Southern Miss vs Kentucky Prediction, Odds & Picks – 8/31/2024

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles will take on the Kentucky Wildcats on August 31, 2024, at 7:45 pm ET. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Golden Eagles as 28 point underdogs. Early betting action shows 69% of spread bets on Southern Miss and 31% on Kentucky. The opening total of 50.5 has seen 46% of bets on the under and 54% on the over. Below is our preview of Southern Miss vs Kentucky, including our top pick for those looking to bet on this non-conference matchup.

Familiar Face to Lead Southern Miss?

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles have struggled mightily over the last few years, including last season, when they went 3-9 overall and 2-6 in Sun Belt Conference action. The Golden Eagles are not expected to have a ton of success this week in their season opener against Kentucky. But a transfer quarterback that grabbed some spotlight last season could help them to be a frisky underdog in this matchup.

Tate Rodemaker saw limited action last season at Florida State before being called into action when Jordan Travis was injured against North Alabama. Rodemaker then played in the Seminoles' win over the Florida Gators, before he went down with an injury that took him out of competition ahead of the ACC Championship Game against Louisville. Now, Rodemaker is expected to see significant action at Southern Miss, as he will look to help deliver an upset win over an SEC opponent here.

Kentucky to Follow Familiar Formula

Kentucky has been an above average program in the SEC under Mark Stoops, even if they haven't been an SEC championship-caliber program during his tenure in Lexington. The formula for Kentucky under Stoops has been simple, as Kentucky has hung its hat on defense and running the football for the most part. That is not expected to change in Kentucky's season opener against Southern Miss on Saturday night.

The question for Kentucky will always be how they perform in passing situations. This year, Kentucky's quarterback is expected to be Brock Vandagriff, who spent time as a backup at Georgia before transferring to the Wildcats. He is a question mark at this point in his career, but Kentucky should be fine in this game as long as they focus on physicality on both sides of the ball, which is their go-to maneuver anyway.

Southern Miss vs Kentucky Best Bet

This isn't expected to be an aesthetically pleasing football game, as Kentucky's defense and tempo should make it tough for Southern Miss to find any sort of offensive rhythm. But the Wildcats should be able to do enough offensively to create separation here and we will back Mark Stoops' team to cover the number as a heavy favorite to open their 2024 season.

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