The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns will look to get back on track when they take on the Marshall Thundering Herd in a Sun Belt Conference matchup on Wednesday evening. The game will be a crossover between the East Division Thundering Herd (3-2, 0-1) and West Division Ragin' Cajuns (2-3, 0-2). Marshall, which joined the league this year, is coming off a 28-7 win over Gardner-Webb on Oct. 1. Meanwhile, Louisiana has dropped three in a row, including a 20-17 setback against South Alabama on Oct. 1. Both teams had a bye last weekend.
Kickoff from Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, W.V., is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Marshall is averaging 29.4 points per game, while Louisiana averages 25.6. The Thundering Herd are 10.5-point favorites in the latest Louisiana vs. Marshall odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 46. Before making any Marshall vs. Louisiana picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's Emory Hunt.
Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007, and a former running back at Louisiana-Lafayette. He knows the game from a player's perspective. Hunt has gone an amazing 15-9 on his last 24 college football picks involving Louisiana, returning more than $500. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Hunt has set his sights on Louisiana vs. Marshall and just locked in its picks and CFB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the college football odds and betting lines for Marshall vs. Louisiana:
- Louisiana vs. Marshall spread: Marshall -10.5
- Louisiana vs. Marshall over-under: 46 points
- Louisiana vs. Marshall money line: Louisiana +328, Marshall -430
- UL: The Ragin' Cajuns are 7-0 against the spread against a team with a winning record.
- MRSH: The Under is 6-1 in the Thundering Herd's last seven home games.
- Louisiana vs. Marshall picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Marshall can cover
The Thundering Herd are led by senior quarterback Henry Colombi, who spent the last two years at Texas Tech after playing at Utah State prior to that. Colombi has already led Marshall to an impressive win when the Thundering Herd stunned No. 8 Notre Dame 26-21 on Sept. 10. In that game, Colombi completed 16 of 21 passes (76.2%) for 145 yards and one touchdown. For the season, he has completed 84 of 114 passes (73.7%) for 875 yards and six touchdowns for a 150.3 rating.
His top target has been redshirt junior wide receiver Corey Gammage. Gammage has 19 receptions for 196 yards (10.3 average) and three touchdowns. His best game was in a 34-31 overtime loss to Bowling Green. In that game, he caught seven passes for 100 yards (14.3 average) and one TD. He had six receptions for 54 yards and a score in last week's 28-7 win over Gardner-Webb.
Why Louisiana can cover
The Ragin' Cajuns have a trio of running backs that have 20 carries or more this season, led by junior running back Chris Smith. Smith has carried 47 times for 264 yards (5.6 average) and two touchdowns. He is also second in receiving with 15 receptions for 107 yards (7.1 average). Sophomore Terrence Williams has 35 carries for 119 yards (3.4 average), while junior Jacob Kibodi has 20 attempts for 102 yards (5.1 average).
Defensively, Louisiana safety Kam Pedescleaux has been a difference-maker. He has 32 tackles, including 16 solo, with one pass breakup, one interception and one forced fumble. Senior linebacker Andre Jones has also made his presence felt. Jones leads the team with 3.5 sacks through the first five games, and has 19 tackles, including nine solo, with one pass breakup and one interception.
How to make Louisiana vs. Marshall picks
Hunt is leaning Under on the total. He's also found a critical x-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. You can only get his picks at SportsLine.
So who will win Marshall vs. Louisiana? And what critical x-factor makes one side hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the expert who has nailed his picks involving Louisiana, and find out.
