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Troy vs. South Alabama Odds, Spread and Over/Under for College Football Week 8

By Reed Wallach

Sep 17, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; South Alabama Jaguars running back La'Damian Webb (3)
Sep 17, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; South Alabama Jaguars running back La'Damian Webb (3) / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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Two of the Sun Belt's premiere contenders meet in Mobile, Alabama Thursday night in a game with major conference championship implications.

South Alabama is out to a 5-1 start this season with their lone loss to UCLA on the road in the final minutes. They are the only unbeaten team in their respective division at the moment, but Troy is hot on their heels and are a Hail Mary loss to Appalachian State away from a 3-0 conference start.

Troy is built around a stout defense but South Alabama has looked like the complete package to date, what can we expect on Thursday night?

Here are the odds for this pivotal Sun Belt showdown:

Troy vs. South Alabama Odds, Spread and Total

Troy vs. South Alabama Betting Trends

  • Troy is 4-0 against the spread (ATS) as an underdog this season
  • South Alabama is 4-2 ATS this season
  • South Alabama has gone OVER in four of six games this season

Troy vs. South Alabama Prediction and Pick

I'm going to back the Jaguars in this spot, a team I've been high on all season long. South Alabama is the more complete roster that will be able to hold off the fearsome Troy pass rush and outpace them on the scoreboard.

Troy's offensive line is a massive issue this season, ranking outside the top 100 in tackles for loss allowed and line yards. The team has no semblance of a run game, averaging 2.69 yards per carry, 125th in the country. The team relies on a pass game that is 43rd in success rate but will be facing a formidable USA secondary that defends it at a top 30 clip.

Meanwhile, South Alabama's offensive line should be able to hold up against Troy's best unit, the defensive line. The team has generated 22 sacks this season, ninth in the country and have shut down opponent's run games, 18th in the country at 3.19 yards per carry.

However, the Jaguars have found success through the air, top 50 in EPA/Play and success rate this season with Carter Bradley under center. He is completing over 63% of his passes with a 13-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

I think the Jaguars can sustain drives and outpace the Trojans on the scoreboard at home. I'll lay the three with the better team to take care of business.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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