From the same mindset that brought us the beauty that was #MACtion, the Sun Belt Conference has scheduled some Tuesday and Wednesday games throughout the season to give us the #FunBelt to break the weekday monotony of not having football to watch. Actually, it’s to get exposure for the conference, but we can pretend that it’s for the thousands of gamblers that will watch because they have action. The first of those games for the 2014 season is coming up this week as the Texas State Bobcats host the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns.
UL Lafayette vs. Texas State College Football Preview
Date/Time: Tuesday October 14, 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
College Football Betting Odds from WagerWeb
College Football Betting Favorite: Texas State -3
Total: 60
Both teams are 1-0 in conference play so far this season. The winner will move into a second-place tie with Arkansas State with a 2-0 record. The Ragin’ Cajuns have gotten a lot of love from bettors during the Mark Hudspeth era. Hudspeth is 29-15 straight up, b ut just 23-20-1 against the number because ULL is just 1-4 ATS this season. Dennis Franchione is 13-15 straight up at Texas State and will improve to .500 ATS with a cover in this game.
ULL Ragin’ Cajuns:
The Sun Belt has had some impressive triumphs over power conference opponents over the last few years, but the Ragin’ Cajuns have not been one of those teams. Instead, the Cajuns have won three straight bowl games in their first three bowl appearances in program history. Mark Hudspeth has a very experienced team this season with 17 returning starters from last year’s squad and plenty of seniors atop the depth chart. Senior quarterback Terrance Broadway has actually regressed this season after posting a 36/21 TD/INT ratio over the last two seasons. Broadway has more interceptions than touchdowns this season. It’s been the running game led by sophomore Elijah McGuire and his 7.7 yards per carry that has driven the bus offensively for the Cajuns. With a less potent offense than in years past, the 35 points per game the defense is allowing really stands out.
Texas State Bobcats:
In their fourth season as a member of the FBS, the Bobcats are off to a good start this season. They played right with Big Ten member Illinois in a 42-35 loss and have taken significant offensive strides. Quarterback Tyler Jones has been a big reason why the Bobcats look so much better offensively. The true sophomore took over the job last season and entered the season as the undisputed starter. He has delivered in a big way. Through five games, Jones is completing over 68 percent of his passes with a 12/4 TD/INT ratio. Context is important with a lot of bad defenses on the schedule, but the Bobcats are scoring better than 38 points per game after managing just under 24 per contest last season. The defense has had problems in pass coverage, but they are under the tutelage of a new defensive coordinator and it has shown. The Bobcats have allowed 141 points over their last four games.
Free Pick: Texas State -3
In a rather weak Sun Belt Conference, a win this game gives the victor a legitimate shot at winning the conference. The Bobcats have seen most of the initial money on this game and are a very competitive team in just their fourth Division I-A season. It certainly helps to be located in the best state for high school football in the nation, but Franchione’s team appears to be an above average Sun Belt team and that should be good enough this week against the Ragin’ Cajuns.
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