[gambcom-standard rankid=”4141″ ]
The Ohio Bobcats (10-3) and Jacksonville State Gamecocks (9-4) meet Friday in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s college football odds around the Ohio vs. Jacksonville State odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
Last season’s Cure Bowl between Appalachian State and Miami (Ohio) was played in a deluge in Orlando, with 13 combined fumbles in a 13-9 win by the Mountaineers. The weather forecast is very pleasant for this year’s installment, with temperatures in the mid-50’s and an 8-10 MPH, chilly for Orlando, actually.
Ohio steams into Orlando after a 38-3 rout of the Miami RedHawks in the MAC Championship Game, winning and covering for a sixth straight game. The Under is 4-1 in the past 5 outings for the Bobcats.
While coach Tim Albin left the Ohio program for the Charlotte 49ers job, surprisingly, the Bobcats have had no players in the transfer portal as of Thursday.
For Jacksonville State, it not only lost coach Rich Rodriguez to West Virginia, but 2 stud defensive players have pulled up stakes, too. S Zechariah Poyser has signed with the Miami Hurricanes, while LB Reginald Hughes, a top EDGE player, is bound for the Colorado Buffaloes. Several other defensive starters have hit the portal, too, leaving their status in question.
Jax State pounded the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 52-12 in the Conference USA title game. This is a team which can run the ball well, as can Ohio. Both teams are very good, and feature a pair of 1,000-yard rushers each. However, the Bobcats have a lockdown rush defense, which the Gamecocks struggle in that area. That will be the difference.
Rankings – US LBM Coaches Poll: Conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports
Stream select live college football games and full replays: Get ESPN+
Ohio vs. Jacksonville State odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of college football odds. Lines last updated Thursday at 6:33 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Ohio -200 (bet $200 to win $100) | Jacksonville State +165 (bet $100 to win $165)
- Against the spread: Ohio -4.5 (-115) | Jacksonville State +4.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 56.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
[gambcom-standard rankid=”4132″ ]
Ohio vs. Jacksonville State picks and predictions
Prediction
Ohio 32, Jacksonville State 18
Moneyline
Ohio (-200) will cost you twice as much as your potential return, and that is way too much for a singular wager. However, if you were to include the Bobcats into a multi-leg parlay, either as part of a bowl parlay, or multi-sport ticket, including Ohio isn’t terribly expensive or risky.
PASS, as a standalone wager.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Against the spread
BACK OHIO -4.5 (-110) laying the points in Orlando.
The Bobcats enter on a roll, winning and covering 6 in a row. And, while Ohio loses its coach to the Charlotte job, the kids have stayed together and not hit the portal en masse.
Jacksonville State +4.5 (-110) had some issues stopping the run, but generally it had a strong defense. However, with Hughes and Poyser moving on to power programs, that’s a huge loss for the Gamecocks in this bowl game.
Over/Under
UNDER 56.5 (-110) is the lean in this matinee battle in O-Town.
Ohio has cashed low in 4 of the past 5 games, allowing 10 or fewer points in each of those Under results. The Bobcats rush defense has had it on lockdown, allowing just 95.5 yards per game, ranking among the best in the nation. The Ohio D has allowed 296.3 total yards asnd 17.5 points per game, too.
Jax State has a top-notch offense, especially in the run game, and it’s rush defense is a question mark. Losing Hughes and Poyser hurts, too, but we should still see more defense than offense.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”6305″ ]
Want to play some games of your own? Play for free at the best social casinos and enjoy lots of slots, blackjack, video poker, roulette and more. You can even earn real prizes!
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Duke / Florida / Florida State / Georgia / Iowa / Kentucky / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / Washington / Wisconsin / Recruiting / Transfer portal / College Football Playoffs / College Sports Wire / High School
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]