Ohio vs. Jacksonville State: Cure Bowl Spread Pick & Prediction

Ohio Bobcats (10-3 SU, ATS 9-3)  vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks (9-4 SU, ATS 6-4)

Date: 12:00 EST Friday, December 20th

Location: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL

TV: ESPN

Point Spread: OU -2.5/JSU +2.5

Money Line: Cats -131/Cocks  +108

Over/Under: 52.5

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ESPN is handling the TV coverage for this Ohio Bobcats and Jacksonville State Gamecocks matchup, set for 12:00 ET on Friday, December 20th, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The game is being played on a neutral site as part of the StaffDNA Cure Bowl. The over/under line is currently at 52.5 points, with Ohio coming in as the -2.5-point favorite. The Bobcats have a 10-3 record this season, while the Gamecocks are 9-4. The money line odds are -131 for Ohio and +108 for Jacksonville State.

Head-to-Head Matchup:

The Ohio Bobcats and Jacksonville State Gamecocks did not have any head-to-head matchups last season. But over the last three times playing each other, the Ohio Bobcats have a record of 2-1. The Ohio Bobcats also had the edge vs. the spread in these games, at 2-1. These games averaged a combined total of 64 points per game, leading to an over/under record of 1-2.

Ohio Bobcats Recent Form:

Ohio enters their Week 14 matchup against Jacksonville State with a 10-3 record. They’ve been perfect at home, going 5-0, but are 4-3 on the road. The Bobcats have been favored in six of their 13 games, winning all six, and have a +11.8 average scoring margin this season.

Against the spread, Ohio is 9-3, covering all five home games and going 4-3 on the road. As the favorite, they are 5-1 ATS, and they’ve covered four times at home when favored.

The over/under line for this week is 52.5 points. Ohio’s games have averaged 46.7 points, with an average line of 47.8 points. They’ve gone 6-6 against the over/under this season.

Ohio’s offense has been driven by their rushing attack, ranking 9th nationally with 213.9 rushing yards per game. They also rank 9th in rushing attempts, averaging 39.4 per game. Anthony Tyus III leads the team with 1,111 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 5 yards per carry. Overall, the Bobcats are 44th in scoring, with 29.2 points per game, and they are 64th in our offensive power rankings heading into week 1.

Quarterback Parker Navarro has thrown for 2,169 yards, with a passer rating of 90. He has 12 touchdowns and ten interceptions. Ohio ranks 91st in passing yards per game. Coleman Owen, the leading receiver, has 1,095 yards and eight touchdowns on 67 catches.

Ohio’s defense has been a strong point this season, ranking 13th nationally by allowing just 17.5 points per game. They’ve been particularly effective against the run, giving up only 96.1 rushing yards per game, which ranks 10th in the country.

In their latest game, a 38-3 win over Miami (OH), Ohio’s defense allowed just 3 points and 190 total yards. They held Miami to 63 rushing yards and 127 passing yards while also forcing an interception.

Away Injury Report

Jacksonville State Gamecocks Recent Form:

Jacksonville State enters Week 1 against Ohio with a 9-4 record. They’ve been strong at home, going 6-1, but are 1-2 on the road. The Gamecocks have been favored in eight games this season, posting a 6-2 record as the favorite.

Against the spread, Jacksonville State is 6-4, with a 5-2 mark at home. They’ve covered five times as the favorite and have an average scoring margin of +10.8 points per game.

The over/under line for this week is 52.5 points. Jacksonville State’s games have averaged 62.5 points, with an average line of 58.6 points. Their over/under record is 5-5 this season.

Jacksonville State’s offense is centered around their run game, ranking 2nd in the nation with 270 rushing yards per game. They also rank 3rd in rushing attempts, averaging 46.4 per game. Tre Stewart is the team’s leading rusher, with 1,601 yards and 23 touchdowns, averaging 6 yards per carry. Heading into week 1, Jacksonville State is 11th in scoring, with 36.7 points per game, and we have them ranked 50th in our offensive power rankings.

Quarterback Tyler Huff has thrown for 2,179 yards, completing 60.6% of his passes, with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has a passer rating of 94. Cam Vaughn is the leading receiver, with 620 yards and four touchdowns on 39 catches.

Jacksonville State’s defense had a strong showing in their recent game, allowing just 12 points and 229 total yards against Western Kentucky. They held the Hilltoppers to 88 rushing yards on 26 attempts and 141 passing yards while forcing 0 interceptions.

On the season, the Gamecocks rank 63rd nationally, giving up 25.8 points per game. Opponents have averaged 171.6 rushing yards per game on 40.2 attempts, while quarterbacks have posted a passer rating of 87.2, completing 58.6% of their passes for 215.5 yards per game.

Home Injury Report

Betting Trends

• In their last three road games, Ohio has averaged 34 points per game while allowing 3. The team’s record in this stretch was 3-0 while going 3-0 vs. the spread.
• Across the Jacksonville State Gamecocks last ten home games, the team averaged 32 points per game while allowing 29. Their record vs. the spread in these contests was 4-6 while going 5-5 straight-up.
• The last ten games that Jacksonville State was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 6-4 while going 5-5 straight up.
• Ohio has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 3-0 SU and 3-0 ATS in their last three games.

Free Pick

Ohio’s offense has an excellent matchup vs Jacksonville’s defense heading into this one. And on the other side, the Bobcats are far from an elite defense, but I feel they matchup pretty well vs Jacksonville State. Getting Ohio at -2.5 is a great value play, and I’m taking the Bobcats to win and cover in this StaffDNA Cure Bowl showdown.

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