The Troy Trojans and Jacksonville State Gamecocks tangle in Tuesday’s Salute to Service Bowl. The battle between 8-5 squads at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, will kick off at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NCAA football odds around the Troy vs. Jacksonville State odds and make our expert college football picks and predictions for the best bets.
Troy, which is 6-4 across 10 all-time bowl games, was the losing team in the Dec. 5 Sunbelt Conference Championship Game. The +24.5 Trojans lost 31-14 (Under 47) to the No. 19 James Madison Dukes. The against-the-spread (ATS) triumph marked the team’s eighth in its last 10 games.
Jacksonville State was also a championship-week loser. The +3 Gamecocks lost to the Kennesaw State Owls 19-15 (Under 62) in the Dec. 5 Conference USA title game. JSU has earned a bowl trip in each of its first 3 seasons as an FBS team, going 1-1.
Troy and JSU are meeting on the gridiron for the first time since 2001, but they are longtime football foes. Between 1924-2001, the Gamecocks and Trojans met 63 times, with JSU leading 32-29-2.
– Rankings: US LBM Coaches Poll, conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports
Troy vs. Jacksonville State odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 8:05 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Troy -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Jacksonville State +105 (bet $100 to win $105)
- Against the spread (ATS): Troy -1.5 (-115) | Jacksonville State +1.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 49.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Troy vs. Jacksonville State picks and predictionsPrediction
Jacksonville State 27, Troy 21
No interest; PASS.
Jacksonville State sports a run-first offense that faltered against Kennesaw State, but cranked out 30-plus points in 4 of its previous 6 games. And against decent Troy-comp foes the FIU Owls (Nov. 22) and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (Nov. 29), the Gamecocks rushed for 251 and 293 yards, respectively.
The Troy offense is already a bottom-20 unit nationally. And in this game, the Trojans will be without leading rusher Tae Meadows, who is in the transfer portal. The Troy line can allow a few too many run stuffs at times, and the Trojans could well be in for some drives that stall before they even get going. Jacksonville State also excels in creating takeaways, so if Troy gets into desperation comeback mode, the Gamecocks can dial up some leverage.
Where the Trojans figure to level things out is in the red zone and at both ends. That tamps down enthusiasm for JSU getting much of a cushion. But with the Gamecocks getting points, they are the value side.
TAKE JACKSONVILLE STATE +1.5 (-105).
The Over is 8-4 across JSU’s last 12 games and 6-2 in the Gamecocks’ last 8 games as an underdog.
The expected production and game flow indicate a low score is likely. But that is certainly reflected in the total. Too much so.
The JSU takeaway/short-field potential chips away at some Troy defensive red-zone advantage. And The Gamecocks’ defensive red-zone struggles add to the Trojan offense side of the scale. That side of the ball also has some late-game tilt toward TU: the Trojans rank 24th in fourth-quarter scoring; the Gamecocks rank 115th in fourth-quarter scoring defense.
Peg the OVER 46.5 (-110) with a bit of value here.
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