Southern vs Jackson State Prediction, Odds, Spread and Best Bet
By Jack Magruder in College Football
Published:
- Jackson State is a 17.5-point home favorite over Southern on Saturday, October 29
- Southern lost 21-17 on the road in 2021 to break an eight-game series winning streak
- Read below for Southern vs Jackson State odds, spread and betting prediction
Jackson State (7-0, 4-0 SWAC East) is a 17.5-point favorite over Southern in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game at noon ET Saturday on ESPN+. Jackson State is off to its best start since 1983 and is ranked No. 1 in the HBCU national poll.
Southern (5-2, 3-1 SWAC West) has won four straight games after consecutive losses to LSU and Texas Southern. The Jaguars are tied with Prairie View for first place in the SWAC West and have beaten the Braves this season.
Southern vs Jackson State Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Jaguars | +17.5 (-110) | +600 | O 55.5 (-110) |
| Jackson State Tigers | -17.5 (-110) | -850 | U 55.5 (-110) |
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook on Oct 29.
Jackson State is now a -850 home favorite over Southern in a game matching SWAC division leaders in Jackson, Miss. The Tigers are 7-0 SU and 4-3 ATS this season, 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS at home. Their last three games have gone under the total.
Southern is 5-2 SU and 2-3 ATS against a schedule that included a 65-17 loss to LSU in Tiger Stadium in the historic first meeting of the two. The campuses are 10 miles apart in Baton Rouge, La. The Jaguars are 1-2 SU and ATS on the road this season.
Jackson State Goes Prime Time
“Neon” Deion “Prime Time” Sanders brought instant success and the national spotlight to the Jackson State program after becoming the school’s head coach on Sept. 21, 2020. ESPN’s Game Day is live from Jackson on Saturday, a week after a feature on Sanders and the program aired on 60 Minutes.
“Coach Sanders was the biggest hire in college football. I’m talking about Power Five level.”
Since Deion Sanders took over Jackson State’s football team, they have dominated their HBCU opponents. https://t.co/idBPwvNnHl pic.twitter.com/9b23kKYEJi
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 19, 2022
The 7-0 Tigers are well on their way to a second straight SWAC championship after winning a school-record 11 games in 2021, led both seasons by quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son. Shedeur completed 66 percent of his passes for 3,231 yards and 30 touchdowns with eight interceptions last season, and he has increased his accuracy to 73.6 percent with 2,218 yards, 23 touchdowns and five picks this season.
Sanders threw five touchdown passes in a 59-3 victory over Florida A&M in the season opener and had five more in a 48-8 victory over Bethune-Cookman two weeks ago.
Jackson State’s Shedeur Sanders & Incarnate Word’s Lindsey Scott Jr. Make RG3’s Latest Heisman Front Runners List 🏆. @RGIII @ShedeurSanders @_lj18_ @GoJSUTigersFB @UIWFootball pic.twitter.com/5LdPyhLJKF
— LIGHT ON COLLEGE SPORTS (@LightOnSports) October 20, 2022
While Jackson State is averaging 40.9 points per game, its aggressive, blitzing defense has dominated that side of the ball. Opponents are averaging 190.3 yards in total offense and 10.1 points per game, and none has gained more than 250 yards. Linebacker Aubrey Miller Jr. had 13 tackles and a sack in the 22-14 victory over Campbell the last time out.
The Tigers lead the FCS in scoring defense, total defense, third down conversions allowed (23.5%), and fewest first downs allowed (81). They have held two opponents without a touchdown and have not given up more than two offensive touchdowns in a game.
Ninth-ranked Jackson State's Homecoming Day crowd of 51,596 against Campbell was the second-largest of the FCS season to Grambling State vs. Prairie View A&M (53,971) on Oct. 1 in Dallas.
JSU won 22-14.
📷Jackson State Athletics pic.twitter.com/oVb9eppBtj
— FCS Football (@FCS_STATS) October 23, 2022
Sanders’s Star in Last Meeting
Shedeur Sanders passed for 260 yards and threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, including the winner with 1:31 remaining, as the Tigers broke an eight-game series losing streak with a 21-17 victory in Baton Rouge last season. He also rushed for 33 yards. Brother Shilo Sanders intercepted a Glendon McDaniel pass in the end zone to ensure the victory.
McDaniel threw for 176 yards and a touchdown, and running back Jerodd Sims had 104 yards including a 32-yard scoring run. The Jaguars had won the previous seven meetings by an average of 17 points, five in Jackson and one in the 2013 SWAC title game in Houston.
Southern Enters on a Roll
Southern has scored 176 points during its four-game winning streak and enters after a 51-7 victory over over-matched NCAA Division III Virginia-Lynchburg.
HBCU Football D1 Top 20
1 Jackson State
2 Southern University
3 Florida A&M
4 Prairie View A&M
5 North Carolina Central
6 Alabama State
7 North Carolina A&T
8 Tennessee State
t9 Hampton University
t9 Alcorn St
t10 Alabama A&M
T10 Delaware St— HBCU Premier Sports & More (@HBCUSports1) October 24, 2022
New Jaguars starting quarterback Besean McCray, a transfer from Hinds (Miss.) Community College, has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 1,304 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 411 yards and five scores. Under first-year coach Eric Dooley, McCray leads an offense that is averaging 460.4 yards and 39.9 points per game.
Southern Qb BeSean McCray Shows Off The Speed On A 36-Yard Touchdown Run 💨
(@GeauxJags @BeSean_02 🎥 @andscape) pic.twitter.com/0SUNxKbepg— LIGHT ON COLLEGE SPORTS (@LightOnSports) October 2, 2022
Jackson State and Southern are 1-2 in the SWAC in 10 statistical categories, including total offense, scoring offense, total defense and scoring defense. The Jaguars have held opponents without a second-half touchdown in five straight games and six overall this season. Defensive tackle Tahj Brown had three of their eight sacks last week.
Jackson State vs Southern Prediction
These are two best teams in the SWAC, and you can look it up. The Sanders family has returned Jackson State’s program to the top of the league, and the Tigers are the choice to post their second straight series victory after winning in Baton Rouge a year ago.
- Pick: Jackson State -17.5 (-110)
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Sports Writer
Jack has covered college and professional sports for various Arizona media outlets since the 1980s and has written for the Associated Press, USA Today and Baseball America, among others. He staffed the 2015-17 World Series and has staffed four Super Bowls.
