Wednesday night college football action features a Conference USA matchup between the Fightin' Blue Hens and Gamecocks at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN. SBR's Mike Spector shares his bets in his Delaware vs Jacksonville State prediction:
Over/Under pick: Under 57.5 (-105 via FanDuel)
Game prediction: Delaware -2.5 (-110 via BetMGM)
"Delaware will have had 12 days off to stew over how the squad could be 4-1 and 2-0 in conference play after letting its last game slip away against Western Kentucky.
The Blue Hens were unfortunate losers in that contest after dominating on the stat sheet. Delaware recorded 11 more first downs, 97 more total yards, seven fewer penalties, and won the time-of-possession battle by nearly five minutes against Western Kentucky. But special teams blunders undid that effort, along with two turnovers.
The road favorites get another path toward dominating time of possession again. Delaware ranks in the top 15 in the country in third-down conversion percentage (51.4%), while Jacksonville State allows opponents to convert 42.5% of their third-down attempts, which sits 99th."
Team prop bet: Jacksonville State team total Under 28.5 (-128 via FanDuel)
"Not counting the 17-10 loss to UCF in the season opener, which was a step up in competition, Jacksonville State is averaging 33.4 points over its last five games while going Over this projected total four times. But I'm bucking this trend and backing its team total Under given Delaware’s disciplined defense.
The Blue Hens will not beat themselves, as they rank 11th in penalty yards per game.
Jacksonville State figures to hold a significant edge in the trenches when its third-ranked rushing offense matches up against Delaware’s 86th-ranked run defense.
That advantage should also force the Gamecocks into a complacent and methodical style of offense, especially after benching quarterback Gavin Wimsatt. Backup Caden Creel has attempted just 17 passes per game across his two outings."
Over/Under pick: Under 57.5 (-105 via FanDuel)
Game prediction: Delaware -2.5 (-110 via BetMGM)
"Delaware will have had 12 days off to stew over how the squad could be 4-1 and 2-0 in conference play after letting its last game slip away against Western Kentucky.
The Blue Hens were unfortunate losers in that contest after dominating on the stat sheet. Delaware recorded 11 more first downs, 97 more total yards, seven fewer penalties, and won the time-of-possession battle by nearly five minutes against Western Kentucky. But special teams blunders undid that effort, along with two turnovers.
The road favorites get another path toward dominating time of possession again. Delaware ranks in the top 15 in the country in third-down conversion percentage (51.4%), while Jacksonville State allows opponents to convert 42.5% of their third-down attempts, which sits 99th."
Team prop bet: Jacksonville State team total Under 28.5 (-128 via FanDuel)
"Not counting the 17-10 loss to UCF in the season opener, which was a step up in competition, Jacksonville State is averaging 33.4 points over its last five games while going Over this projected total four times. But I'm bucking this trend and backing its team total Under given Delaware’s disciplined defense.
The Blue Hens will not beat themselves, as they rank 11th in penalty yards per game.
Jacksonville State figures to hold a significant edge in the trenches when its third-ranked rushing offense matches up against Delaware’s 86th-ranked run defense.
That advantage should also force the Gamecocks into a complacent and methodical style of offense, especially after benching quarterback Gavin Wimsatt. Backup Caden Creel has attempted just 17 passes per game across his two outings."