Circled as one of the “must watch” games of the season, Thursday night in Huntsville, Texas, sees two FCS converts take on each other as the 0-3 Sam Houston Bearkats welcome the 3-1 Jacksonville State Gamecocks to the “Lone Star” State.
Who emerges victorious? Ahead of the game, we’ve got the latest college football betting odds, DFS picks, and a Sam Houston vs. Jacksonville State prediction.
Sam Houston vs. Jacksonville State Betting and DFS Preview
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and correct as of Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. Want to take advantage of the Sam Houston vs. Jacksonville State odds? Visit the College Football Network live college football odds page right here.
- Spread
Jacksonville State -6.5 - Moneyline
Jacksonville State -245, Sam Houston +200 - Over/Under
36 points - Game time
8:00 p.m. ET - Location
Elliott T. Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, TX - Predicted Weather at Kick
77 degrees, 3-5 mph winds, clear - How to Watch
FuboTV, ESPNU
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Are you looking to make some green on the Gamecocks? Or do you have a feeling that the Bearkats can bolster your bank balance? If you’re going to take advantage of the Sam Houston vs. Jacksonville State odds, consider some of the following factors before you part with your hard-earned cash.
It’s not even been two years since Sam Houston and Jacksonville State met as FCS outfits. The Bearkats handed a 42-7 beatdown to the Gamecocks in late October 2021. Sam Houston also holds a 6-5 head-to-head advantage.
The times have changed plenty since then, with K.C. Keeler’s team enduring a difficult start to FBS life, while Jacksonville State is the favorite after a 3-1 start.
Teams’ overall records have the potential to skew perception. Sam Houston might be 0-3, but they’ve played two Power Five programs and held a rampant Air Force offense to just 13 points. They’ve also covered the spread twice as an underdog. Still, Jacksonville State has impressed and has covered the spread twice as a favorite, including a shutout of Eastern Michigan last week.
While I think we’ll see the most competitive performance yet out of the Bearkats, and they boast home-field advantage, Jacksonville State’s defensive superiority and up-tempo offense may prove to be too hot to handle. Take Jacksonville State on the money line and the spread. The over/under line isn’t something to approach with any crumb of confidence.
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
Sam Houston Depth Chart | Jacksonville State Depth Chart
- QB Logan Smothers, Jacksonville State ($6,800)
- QB Zion Webb, Jacksonville State ($6,800)
- QB Keegan Shoemaker, Sam Houston ($5,500)
- QB Grant Gunnell, Sam Houston ($5,500)
- RB Malik Jackson, Jacksonville State ($8,700)
- RB Zach Hrbacek, Sam Houston ($5,500)
- RB John Gentry, Sam Houston ($5,300)
- RB Reggion Bennett, Jacksonville State ($5,200)
- RB Tobias Weaver, Sam Houston ($5,100)
- RB J’Wan Evans, Jacksonville State ($4,900)
- RB Charles Crawford, Sam Houston ($4,700)
- WR Quinton Lane, Jacksonville State ($6,800)
- WR Perry Carter, Jacksonville State ($6,100)
- WR Sterling Galban, Jacksonville State ($5,800)
- WR Noah Smith, Sam Houston ($5,600)
- WR Michael Pettway, Jacksonville State ($5,400)
- WR Ife Adeyi, Sam Houston ($5,300)
- WR Malik Phillips, Sam Houston ($5,200)
- TE Sean Brown, Jacksonville State ($4,900)
- TE Elijah Sohn, Sam Houston ($4,300)
There are three Thursday college football games to compile your DFS team from in Week 5. If you’re new to DFS, Fanduel Superflex contests require you to select a quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, and then a “Superflex” that can be any of the above. You can also select a tight end for the Superflex spot.
On a Thursday night slate that features some electric offenses — here’s looking at you Western Kentucky — your Sam Houston vs. Jacksonville State picks are likely to be few and far between. The Bearkats don’t have a single offensive player ranked inside the top 200 on fantasydata.com. That’s not nationally — that’s purely within Conference USA — fairly putrid stuff.
Jacksonville State, however, does offer some potential value picks if you find yourself with budgetary constraints. The nature of this game, and how it can be won as detailed in our Sam Houston vs. Jacksonville State prediction, should allow for QB Logan Smothers and RB Malik Jackson to rack up a decent point haul.
Smothers showed off his wheels as a dangerous dual-threat QB in the win over Eastern Michigan and currently ranks eighth amongst all CUSA players with 64.88 fantasy points. He should garner consideration for your “superflex” spot.
Both RB Malik Jackson and RB Ron Wiggins have multiple touchdowns, average over five yards per carry, and have seen action in the passing game.
Prediction for Sam Houston vs. Jacksonville State
Okay, so we’ve furnished you with the Sam Houston vs. Jacksonville State odds and some DFS picks, so it’s time to close this thing out with our prediction. Can the Bearkats bring home the first win of the season and their first-ever FBS win? Or will the Gamecocks continue their impressive start at the highest level of college football?
Let’s start with the Bearkats, who have had far from an ideal start to their FBS tenure. Their 0-3 record hides some of the good things that they’ve accomplished early on. Not many teams have held Air Force to just 13 points this season. In fact, the Falcons have scored 30-plus on every other opponent.
Similarly, BYU has averaged 33.3 points per game on their three other opponents this season. The Bearkats limited them to just 14. Keeler’s team has some impressive defensive playmakers who have the ability to test and trouble an offense. Sadly, the offense hasn’t been anywhere near a similar level, averaging 3.3 points per game and scoring just one offensive touchdown so far.
They don’t get a reprieve against Jacksonville State, whose defense features backfield bulldozer DL Chris Hardie. The Gamecocks have the advantage on defense while boasting the talent on offense to give Sam Houston plenty of difficulty. Watch for the ground game to feature prominently against a defense that ranks in the bottom half nationally for yards per carry.
Prediction: Jacksonville State 21, Sam Houston 10