Marshall vs Louisiana Sun Belt Championship Game Prediction – 12/7/24

The Sun Belt Conference Championship Game will be contested between the Marshall Thundering Herd and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. Marshall is making its debut in this conference championship game, while Louisiana will look to win it once again. Louisiana is a 3.5-point favorite going into this matchup, while the total has been set at 58.5 points. Here, we give you our college football picks for Marshall vs Louisiana in what should be a tightly contested matchup for the Sun Belt title.

Marshall Looks For First Sun Belt Conference Title

The Marshall Thundering Herd dropped their second Sun Belt Conference game of the year on the road to Georgia Southern. Since then, they have rattled off six straight wins to lock up a division title and qualify for the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game. The most recent of those victories was a double-overtime win over James Madison that showcased a ton of heart from the Herd.

Against James Madison, Marshall trailed 17-0 at halftime and rallied to tie the game on multiple occasions in the second half. In the second overtime, the Thundering Herd trailed by six points before taking possession and scored the eight points needed to win without the need for dueling two-point conversions. Now, the Herd will look for a seventh win in a row, one that would deliver them a conference championship.

Marshall’s rushing attack will be the key to their success on offense in this game. The Thundering Herd have averaged over 200 yards per game on the ground for the season, ranking in the top-25 in the country in that department. They will need their running game not just to chew up yards and put points on the board, but to keep the ball away from an explosive Louisiana offense.

Louisiana One Game From Returning to Top Of Sun Belt

Louisiana already has 10 wins under its belt going into the Sun Belt Conference title game. They are 10-2 and have won two straight games over Troy and UL Monroe heading into championship weekend in college football. The Ragin’ Cajuns will look to finish what has been a great conference season for them with a win in the Sun Belt championship game over a surging Marshall team at home.

The Ragin’ Cajuns move the ball much differently than Marshall, as Louisiana prefers to use its passing game to vanquish opposing defenses. The Ragin’ Cajuns average nearly 275 passing yards per game for the season, with Chandler Fields stepping in and throwing five touchdown passes to just one interception filling in for the injured Ben Wooldridge over the last few weeks. The question now will be whether Fields can deliver on a bigger stage against a tough opponent this weekend.

Louisiana has won the Sun Belt twice in the last four years coming into this game, with a chance to make it three out of five. The Ragin’ Cajuns split the conference title with Coastal Carolina when their 2020 championship game was ruled a no contest due to COVID-19 issues on Coastal Carolina’s side. Then, the Cajuns came back and won the title over App State in 2021. They will look to return to the top of the conference with a win in this game.

Marshall vs Louisiana Best Bet

We will take the points with the Marshall Thundering Herd in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game. Going into this Marshall vs Louisiana matchup, the Ragin’ Cajuns’ quarterback uncertainty will be a significant factor. We will take the team that has won six straight games to get here to keep this game close, as Marshall could very well win outright on the road in this one.

Check out all our free picks on every NCAAFB game daily in our NCAAFB betting section.