Delaware vs Jacksonville State Prediction, Picks & Wednesday CFB Odds

• It’s CUSA mid-week college football when Delaware travels to Jacksonville State for a 7 p.m. Wednesday night kickoff on ESPN.
• Delaware is in its first season of FBS football, while Jacksonville State is in year three. The Blue Hens are three-point favorites on the road at Bet365.
• Check out my special Delaware vs Jacksonville State prediction, picks and look at the Wednesday CFB Odds for Oct. 15

Delaware (3-2; 2-2-1 ATS) makes its first appearance on ESPN as an FBS team when it meets Jacksonville State (3-3; 2-4 ATS) Wednesday night at AmFirst Stadium.

It will be the team’s first meeting since the FCS playoffs back in the spring of 2021. Jacksonville State has won eight straight at home.

Check out my prediction and pick for Delaware vs Jacksonville State, plus a look at the odds for Wednesday night.

Delaware vs Jacksonville State Prediction

For the last two years, Jacksonville State has been led by coach Rich Rodriguez as he worked his way back up the coaching ladder. Rodriguez is at West Virginia now for his second stint. Jacksonville State hired long-time Alabama and Auburn assistant Charles Kelly when Rodriguez left (yes, Jacksonville State is in Alabama).

The Gamecocks opened the season with Kentucky and Rutgers transfer Gavin Wimsatt at QB, but after a rough performance against Southern Miss, Wimsatt went to the bench and Caden Creel directed a 29-27 win over Sam Houston.

Gamecocks running back Cam Cook leads the CUSA with 832 yards and had 218 against Sam Houston, the first Jax State running back to go over 200 yards in a game since 2018.

Jacksonville State’s ground game isn’t just effective. It’s elite. They’re averaging 279.7 rushing yards per game, third-best in the entire country, and they’re doing it on nearly 49 carries a game. That kind of volume wears defenses down.

Delaware, long a competitive program in the FCS, is making the jump to FBS with coach Ryan Carty. They got spanked by Colorado, but beat UConn in overtime this season. They haven’t played since Oct. 3.

The Blue Hens bring balance to the table with 276 passing yards per game and strong second-quarter scoring production. They rank 12th nationally with 13.2 points in the second quarter alone.

Delaware vs Jacksonville State Picks

• Jacksonville State +2.5 (-102 at FanDuel)

• Over 57.5 (-112 at FanDuel)

I’m taking the over and the home team with the points. I know both of these teams can score.

Delaware quarterback Nick Minicucci was a high school star in Northern New Jersey and has thrown for 1,372 yards and eight touchdowns in his first full season as starter. He’s a good athlete who has also run for seven scores.

The Blue Hens’ offense is second in Conference USA at 29.6 points per game, and they’re nearly identical to Jacksonville State (29.5 PPG) in scoring output.

Here’s what’s pushing me toward the over: Jacksonville State is hot on the over right now. They’re 4-1 in their last five games going over the total, and sharp money has been hitting the over all week.

The Gamecocks have a tendency to deliver high-scoring affairs, sitting at 4-2 on the over/under this season. Meanwhile, Delaware trends under (1-4 O/U), but this matchup sets up differently than their previous games.

Delaware will be walking into a tough place to play. Jacksonville State is 8-1 in weekday CUSA contests and 2-0 at home this year.

Creel gave the team a lift when he played, leading the Gamecocks to a game-winning field goal in the final seconds against Sam Houston while completing 76.5% of his passes.

Delaware ranks 83rd nationally in stopping the run, allowing 145.8 yards per game. Not terrible, but they haven’t faced anything close to Jacksonville State’s ground assault, which ranks third in the nation. I think the Gamecocks move the ball up and down the field.

Jacksonville State excels in the red zone at 89.66%, ranking 47th nationally, while Delaware converts at 77.27%.

Both teams score in bunches. Jacksonville State is strong in the fourth quarter (8.3 PPG), and Delaware dominates the second quarter (13.2 PPG, 12th nationally). The trends support points, the matchups support points, and I’m riding the over.

Delaware vs Jacksonville State Odds

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The Blue Hens, the same school that gave the NFL Joe Flacco and Rich Gannon, are favorites on the road, coming off a loss to CUSA conference leader Western Kentucky. Delaware is laying 2.5 at some sportsbooks and three at others.

Delaware is 3-6-1 in its last 10 games against the spread and 3-7 over/under. The total for this one is 57, which is high. Four of Delaware’s last five games have hit the under.

The Gamecocks (that’s Jax State if you didn’t know) are the defending CUSA Champs. They’re 5-5 against the spread in their last 10 and 5-5 over/under.

The best moneyline bet on Delaware is at Caesars and Bet365 at -140. Jacksonville State is +120 just about everywhere. Jacksonville State has covered seven of its last eight home conference games.