South Alabama Jaguars vs Western Michigan Broncos Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/14/2024

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Saturday, December 14, 2024

Venue:  Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  USA -10, WMU +10; Over/Under:  59.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  USA -10, WMU +10; Over/Under:  59.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  USA -10, WMU +10; Over/Under:  59.5 points

South Alabama Jaguars:  6-6 (5-3) (4th place, Sun Belt West)

Western Michigan Broncos:  6-6 (5-3) (5th place, MAC)

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South Alabama Jaguars:  lost their last game at home against the Texas State Bobcats 45-38.

Western Michigan Broncos:  won their last game at home against the Eastern Michigan Eagles 26-18.

South Alabama is entering this game with a 6-6 record overall and they have a 5-3 record in their conference games too. They are 3-3 in their home games, 3-3 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They lost their last game against Texas State 45-38. Gio Lopez was the starting QB and he completed 16/23 passes for 190 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Fluff Bothwell led the team in rushing yards with 81 and 2 TDs. Jamaal Pritchett led the receivers with 85 receiving yards on 10 receptions and 1 TD. Wesley Miller led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles while Courtney McBride Jr. led the defense in sacks with 1. Blayne Myrick and Jaden Voisin each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Western Michigan is entering this game with a 6-6 record overall and they have a 5-3 record in their conference games too. They are 4-1 in their home games, 2-5 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against Eastern Michigan 26-18. Hayden Wolff was the starting QB and he completed 12/17 passes for 126 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Zahir Abdus-Salaam led the team in rushing yards with 135 and 1 TD. Zahir Abdus-Salaam led the receivers with 40 receiving yards on 3 receptions and 1 TD. Donald Willis led the defense in that game with 9 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles while Donald Willis led the defense in sacks with 1. Bilhal Kone came away with the only interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have South Alabama listed as a 10 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. South Alabama has looked good in their games this season with their 6-6 record overall which was enough to get them to this game. They were 5-3 in the Sun Belt too so they performed well in their own conference. Meanwhile, Western Michigan has also looked good in their games this season with their 6-6 record overall which was enough to get them to this game. They were also 5-3 in the MAC so they performed well in their own conference, but they haven't looked great lately. They are coming off a win against EMU in their last one and they needed to win that game to get here, but they were on a terrible losing streak until that season finale. They have also gotten by in the MAC beating up on a lot of the bad teams this season. They really haven't looked good in their games lately though and their offense has been terrible too, not even putting up 20 points in a lot of their games lately. South Alabama is coming off a loss in their last one since they didn't really have anything to play for in that game, but they still made it close against a good Texas State team. South Alabama has looked a lot better in their games over the last month too, especially on offense. They have been putting up a ton of points consistently in their games lately and even scored 38 points in their loss to Texas State last week. WMU has been struggling to put up points all season so it won't be easy for them in this game and they aren't going to be able to keep up with the points South Alabama can score. The location of this bowl game also makes it more of a home game for South Alabama with it being in the same state that they play in. The best way to place a bet here is on South Alabama to cover the spread in this game. 

South Alabama Western Michigan Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, December 14, 2024 (9:00 pm ET start time) is South Alabama 38 Western Michigan 17.

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South Alabama Jaguars: 4-8 ATS versus good offensive teams - averaging 5.9 yards/play or more. 4-7 1H ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points. 6-11 1H ATS after playing a game at home. 9-4 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive straight up losses. 3-0 UNDER off a home loss against a conference rival.

Western Michigan Broncos: 7-3 ATS off a win against a conference rival. 5-2 ATS after a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better. 14-7 UNDER as an underdog. 6-3 UNDER when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 8-4 UNDER after playing a game at home.

South Alabama Jaguars:  G. Lopez (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed.

Western Michigan Broncos:  N. Sines (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Vandervest (OL) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. King (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed.

“Obviously, disappointed for our seniors. That group has done a lot for our school and our football program. I wanted them to take their pads off tonight as winners, and it’s just disappointing. There are spots in the game where we played well. On defense, we had some third downs and red area opportunities where we hung tough. By and large, we gave up too many explosive plays and allowed them too much time of possession.” - Major Applewhite on Fluff Bothwell entering the transfer portal.

“This is a great opportunity for our football program and our university. South Alabama is a well-coached, physical team that will be a great test for our team. We are thrilled to represent Bronco Nation and WMU in this awesome bowl game!” - Lance Taylor on playing in this Salute to Veterans Bowl.

WR Ivory, Javon

WR Voisin, Devin

WR Pritchett, Jamaal

TE Thomas-Jones, DJ

QB Lopez, Gio 

RB McReynolds, Braylon

WR Sambucci, Anthony 

WR Dieudonne, Malique

WR Womack, Kenneth 

TE Bosma, Blake 

QB Wolff, Hayden 

RB Buckley, Jalen

Passing: G. Lopez (2559)

Rushing: D. Bothwell (849)

Receiving: J. Pritchett (1127)

Touchdowns: D. Bothwell (13)

Passing: H. Wolff (2212)

Rushing: J. Nixon (876)

Receiving: K. Womack (456)

Touchdowns: J. Nixon (12)

Coaches:

South Alabama Jaguars: Major Applewhite (1st season)

Western Michigan Broncos: Lance Taylor (2nd season)