Betsided

Best College Football Bowl Upset Picks This Week (Back Sam Houston State)

Breaking down the best College Football upset picks for the Week

By Marty Coleman

Sep 7, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Sam Houston State Bearkats quarterback Hunter Watson (10) passes the ball during the first quarter against the UCF Knights at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images
Sep 7, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Sam Houston State Bearkats quarterback Hunter Watson (10) passes the ball during the first quarter against the UCF Knights at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images / Mike Watters-Imagn Images
facebooktwitterreddit

While Bowl Season officially kicked off last Saturday, this week marks the beginning of the bowl games in earnest with games Tuesday through Friday, prior to the playoff Friday evening and continuing through Saturday.

That allows us to find value in underdogs, hunting for upset potential amid the slew of coaching changes, opt-outs, and transfer portal entrants.

Bowl season is always tricky as motivation can be hard to come by and in the transfer portal age there are more unknowns than ever, which invites chaos and upsets that you'd never expect during the regular season.

I remain undaunted and was lucky enough to finish the regular season and conference championship games 8-7 straight up and a shade over two units to the positive on upset picks.

Remember, the beauty of picking underdogs means a 1-1 record is a positive outcome.

This week, I'll focus on two games that are showing value by my numbers.

Georgia Southern Eagles vs Sam Houston State Bearkats

The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl is scheduled for Thursday evening in the Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans with Sam Houston State coming in at 9-3 and Georgia Southern at 8-4.

The Eagles are a 6-point favorite, with the Bearkats +172 on the money line.

Everything is going against Sam Houston in this one, with their head coach headed to Temple, their two top running backs, and multiple other starters in the transfer portal.

All that and the spread is still within a touchdown?

That tells me Sam Houston is significantly better and I trust them to get right against an Eagle defense that has given up 52, 56, and 47 in losses this season.

It's a big bold ask for you to ride with this one with all the defections on the Bearkat's side, but strange things happen in bowl season and the reward will be worth it if Sam Houston can bring it home.

PICK: Sam Houston State Money Line +180

Jacksonville State Gamecocks vs Ohio Bobcats

The StaffDNA Cure Bowl kicks off Friday's college football action at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, as Jacksonville State and Ohio battle it out.

It feels like I pick the Bobcats every week, sometimes to win, sometimes to lose and it's worked out pretty well so far.

This is another situation where the coach has left for supposedly greener pastures, as Rich Rod returns to West Virginia, leaving the Gamecocks to fend for themselves.

The Bobcats are on a roll, going 6-0 against the spread in their last six games, last losing on October 19th.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville State started 0-3 before reeling off eight straight wins, and then avenged a 19-17 loss to Western Kentucky by pummeling the Hilltoppers in the Conference USA title game by a score of 52-12.

They will likely miss Rodriguez's offensive genius in this game, but in this instance, the team understood Rodriguez's move, was well aware and prepared for the change and is ready to roll.

PICK: Jacksonville State Money Line +132

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Home/NCAAF Picks