The Georgia Southern Eagles will take on the Sam Houston State Bearkats in the New Orleans Bowl on Thursday night. Sam Houston is playing in its first bowl game as an FBS program after making the transition from FCS football and will look to improve to 1-0 in FBS bowl games with a win. Georgia Southern is the favorite in this game, though, as they are favored by six points with a total of 48.5 being set for the game.
In our preview of Georgia Southern vs Sam Houston, you will find our keys to the game for both teams in this matchup. You will also find our best bet for this game, as we determine whether or not Sam Houston has a chance to get a win in their first ever bowl game, using our successful college football betting strategies.
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Georgia Southern Looks For Third Straight Win
Going into the New Orleans Bowl at Caesars Superdome, the Georgia Southern Eagles have won two games in a row. They finished their regular season with wins over Coastal Carolina and App State, coming up just one game short of making it to the Sun Belt championship game. With Georgia Southern not dealing with much transfer activity or coaching changes going into this contest, the Eagles will look to take advantage of their continuity edge in this matchup.
For Georgia Southern, the play of quarterback JC French will be a huge key to their success in this contest. The Eagles quarterback has thrown four touchdowns to just one interception over his last four games, a stretch in which Georgia Southern has gone 3-1. If French can take care of the football in this game, he could lead his team to a ninth win on the season and the program’s first bowl victory since 2020, when they won the New Orleans Bowl over Louisiana Tech.
Can Sam Houston Win First Bowl Game?
In just their second season as an FBS football program, the Sam Houston Bearkats have made it to bowl season. They went 9-3 this year, just missing out on the Conference USA championship game. After beating Liberty in their regular-season finale, the Bearkats will look to win their first-ever FBS bowl game, though they will have some adversity to overcome if they are going to do that.
Sam Houston head coach KC Keeler has left for Temple, with offensive coordinator Brad Cornelson taking over as the interim head coach for this game. While the offense of Sam Houston has not been its strength this season, ranking 103rd in the nation in points per game, it will be up to the Sam Houston offense to put some points on the board in this game to help out one of the better defenses in college football.
Georgia Southern vs Sam Houston Prediction
Our best bet for Georgia Southern vs Sam Houston is for the under to hit. Sam Houston ranks in the top-20 in the country in points per game allowed, giving up exactly 20 points per game on the season. Look for the Bearkats defense to keep them in this game, while their struggles on the offensive side of the ball will help keep this one under the total in New Orleans.
