The college football bowl season starts on Saturday, Dec. 14 when the South Alabama Jaguars of the Sun Belt Conference and Western Michigan Broncos from the MAC square off in the Salute to Veterans Bowl. This is basically a home game for the Jags, who have about a two and a half hour bus ride on I-65 from their campus in Mobile to Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. Both teams finished the regular season at 6-6 so a winning season is the carrot at the end of the stick. USA won four of its last six games to become bowl eligible while the Broncos needed a season-ending win over Eastern Michigan to snap a three-game losing streak and reach the 6-win threshold. The Bitcoin Sportsbook has the Jaguars as a 7-point favorite on the early betting line.
College Football Betting Lines
Salute to Veterans Bowl Parlay Card Wagers
South Alabama Jaguars vs. Western Michigan Broncos
South Alabama Jaguars -7 / ML -290
Western Michigan Broncos +7 / ML +246
Over / Under 57
Handicapping bowl games becomes a tougher task with the transfer portal window open. Several South Alabama players have already announced plans to test the portal, including leading rusher Fluff Bothwell. Averaging 7.6 yards per carry with 13 touchdowns, Bothwell would be a huge loss for the Jaguars, who averaged 435.3 yards during the season and ranked 27th nationally in rushing yards. However, that might be the least of coach Major Applewhite’s concerns with starting QB Gio Lopez nursing a leg injury sustained in the regular season finale.
With a quick turnaround for this game we don’t know the status of Lopez, and Applewhite hasn’t ruled out his players who are exploring the transfer portal, so there’s a chance the offense is at least close to being fully intact. And that’s good news for a group that scored at least 30 points in seven games, including 87 in a win over Northwestern State in Week 3. Lopez threw for 257 yards and four TDs on just 19 pass attempts in that game while Bothwell rushed for 143 yards and two scores on seven carries.
The Jags also had an impressive win over Sun Belt West champion Louisiana-Lafayette last month handing the Ragin Cajuns their only conference loss. The offense is built around Lopez, who threw for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns while adding 465 yards and seven more scores on the ground. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on the injury reports to see what Lopez’s status is for this game. The Jags have a capable backup in Bishop Davenport, who threw for 334 yards and a TD in only 55 pass attempts. Also Kentrel Bullock will likely see reps in the backfield with Bothwell in the portal. Bullock rushed for 702 yards and six TDs.
We could see plenty of offense in this game with both clubs struggling to stop opponents. The Jags have one of the worst pass defenses in the FBS allowing 253.2 yards and they’ll face Hayden Wolff, who’s having the best season of his collegiate career. Wolff completed a career-best 67 percent of his regular season passes for 2,214 yards and 17 TDs with seven interceptions. He also topped the MAC with a 147.0 passer rating.
The Broncos are also battle-tested coming back from losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State at the start of the year to win five of their next six games. A three-game skid in November forced them into a must-win against EMU, which they did 26-18. Weather could be a factor with rain in the forecast on game day. However, that shouldn’t affect the teams who both like to run the football. And the defenses haven’t been good.
USA allows 400 yards per game and nearly six yards per play while ranking 72 in scoring defense. The Broncos have had a hard time all season stopping teams so despite the threat of bad weather I’m backing the OVER in this game. And the WMU offense is talented enough to keep the game within the spread, especially if the Jags are without key members of the offense.
South Alabama vs. Western Michigan Same Game Parlay Picks
Western Michigan +7
South Alabama / Western Michigan OVER 57
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