College Football Picks & Predictions: Thursday (Troy vs. Old Dominion)
The Sun Belt steals the spotlight with its standalone game on Thursday night, as the Troy Trojans (6-3, 4-1 Sun Belt) take on the Old Dominion Monarchs (6-3, 3-2 Sun Belt). While it may not be a marquee game to the casuals, this contest carries some weight since Troy has the third-shortest odds (+1600) to win the conference title game. Settle in for a good one, and below I'll get you prepped with our top college football picks for this Thursday night clash in the Fun Belt!
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET from S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk, VA.
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Thursday's Best College Football Picks: Week 12
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Troy Trojans (+11.5) vs. Old Dominion Monarchs (-11.5) | O/U 52.5 (-108/-112)
The consensus opening line for this game was Old Dominion -9.5, and we've seen enough money come in on the Monarchs to push them through the key number of 10 and all the way up to 11.5. We're kind of in this "no man's land" area between 10.5 and 12.5, so I still don't think it's too late to lock in the Monarchs - and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Let's ride with Old Dominion minus the points.
I'm comfortable laying this number simply due to how explosive Old Dominion's offense is. They're ninth in the nation in yards per play (7.02) while averaging more than 450 yards per game. Sophomore quarterback Colton Joseph has been electric, passing for 2,231 yards and 19 touchdowns, while adding another 620 rushing yards and nine scores on the ground.
I see Old Dominion getting out to a decent lead, since there's nothing particularly remarkable about Troy on the defensive side of the ball. From there, I'm willing to bet that Troy's offense is incapable of climbing back in this game. They're just not built to play from behind, as they're 120th in yards per play (4.93) and rank outside of the top 95 in both passing and rushing yards per game.
Troy quarterback Tucker Kilcrease enters the contest with a measly 59.9% completion rate and a 9:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. That data doesn't exactly have me thinking that the Trojans can go score-for-score in a barnburner. Plus, Old Dominion's pass defense is a solid 28th in passing yards allowed per play (10.69), suggesting they've held up well on the back end.
As long as Old Dominion can take care of the ball, they should cruise to victory at home. Of their six wins this year, five have come by 14+ points. They're no strangers to comfortable wins thanks to their dynamic offense.
Bet: Old Dominion Monarchs -11.5 (-108)