Louisiana vs. Southern Miss football: Predictions, odds for Ragin' Cajuns home game
With just a few weeks left in the college football season, teams across the country are looking to secure bowl eligibility. That includes the Sun Belt Conference where Louisiana (5-4, 2-3 Sun Belt) is one win away from clinching bowl eligibility. This week, the Ragin' Cajuns host Southern Miss (2-7, 1-5) in Lafayette for a conference matchup.
Louisiana enters Thursday night's game in the midst of an inconsistent season. The Ragin' Cajuns have traded wins and losses since Week 4 of the college football season. A 38-13 win against Northwestern State in the season opener was a good start to 2023. Their comeback in Week 2 against Old Dominion fell short in a 38-31 loss in their first Sun Belt game of the year.
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Week 3 saw quarterback Ben Wooldridge suffer a foot injury on the fourth play against UAB. Louisiana still beat the Blazers 41-21 behind freshman quarterback Zeon Chriss' 277 total yards and three total touchdowns.
Chriss led the Ragin' Cajuns to another win a week later 45-38 over Buffalo. His 319 total yards and three total touchdowns paced the Louisiana offense despite two interceptions.
Chriss has retained the starting role over the last month and a half. He's quarterbacked the team to three losses: 35-24 to Minnesota in Week 5, 20-17 to Georgia State in Week 8, and 37-17 last week against Arkansas State. But he's also pushed them to two wins: 34-30 over Texas State in Week 6 and 33-20 over South Alabama in Week 9.
Last week's loss to Arkansas State saw Chriss leave the game with a lower body injury. He's been ruled out against Southern Miss this week and junior Chandler Fields will start at quarterback in his place. Fields completed 10 of 17 passes for 92 yards and an interception last week.
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Southern Miss' 2023 season's been less up and down in comparison. The Golden Eagles started out the season with a big 40-14 win over Alcorn State. Running back Frank Gore Jr. and quarterback Billy Wiles led the way for the Eagles' offense in its biggest win of the season.
Since the opener, it's been tough going for Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles dropped seven straight games over the next month and a half, beginning with a 66-13 loss to Florida State in Tallahassee. The next week saw them fall flat in a 21-3 loss to Tulane at home.
The Sun Belt opener in Week 4 against Arkansas State didn't end the Golden Eagles' way either. Southern Miss battled back from a 17-point deficit but lost 44-37 on the road. Gore Jr. had a season-best 132 yards and a touchdown in a bounce-back game on the ground but the Golden Eagles couldn't get a win.
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In Week 5, Texas State came to Hattiesburg and won 50-36. Gore Jr. eclipsed 100 yards again but the Golden Eagles' offense couldn't keep up in a shootout. A week later, Gore Jr. was stuffed at the goal line and Southern Miss lost to Old Dominion 17-13. The bye week did little to turn things around; South Alabama handed the Golden Eagles a 55-3 loss, their worst-ever conference defeat.
Another loss — this time a 48-38 collapse to Appalachian State — dropped the Golden Eagles to 1-7. The streak finally ended at home last week with a 24-7 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
Louisiana's trying to avoid its first losing streak of the season and secure a bowl spot. Southern Miss, meanwhile, is looking for consecutive wins for the first time since last year. The two teams meet Thursday night for a Sun Belt showdown in Lafayette.
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The Daily Advertiser: Louisiana 35, Southern Miss 17
Cory Diaz writes, "No Chriss, no problem for the Ragin' Cajuns against a fledging Golden Eagle squad. UL's defense bounces back, keeping Fields from having to press too much offensively."
The Hattiesburg American: Louisiana 27, Southern Miss 26
Sam Sklar writes, "the Golden Eagles cover the spread and Gore has another big game, but the Ragin' Cajuns' rushing offense that averages 197.3 yards per game grinds down the defense."
ESPN: Louisiana has 81.3% chance to move to 6-4
ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) rating puts Southern Miss as the second-worst team in the Sun Belt Conference. Louisiana's right in the middle by rating and a wide margin ahead of the Eagles, tipping the analytics in Louisiana's favor.
Action Network: Southern Miss +10.5
Dan Keegan writes, "Despite a tough year for the Golden Eagles, they're still playing tough. Chriss’ injury is a great equalizer and will bring Louisiana’s run game back to the pack."
Athlon Sports: Louisiana 37, Southern Miss 22
Staff note, "Louisiana won seven games against the spread last season, failing to cover six times."
How to Watch Louisiana vs. Southern Miss: TV channel and streaming
When: Thursday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Cajun Field, Lafayette, Louisiana
Cable TV: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN app; FuboTV
How to watch: Catch the latest football action on Fubo
NCAAF odds Week 10: Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles
The Ragin' Cajuns are big favorites to get the win at home against the Eagles, according to the BetMGM college football odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering betting promos in 2023.
Spread: Louisiana (-10.5)
Moneyline: Louisiana (-400); Southern Miss (+310)
Over/under: 51.5 points
Louisiana at Southern Miss injury report
Ragin' Cajuns QB Ben Wooldrige (foot) is out
Ragin' Cajuns QB Zeon Chriss (undisclosed) is out
Eagles RB Rodrigues Clark (hand) is out
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football schedule and results
Week 1: Sat. 09/02: Louisiana 38-13 Northwestern State Final
Week 2: Sat. 09/09: Louisiana 31-38 Old Dominion Final
Week 3: Sat 09/16: Louisiana 41-21 UAB Final
Week 4: Sat. 09/23: Louisiana 45-38 Buffalo Final
Week 5: Sat. 09/30: Louisiana 24-35 Minnesota Final
Week 6: Sat. 10/07: Louisiana 34-30 Texas State Final
Week 7: Sat. 10/14: Bye
Week 8: Sat. 10/21: Louisiana 17-20 Georgia State Final
Week 9: Sat. 10/28: Louisiana 33-20 South Alabama Final
Week 10: Sat. 11/04: Louisiana 17-37 Arkansas State Final
Week 11: Thurs. 11/09: Louisiana vs. Southern Miss, 7:30 p.m., ET, ESPN
Week 12: Sat. 11/18: Louisiana at Troy, 3:30 p.m., ET, TBD
Week 13: Sat. 11/25: Louisiana vs. UL Monroe, TBD
Southern Miss Eagles football schedule and results
Week 1: Sat. 09/02: Southern Miss 40-14 Alcorn State Final
Week 2: Sat. 09/09: Southern Miss 13-66 Florida State Final
Week 3: Sat. 09/16: Southern Miss 3-21 Tulane Final
Week 4: Sat. 09/23: Southern Miss 37-44 Arkansas State Final
Week 5: Sat. 09/30: Southern Miss 36-50 Texas State Final
Week 6: Sat. 10/07: Southern Miss 13-17 Old Dominion Final
Week 7: Sat. 10/14: Bye
Week 8: Tues. 10/17: Southern Miss 3-55 South Alabama Final
Week 9: Sat. 10/28: Southern Alabama 38-48 Appalachian State Final
Week 10: Sat. 11/04: Southern Miss 24-7 UL Monroe Final
Week 11: Thurs. 11/09: Southern Miss at Louisiana, 7:30 p.m., ET, ESPN
Week 12: Sat. 11/18: Southern Miss at Mississippi State, 12:00 p.m., ET, SEC Network/ESPN+
Week 13: Sat. 11/25: Southern Miss vs. Troy, TBD
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Louisiana vs. Southern Miss predictions, picks and odds for Thursday
