Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Ohio Prediction: How to Bet Thursday's College Football Matchup

The Ohio Bobcats travel to Louisiana to take on the the Ragin’ Cajuns on Thursday night.

Ohio has had an offseason full of turmoil after long time coach Frank Solich retired a little more than a month before the season started. After heading into the season as a dark horse MAC candidate, the Bobcats now sit 0-2 after a loss to Duquense as 28.5-point favorites last week.

Can the team rebound on a short week? Is this too many points to give in spite of the slow start?

Let’s break down how to bet the primetime matchup, with odds courtesy of WynnBET:

Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Ohio Odds

Spread:

Louisiana-Lafayette: -20.5 (-110)

Ohio: +20.5 (-110)

Moneyline: 

Louisiana-Lafayette: -1275 

Ohio: +800

Over/Under: 57 (Over -105/Under -120)

Despite the loss to Duquense, the Bobcats offense looked the part last week, averaging nearly seven yards per play. The issue was that the team committed 12 penalties for 109 yards and went one-for-six on third downs. The offense couldn't maintain possession, only controlling the ball for about 19 minutes.

If the team can clean their act up, the offense is in good shape going forward with quarterback Kurtis Rourke and running back De'Montre Tuggle, who averaged more than seven yards per carry this season but still hasn't had his breakout game yet.

I do expect Ohio to have some success against the reigning Sun Belt champions, who have stumbled out of the gate. The team lost to Texas by 20 in Week 1, and then struggled to pull away from FCS opponent Nicholls State last weekend, winning 27-24. 

The Ragin’ Cajuns offense has a veteran quarterback in Levi Lewis, a fourth-year starter that is looking to regain his form after two poor outings.

The key to this game is going to be Lewis’ dual threat ability. He has not been able to flash his legs enough this season, but with the deepest offensive line in the Sun Belt -- 140 starts combined entering the season -- Lewis is going to look to make the Ohio third down defense pay. The Bobcats have allowed their two opponents to convert third downs at over 53%.

Yes, this season is shaping up as a throw away for Ohio and it is a great spot for the ULL offense to get right after two underwhelming performances, but I can’t get to this number of 20.5.

Last season, Ohio ran the second least amount of plays per game under Solich, and this season are playing at an incredible slow tempo, outside the top 80 in seconds per play. Meanwhile, Louisiana-Lafayette was forced to play at a faster pace against Texas, pumping up their play count, but they are typically a methodical offense, 98th in plays per game last season.

Both offenses may find success, but I see a limited amount of possessions, making Ohio a valuable bet on Thursday Night Football to keep this within three touchdowns.

Want to bet on Thursday Night Football? Make sure to do so with WynnBET!