The Jacksonville State Gamecocks and Florida International Panthers kick off the first game of a Week 9 Wednesday doubleheader, and we offer our best Jacksonville State-FIU prediction based on the best college football odds from our best sports betting apps.
Jacksonville State's first season at the FBS level has been a rousing success, as the Gamecocks are 6-2 overall and 4-1 in Conference USA play. The Gamecocks have already smashed their preseason projected win total of 4.5, with a Week 8 walk-off win being arguably their most impressive of the campaign. The Gamecocks beat Western Kentucky 20-17 on a 41-yard field goal as time expired, winning outright as +7.5 point home underdogs.
Meanwhile, Florida International (4-4, 1-4 CUSA) snapped a three-game losing streak (with each loss coming by 13-plus points) while earning a 33-27 road win over Sam Houston in Week 8. Their contest agains t the Bearkats was a meeting of the only two winless teams in conference play.
Here is our best Jacksonville State-FIU prediction and our college football picks (odds via our best college football betting sites; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Jacksonville State vs. FIU prediction: Week 9
Jacksonville State gets the rare opportunity as a CUSA member (and first-year FBS school) to play on the road at an SEC school (South Carolina) next week. And while we would usually be wary of a situation like that as a lookahead spot, the Gamecocks have seemed like a focused group and a team on a mission all year long under head coach Rich Rodriguez. They would love nothing more than to keep racking up wins to match their nine from 2022 before the transition.
Though the Gamecocks entered Week 8 against Western Kentucky allowing just 19.4 points per outing, there were still question s about their defensive depth and the grind of an FBS-level schedule wearing on them. They had allowed 29.7 points per game over the previous three matchups.
Most expected the Hilltoppers' prolific passing attack with quarterback Austin Reed, who led the nation in 2022 with 4,746 passing yards, to carve up the Gamecocks' secondary. After all, Jacksonville State's unit had allowed explosive plays on 14.3% of opposing teams' 112 passing attempts over those three prior weeks. However, the Gamecocks limited Reed to 250 passing yards and a 50.0 completion percentage. The Hilltoppers managed just 17 points, which was 17.5 points below their projected team total of 34.5.
Jacksonville State shouldn't struggle to defend an FIU offense that entered Week 8 ranked 117th or worse in finishing drives, havoc, and offensive success rate. The Gamecocks' only two losses have been to top-75 SP+ teams, and they should easily control the pace and line of scrimmage against an inferior FIU team.
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Jacksonville State vs. FIU best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
| -8 | -7.5 | -7.5 | -8 | -8 |
| -112 | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
FanDuel and BetMGM are our preferred shops for this wager as the only of the best sportsbooks offering a line of -7.5.
We would explore the options of an alternate spread of -6.5 if the price was right (don't go beyond -140 odds). Either way, we expect the Gamecocks to relish the role of being a significant favorite, as they've spent the last three weeks as underdogs while accumulating two outright wins during that stretch. They also easily covered during their only game as favorites of more than a touchdown (a 49-3 victory as 20-point favorites against East Tennessee State).
Jacksonville State vs. FIU odds
Jacksonville State vs. FIU odds analysis
FanDuel (from -7 to -7.5), Caesars (from -7.5 to -8), and DraftKings (from -7 to -8) have all moved the spread in Jacksonville State's favor. Jacksonville State is gene rating 57% of the action. The team is 5-2-1 ATS in 2023.
Caesars and bet365 offer a total of 44, while all of our other best sports betting sites are at 44.5. FanDuel has experienced the most significant change since its opening number, likely due to sharp action. The line plummeted from 47.5.
Jacksonville State vs. FIU game info
- When: Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Riccardo Silva Stadium, Miami, FL
- How to watch: CBSSN
- Weather: 83 degrees, 15% chance of precipitation, 20-mph easterly winds
Jacksonville State-FIU prediction made 10/23/2023 at 6:08 a.m. ET.
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