San Diego State Aztecs vs. South Alabama Jaguars Preview
Where: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
When: Saturday, October 1, 8:00 PM ET
Line: San Diego State Aztecs (-20) at South Alabama Jaguars (+20); total: 51.5 – view all NCAA Football odds and lines
TV Broadcast: Watch ESPN
Writer’s Pick: San Diego State Aztecs
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Betting on the San Diego State Aztecs (-20)
Fresh off their bye week, the No. 19 San Diego State Aztecs (3-0) will look to extend their rather unexpected unbeaten streak this season when they visit the South Alabama Jaguars in Mobile on Saturday.
Nobody has been able to stop mack truck Donell Pumphrey thus far. Pumphrey, who’s arguably the best running back in the nation – and a solid +3,000 favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season at that – ran for 220 yards and three touchdowns in SDSU’s 42-28 dismantling of Northern Illinois before the bye. It was the 24th time that he rushed for over 100 yards, breaking Marshall Faulk’s previous school record of 23. The 24 100-yard rushing games from Pumphrey is also the best active streak by an FBS running back to date.
San Diego State’s running-attack prowess goes beyond its star player’s mind-boggling numbers. The team, which is currently ranked 12th in the nation with an average of 260.7 rushing yards per game, has also scored a rushing touchdown for the 15th-consecutive time in Week 3. The Aztecs also have a sweet on-going streak of 12 games with multiple rushing TDs (36 in total).
To cap it all off, the Aztecs have won seven-straight road games (6-1 ATS) as well. Having said that, there’s really no reason to doubt that they can’t pull off another impressive victory ahead against the Sun Belt’s middling Jaguars team.
Betting on the South Alabama Jaguars (+20)
Yes, the South Alabama Jaguars (2-2) came out with a victory this past Saturday, but their defense desperately needed to stop a two-point attempt in the final play of overtime to eke out the 41-40 win over the Nicholls Colonels.
Who are Nicholls Colonels, you may ask? Well, they’re an FCS team that merits no further discussion, and that actually leads us to our next point. If South Alabama found it hard to beat a non-Division I program, how can you expect the team to defeat the surging Aztecs?
Granted, the Jaguars actually defeated SDSU last season, 34-27. However, they had to beat them in overtime as well, and that previous contest is but a mere footnote now considering how much better the Aztecs have become.
Take note that USA’s two wins this season have been by just a single point each. Even though the Jaguars shocked the college football world by upsetting the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the opening week, 21-20, that contest called for more criticism about Mississippi State’s problems than the Jags’ own output. The Bulldogs, by the way, are just 2-2 for the season as we speak after going 9-4 in 2015.
South Alabama can’t keep pushing its luck going by escaping with these one-point victories, and all signs lead to a humbling defeat this Saturday to a red-hot San Diego State team that’s more than eager to avenge its loss to the boys from Mobile last season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Aztecs cover the sizeable -20 spread with relative ease by blowing out the Jaguars, 47-23.
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