Ohio Bobcats vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/20/2024

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Friday, December 20, 2024

Venue:  Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Ohio -3, JSU +3; Over/Under:  54 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Ohio -3.5, JSU +3.5; Over/Under:  54.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Ohio -3.5, JSU +3.5; Over/Under:  54.5 points

Ohio Bobcats:  10-3 (7-1) (1st place, MAC)

Jacksonville State Gamecocks:  9-4 (7-1) (1st place, Conference USA)

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Ohio Bobcats:  won their last game at a neutral site against the Miami-Ohio RedHawks 38-3.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks:  won their last game at home against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 52-12.

Ohio is entering this game with a 10-3 record overall and they have a 7-1 record in their conference games too. They are 6-0 in their home games, 3-3 in their road games, and they are also 1-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against Miami-OH 38-3. Parker Navarro was the starting QB and he completed 20/27 passes for 235 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Anthony Tyus III led the team in rushing yards with 151 and 1 TD. Coleman Owen led the receivers with 73 receiving yards on 5 receptions and 1 TD. Dustin Johnson led the defense in that game with 2 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Shay Taylor led the defense in sacks with 1. Tank Pearson came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Jacksonville State is entering this game with a 9-4 record overall and they have a 7-1 record in their conference games too. They are 6-1 in their home games, 3-3 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against Western Kentucky 52-12. Tyler Huff was the starting QB and he completed 11/15 passes for 176 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Tre Stewart led the team in rushing yards with 201 and 3 TDs. Cam Vaughn led the receivers with 91 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Zechariah Poyser led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while Antonio Carter III and Travis Franklin Jr. each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Ohio listed as a 3 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Ohio has looked great in their games this season with their 10-3 record overall and their 7-1 conference record which has them right near the top of the MAC. They went to the MAC Championship and won in a rout over Miami-Ohio. Meanwhile, Jacksonville State has also looked great in their games this season with their 9-4 record overall and their 7-1 conference record which has them right at the top of the Conference USA. They also went to their conference championship and won in a rout. Both of these teams are conference champions, but both are also going to be playing this game without their head coaches as they have both moved on to new jobs. Jacksonville State also won their conference championship at home while Ohio won at a neutral site, and JSU is still a new FBS team so they aren't going to recover as easily with Rich Rodriguez leaving. They will be missing some key players who have entered the transfer portal and Ohio has a good history in these bowl games, winning their bowl game the last 2 years in a row. Ohio also has a really good defense that doesn't give up many points and Jacksonville State was much better on defense at home compared to a lot of their road games. The best way to place a bet here is on Ohio to cover the spread in this game. 

Ohio Jacksonville State Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Friday, December 20, 2024 (12:00 pm ET start time) is Ohio 27 Jacksonville State 13.

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Ohio Bobcats: 9-2 ATS after 3 or more consecutive wins against the spread. 9-2 ATS when the line is +3 to -3. 8-3 ATS after scoring 37 points or more last game. 8-3 UNDER after scoring 37 points or more last game. 9-4 UNDER after a win by 17 or more points. 

Jacksonville State Gamecocks: 1-3 1H ATS off a home blowout win by 28 points or more. 6-1 UNDER off a home win against a conference rival. 8-4 UNDER after playing a game at home. 7-1 UNDER when playing against a team with a winning record. 4-1 UNDER versus good rushing teams - averaging 4.75 rushing yards/carry or more.

Ohio Bobcats:  J. Wood (SAF) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Molnar (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. T. Mathis (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Crable (DE) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Bannister (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Hurst (WR) Out - Undisclosed.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks:  B. Robey (OL) Out - Knee. B. Spector (WR) Out - Elbow. D. Wright (WR) Out - Undisclosed.

"We want to thank Tim for his almost two decades of service to Ohio University, first as an assistant coach and then four years as our Head Coach, during which he led us to a Mid-American Conference championship this past weekend. Our program has a strong foundation because of Tim, his staff and our student-athletes, and we wish him, his wife, Brooke, and their family all the best at their next stop." - Julie Cromer on Tim Albin leaving the program to take the job at Charlotte.

“Coach Rodriguez has been an outstanding leader for Jacksonville State Football, playing a pivotal role in our successful transition to the FBS and making a lasting impact on our program, our student-athletes, and our university as a whole. We understand this is an incredible opportunity for him and his family, and we wish him all the best at West Virginia.” - Greg Seitz on Rich Rodriguez leaving the program for the job at West Virginia.

WR Harris II, Rodney

WR Hendricks, Chase 

WR Owen, Coleman 

TE Williams, Mason

QB Navarro, Parker

RB Tyus III, Anthony 

WR Wells, P.J.

WR McCants, Jordan 

WR Pettway, Michael 

TE Brown, Sean 

QB Huff, Tyler

RB Stewart, Tre

Passing: P. Navarro (2169)

Rushing: A. Tyus (1111)

Receiving: C. Owen (1105)

Touchdowns: P. Navarro (15)

Passing: T. Huff (2179)

Rushing: T. Stewart (1601)

Receiving: C. Vaughn (620)

Touchdowns: T. Stewart (24)

Coaches:

Ohio Bobcats: Brian Smith (Interim)

Jacksonville State Gamecocks: Rod Smith (Interim)