South Alabama vs. Marshall Prediction, CFB Week 8 Odds & Best Bets (10/20)

Fact checked at 7:58 AM ET, Oct 20, 2026

Odds as of Oct 20, 7:08 AM ET

South Alabama (4-2, 2-0 Sun Belt) brings one of the most productive offenses in the country to Huntington for a rare Tuesday night game. The Jaguars average 38.8 points a game, 15th in FBS, and they put up 52 on ULM and 56 at Arkansas State in their last two outings. The ground game is the engine. South Alabama runs for 220.3 yards a game, and it piled up 296 yards on 50 carries in that 56-49 win at Arkansas State. Jared Hollins has started every game since Ohio in September, and South Alabama kept him in the job after Bishop Davenport came back from injury.

Marshall (3-3, 0-2) is off a bye after a 27-21 home loss to Coastal Carolina, a game in which it fell behind 27-0 and turned the ball over six times. Coach Tony Gibson calls his quarterback job a three-man competition between Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, who started all six games, Zion Turner and Khalil Wilkins, and he has said the starter will be decided on game day. The Herd allow 33.7 points and 447.3 yards a game, and the run defense is where it hurts most: James Madison ran for 310 yards on them and Coastal Carolina for 235. South Alabama's defense hasn't been much better on the scoreboard, allowing 34.5 points a game.

We expect South Alabama to run through Marshall's front in a game where neither defense gets enough stops, with the Jaguars winning by more than a field goal. All three picks cash in that game, and all three need South Alabama's offense to keep producing. Kickoff is Tuesday at 7:30 PM ET at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. The forecast is mostly clear, about 61 degrees at kickoff and sliding into the low 50s, with almost no wind.

South Alabama vs. Marshall Predictions

• Pick #1: South Alabama -3 (-111)
• Pick #2: Over 65.5 (-108)
• Pick #3: Anthony Eager Anytime Touchdown (+185)

PICK #1: South Alabama -3 (-111)

The matchup that matters here is South Alabama's run game against Marshall's run defense. The Jaguars ran 50 times at Arkansas State and 46 times against ULM, and Hollins has barely needed to throw: seven touchdown passes and two interceptions on 92 attempts. Marshall will also be without running back Jo'Shon Barbie, who is listed out on the Sun Belt's initial availability report.

South Alabama's three wins over FBS teams came by 5 over Ohio, 17 over ULM and 7 at Arkansas State, all with Hollins starting, and the Jaguars scored 41, 52 and 56 in them. Marshall's wins have been squeakers: 28-26 over Middle Tennessee, 30-24 at Missouri State and 36-35 over FCS Gardner-Webb. Its two Sun Belt games went badly, a 45-17 loss at James Madison and the Coastal Carolina mess, when Del Rio-Wilson threw three interceptions on six passes before Turner came in and went 18 of 27 for 219 yards and two touchdowns. A composite of computer ratings makes South Alabama a favorite by close to six points. Laying three at -111, which implies 52.6%, is a price we will pay.

What could go wrong is South Alabama's own defense. Ohio scored 36 on it, ULM 35 and Arkansas State 49, so a Marshall team that holds onto the ball can keep pace, and Jaguars coach Major Applewhite has said he doesn't expect the Herd to give it away like that again. South Alabama is also without offensive lineman Artem Korchagin and two linebackers, and three is exactly where this spread sits.

PICK #2: Over 65.5 (-108)

South Alabama's last four games have all gone over this number: 77 points against Ohio, 66 at Kentucky, 87 against ULM and 105 at Arkansas State. Now the Jaguars get a defense allowing 447.3 yards a game, and Marshall gets one allowing 34.5 points.

Marshall's offense moves the ball even when the points don't follow. The Herd average 406.5 yards a game, and they outgained Coastal Carolina 505 to 308 while scoring only 21 because six turnovers killed drives. If Marshall plays cleaner, this game gets more points. If it keeps giving the ball away, South Alabama gets short fields. A 38-28 South Alabama win clears the total, and so would either of the Jaguars' last two scores. The National Weather Service has a mostly clear night with wind around 2 mph, so the weather is no help to the Under. The price of -108 works out to 51.9%.

Marshall's history is the problem. Only one of the Herd's six games has gone past 65.5, the 71-point game against FCS Gardner-Webb, and they scored 17 and 21 in their last two. The total opened at 61.5 on Oct 16 and has been bet up four points, so the cheap number is long gone.

PICK #3: Anthony Eager Anytime Touchdown (+185)

At +185, Eager is priced to score 35.1% of the time. He has scored in three of South Alabama's five games against FBS teams.

He is the receiver who breaks the long one. Eager has four touchdowns on only 11 catches: 43 yards at Tulane, 36 at Kentucky, and 35 and 69 against ULM, a day when he finished with 168 yards on four catches. Marshall has given up long scoring passes of 75 and 44 yards to Gardner-Webb, 53 to James Madison and 38 to Missouri State. When a run game forces a defense to crowd the line, that's how a receiver like Eager gets behind it.

He doesn't see the ball much, though. He drew one target and made no catches at Arkansas State, where Hollins threw only 10 passes, and he had one catch for 6 yards against Ohio. Another 50-carry night could leave him with few chances. He is not on the conference's availability report.

21+ (18+ where permitted). Odds subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.