn't immediately shy away from the Trojans. Backup quarterback Jarret Doege has proved capable all season long when called upon and that was certainly the case last week. After Watson left, Doege came in and eventually threw the game-winning touchdown for the Trojans. Doege was 4-6 for 59 yards and a touchdown in relief. The quarterback status is something worth monitoring before making a Troy-South Alabama prediction.

Regardless of who is at quarterback, they'll have a plethora of versatile receivers at their disposal. The Trojans have 5 players with over 200 yards receiving yards as they like to spread the ball around across their talented receiving core. However, it's sophomore Tez Johnson who's worth keeping an eye on from a betting perspective. The speedster is the ultimate deep threat for Troy and leads the team in receiving yards. For the season, Johnson has caught 22 passes for 479 yards and 3 touchdowns. He's scored from 74 and 63 yards this season and is a threat to get loose at any moment.

Why South Alabama Could Cover The Spread

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South Alabama enters this week having received votes in the AP Poll for the first time since 2016. The Jaguars are seeking their first win against Troy in the last 4 years. South Alabama has the conference's 3rd-ranked offense and has scored 30+ points in all but one game this season.

The high-powered South Alabama offense is led by senior quarterback Carter Bradley. Bradley has been phenomenal in his first year as a full-time starter. On the season, Bradley has thrown for 1677 yards and 13 touchdowns. He's completed 63.6% of his passes and has thrown just 4 interceptions. Bradley is coming off his best game of the season in last week's shootout. In the win, Bradley threw for 420 yards and 3 touchdowns while completing 76% of his passes. He's been especially effective in home games, completing 71% of his passes and throwing 9 touchdowns with just 1 interception.

On the receiving end of Bradley's passes are arguably the best wide receiver duo in the Sun Belt in Caullin Lacy and Jalen Wayne. Lacy, a sophomore, leads the team in both yards (503) and receptions (35) and has put together back-to-back stellar performances. Last week he caught 12 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, while the week before he caught 5 passes for 112 yards. On the opposite side of him, senior Jalen Wayne has been the go-to red zone threat for the Jaguars. Wayne leads the team with 5 touchdown receptions. He, too, is coming off his best game of the year. In the win over UL Monroe Wayne caught 5 passes for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns. These two are tough to guard for any defense. While Troy has a formidable secondary, they have yet to face a receiving core like USA's.

Final Troy-South Alabama Prediction & Pick

These are two of the best teams in the Sun Belt and Thursday's game may decide the Western half of the conference. On a short week, I'm riding with the home team's high-powered pass game to outlast Troy's middling offense.

Final Troy-South Alabama Prediction & Pick: South Alabama Jaguars -3.5 (-102)