It is mid-week C-USA action as Jacksonville State faces FIU. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a Jacksonville State-FIU prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Jacksonville State enters the game at 6-2 on the season with a 4-1 record in the conference. They opened with a win over UTEP and then East Tennessee State before falling to Coastal Carolina. Since then, they have been solid. It was a 3-1 record with wins over Eastern Michigan, Sam Houston, and MTSU before the loss to Liberty. Last week, it was an upset. They were down 14-0 in the first quarter to Western Kentucky but made it a 17-10 game at the half. In the second half, Western Kentucky did not score, while Jacksonville State would score and then hit a field goal with no time left on the clock to take the 20-17 win.

Meanwhile, FIU comes in after a win to break a three-game losing streak. After a loss to open the season to Louisiana Tech, FIU went on a three-game winning streak. It was all non-conference wins, beating Maine, North Texas, and UCONN. Then, in conference play, they would fall to Liberty, New Mexico State, and then UTEP. Last time out, they faced Sam Houston. FIU had the lead going into the fourth quarter but needed a field goal with five seconds left to force overtime. Both teams scored in the first overtime, and in the second FIU scored and held Sam Houston off the board to take the 33-27 win.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Jacksonville State-FIU Odds

Jacksonville State: -7.5 (-115)

FIU: +7.5 (-105)

Over: 44.5 (-108)

Under: 44.5 (-112)

How to Watch Jacksonville State vs. FIU Week 9

Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT

TV: CBS Sports Network

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Jacksonville State Will Cover The Spread

In wins this year, it has been a solid defense to get them there. They have four games this year of giving up 17 or fewer points and won all four games. Jacksonville State has been solid in run defense this year. Chris Hardie leads the way with 23 stops for offensive failures this year while having 28 tackles. His average depth of tackle is just 2.1 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Laletia Hale has 22 stops for offensive failures this year with an average depth of tackle of 2.3 yards. On the pass rush, Jacksonville State has been solid with 28 sacks this season. Kamari Stephens has four sacks this year, while Chris Hardie, Curley Young, and Larry Worth all have three sacks. Jacksonville State has also forced 11 interceptions this year, with Kekoura Tarnue leading the way with two of them.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville State is led by the run game.  Malik Jackson is the stud of this offense. He has run for 579 yards this year on 105 attempts. That is good for 5.5 yards per carry, with almost three of those yards before first contact. Still, he missed the last game and is questionable for this one, so Jacksonville State may have to look elsewhere for offense. That could be Anwar Lewis. In the last two games, Lewis has just 166 yards and a touchdown. He has been solid after contact as well, with 129 of the yards coming after first contact in those games.

Zion Webb should also be a full go after missing parts of the last two games before Western Kentucky. In the game with Western Kentucky, he was great. Webb ran for 154 yards with a touchdown on the ground. He did have a fumble though, his third of the year. He also threw for 218 yards last time out but did have an interception.

In the receiving game, Perry Carter leads the way. He has brought in 21 of 38 targets this year, with two touchdowns. He has also been solid after the catch this year, with 163 yards after the catch this season. Still, he does have three drops this season.

Why FIU Will Cover The Spread

The freshman quarterback for FIU, Keyone Jenkins, has been solid for FIU this year. He has completed 121 of 203 passes for 1,658 yards and six scored this year. Jenkins has also thrown 13 big-time throws according to PFF. Still, there are some issues. Jenkins has seven interceptions this year, with at least one in all but one game this year. He also has 13 turnover-worthy passes. A major issue has been pressure, with 29 sacks this year.

One other major issue has been on the ground for Jenkins. While he has 185 yards on the ground and five touchdowns, most of the yards have come from scrambles. Further, he has fumbled ten times this year. In the run game, he had two guys leading the way. Shomari Lawrence has 456 yards this year, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt. He has scored four times while being solid after contact. He has 342 yards after contact this season. Meanwhile, Kejon Ownes has 357 yards with an average of 6.5 yards per carry this year. He has scored five times on the ground this season.

On defense, FIU needs a little bit more on the pass rush. They have just 13 sacks this year, with Alex Nobels leading the way. He has three sacks with 26 quarterback pressures this year. The run defense is led by Donovan Manuel this year. He has 25 stops for offensive failures this year, with two forced fumbles. He also has 32 tackles on the year, but he has missed 11 tackles this season. FIU does have six interceptions, with three of them from CJ Christian. He has allowed two touchdowns this year.

Final Jacksonville State-FIU Prediction & Pick

Jacksonville State is going to be able to control the game. Jacksonville State is one of the best in the nation on the ground this year. Meanwhile, FIU is one of the worst against the ground attack this year. Jacksonville State is also good at getting off the field on third down this year, while FIU struggles to convert. Jacksonville State has been a surprise team this year, but they should be respected as one of the best teams in Conference USA. They will conduct long drives and control the clock while getting the win.

Final Jacksonville State-FIU Prediction & Pick: Jacksonville State -7.5 (-115)