- The South Alabama Jaguars are 7.5-point favorites over the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Tuesday night at home.
- South Alabama has not won a game since Week 1, but has defeated Arkansas State in their last four home matchups.
MOBILE, Ala. – A Sun Belt showdown on Tuesday night will take place in Mobile, Alabama as the Arkansas State Red Wolves travel to face their conference foe, the South Alabama Jaguars at 7:30 PM EST.
Arkansas State vs South Alabama Game Odds
- Arkansas State Spread +7.5 (-110)
- Arkansas State Moneyline +250
- South Alabama Spread -7.5 (-110)
- South Alabama Moneyline -300
- Over/Under 59 Points
South Alabama enters the game as 7.5-point favorites over the Red Wolves at Alabama college football sportsbooks, which may come as a surprise to some given the start to each of their seasons. Here’s a look into what bettors can expect.
Recent Performance
Arkansas State has gotten off to a 2-4 start to their season, pulling off a massive upset against the Texas State Bobcats ten days ago as two touchdown underdogs to secure their first win since Week 1.
Quarterback Jaylen Raynor had a near flawless outing, going 27/35 for 248 yards and two touchdowns through the air to go along with 19 carries for 92 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
South Alabama currently sits at just 1-5 with an 0-2 record in conference play after losing five consecutive games since Week 1.
Despite the major upset victory for the Red Wolves, they still find themselves as 7.5-point underdogs against a skidding South Alabama team.
Why Is South Alabama Favored?
The two teams are quite comparable offensively in terms of total yardage and points, with South Alabama averaging 380.5 yards per game and 25 points per game while Arkansas State has averaged 362 yards per game to go along with 23.3 points per game.
However, South Alabama prefers to move the ball on the ground, averaging over 200 rushing yards per game while Arkansas State does the majority of their work through the air, which accounts for 243 of their 362 total yards per game.
Neither team has been particularly good on defense, both allowing 31.7 points per game.
The Jaguars have been effective in stopping the pass though, allowing just 169.2 passing yards per game through their first six games. This could spell trouble for the Red Wolves if they can’t run the ball effectively.
On the other hand, Arkansas State has allowed 212.8 rushing yards per game, the sixth worst mark in the country. In fact, Arkansas State’s 474.7 yards allowed per game is the third most in FBS.
Betting Angle
South Alabama’s 1-5 record is not a completely accurate depiction of who they are as a team and is more of a testament to the difficult schedule they’ve played so far.
They’ve been favored in just two of their six games; in their Week 1 win against Morgan State (-28.5) and their most recent loss to 4-2 Troy (-2.5) two weeks ago, losing in overtime on the road.
Their other opponents have been Tulane, Auburn, Coastal Carolina, and North Texas, who have a combined record of 16-8.
Additionally, they’ve won each of their last four games in Mobile against Arkansas State dating back to 2017. Of those four games, they would have covered a 7.5-point spread just once, however.
The safest bet for tonight’s game is South Alabama to win outright, though -300 odds may be something better served in a parlay.
Bettors should lean towards Arkansas State to cover the 7.5-point spread at college football prop betting sites with both defenses being as porous as they are.
