The 2024 college football bowl season will kick off on Saturday with the Salute to Veterans Bowl between the South Alabama Jaguars and Western Michigan Broncos. Both of these teams are 6-6 on the season and will look to end their seasons above the .500 mark by getting a win here. The South Alabama Jaguars are nine-point favorites going into this matchup, while the total has been set at 57.5 points.
We have simulated this matchup using our advanced projection systems to identify our best bet for South Alabama vs Western Michigan. Continue reading to get my best bet for the Salute to Veterans Bowl, along with our breakdown of this contest that is being held in the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, AL.
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South Alabama Looks to Win In Home State
The South Alabama Jaguars are 6-6 going into the Salute to Veterans Bowl, finishing the season with a 5-3 record in the Sun Belt Conference. They lost their final game of the regular season to Texas State, dropping a 45-38 thriller. Here, the Jaguars will look to finish their season with a win in front of what should be a pretty pro-South Alabama crowd, with the college football odds making them a pretty sizable favorite to win with some margin.
A big question mark going into this game for South Alabama will be whether or not the weather will negatively impact them. Rain is in the forecast for this bowl matchup, which could be a detriment to the team with the more explosive offense. The answer to that question will depend on how severe the rain is and whether or not it is enough to cause problems for the footing of both of these teams.
Can Western Michigan End Season On High Note?
Western Michigan is also 6-6 going into this South Alabama vs Western Michigan contest. They won their final game of the regular season, beating the Eastern Michigan Eagles at home to secure their bowl eligibility. Before that, they had dropped three games in a row, and the Broncos will look to avoid dropping their final game of the season and will have to overcome a hostile environment to do that.
This season, Western Michigan went 2-5 in road environments, though in fairness it should be noted that two of those losses on the road came against Wisconsin and Ohio State. The Broncos still had a losing record in road games against more beatable opponents. While this isn’t a true road game, it will be interesting to see how the Broncos deal with a crowd that likely will not be backing them in big numbers in this bowl season curtain raiser.
South Alabama vs Western Michigan Prediction
Our best bet for South Alabama vs Western Michigan is for the South Alabama Jaguars to cover the spread as a nine-point favorite. The Jaguars will have the crowd on their side in this matchup and they have the more explosive offense on top of that. Look for South Alabama to kick off the bowl season with a win and for them to do so rather convincingly against a MAC opponent whose offense has been a question mark for most of the season.
