The Jackson State Tigers (12-0) take on the North Carolina Central Eagles (9-2) in the Celebration Bowl on Saturday. Kickoff from Mercedes-Benz Stadium is at noon ET (ABC). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Jackson State vs. North Carolina Central odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
This game between 2 HBCUs pits 2 of the best offenses in the FCS. Jackson State was 7th in the FCS with 38.0 points per game (PPG) while finishing 1st in the SWAC; North Carolina Central is 5th in the FCS with 38.4 PPG en route to a 1st place finish in the MEAC.
Jackson State’s defense has been better, but North Carolina Central can clamp down in the red zone when needed and allowed just 19 red-zone TDs on 34 attempts through 11 games while allowing just 22 total red-zone scores.
Tigers QB Shedeur Sanders will enter the transfer portal to head to Colorado and join his father, Buffaloes coach Deion. Sanders has thrown for more than 3,383 yards with 36 TDs and 6 INTs. He ran for almost 174 yards and 5 TDs while leading the Tigers to their undefeated record.
Eagles QB Davius Richard is also a dual threat. With 2,473 passing yards and 24 passing TDs to go with almost 691 rushing yards and 13 rush TDs. As good as the Jackson State defense has been, dual-threat QBs have been its kryptonite and Harris has the physical ability to give the Tigers fits if they do not contain him inside the pocket.
The true key to this game is the motivation of Jackson State. Do the Tigers want to give coach Prime a victory on the way out of town, or might they not show up? My feeling is that the former is more likely than the latter.
North Carolina Central also has a bit of motivation. The MEAC is 5-1 in this game against SWAC competition. The only loss for the conference came in 2016 when this Eagles team lost to Grambling State. They will want to finally gain a victory in this de facto HBCU National Championship game.
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Jackson State vs. North Carolina Central odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 3:13 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Jackson State -575 (bet $575 to win $100) | North Carolina Central +425 (bet $100 to win $425)
- Against the spread (ATS): Jackson State -14 (-111) | North Carolina Central +14 (-109)
- Over/Under (O/U): 55 (O: -113 | U: -107)
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Jackson State vs. North Carolina Central picks and predictions
Prediction
Jackson State 35, North Carolina Central 27
Moneyline
PASS.
Jackson State is the better team. Despite all the upheaval with coach Sanders leaving, I do not see NC Central pulling off a major upset here. The talent is still on the side of the Tigers and there are no current opt-outs to worry about in this game. This makes the Tigers (-575) the likely victors but a wager on either side is both not worth the payout or the risk.
Against the spread
BET NC CENTRAL +14 (-109).
This one will be tough but with Richard being a dual threat, I think NC Central can keep this game close. While I do not see the Eagles winning, I can certainly believe they can keep it within 2 scores and a possible back door cover is in play.
Although NC Central does not rush the passer well and has just 18 sacks on the season, it has also only allowed just 19 TD in the red zone. The Eagles can clamp down when needed and they will certainly need to Saturday. This game could even come down to which team has more turnovers.
Give me NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL +14 (-109).
Over/Under
BET OVER 55 (-113).
Both Jackson State and North Carolina Central scored more than 38 points per game this season. While both defenses have been solid, the offenses will do enough to overcome this in the final game for coach Prime. He said he wants to finish business here before heading to Colorado. That means scoring and winning this game and that’s going to force the Eagles to try to keep up.
OVER 55 (-113) is my favorite play here.
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