Southern Mississippi 2020 Win Total - College Football Pick and Prediction
Photo by Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Breaking Down the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Win Total
2020 College Football Season
Southern Mississippi: O/U 7.5 Wins -- Title Odds: NA
The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles will be looking to build off of a 2019 season that saw the program participate in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. Southern Mississippi finished the 2019 season with an overall record of (7-6), while going (5-3) in C-USA play. The offense averaged 26.6 points per game, which ranked 81st at the FBS level. The defense was in the middle of the pack, allowing 26.2 points per contest. The program is under the direction of Jay Hopson.
The offense is paced by quarterback Jack Abraham. Abraham passed for 3,496 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions as a junior. The quarterback also added 6 rushing touchdowns. Kevin Perkins rushed for nearly 550 yards and 3 touchdowns as a junior. The offense will have to fill the void in their receiving core. The Southern Mississippi program saw wideout Quez Watkins get drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 6th round, while De’Michael Harris signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent. Tim Jones looks to guide this receiving core for the 2020 season. Jones will be the clear number 1, after hauling in 73 receptions for 902 yards and 3 touchdowns.
As a team the defense collected 39 sacks and 10 interceptions. The defense was guided by defensive back Ky’el Hemby. Hemby totaled 93 tackles and 2 interceptions as a junior. The defense was very active in the pass rushing department, as there were 4 players that had at least 4.5 sacks. Linebacker Terry Whittington registered 7.5 sacks as a senior. Ty Williams had 13 pass break ups in the secondary as a senior. Overall the Southern Mississippi defense lost 2 key defensive backs, as D.Q. Thomas was also a senior. Shannon Showers looks to step up as a junior and fill the voids in the secondary.
Let us take a look at the Southern Mississippi schedule for the 2020 season.
Sept. 5 South Alabama
Sept. 12 Louisiana Tech
Sept. 19 Jackson State
Sept. 26 at Auburn
Oct. 3 at North Texas
Oct. 10 Florida Atlantic
Oct. 17 at UTEP
Oct. 24 at Liberty
Oct. 31 Rice
Nov. 14 at WKU
Nov. 21 UTSA
Nov. 28 at UAB
The Golden Eagles will split their non-conference slate of 4 games at home and on the road. Southern Miss plays host to South Alabama to open the season, before playing a C-USA game during week 2 against Louisiana Tech at home. The rest of the non-conference games consist of: Jackson State at home, at Auburn, and at Liberty.
The projected win total is set at 7.5 wins. Southern Miss should get 2 wins for sure in the first 3 weeks, against South Alabama and Jackson State. The Golden Eagles will play at Liberty, but this is an independent school, where a record could fool some fans at times. I’m giving Southern Mississippi a 3-1 record in non-conference play, with their lone loss to Auburn. The first C-USA game is against Louisiana Tech. Louisiana Tech will be down this season, as the whole secondary is gone. Southern Mississippi should be 3-1 heading to North Texas. A matchup at North Texas is more than winnable for the Southern Miss program. With the offense being led by senior quarterback Jack Abraham. Barring no key injuries to this program, an 8-4 record is realistic. The only 4 losses that seem more than possible are: Auburn, Florida Atlantic, Western Kentucky, and UAB. Look for Southern Miss to cover this win total and move up the standings in the C-USA West division.
Chris’s Pick Over 7.5 Wins
AUTHOR: Chris Smith
