Pinnacle -7 +104  BET365 -6 -110 Sportsinteraction -6 -110 888Sport -6 -110

Posted at 12:00 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

UL Monroe -6 -110 over Jackson St

Malone Stadium - Monroe, LA

Streaming: ESPN+

7:00 PM EST. In the opening week of college football there is a medley of opportunities in finding undervalued teams in FBS vs. FCS match-ups. More often than not, it is the FCS outfit that we find taking back too many points but there are always exceptions to where the older brother side from the FBS may indeed be undervalued. Situationally speaking this appears to be one of those occasions.

UL Monroe is a team that has endured many trials and tribulations, thus, there is no point in writing anything different. The Warhawks are not exactly a team that lives in the postseason, as they have only appeared in one bowl in their program’s history, nor are they an outfit that puts together winning campaigns for that matter. The Hawks have only one season where they won more than seven games since joining the FBS thirty years ago. Their stock has never been high coming into a season, which plays right into our mantra.

The Hawks come into this game on the heels of a 10-game skid to round off their 2023 season which saw their head coach Terry Bowden deposed from his post. This, too, lowers the already non-existent market prestige of ULM.

Now two years removed from the Coach Prime Time era, Jackson State has nonetheless been left in good hands. Under the stewardship of Head Coach T.C. Taylor, the Tigers finished their 2023 campaign with a 7-4 mark and their final two defeats were by a mere nine points. The narrative surrounding JSU is building upon last year’s transitional period which exceeded expectations. A huge point of emphasis in achieving the next step forward would be for Jackson State to finally get its first win against a FBS school. On paper, the Warhawks have all the makings of a prime target, as they are bringing in a new coaching regime and living in the shadows of a maligned conclusion to last year’s debacle. Despite everything, Louisiana-Monroe opened as high as an 8½-point choice and the market has seemingly bit the bait.

A presumption in many think-pieces one will read is that in the event that Jackson State were to fall short, they would still come in under this number. That 7½ points being offered is very enticing. However, the linesmakers are taking a clear position that ULM is primed to send a message to the invader.

Last year, ULM was priced as a 25-point favorite in Monroe against Lamar, a FCS team that finished with only one win less than Jackson State in 2023. This came after the Hawks defeated Army outright in the season opener. ULM would defeat Lamar 24-14 and not even score 25 points. This serves as a case study on buying low and selling high, ULM’s stock soared after beating Army to where it was laying absurd numbers to their guests. By contrast, the Warhawks’ stock is now depleted and as a result, we are getting Monroe at a bargain of a price, even if it appears otherwise. Swallow the points.

Sherwood

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