Jacksonville State vs South Carolina Prediction, Odds and Picks

This is essentially the bowl game for Jacksonville State. These Gamecocks are ineligible to win Conference USA, nor can they go bowling barring a lack of eligible teams come December. So these matchups against Power 5 teams on national television are a big deal to Jacksonville State, and this is actually a very winnable game for head coach Rich Rodriguez’s bunch. Jacksonville State went to FIU last week and thumped the Golden Panthers 41-16 as a 9-point favorite, and it’s only loss in the past 6 games is against unbeaten Liberty on Oct. 10. The Gamecocks are 4-1-1 ATS in their past 6 games and 6-2-1 ATS overall, too. This is a good — and dangerous — team.

The South Carolina Gamecocks haven’t lived up to expectations. They halted a 3-game non-cover streak by cashing as 17-point underdogs in a 30-17 loss at Texas A&M, but Carolina has still dropped 4 straight — including 3 losses of 13 or more points during the span. Its lone win outside of a victory against Furman of the FCS is over an equally poor Mississippi State team on Sept. 23. That’s the last drink from the chalice of victory. South Carolina is favored in name only for this game, as Jacksonville State is criminally underrated. This should probably be a line under 2 touchdowns, so take advantage.

Jacksonville State +15.5 available at time of publishing. Playable to +14.

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