Jacksonville State vs Florida International Odds, Picks, and Predictions: Gamecocks Suffocate FIU

Conference USA ends its mid-week scheduling with an exciting matchup between the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and Florida International Panthers tonight. 

Jacksonville State is fresh off a home victory over Western Kentucky, while Florida International needed double overtime to pull off an away upset over Sam Houston. 

I break down the college football odds and give you my free college football picks for Jacksonville State vs. Florida International on October 24.

Jacksonville State vs Florida International best odds

Jacksonville State vs Florida International picks and predictions

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks are off to an exceptional start to their FBS career and are second in the C-USA standings behind Liberty.

The Gamecocks are 6-2 and would be bowl-eligible if they were allowed to. However, as a second-year FBS school, they must wait until 2024 to become eligible unless there aren’t enough six-win teams.

Jacksonville State does two things particularly well: the Gamecocks boasts one of the best rushing attacks nationally with the 11th-best turnover margin among FBS-eligible schools.

Running back Malik Jackson leads a ground game that features five 100-yard rushers but is questionable for Wednesday. Anwar Lewis has returned from injury to scamper for 80+ over his last two games and quarterbacks Zion Webb and Logan Smothers have combined for 588 rushing yards and eight TDs, with Smothers leading the offense with six rushing TDs.

The other thing the Gamecocks do well is force turnovers. Jacksonville State is second in the nation in takeaways (17), and these plays are a big reason why the Gamecocks allow the 24th-fewest points in the country.

Florida International is 83rd in scoring defense and allows the 119th-most rushing yards per game this season, and their 107th-best scoring offense isn’t usually able to make up the difference. 

Frosh quarterback Keyone Jenkins has thrown for 1,664 yards with more interceptions than TDs, and the rushing offense ranks 115th nationally. Kris Mitchell leads the Panthers in receiving yards (711) and five scoring strikes.

The offensive backfield has a pair of backs with 300+ rushing yards, but the O-line has allowed 33 sacks this season and is a large reason for the offensive struggles.

I expect this to be a low-scoring affair as the Gamecocks will look to keep this game on the ground. The FIU offense can make plays but Jax State boasts one of the best defenses in the country. 

My best bet: Under 44.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
Picks made at time of writing may not reflect live odds.

Jacksonville State vs Florida International same-game parlay

Under 44.5 (-110)

Jacksonville State ML (-310)

Florida International TT Under 17.5 (-125)

+168 at DraftKings

The Under is the theme for this contest and I base that mostly on the Gamecocks' ability to wreak havoc on the defensive end of the field and the Panthers' difficulties scoring the football.

I expect Jax State to win behind its defense and ability to force turnovers (second in the nation). The pass rush that averages 3.13 sacks per game should feast against a quarterback with more interceptions than scoring strikes.

The FIU team total fits perfectly here as well. The Gamecocks' defense is legit, and they will make moving the football hard for Jenkins and the Panthers. FIU averages 21.9 points per contest but has failed to reach 18 points in five of its eight contests. 

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Jacksonville State vs Florida International spread and Over/Under analysis

Jacksonville State opened as a -298 favorite, but that number has risen slightly to -303. You could play the moneyline, but remember you’ll need to risk $303 to win $100, and the risk probably isn’t worth the minimal reward.

DraftKings opened at Jax State -7, but that number quickly jumped to -8. A 1-point rise on the spread usually moves the moneyline more than five cents. FanDuel is offering Jax State -7.5 (-115), but I'd personally stay away from laying that number.

One wager I am leaning towards is the Anwar Lewis anytime TD prop at +200. Lewis was the leading rusher last season and suffered a lower-body injury that caused him to miss the first four games of this season. 

Lewis has rushed for 80+ yards over the past two contests and scored his first TD of the season in last week's win over Western Kentucky.

He’ll be the lead back if Jackson doesn’t dress, but even if he does, Lewis had 15 attempts in tandem with Jackson and could find paydirt either way against a bad FIU rushing defense. 

Jacksonville State vs Florida International betting trend to know

Jacksonville State has stayed Under the total in six of its last eight games. The Under is also 10-2 in the Gamecocks' last 12 games after allowing fewer than 20 points in their previous contest. Find more college football betting trends for Jacksonville State vs. Florida International.

Jacksonville State vs Florida International game info

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