October has become the month of football every day of the week. This week, there are three college football games on Tuesday to officially kick off the new week. While these aren’t the most compelling matchups, they each have a double-digit spread, which should make things interesting from a betting perspective. Let's take a closer look at all three games and offer a betting pick for Tuesday’s college football games.
South Alabama (2-4) -11.5 vs. Troy (1-5)
Troy has largely been a competitive program in the Sun Belt in recent years, but this season has been a struggle. Three different quarterbacks have played meaningful snaps without much of an answer while the rushing attack is gaining less than four yards per carry. Defensively, they’ve allowed 38 points in three of their six games, including last week’s loss to Texas State. That could make it hard for the Trojans to force a low-scoring game or keep up in a shootout.
Granted, South Alabama is just 2-4, although the Jaguars have been challenged by a tough non-conference schedule, including a road game at LSU. Despite some tough games and close losses to Ohio and Arkansas State, the Jaguars are gaining more than 200 yards per game on the road. Also, quarterback Gif Lopez has 12 touchdown passes and just one interception as a redshirt freshman. South Alabama has good balance offensively, which is something Troy can’t match. That should allow the Jaguars to win comfortably and cover the spread.
Pick: South Alabama -11.5
Middle Tennessee (1-5) -10 vs. Kennesaw State (0-5)
Kennesaw State remains winless on the season, as the transition to the FBS level has been a tough one. The Owls are near the bottom in almost every major statistical category and couldn’t even beat FCS opponent UT-Martin at home. They gain 2.5 yards per carry on the ground while quarterback Davis Bryson has two touchdown passes and six interceptions. All five of Kennesaw’s losses have come by more than 10 points, so this game shouldn’t be any different.
On paper, the Owls might have a fighting chance against a 1-5 Middle Tennessee team. But the Blue Raiders have lost to the likes of Ole Miss, Duke, and Memphis, so it’s a little more reasonable for them to be giving up over 40 points a game while scoring fewer than 17 points per game. The Blue Raiders have a veteran quarterback with Nicholas Vattiato, who should be able to put together a good game against Kennesaw’s defense. After the schedule Middle Tennessee has played this year, the Owls should be a cakewalk for them.
Pick: Middle Tennessee -10
Louisiana Tech (2-3) -10.5 at New Mexico State (1-5)
Not only is New Mexico State 1-5 this season but the Aggies are also 1-5 against the spread. They’ve lost four straight games by at least 10 points, failing to beat the spread as an underdog in each game. In their defense, they've played some of the best teams in Conference USA thus far. However, that doesn’t fully explain why the Aggies have allowed at least 48 points in three of their last four games. Also, three quarterbacks have combined to complete just 41.8% of their passes, giving New Mexico State one of the worst passing attacks in the country.
Needless to say, the Aggies aren't likely to fare much better against Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs were able to handle Middle Tennessee by 27 points, so they should be able to do the same against a New Mexico State team that’s even worse. Louisiana Tech’s three losses this year have all been competitive, so they are at least a mid-level C-USA team despite a lackluster rushing attack. Redshirt freshman quarterback Evan Bullock has some confidence after throwing for 290 yards and five touchdowns last week. He should have similar success against the Aggies, allowing Louisiana Tech to comfortably cover this spread.
Pick: Louisiana Tech -10.5
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