It’s a battle at the top of the Sun Belt Conference when the first-place Georgia Southern Eagles visit the second-place Old Dominion Monarchs tonight.
Our Georgia Southern vs Old Dominion prediction is calling for a close matchup, considering the Eagles’ potent offense and poor defense.
Read more below with our free preview and college football picks, and why we like the Eagles as 1.5-point road underdogs in the college football odds.
Georgia Southern vs Old Dominion prediction and best bet
My best bet
Georgia Southern +1.5 (-110 at FanDuel)
Picks made at time of writing may not reflect live odds.
My analysis
After getting hammered by fifth-ranked Mississippi, the Georgia Southern Eagles have reeled off three straight wins — all in Sun Belt play — to move to the top of the division.
Most recently, they beat up James Madison 28-14, marking the second-fewest points they’ve allowed on the season.
Offensively, Georgia Southern is sixth in the Sun Belt, putting up 30 points per game while powered by a passing attack that churns out 244.9 yards per contest, good for 54th in the nation.
They should be able to puncture the Old Dominion Monarchs defense, which allows nearly 240 pass yards and over 400 yards of offense per contest, ranking outside the Top 100.
Georgia Southern is a crisp 5-1-1 against the spread and will be a betting underdog for the fifth time this year, failing to cover just once in that scenario.
Since a shootout loss to Coastal Carolina to kick off conference play, Old Dominion has righted the ship, winning two in a row, the latest a 24-14 triumph over Texas State.
Quite opposite to their opponent Thursday, the Monarchs’ bread-and-butter is a rush attack that piles up 175.6 yards per game. That’s Top 6 in the conference and Top 50 in the NCAA.
This could be a problem for the Eagles, who are surrendering better than 175 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 107th in the nation.
The Monarchs aren’t exactly comfortable as front runners, though, as they’ll be playing as a betting favorite for just the second time all season, failing to cover as a 1.5-point favorite against East Carolina.
While the Eagles have allowed better than 28 points per game on the year, they have allowed 23 or fewer in each of their conference games.
Assuming they can replicate that good enough effort on defense, that should give their offense enough breathing room to win this battle for first place
Georgia Southern vs Old Dominion same-game parlay (SGP)
Georgia Southern +1.5
JC French Over 216.5 pass yards
Colton Joseph Over 65.5 rush yards
Georgia Southern QB JC French has only cracked 217 yards passing in a game once in his last five outings. He’ll be up against a Monarchs defense that has held two of the Top-4 passing offenses in the Sun Belt — Texas State and Georgia State — below 211 yards the last two games.
However, they’re just two games removed from allowing back-to-back 300-yard performances.
ODU is a Bottom-3 passing defense in the conference, and French should play a hand in their regression tonight.
For Old Dominion, pivot Colton Joseph is coming off his best rushing game of the season, running 16 times for 111 yards and three scores.
He’s now gone three straight games rushing for 66 yards or more, missing it by a single yard to make it a fourth.
Joseph should crack this total against a suspect Eagles run defense.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Georgia Southern vs Old Dominion odds
Georgia Southern vs Old Dominion live odds
Georgia Southern vs Old Dominion opening odds
- Georgia Southern vs. Old Dominion spread: Old Dominion -1.5 (-110)
- Georgia Southern vs. Old Dominion moneyline: Georgia Southern +110, Old Dominion -130
- Georgia Southern vs. Old Dominion Over/Under: 55.5
Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Georgia Southern vs Old Dominion spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Eagles are 5-1-1 against the spread this season.
- Old Dominion is 1-2 at home.
- Georgia Southern has hit the Under in three of its last four games
- The Monarchs have cashed the Under in two straight.
Georgia Southern vs Old Dominion betting trend to know
The Eagles have covered the spread in six straight games against unranked teams. Find more college football betting trends for Georgia Southern vs Old Dominion.
Georgia Southern vs Old Dominion game info
| Location: | S.B. Ballard Stadium, Norfolk, VA |
| Date: | Thursday, 10-24, 2024 |
| Kickoff: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN2 |
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