Georgia Southern vs. Ohio Prediction, Pick & Odds: Myrtle Beach Bowl

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14 December 2023

Georgia Southern vs. Ohio Prediction, Pick & Odds: Myrtle Beach Bowl

We anticipate a short-handed team will struggle against a short favorite as we make our Georgia Southern vs. Ohio prediction for the Myrtle Beach Bowl based on the best college football odds.

The 2023 bowl season begins with the Myrtle Beach Bowl, showcasing a matchup between the Georgia Southern Eagles and Ohio Bobcats.

Despite entering the postseason with four consecutive losses, the Eagles position themselves as favorites against a depleted Bobcats team. Ohio encounters challenges with a limited roster, creating the backdrop for an intriguing clash where Georgia Southern seeks to leverage its status as the favorite despite recent struggles. This presents an opportunity for both teams to set the tone for the bowl season with this opening game.

Did the betting market overreact, or will Georgia Southern secure its fourth bowl win in program history?

As part of our look at all college bowl game odds, here is our best Georgia Southern vs. Ohio prediction and our college football picks for Saturday's Myrtle Beach Bowl (odds via our best college football betting sites; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Georgia Southern vs. Ohio prediction: Myrtle Beach Bowl

Georgia Southern -3 (-110 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Eagles struggled down the stretch, dropping four straight to end the year at 6-6 overall. Georgia Southern lost outright as a favorite twice during that span, and the team suffered 20-plus-point losses in both games when it was listed as an underdog.

Yet we love the idea of backing a desperate Georgia Southern squad against a depleted Ohio team, especially with the spread sitting at a key number. While power ratings for bowl games are more fluid, I did make this spread a couple of points higher. There's value in anything -3 or better.

Multiple key starters have hit the transfer portal after leading Ohio to a 9-3 overall record, including quarterback Kurtis Rourke. The Ohio signal-caller ranked 52nd among all quarterbacks in offensive grade during 2023, according to Pro Football Focus. The Bobcats could only muster 10 points after Rourke was sidelined during a Week 0 loss to San Diego State.

To make matters worse, CJ Harris was the backup QB during that Week 0 defeat. He's since suffered a season-ending injury, meaning third-stringer Parker Navarro is in position to start under center for the Bobcats. Navarro has attempted just 24 passes during his four-year career that began at UCF in 2020.

Georgia Southern is much closer to full strength ahead of this matchup, and the team will be motivated to end the season on a high note after losing all four contests in November. We're counting on the Eagles to prevail by more than a field goal in this one.

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Georgia Southern vs. Ohio best odds

Most of our best sports betting sites have settled on this spread being at 3.5, but it's occasionally dropped to 3 at times. It's worth taking the -3 whenever available, which is why we're heading straight to bet365 to place our wager on Georgia Southern.

We prefer to play this at -3 only, so consider a moneyline wager if the spread bumps up to -3.5 across the board.

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Georgia Southern vs. Ohio odds

As is usually the case with bowl betting, the spread has moved quite a bit since opening at 1.5. The line ended up getting as high as Georgia Southern -4, but it's starting to drop down to -3 and -3.5 at our best sports betting apps.

Georgia Southern went 5-6-1 against the spread in 2023 while posting a 6-6 clip on totals. Ohio was 6-6 ATS with a 9-3 record to the Under.