South Alabama (6-6, 4-4 Sun Belt) finished the regular season by winning two of three (but dropping their season finale). They take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles (6-6, 4-4 MAC), riding a two-game winning streak to gain bowl eligibility in their regular season finale. Technically, the Jaguars are the “road” team in this game, but the contest takes place in their home stadium. They come in as huge favorites, so let’s break down the matchup between South Alabama vs Eastern Michigan and see if there is some NCAAF betting imbalance that you can leverage in your favor.
2023 College Football 68 Ventures Bowl Odds: South Alabama vs Eastern Michigan
When: Saturday, December 23, 2023, 7:00 pm ET
Where: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
TV: ESPN
Radio: No National Broadcast
Live Stream: ESPN+
NCAAF Odds: South Alabama -17 / O/U 46.5 // South Alabama -800 / Eastern Michigan +550
Why should you bet on the South Alabama Jaguars?
The Jaguars can score in bunches, as their passing offense is prolific. Their defense can be a bit porous as was the case in their regular season finale, which they lost to North Texas, 52-44. They allowed 479 yards in the loss after giving up only 14 points combined in their prior two games. They score 30.8 points per game, 45th in the nation, but that defensive inconsistency has been key in their 1-4 record against the spread in their last five games of the season.
Quarterback Carter Bradley has suffered from a knee injury since the Texas State game and remains questionable for Saturday. If he can’t go, Desmond Trotter would start in his place. He did throw for 216 yards with four touchdowns and an interception in relief of Bradley against Texas State. Top tailback La’Damian Webb, who has run for 1,007 yards and 16 touchdowns, is also questionable, so the running game could rely on depth as well. Caullin Lacy has been a terrific target, gaining 1,316 receiving yards, good for sixth in the nation.
Bet on South Alabama to Win Today
| 2023 68 Ventures Bowl Odds | SPREAD | MONEYLINE | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Michigan Eagles | +17 | +550 | U 46 |
| South Alabama Jaguars | -17 | -800 | O 46 |
Why should you put your money on the Eastern Michigan Eagles?
Eastern Michigan is more of a defense-first squad; they beat Buffalo in their season finale, 24-11, forcing three turnovers and only allowing three third-down conversions in 12 chances. The Eagles are ranked just 114th in the nation in scoring, 111th in rushing offense and 124th in passing offense. Austin Smith is their quarterback, but this is not a pass-heavy offense as he has thrown for just 1,775 yards, with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. In the last two games of the regular season, though, he threw one touchdown in each game without a pick. Tailback Samson Evans, who ran for 635 yards and a dozen touchdowns on the year, set a season high with 127 yards in the win over Buffalo.
Tailback Jaylon Jackson joins Evans in a nice tandem with 574 yards and two touchdowns and has run for at least 72 yards in two of the last three games of the season. Eastern Michigan does have three players with 370 or more receiving yards, so they do spread the ball around.
Bet on Eastern Michigan to Win Today
South Alabama vs Eastern Michigan Final Score and Prediction
This seems like a large spread given both teams’ inconsistencies and the two-game winning streak that Eastern Michigan rides into this game. Both defenses are stout, and both offenses suffer from inconsistency. I predict a final score of South Alabama 23, Eastern Michigan 17.
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South Alabama vs Eastern Michigan 68 Ventures Bowl
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