Any time you've got a coach which goes 4-20 in his first two seasons at the helm, you have to be wary that there's a seat which is a tad on the warm side. That's what Todd Monken faces in his third year with the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, a season which starts at home against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Of all of the games on the Week 1 docket, there might not be one with more total line movement than what we have seen here in Hattiesburg. The Bulldogs, who are largely thought to be overrated starting off as the No. 12 ranked team in America, opened at -23 and have since dipped to -21.
The total has moved a lot as well, rising from 56.5 all the way up to 61 and rising with a few days yet for it to go even higher.
KEY MISMATCH
It isn't often that we say a mid-major team has an advantage along either line of scrimmage against a major conference team, especially an SEC team, but that might be the case in this one.
Southern Miss has really done a fantastic job bolstering its offensive line, bringing in four new transfers from major universities as well as bringing back three of its five starters. Clearly, depth, which has been a massive issue in recent years for the Golden Eagles, doesn't seem to be as much of a problem.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have to replace three of their four starters along the defensive line, including both defensive ends. There are only two returners along the D-Line from the two-deep, which is a tremendous concern.
KEY STAT
4,470 – The amount of yards which Dak Prescott accounted for last season for the Bulldogs. If he gets some help, he could be a legit Heisman Trophy contender once again, but we have to temper expectations. There are only seven returning starters from last season's team, just two of which are on the offensive side of the ball.
BETTING ANGLE
With this being the first game for Prescott with a brand new team around him, Mullen knows that he has his work cut out for him. Yes, Mississippi State went 3-1 ATS last season in September and is 5-1 ATS in its last six September games overall, but this is going to be a much different and much more difficult challenge.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Dan Mullen still has a good team, and the athletes he is recruiting now are better than what we have seen come to Starkville in quite some time. Still, there have been a lot of problems in this offseason, not the least of which is the fact that all three centers on the team last year were seniors and graduated.
Southern Miss is a bad team yet again, and we don't see this club doing anything more than perhaps flirting with bowl eligibility. However, Monken finally at least has things rolling in the right direction.
The Golden Eagles won't even come close to winning this game, but they could end up covering it, even if it does come with a backdoor of sorts.
Mississippi State 41, Southern Mississippi 24
BookMaker opened the spread for this Saturday game at -23 in favor of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The college football odds total surfaced at 56.5. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on your television with BookMaker's live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles will go down Saturday, September 5, 2015 at 10:00 p.m. ET at M.M. Roberts Stadium. The matchup will be televised on FOX Sports 1.
