The Jackson State Tigers host the Southern Jaguars in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game on Saturday, with the winner earning a shot at the Cricket Celebration Bowl.

The Tigers have been the class of the SWAC this season, and I expect them to perform in the conference championship as I will elaborate on my Southern vs. Jackson State predictions.

Read on to see all of my takeaways from the SWAC Championship Game in my free college football picks for Saturday, December 7th.

Prediction and best bet for Southern vs. Jackson State

My best choice
Jackson State -13.5 (-110 on FanDuel)
Picks made at the time of writing may not reflect live odds.

My analysis
Jackson State and Southern will meet in the SWAC title game for the second time in three years, with the winner set to face the South Carolina State Bulldogs in the Celebration Bowl, which serves as the unofficial HBCU national championship. That means there’s a lot at stake for both sides in this rematch – although only one of them should go into this game with a win.

The first meeting between these teams this year was one-sided. Jackson State had three different players rush for touchdowns while totaling 201 yards on the ground and seemed capable of doing whatever they wanted on offense. The Tigers also had success throwing the ball, with Jacobian Morgan going 12 of 21 and a touchdown before backup Cam’Ron McCoy was allowed to play a little.

Meanwhile, we saw little offensive production from Southern. The Jaguars threw two interceptions and managed just 29 yards on the ground, not getting any decent passing yards until the second half, when the game was already completely out of control.

But the gap between these teams goes far beyond this one game. Jackson State is on an eight-game winning streak, and only two of those games have been decided by a single score. Their only losses this season were to the FBS Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks and a surprising loss to the Grambling Tigers in September.

Southern has posted a solid 8-4 season, but three of those wins came in overtime. Four of the Jaguars’ conference wins have come by a score or less, suggesting they overperformed to reach Saturday’s championship game.

This Jackson State team has 11 all-conference players on its roster – compared to just one for Southern – and is by far the more talented and skilled team in all three phases of the game. I expect the Tigers to win this game by an even larger margin than they did in the one-sided regular season matchup.

Southern vs. Jackson State Match Game Negotiation (SGP)

Jackson State -13.5

Over 47.5

In addition to covering Jackson State, I also add a bet on the over to complete my play in the same game. The first game between these two exceeded the total score, if only by half a point. However, Jackson State has played above that total in nine of its 12 games this year and should be able to produce at a high rate on offense against Southern.

The Jaguars have also achieved this record in five of their 12 games, so they are quite capable of getting involved in a shootout, especially against superior teams.

Learn how to place a bet in the same game with these helpful tips and strategies.

More college football picks and odds from Covers

Southern vs. Jackson State odds

Southern vs. Jackson State live odds

Southern vs. Jackson State opening odds

• Southern vs. Jackson State spread: Jackson State -13.5
• Southern vs. Jackson State Moneyline: South +400, Jackson State -550
• Southern vs. Jackson State Over/Under: 47.5

Odds courtesy of BetMGM

Southern vs. Jackson State distribution and over/under analysis

• Jackson State is 7-4 against the spread this year, while Southern has set bettors with an ATS mark of 6-5.
• The Tigers covered the first meeting between these teams, winning 33-15 against the Jaguars as 10-point favorites.
• When Southern plays this season, the under is 7-4, while the over is 8-3 when Jackson State has played.
• The Tigers are scoring 36.8 points per game this season while the Jaguars are scoring just 22.1 points per game on offense.

Things to know about the Southern vs. Jackson State betting trend

Jackson State has won its last five straight meetings against Southern and has won each of the last four by at least 13 points. Find more college football betting trends for Southern vs. Jackson State.

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