2024 New Orleans Bowl Lines - Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston

New Orleans Bowl Lines - Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston Odds

Georgia Southern head coach Clay Helton continues to look better by the day. Helton was fired as head coach of the USC Trojans in 2021 and was never fully accepted by the faithful when he won a Rose Bowl and a Pac-12 conference championship. Helton was replaced by the flavor of the day, Lincoln Riley, who was touted as California Cool and an offensive wizard who put quarterbacks at the final table of the Heisman Trophy presentation. Now, Riley has a worse record than Helton at the same point of his USC career. Helton has Georgia Southern in a bowl game for the third straight season.

2024 New Orleans Bowl at a Glance

Date: Thursday, December 19, 2024

Time (ET) / TV: 7:00 PM / ESPN2

Venue: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans Louisiana

Matchup: Georgia Southern Eagles vs. Sam Houston Bearkats

College Football Betting Lines

Georgia Southern Eagles -6

Sam Houston Bearkats +6

Over/Under: 48.5

New Orleans Bowl Preview

Last game, the Georgia Southern Eagles won 29-20 against the Appalachian State Mountaineers as 2.5-point home favorites. The game went under the total of 60.5. Georgia Southern has a record of 8-4 straight up, 8-3-1 against the spread, and 5-7 over/under the total. Georgia Southern ranks 92nd for total offense, 52nd for passing, 102nd for rushing, and 65th for scoring. Defensively, they rank 120th overall, 123rd against the pass, 104th against the rush, and 84th for points allowed. Also, Georgia Southern ranks 69th for fewest turnovers lost and 33rd for takeaways.

Last game, the Sam Houston Bearkats won 20-18 against the Liberty Flames as 2.5-point home dogs. The game went under the total of 48. Sam Houston has a record of 9-3 straight up, 6-6 against the spread, and 3-9 over/under the total. Sam Houston ranks 96th for total offense, 123rd for passing, 29th for rushing, and 102nd for scoring. Defensively they rank 19th overall, 10th against the pass, 55th against the rush, and 19th for points allowed. Also, Sam Houston ranks 39th for fewest turnovers lost and 39th for takeaways.

New Orleans Bowl Prediction

In this situation, Sam Houston head coach KC Keeler is gone, and defensive coordinator Brad Conelsen is taking over as interim head coach. Georgia State has more stability and a good body of work. Helton has improved the program in his three years. Sam Houston will likely lose players for this game to the transfer portal.

New Orleans Bowl Format

Founded in 2001, the New Orleans Bowl is a perfect event for Group of Five programs wanting a post-season reward. And with conference tie-ins to the Sun Belt and CUSA, most fan bases are nearby and eager to come to New Orleans for a great time and a bowl game with their favorite team. The New Orleans Bowl is played at the Caesars Superdome, home of the NFL New Orleans Saints. The payout is $825,000.

New Orleans Bowl Past Results

In 2023, Zion Webb completed a fourth-down pass to Perry Carter for an 18-yard, tying touchdown with 1:46 left in regulation, freshman Garrison Rippa converted the second field goal attempt of his career from 27 yards in overtime, and Jacksonville State capped off its first season in the Football Bowl Subdivision with a 34-31 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette.

2024-25 College Football Bowl Games

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