The Jacksonville State Gamecocks take on the Georgia Southern Eagles in Statesboro, Georgia. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN+.
Georgia Southern is favored by 3.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -180. The total is set at 58.5 points.
Here’s my Jacksonville State vs. Georgia Southern prediction and college football picks for Saturday, September 13, 2025.
Jacksonville State vs Georgia Southern Prediction
- Jacksonville State vs. Georgia Southern Pick: Georgia Southern -3.5 (-110, BetMGM)
My Georgia Southern vs. Jacksonville State best bet is on the Eagles to cover. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Jacksonville State vs Georgia Southern Odds
| Jax State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -110 | 58.5 -110o / -110u | +150 |
| GA Southern Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -110 | 58.5 -110o / -110u | -185 |
- Jacksonville State vs Georgia Southern point spread: Georgia Southern -3.5 (-110), Jacksonville State +3.5 (-110)
- Jacksonville State vs Georgia Southern over/under: 58.5 (-110o / -110u)
- Jacksonville State vs Georgia Southern moneyline: Jacksonville State +150, Georgia Southern -185
Jacksonville State vs Georgia Southern Pick, Betting Analysis
Our superstar BBOC Group of 5 co-host, Duck, is backing Georgia Southern in this game.
I mostly agree with his analysis. Week 3 is a brutally tough spot for Jacksonville State, given it’s a perfect letdown spot following the big upset win over Liberty. At the same time, Georgia Southern needs this bounce-back win more than anything, and it’s finally playing its home opener.
I’m extremely worried about backing Georgia Southern. The Eagles looked dreadful in their back-to-back losses to Fresno State and USC — they currently rank dead last among FBS teams in Net EPA per Play (-0.54).
That said, they had two brutally tough first two games.
Fresno State is a rebuilt attack under new head coach Matt Entz, and that loss looks better after the Bulldogs took down Oregon State last week.
Meanwhile, I’m high on the Trojans this year, and Lincoln Riley-led offenses can lay the hammer on almost any college football team when they want.
Among Sun Belt teams, only ULM returned more production from last year than the Eagles.
They were one of 33 FBS teams to return their head coach (Clay Helton), offensive coordinator (Ryan Alpin), defensive coordinator (Brandon Bailey) and quarterback (JC French).
They returned seven defensive starters, including All-Conference talents at defensive tackle (Latrell Bullard), linebacker (Brendan Harrington), and cornerback (Chance Gamble).
The offensive line was projected to be one of the best in the Sun Belt, led by three returning starters, and top wide receiver Josh Dallas was a preseason All-Conference selection.
To top it off, Georgia Southern might have the best quarterback-running back-wide receiver trio in the conference.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville State is undergoing a complete rebuild under new head coach Charles Kelly. While the Gamecocks fought valiantly in their first two games (a 17-10 loss to UCF and a 34-24 win over Liberty), the market may be overrating those performances.
UCF dropped 472 yards of total offense at 6.7 yards per play (71st percentile) on the Eagles. Then, Georgia Southern allowed 545 yards to Liberty at 8.3 yards per play (95th percentile). So far, they’ve been outgained by over 300 yards through two games (1017 to 710).
The only reason the Gamecocks were competitive in either game? Turnovers. Jacksonville State is currently sporting a +4 turnover differential (five forced, one given up).
This is the clearest buy-low, sell-high spot on the board for Week 3.
The only thing I’m worried about is Jacksonville State’s rushing attack against Georgia Southern’s inexperienced, unproven front seven. That said, the Gamecocks have gotten by on the ground through Explosiveness (ninth nationally), but they haven’t moved the rock as well on a down-to-down basis (45% Rush Success Rate, 68th nationally).
I suspect some serious regression for Jacksonville State, and I hope the Eagles snap into expected form in a convincing home opening win.
Pick: Georgia Southern -3.5 (-110, BetMGM)
