Georgia Southern Eagles vs Sam Houston Bearkats Betting Pick & Prediction R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Georgia Southern comes into this R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl matchup with a 8-4 record, and they are the -5.5-point favorites over the Sam Houston Bearkats. The game is set for 7:00 ET on Thursday, December 19th, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, with ESPN2 handling the TV broadcast. The over/under line is at 46.5 points. The Bearkats are 9-3 on the season. The money line odds are -207 for Georgia Southern and +168 for Sam Houston.

GEORGIA SOUTHERN EAGLES VS SAM HOUSTON BEARKATS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Sam Houston Bearkats +5.5

This game will be played at Caesars Superdome at 7:00 ET on Thursday, December 19th.

WHY BET THE SAM HOUSTON BEARKATS:

• We have the Sam Houston Bearkats winning this one by a score of 27 to 16
• Not only do we have the Sam Houston Bearkats winning straight-up, we have them covering the spread at +5.5
• We see this game finishing below the line of 46.5 points

Will The Georgia Southern Eagles Take Care Of Business As The Favorite?

Georgia Southern enters their Week 1 matchup against Sam Houston with an 8-4 record. They’ve gone 4-2 on the road and 3-2 at home. Out of 12 games, they’ve been favored in four, going 2-2 as the favorite. As the underdog, they’ve posted a 4-2 record.

The Eagles have a +0.8 average scoring margin this season and a 7-3-1 record against the spread. They’ve gone 5-1 ATS as underdogs and 1-2-1 as favorites.

The over/under line for this week is 46.5 points. Georgia Southern’s games have averaged 55.5 points, with an average over/under line of 58.3 points. Their over/under record is 4-7, with seven games featuring fewer points than this week’s line.

Georgia Southern’s offense is averaging 28.2 points per game, ranking 48th in the nation, and they are 62nd in our offensive power rankings heading into week 1. They focus on their passing game, ranking 23rd in completions and 31st in attempts, with an average of 239.9 passing yards per game. They are also 20th in completion percentage and third down conversions.

JC French leads the team with 2,619 passing yards and a 66% completion rate. He has thrown 16 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, with a passer rating of 92. Jalen White has rushed for 655 yards and 13 touchdowns. Derwin Burgess Jr. has 603 receiving yards on 53 catches.

Georgia Southern’s defense has allowed 27.3 points per game this season, including 20 points in their recent win over Appalachian State. They forced two interceptions in that game but gave up 488 total yards, including 290 passing yards.

Opponents have averaged 262.4 passing yards per game against Georgia Southern, completing 62.9% of their throws. On the ground, the Eagles have allowed 183.2 rushing yards per game on 34 attempts per contest.

Will Home Field Advantage Help The Sam Houston Bearkats Upset The Georgia Southern Eagles?

Sam Houston enters their Week 1 matchup against Georgia Southern with a 9-3 record. They’ve been strong at home, going 5-1, while their road record stands at 3-2. The Bearkats have been favored in six of their 12 games, posting a 5-1 record as the favorite.

Against the spread, Sam Houston is 6-5, with a 4-2 mark at home. They’ve gone 3-3 ATS as the favorite and 3-2 as the underdog. Their average scoring margin this season is +3.2 points per game.

Their over/under record is 3-8, with their games averaging 43.2 points. This week’s line is set at 46.5 points, while their average over/under line has been 50.4 points, and they’ve averaged a -7.0 margin against the total.

Sam Houston’s offense has leaned heavily on their ground game, ranking 10th in rushing attempts and averaging 192.4 yards per game, placing them 31st nationally. Jay Ducker leads the team with 719 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

Overall, Sam Houston is 75th in scoring, with 23.2 points per game, and they are ranked 112th in our offensive power rankings. Quarterback Hunter Watson has thrown for 1,598 yards, 11 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, with a passer rating of 79.

Sam Houston’s defense has been a bright spot this season, ranking 16th nationally by allowing just 20 points per game. In their recent win against Liberty, they gave up 18 points and forced two interceptions. The Bearkats held Liberty to 83 passing yards, though they allowed 179 rushing yards on 36 attempts.

Opponents have averaged 142.3 rushing yards per game on 35.8 attempts against Sam Houston, while quarterbacks have posted a 73.7 passer rating, averaging 174.1 passing yards per game. The Bearkats have allowed a 58.9% completion rate this season.