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Arkansas State saw its hopes of going to the Sun Belt Championship severely dimmed by Southern Miss in Week 11, but there’s still plenty at stake for the Red Wolves against Louisiana on Thursday night.
Technically, Arkansas State can still get into the title game with two wins and two Southern Miss losses, but they’re also one victory short of becoming bowl-eligible for the third year on the spin.
Louisiana will also look to keep its hopes of going bowling alive with a win in Jonesboro.
Louisiana vs. Arkansas State odds, prediction
This looked like a lost season for the Ragin’ Cajuns until a couple of weeks ago. Louisiana lost six of its first eight games, with only one of its wins coming against an FBS opponent.
Things began to percolate in November as the Ragin’ Cajuns found a win against South Alabama and then parlayed that momentum into another victory over Texas State. Louisiana was the underdog in each of those contests, signaling that this team started to find its groove.
Louisiana quarterback Lunch Winfield in action against James Madison. AP
Finding some stability on offense with quarterback Lunch Winfield has helped the offense improve after a sluggish start to the campaign.
Arkansas State’s season has been bumpy, but the one constant is that the Red Wolves want to put the ball in quarterback Jaylen Raynor’s hands.
For better or worse, the Red Wolves average the 11th-most passing attempts per game and they rank 23rd in FBS when it comes to passing play percentage. The results are not encouraging, though.
Betting on College Football?
Arkansas State averages just 6.0 yards per pass, which is good enough for 121st out of 136 teams in FBS.
The weather forecast on Thursday night calls for some wind and rain, which should further hinder Arkansas State’s passing attack, leaving the door open for the Ragin’ Cajuns to pull the upset and keep their hopes of going to a bowl alive.
The Play: Louisiana moneyline (+120, bet365)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.