Two teams still in contention to win Conference USA will face off in Saturday’s Sam Houston vs Jacksonville State matchup. A win in this game would all but assure the winner a spot in the CUSA title game, while the loser will have a white-knuckle ride ahead of them in the final week of the regular season. Here, we make our college football picks for Sam Houston vs Jacksonville State, with the Gamecocks entering as six-point favorites.
Sam Houston In Search Of Huge Road Win
The Sam Houston State Bearkats are 8-2 overall this season and 5-1 in Conference USA play. They have won three games in a row to stay in the race for the conference title heading into this week. But the Bearkats have been far from convincing of late, beating FIU, Louisiana Tech, and Kennesaw State by a touchdown or less in each game of their winning streak. Against a very good Jacksonville State team, the Bearkats have to deliver more on offense after averaging 14 points per game over their last three games.
Jacksonville State Looks to Remain Perfect In CUSA
There is one team left without a loss in Conference USA competition this season. That team is the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, who have won all six of their conference games after a 1-3 non-conference season. Jacksonville State has also survived a couple of close games in their last two outings, but their problem has been on defense instead of on offense, as they have given up 34 points per game in their last two wins over Louisiana Tech and FIU.
Sam Houston vs Jacksonville State Best Bet
Both teams in this Sam Houston vs Jacksonville State game are clearly being impacted by the pressure of the high stakes of their games late in the regular season. The question here will be which team is best equipped to deal with that pressure in this contest. We anticipate that team being Jacksonville State, who we like to win and cover the number at home to remain undefeated in CUSA play and to clinch their spot in their conference championship game.
