The Georgia Southern Eagles (5-3, 3-1 SBC) travel to Mobile, Alabama, to take on the South Alabama Jaguars (4-4, 3-1) on Saturday, Nov. 2. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be seen live on ESPNU.
Georgia Southern got absolutely rocked in its last game against Old Dominion, falling 47-19. South Alabama finds itself in the opposite situation, coming off a dominant 46-17 victory over a ULM team that had been a bit of a surprise in 2024.
South Alabama enters the game as a 6.5-point favorite with a total set at 60.5. So, where does the betting value lie in this Saturday night Sun Belt showdown?
Continue reading for my Georgia Southern vs. South Alabama predictions and college football picks for Saturday, Nov. 2.
Georgia Southern vs South Alabama Game Information & Odds
[gamematchup league=”ncaaf” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/gso.png” awayname=”Georgia Southern” awayslug=”georgia-southern-eagles” homelogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png” homename=”South Alabama” homeslug=”south-alabama-jaguars” date=”Saturday, Nov. 2″ time=”7:30 p.m. ET” network=”ESPNU” col1text=”Spread” col2text=”Total” col3text=”Moneyline” col1awaytext=”+6″ col1awayline=”-110″ col1hometext=”-6″ col1homeline=”-110″ col2awaytext=”60″ col2hometext=”60″ col2awayline=”-110 / -110″ col2homeline=”-110 / -110″ col3awaytext=”+185″ col3hometext=”-225″ col3awayline=”” col3homeLine=”” bookname=”bet365″ bookthumbnaillogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/860991_Bet365ALT.png” bookreviewslug=”bet365″][/gamematchup]
- Georgia Southern vs South Alabama Spread: Georgia Southern +6 (-110) · South Alabama -6 (-110)
- Georgia Southern vs South Alabama Over/Under: 60 Points
- Georgia Southern vs South Alabama Moneyline: Georgia Southern +185 · South Alabama -225
_InlineAdBlock
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Georgia Southern vs South Alabama Prediction” center=”true” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/gso.png” logo2url=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png” link2follow=”true”][/subheader]
- Georgia Southern vs South Alabama Pick: South Alabama -6
My South Alabama vs Georgia Southern best bet is on the Jaguars to cover the spread, with the best line currently available at bet365, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Georgia Southern vs South Alabama Betting Insights” center=”true” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/gso.png” logo2url=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png”][/subheader]
Georgia Southern Eagles Betting Preview: An Up-And-Down Season
Georgia Southern is coming off a loss last Thursday night at Old Dominion. The Eagles were a complete no-show in a game in which they closed as a short road favorite.
They were down 30-7 at the half and 44-7 deep into the third quarter. The defense was severely out of position most of the night as the Eagles surrendered very little resistance against Old Dominion’s offense.
ODU racked up 560 yards on an amazing 8.2 yard-per-play average. The front seven was gashed on the ground for 256 yards and only secured one sack and four tackles for loss.
The Eagles were coming off of a dominant home win against James Madison the week prior but have experienced extreme waves of rock-solid performances followed by shaky ones all season.
South Alabama Jaguars Betting Preview: Rushing Attack Leading the Way
South Alabama comes in off of back-to-back dominant conference wins against Arkansas State and UL Monroe.
Against ULM, the Jaguars used a 34-0 second-half surge to grab the lead. The run game was exceptionally impressive, netting 355 yards and six touchdowns on a 7.4 yards-per-carry average. Kentrel Bullock and Fluff Bothwell each had a pair of scores and combined to carry most of the load.
The Jaguars defense has played extremely well under the radar, holding every conference opponent under 20 points.
South Alabama has also outgained its conference opponents by 110.7 yards per game. This is not a team I want to fade right now.
