Georgia Southern vs Ohio Prediction: Myrtle Beach Bowl Odds and Picks

The Myrtle Beach Bowl will see Georgia Southern hoping to end a four-game losing streak, when the Eagles face the Bobcats of Ohio today. Our college football odds have seen the teams flip as favorites, with Georgia Southern now favored by three points.

The Eagles started strong with wins in four of their first five, but a 6-2 start was wiped away as they failed to win a game in November. Five of their six defeats have come away from home this season, and they’ll hope to find a way to win on a neutral field in this bowl game.

For Ohio, there will be plenty of new faces on the offensive side of the ball. Its stellar defense will mostly be available, although linebacker Keye Thompson has left the program. The Bobcats overcame offensive struggles to win nine games, including their last three, but this will be a true test of their depth.

Our free college football picks and predictions for the Myrtle Beach Bowl explains why the Ohio defense will be key to shutting down Georgia Southern on December 16. 

Georgia Southern vs Ohio best odds

Georgia Southern vs Ohio picks and predictions

What happens when you take away the starting quarterback, top two running backs, and top receiver from an already struggling offense? You get the opportunity to capitalize on the market overcorrecting, which is what has happened here. 

The Ohio offense will be replacing numerous parts, and bettors have flocked to Georgia Southern. That’s caused the Eagles to go from +1.5 underdogs to being favored by three or more points. And that presents value for us, as the wrong team is favored.

Yes, the Bobcat offense is gutted right now. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke is gone, leaving Parker Navarro taking the snaps. He began the season third on the depth chart, and now will lead Ohio into the Myrtle Beach Bowl having attempted just 24 passes in four seasons. 

He’s going to be missing one of the two best receivers on the team as well. Miles Cross led the team in yards and touchdowns as a pass catcher, but he’s entered his name into the portal and is an opt-out.

As for the rushing attack, Sieh Bangura and O’Shaan Allison have taken their combined 1,263 yards and 10 touchdowns and also hit the portal. Add in Rourke’s 219 yards rushing, and the top remaining rusher is… Navarro, who ran for 107 yards on 10 attempts this season. Quintell Quinn and Rickey Hunt are the remaining backs, and they had 11 combined carries on the season.

So after saying all that, why are we taking Ohio to win outright as our best bet? It’s simple — Georgia Southern’s defense isn’t good. Earlier in the season, it built success by forcing turnovers. The Eagles rank 19th in interception rate, but they were unable to force turnovers down the stretch, leading to three of their last four opponents scoring at least 38 points.

Ohio’s offense might not be flashy, but it takes care of the football. The Bobcats committed the 14th-fewest turnovers per game, with just one turnover over their last five games. They know they don’t have to take risks because of their stellar defense. Ohio ranked 13th in EPA per play against the pass this season, and 15th in EPA per play against the run.

While Davis Brin put up some big numbers in the passing game this season, throwing for 3,431 yards and 22 touchdowns, it’s another big number that stands out. The Georgia Southern quarterback threw 16 picks, including three in his last loss against Appalachian State. It was his fourth multi-interception game this season.

Ohio ranks 26th in interception rate, and 17th in sack rate. It limits opponents to the 12th-fewest yards per pass attempt, and Bryce Houston will lead a mostly-intact unit hoping to build on his stellar season. 

I anticipate the Bobcats forcing a few turnovers against a team that coughed it up 26 times this season. That will allow the offense to capitalize on short fields against a porous Georgia Southern defense. Take the Bobcats to win outright as underdogs, with BetMGM's +145 being the best price on the market. 

My best bet: Ohio moneyline (+145 at BetMGM) 33% boost available
Picks made at time of writing may not reflect live odds.

Georgia Southern vs Ohio same-game parlay

Ohio moneyline

Davis Brin Over 0.5 interceptions

Georgia Southern team total Under 23.5

+400 at bet365

bet365 gives us the best odds for our same-game parlay at +400, as we combine the Ohio win with two additional plays.

First, we’re banking on Brin to continue his poor decision making with at least one pick. He’s thrown an interception in eight of his 12 games this season, and will have another one against one of the better defenses he’ll face this year.

To that end, we’re also backing Georgia Southern to score 23 or fewer points. Ohio’s allowed just one team all season to get past that number, with Miami putting up 30 in late October. This game should have fewer plays than usual with Ohio grinding out clock, which will help keep the team total down. 

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Georgia Southern vs Ohio spread and Over/Under analysis

The Eagles are favored, with most books sitting at -3.5 as we get closer to kickoff. The departures for Ohio swung the market the opposite direction, after the Bobcats opened as -1.5 favorites nearly two weeks ago and were bet to -2.5 for a time.

Georgia Southern hasn’t covered in four straight and in six of its last seven. It’s lost straight-up in the last two it was favored to win. Ohio hasn’t had much more success, covering just twice in the last six games. The Bobcats have been underdogs just twice in the last 10 games, and won outright both times.

The total of 48.5 points has dropped nearly a full touchdown since opening, again due to the Ohio offensive defections. Georgia Southern’s seen the Over coming through lately, with five of its last six games eclipsing the set number. Meanwhile, Ohio’s evenly split the last four games in terms of the total. However, the Under has gone 7-3 in its last 10 games, and 9-4 in Ohio’s last 13. 

The total’s movement makes this a tricky play for me, which is why I’ll likely look instead to the aforementioned team total for Georgia Southern or the first quarter Under. That said, even with the lowered total, just two of Ohio’s 12 games this season have seen more than 45 points scored. 

Georgia Southern vs Ohio betting trend to know

The Under is 9-4 in Ohio’s last 13 games. Find more college football betting trends for Georgia Southern vs Ohio.

Georgia Southern vs Ohio game info

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