South Alabama Jaguars (4-5) vs. Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (7-1)
November 16, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns -7.5 / South Alabama Jaguars +7.5; Over/Under: +58
(Get latest betting odds)
The South Alabama Jaguars and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns will meet Saturday in college football action from Cajun Field. Here’s a Louisiana vs South Alabama prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Louisiana vs South Alabama pick.
South Alabama Jaguars Betting Preview
The Jaguars went 2-2 over their first four games this year, losing to North Texas and Ohio before wins over Northwestern State and Appalachian State. South Alabama would go 2-3 in the next five with losses to LSU, Arkansas State, and Georgia Southern.
In the Georgia Southern game back on November 2, the Jaguars were up 30-14 by the fourth quarter then gave up 20 unanswered points in a 34-30 shocker. Gio Lopez threw for 257 yards, one TD, and a pick. Kentrel Bullock led the rush with 101 yards on 17 carries.
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Betting Preview
Over on the Louisiana side, they lost to Tulane in game three but otherwise did quite well in their first eight games. The Cajuns took out Grambling State, Kennesaw State, Wake Forest, Southern Miss, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, and Texas State at that time.
On Saturday versus Arkansas State, the Cajuns scored double-digit points in each of the first three quarters along the way to a 55-19 blowout win. Ben Woolridge had 264 yards and a TD, but Dre’lyn Washington (123 yards; two TDs) and Bill Davis (65 yards; two TDs) did most of the work rushing.
Why the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns will win
- Louisiana has won each of its last six games.
- South Alabama has lost 19 of its last 22 road games in November.
- South Alabama has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last eight November games as a road underdog.
- The home team has covered the spread in four of South Alabama’s last five games.
- Louisiana has won the first quarter in seven of its last eight games against conference opponents.
- Louisiana has won the first half in each of its last six games against conference opponents.
Why the South Alabama Jaguars will win
- The road team has won four of the last five games between South Alabama and Louisiana.
- The underdog has covered the spread in six of the last seven games between South Alabama and Louisiana.
- Louisiana has failed to cover the spread in three of its last four games at Cajun Field.
Total Points Facts
- Each of the last four games between South Alabama and Louisiana has gone UNDER the total points line.
- Each of South Alabama’s last four games as an underdog has gone UNDER the total points line.
Louisiana vs South Alabama Prediction
I’ll probably just stay with Louisiana. The Cajuns were able to keep their run going versus a middling Arkansas State team over the weekend, notching 579 total yards (278 rushing), 8.9 yards per play, and 27 first downs. The defense came up with a couple of picks and held the Red Wolves to 6-of-13 on third downs in a pretty good overall effort.
As for South Alabama, they’ve had some time to rest and recover from their shocker loss to Georgia Southern. The Jaguars posted 13 penalties for 99 yards in that one with a pair of turnovers and a tepid 5-of-12 result on third downs. The defense held up until late, eventually giving up 337 yards (231 passing). It was a demoralizing loss, and I’m not sure South Alabama will get over it well enough to cover in this one.
