Jacksonville State vs. UTEP Prediction, Pick Against the Spread, and Latest Odds
There has been a lot of conference realignment in College Football going on lately, and it has affected both of these groups of five programs as well. Who has the advantage in this Conference USA opener? Let's break it down.
Joey Ruiz - August 25, 2023, 4:57 PM EDT
5 minJacksonville State vs. UTEP Prediction, Pick Against the Spread, and Latest Odds
Both of these teams have interesting backstories and expectations coming into 2023. Jacksonville State is entering their first season in the FBS after a long and successful run against FCS competition. Jacksonville State is known for their high-powered rushing attack, and they return starting quarterback Zion Webb, who is very capable of creating plays on the ground with his legs and making something out of nothing on a broken play by escaping the pocket.
Jacksonville State vs. UTEP Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: August 26, 2023
- Game Time: 5:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: CBSSN
Jacksonville State vs. UTEP Prediction
The issue with Webb is that he is not the best passer, even after having years of experience at Jacksonville State. This will be Webb’s fifth year in the program and his third as a starter in the last two seasons as the main guy in this offense; he has been very average. He tallied completion percentages of 58.5% and 55.2% and failed to top 1800 yards in each season. As mentioned earlier, Webb is a threat to run with his legs, but he still only ran for 399 yards in 2020 and 645 yards in 2022. Webb also threw 17 interceptions across his last two seasons and is not an advanced pocket passer at this stage of his college career, which could be an issue for the Gamecocks in this game as one of the strengths of the UTEP team is their defense/defensive line.
Last year, UTEP ranked 42nd in all of the FBS in total yards allowed per game and their pass rush was solid as they tallied 28 total sacks last year, averaging over two per game. Their rush defense was the strength of their team, and while they did lose one of their better linebackers in Cal Wallerstedt, they still finished 41st in run defense and returned a lot of key pieces, which contributed to that high ranking.
I really do not see Jacksonville State being able to run wild on this big and physical UTEP front, and I believe they will force Webb to make plays through the air, which I am not sure he can make. UTEP returns starting quarterback Gavin Hardison, who has a lot of experience against better competition. This game should come down to who has the better defense and which team can win the battle of the trenches on both sides, and I think that team will be UTEP. With that being said, I am rolling with UTEP ML at -114 for 1.5u as one of my most confident College Football pick for Week 0.
Jacksonville State vs. UTEP Pick
- 1.5U UTEP ML -114 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
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