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Marshall Thundering Herd O/U 7.0 Wins
Last season, Marshall went 7-5 in the regular-season and lost four out of five games by seven or fewer points.
Marshall lost the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Game versus Louisiana (36-21), which was more like a road game being in New Orleans, but they have now played in five-straight Bowl Games and won seven or more games every year during that span (since 2017).
Entering this season, Marshall switched conferences. They are now in the Sun Belt after leaving the C-USA, which I think is a factor why the line is 7.0, kind of low, but we are seeing 7.5’s on some books.
Entering 2022, Marshall was picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll for the Sun Belt. However, the schedule for the Thundering Herd is beneficial.
Marshall will host the top three teams projected ahead of them in the preseason poll -- Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina and Georgia State. Talk about opportunity in year one of the Sun Belt.
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While Marshall lost 2021 starting quarterback Grant Wells (3,532 passing yards, 16 TDs, 13 INTs) to Virginia Tech, they replaced Wells with Texas Tech transfer Henry Colombi (1,291 passing yards, 5 TDs, 5 INTs). Colombi’s Texas Tech numbers might not impress but he could be an upgrade for Marshall coming from an air raid offense.
The Thundering Herd also return dynamic playmakers on offense like starting running back Rasheen Ali (1,743 total yards, 24 total TDs) and leading receiver Corey Gammage (78 receptions, 878 yards, 2 TDs).
Marshall should have another stellar defense led by guys like Micah Abraham, Steven Gilmore, Koby Cumberlander, Owen Porter, Elijah Alston and they added three Power-5 transfers, Kentucky’s Isaiah Gibson, Miami’s Quentin Williams and Purdue’s Anthony Watts.
I believe the Thunder Herd will contend in the Sun Belt conference and should have one of its best teams in years. While playing in a new conference can be tough, their opponents know just as much about Marshall as Marshall does them.
With winnable games against Norfolk State, Bowling Green and Gardner-Webb, plus a few versus teams predicted to finish behind Marshall like James Madison, Old Dominion and Georgia Southern -- I like the chances the Thundering Herd take advantage of enough teams for seven or more wins for the sixth-consecutive season.
I sprinted them to win the Sun Belt at +550 odds. I played the Over 7.0 Wins at -140 odds. I would play Over 7.5 for 1 to 1.5 units. Marshall should be in contention all season for the Sun Belt title and its six-straight bowl game.
Pick: Marshall Over 7.0 Wins (2u), Marshall to win the Sun Belt (0.25u)
🏈 College Football Win Totals 🏈
— Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) August 7, 2022
Miami (OH) Over 6.5 Wins (-135)
Marshall Over 7.0 Wins (-140)
Illinois Over 4.5 Wins (-120)@ToddFuhrman joins @whale_capper and myself tomorrow to talk some College Football Futures 💰
Write ups on @NBCSportsBet: https://t.co/W7uUVAGqA1 pic.twitter.com/b1F71ym7m1
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