Tuesday night in Jacksonville sees one of the hottest games of college football Week 7 as the undefeated Liberty Flames come to town to take on the 5-1 Jacksonville State Gamecocks.
Who emerges victorious? Ahead of the game, we’ve got the latest college football betting odds, DFS picks, and a Jacksonville State vs. Liberty prediction.
Jacksonville State vs. Liberty Betting and DFS Preview
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and correct as of Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. Want to take advantage of the Jacksonville State vs. Liberty odds? Visit the College Football Network live college football odds page to place bets in your state.
- Spread
Liberty -6 - Moneyline
Liberty -245, Jacksonville State +200 - Over/Under
56 points - Game time
7:30 p.m. ET - Location
Burgess-Snow Field, Jacksonville, AL - Predicted Weather at Kick
55 degrees, 4-6 mph winds, mostly clear - How to Watch
FuboTV, ESPNU
[tallysight url=”https://tallysight.com/new/widget/tile/cfb/org:college-football-network/entity:jacksonville-state-gamecocks/variant:2/autopilot:game?id=8c231302-1378-41c0-bd99-f1ae87b3c4b8″]
Fancy laying a stake on Jacksonville State? Feeling financially frisky about the Flames? If you’re going to take advantage of the Jacksonville State vs. Liberty odds, consider some of the following factors before you part with your hard-earned cash.
Undefeated Liberty entered the game as a favorite, and before the season, you’d have called this clash a slam-dunk win for the Flames.
However, Jacksonville State has far exceeded expectations in their debut season in the FBS, and as such, this game should be much tighter than we would have thought eight weeks ago.
MORE: 2023 Conference USA Football Standings
As a result, our Jacksonville State vs. Liberty predictions favors the Flames on the money line but have the Gamecocks covering the spread.
Rich Rodriguez’s team are 2-1 against the spread as an underdog and were a point away from covering in their only loss of the season to Coastal Carolina. Liberty failed to cover last time out against Sam Houston.
The over/under line is a complicated affair. Two of Liberty’s three games have failed to meet the 56-point line, and their last two tallied 44 and 37 points, respectively.
Jacksonville State failed to cover the point line in their first four games, but they’ve had a scoring explosion in the last two games. Our Jacksonville State vs. Liberty prediction hits the over, but only just. One to avoid.
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
Jacksonville State Depth Chart | Liberty Depth Chart
- QB Kaidon Salter, Liberty ($12,000)
- QB Logan Smothers, Jacksonville State ($9,000)
- QB Zion Webb, Jacksonville State ($9,000)
- RB Malik Jackson, Jacksonville State ($9,000)
- RB Quinton Cooley, Liberty ($8,200)
- RB Billy Lucas, Liberty ($7,600)
- RB Anwar Lewis, Jacksonville State ($4,900)
- RB James Jointer, Liberty ($4,800)
- RB J’Wan Evans, Jacksonville State ($4,600)
- WR CJ Daniels, Liberty ($8,400)
- WR Treon Sibley, Liberty ($7,500)
- WR Perry Carter, Jacksonville State ($7,200)
- WR EJ Smoot, Liberty ($6,000)
- WR Quinton Lane, Jacksonville State ($5,900)
- WR Aaron Bedgood, Liberty ($5,600)
- WR Michael Pettway, Jacksonville State ($5,300)
- WR Sterling Galban, Jacksonville State ($5,000)
- TE Bentley Hanshaw, Liberty ($6,400)
- TE Sean Brown, Jacksonville State ($5,800)
There are three college football games on Tuesday to compile your DFS team from in Week 7.
If you’re new to DFS, Fanduel Superflex contests require you to select a quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, and a “superflex” that can be any of the above. Or you can also select a tight end for the Superflex spot.
If your Jacksonville State vs. Liberty picks don’t include Gamecocks running back Malik Jackson, then maybe stop playing DFS right now. Although the Liberty defense has only allowed three rushing scores all season, they haven’t faced a back like Jackson, who is the highest-scoring fantasy RB in CUSA.
You can’t spell Jacksonville State without Jackson. That’s just a fact.
Gamecock’s pass catchers are less of a certainty. Perry Carter leads the way in fantasy scoring by way of a tied team-high two touchdowns, but they’re not a high-volume passing attack.
There is, however, a WR of consideration for your Jacksonville State vs. Liberty picks. CJ Daniels is a man possessed right now, catching everything in sight and leading the Flames in receiving yards.
MORE: All-Conference USA Midseason Honors
Jacksonville State’s rotation of Zion Webb and Logan Smothers makes their selection dicey. Smothers has outscored Webb from a fantasy perspective, but the latter was the power behind their come-from-behind win over Middle Tennessee.
The discussion is essentially moot because of the existence of Liberty QB Kaidon Salter, who is the top-scoring QB in CUSA. Speaking of which…
Prediction for Jacksonville State vs. Liberty
Okay, so we’ve furnished you with Jacksonville State vs. Liberty odds and some DFS picks. Now, it’s time to close this thing out with our prediction.
Can Jamey Chadwell’s Liberty team extend their unbeaten streak to six games and solidify themselves as the frontrunner in the CUSA? Or is Jacksonville State set up to shock and continue their strong start to life at the FBS level?
Despite being a six-point underdog by the betting markets, there are plenty of reasons to believe that Jacksonville State can win this all-CUSA Tuesday night clash.
While RB Jackson leads a blossoming offense that has gone toe-to-toe in tight spots the last two weeks, the belief starts and ends with one of the best defenses in the conference.
No one has allowed less than the Gamecocks’ 17.5 points per game. They’ve restricted opposition RBs to 2.65 yards per carry, contributing to a conference-low 4.78 yards per play given up so far this season.
Chris Hardie has been the leader of this stringent defense, tallying eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and one interception as one of the best defensive playmakers in CUSA.
With J-Rock Swain menacing from the opposite edge and Quae Drake and Kolbe Fuqua patrolling the field with ruthless intent, this will be the most difficult assignment Liberty has faced so far.
For every defensive metric that Jacksonville State dominates in CUSA, Liberty is the program that is right behind them. For every measure where Jacksonville State comes in second – total defense, for example, it’s Liberty, that’s the program ahead of them.
The Flames’ secondary is second to none, leading the nation in interceptions with Brylan Green, Tyren Dupree, Jerome Jolly Jr., and Kobe Singleton, all logging multiple INTs. Every game featuring two strong, well-matched defenses needs a difference-maker.
MORE: Which Teams Are Undefeated After Week 6?
Enter Liberty quarterback Salter, who, after battling for the Flames QB1 spot in the summer, has emerged as one of the most entertaining and talented playmakers at the Group of Five level. His ability to move the chains with his legs and the arm talent to hit all levels of the field wins the game.
Prediction: Liberty 30, Jacksonville State 27