The Sam Houston Bearkats will make their first-ever bowl appearance at the FBS level when they take on the Georgia Southern Eagles at the New Orleans Bowl on Thursday. Sam Houston will be playing under acting head coach and offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen after KC Keeler left to accept the head coaching position at Temple. The Bearkats (9-3), who tied for second with Western Kentucky at 6-2 in Conference USA, have won four of their past five. The Eagles (8-4), who finished second in the Sun Belt Conference East Division, have won three of four. While George Southern has lost four players to the transfer portal, Sam Houston was hit hard, losing 19 players, including two of their top three running backs in Jay Ducker and D.J. McKinney, and their best wide receiver in Simeon Evans.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The Eagles are four-point favorites in the latest Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 48. Before making any Sam Houston vs. Georgia Southern picks, make sure you check out what SportsLine college football expert Eric Cohen has to say.
A former Phoenix sports radio host and TV analyst, Cohen joined SportsLine in 2022 and quickly became a fixture on the "Early Edge," the popular daily betting show that airs at 10 a.m. ET on SportsLine's YouTube page. Specializing in college sports, Cohen went 39-23 ATS (+13.65 units) in the 2023 college football season.
Cohen has destroyed the sportsbooks in college football, posting a 67-44 (60%) record since Week 1 in 2024, returning more than $1,800 for $100 bettors. Anyone who followed his betting picks is way up.
Now, Cohen has locked in on Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston and just revealed his coveted CFB picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the college football odds and betting lines for Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston:
- Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston spread: Georgia Southern -4
- Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston over-under: 48 points
- Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston money line: Georgia Southern -180, Sam Houston +150
- Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why Georgia Southern can cover
Sophomore quarterback JC French leads the Eagles offense. He has completed 66% of his passes for 2,619 yards and 16 touchdowns with seven interceptions for a 134.7 rating. He has also carried 101 times for 205 yards and a score. He has thrown for 250 or more yards in three games, including a 28-for-50 performance for 322 yards and two touchdowns in a 56-45 loss to Boise State on Aug. 31.
His top target is senior wide receiver Derwin Burgess Jr. In 12 games, he has 53 receptions for 603 yards (11.4 average) and three touchdowns. In the 26-6 win over Coastal Carolina on Nov. 23, he caught eight passes for 98 yards. He had seven receptions for 84 yards (12 average) and one touchdown in a 24-23 win over Marshall on Oct. 12. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why Sam Houston can cover
Despite the massive roster turnover, the Bearkats will be led by junior quarterback Hunter Watson. In 11 games, the dual-threat led Sam Houston by completing 60.1% of his passes for 1,598 yards and also carried 152 times for 623 yards and seven touchdowns. In a 20-18 win over Liberty on Nov. 29, he completed 19 of 33 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 14 times for 33 yards.
Among the remaining targets for Watson is senior wide receiver Noah Smith. He finished the season as Sam Houston's third-leading receiver with 35 catches for 285 yards and had 11 carries for 75 yards. He is in his fifth season with the Bearkats and has 190 career receptions for 1,778 yards (9.4 average) and 15 touchdowns. In the win over Liberty, he caught seven passes for 56 yards. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston picks
Cohen is going Under on the total, and he has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. Find out what it is, and which team to back, at SportsLine.
So who wins Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston in the 2024 New Orleans Bowl, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston spread to back, all from the expert who returned more than $1,800, while posting a 67-44 record since Week 1 of the 2024 season, and find out.