[expertpickswidget league=”ncaaf” gameid=”226994″ date=”20241102″ week=”” seasontype=””][/expertpickswidget]
Georgia Southern vs South Alabama Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Georgia Southern and South Alabama match up statistically:
Georgia Southern Offense vs. South Alabama Defense
 |
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”Georgia Southern Eagles” logo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/gso.png” slug=”georgia-southern-eagles”][/teamlogo]
Offense
|
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama Jaguars” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png” slug=”south-alabama-jaguars”][/teamlogo]
Defense
|
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”Combined” logo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/252389_action-logo-check.png” slug=””][/teamlogo]
Edge
|
| Rush Success | 58 | 26 |
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png”][/teamlogo]
|
| Line Yards | 122 | 58 |
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png”][/teamlogo]
|
| Pass Success | 100 | 71 |
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png”][/teamlogo]
|
| Havoc | 97 | 74 |
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png”][/teamlogo]
|
| Finishing Drives | 20 | 81 |
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”Georgia Southern” logo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/gso.png”][/teamlogo]
|
| Quality Drives | 109 | 62 |
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png”][/teamlogo]
|
South Alabama Offense vs. Georgia Southern Defense
|
|
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama Jaguars” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png” slug=”south-alabama-jaguars”][/teamlogo]
Offense
|
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”Georgia Southern Eagles” logo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/gso.png” slug=”georgia-southern-eagles”][/teamlogo]
Defense
|
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”Combined” logo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/252389_action-logo-check.png” slug=””][/teamlogo]
Edge
|
| Rush Success | 2 | 132 |
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png”][/teamlogo]
|
| Line Yards | 2 | 118 |
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png”][/teamlogo]
|
| Pass Success | 33 | 88 |
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png”][/teamlogo]
|
| Havoc | 52 | 100 |
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png”][/teamlogo]
|
| Finishing Drives | 9 | 92 |
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png”][/teamlogo]
|
| Quality Drives | 21 | 96 |
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png”][/teamlogo]
|
Pace of Play / Other
|
|
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”Georgia Southern Eagles” logo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/gso.png” slug=”georgia-southern-eagles”][/teamlogo]
|
[teamlogo linktoteampage=”false” league=”ncaaf” fullname=”South Alabama Jaguars” logo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2021/11/2021-South-Alabama-Logo-100.png”][/teamlogo]
|
| PFF Tackling | 35 | 114 |
| PFF Coverage | 55 | 93 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 22 | 73 |
| Middle 8 | 49 | 34 |
| Seconds per Play | 26.0 (41) | 28.3 (93) |
| Rush Rate | 48% (107) | 54% (54) |
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”How To Make College Football Picks For My Georgia Southern vs South Alabama Prediction” center=”true” logo1url=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/252389_action-logo-check.png”][/subheader]
I’m laying the points with South Alabama at home and grabbing the -6.5.
South Alabama has played lights out at home all season (outside of the season opener), and I believe the Jaguars boast several advantages in this matchup.
The Jaguars have been a machine on offense, ranking 17th in Offensive Success Rate and eighth in Offensive EPA Per Play.
Quarterback Gio Lopez is completing 64% of his passes with a 13:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He’s also been sacked on only 5% of dropbacks.
Georgia Southern struggles defensively and ranks 116th in Defensive Success Rate and 124th in Defensive EPA Per Play. The defensive line has struggled to create Havoc and has registered just 39 tackles for loss and 11 sacks on the season.
When Lopez has time to stand in the pocket and read defenses, he’s typically played highly efficient and shredded opponents.
South Alabama is also ranked 30th in Offensive Explosion and 12th in Offensive Finishing Drives. Meanwhile, Georgia Southern ranks 100th in Defensive Finishing Drives.
I expect South Alabama to connect on a ton of explosive plays and put up close to 500 total yards. Where they will really make hay is on the ground, where the Jaguars rank seventh in Offensive Rush EPA Per Play.
The more I dive into the numbers, the more the defensive performance against James Madison appears to be an anomaly.
Georgia Southern has had some success offensively this season but has also gone long stretches with struggles. While Georgia Southern is 63rd nationally in Offensive Passing Explosiveness, the Eagles are just 109th in Pass Play Efficiency.
Quarterback JC French has looked brilliant at times, completing 63% of his passes with a 12:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Other times, he’s missed wide-open receivers and held onto the ball too long, resulting in sacks and stalled drives.
This is a massive Sun Belt game for both teams, and I trust South Alabama’s consistency at home to get the job done.
Pick: South Alabama -6 (-110, bet365)
_InlineAdBlock
[subheader sizedown=”true” text=”Georgia Southern vs South Alabama Start Time, TV Channel, How to Watch” center=”true”][/subheader]
| Location: | Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL |
| Date: | Saturday, Nov. 2 |
| Kickoff Time: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPNU |
Georgia Southern heads to Mobile on Saturday to face South Alabama at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
[subheader sizedown=”true” text=”South Alabama vs Georgia Southern Betting Trends” center=”true”][/subheader]
- 50% of bets and 50% of the money are on South Alabama to cover the spread
- 94% of bets and 86% of the money on the moneyline are on South Alabama to win outright
- 41% of bets and 59% of the money are on the over
Betting trends via our live, updating NCAAF public betting & money percentages page.
[subheader sizedown=”true” text=”South Alabama vs Georgia Southern Weather” center=”true”][/subheader]
[gameforecast league=”ncaaf” gameid=”226994″ date=”2024-11-02″][/gameforecast]
