Lamar vs Texas State Prediction College Football Picks 8/31/24

The Lamar Cardinals and the Texas State Bobcats meet in week 1 college football action from Bobcat Stadium on Saturday night. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Lamar vs. Texas State prediction.

Lamar Team Preview

The Lamar Cardinals come into the 2024 season looking to build on a decent 2023 season where Lamar finished 6-5 overall. Robert Coleman is back at QB for Lamar, throwing for 1,956 yards, 16 touchdowns and 7 INTs while Khalan Griffin comes back at RB after leading the Southland conference with 823 rushing yards and 5 TDs, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Andre Dennis is back to lead Lamar’s receiving group with 482 receiving yards and 3 TDs. On defense, Lamar’s led by Jaymond Jackson on the defensive line with 7 TFLs along with 3.5 sacks as well.

Why the Lamar Cardinals will win

• The underdog has won three of Texas State’s last four games.
• Texas State has lost five of its last six season openers.
• The underdog has covered the spread in three of Texas State’s last four games.

Texas State Recap

The Texas State Bobcats come into the 2024 campaign trying to take another step forward after a successful debut season under G.J. Kinne, ending the year with an 8-5 record including a 4-4 mark in Sun Belt conference play. The Bobcats would end the year with a 45-21 win over Rice in the First Responder Bowl.

Jordan McCloud will take over QB1 duties in San Marcos with TJ Finley gone, and McCloud was a stud for James Madison last year. Ismail Mahdi is back at running back after logging 1,331 rushing yards and 10 TDs while Joey Hobert is back in Texas State’s receiving group after logging 76 receptions while Kole Wilson also comes back as 5 of Texas State’s top 6 receivers from last year all return.

On defense, Tummise Adeleye comes in from Michigan State and Steven Parker transfers in from Incarnate Word to bolster Texas State’s defensive line while Ben Bell is back on the end after logging 10 sacks. Kaleb Kulp and Tory Spears make a formidable duo in the secondary for the Bobcats.

Why the Texas State Bobcats will win

• Texas State has won each of its last seven games as a home favorite.
• Texas State has covered the spread in each of its last four home openers.

Lamar vs. Texas State Prediction

This is a huge number, but I’m going to lay it with Texas State here. The Bobcats were fantastic offensively for a huge chunk of the season under G.J. Kinne, and I think that in year two with an equally potent attack led by Jordan McCloud, it’s only going to get better for the Bobcats. Lamar will be a feisty team in the Southland, but they just don’t have the horses to keep up here. Give me Texas State in a huge win to start the year.