Week 1 kicks off with what should be a quality matchup when Georgia Southern takes the 2,521-mile trip to visit Fresno State. It’s one of the more anticipated games this week that features two Group of Five programs.
Of the 14 Sun Belt games this week, there are only two with a single-digit point spread. This is one of them. The other is App State vs. Charlotte, where the Mountaineers are a 4.5-point favorite.
This is the first-ever meeting between Georgia Southern and Fresno State.
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How To Watch Georgia Southern-Fresno State
The game kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday and will air on FS1.
Georgia Southern-Fresno State Betting Odds
Fresno State is a 1.5-point college football betting odds underdog against Georgia Southern.
Georgia Southern-Fresno State Coaches & Records
GASO: Clay Helton (65-43 overall, 20-19 at GASO)
FSU: Matt Entz (60-12 overall, 0-1 at FSU)
Last meeting: This is the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Georgia Southern Preview
The Eagles have made strides each season under fourth-year head coach Clay Helton. In his first two seasons, they reached six wins before finishing 8-5 last year. This season, I think the Eagles have the potential to win nine or 10 games.
One of the reasons is the return of redshirt junior quarterback JC French IV, who will have the luxury of entering the season in a familiar system with a lot of familiar faces surrounding him. That just isn’t the case for a lot of college QBs anymore.
In 2024, French finished with 2,831 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He’s an accurate QB and completed 65.6% of his passes, but his interceptions were tied for third-most in the league. I expect that TD-INT ratio to be a little better this season.
Aside from an experienced offensive line, the Eagles also return two of their top three pass catchers from last year in Dalen Cobb and Josh Dallas. OJ Arnold is likely to be the top running back after being the second-leading rusher on last year’s squad.
Most of the defensive starters will also be back, including defensive linemen Latrell Bullard and Davion Rhodes. Bullard had 35 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss last season while Rhodes registered 23 tackles, six TFLs, and three sacks.
Georgia Southern’s linebacking corps will be a nice mix of returnees and transfers, including App State transfer Brendan Harrington, who led the Mountaineers with 65 total tackles last season.
The secondary looks to be the strength of the defense and returns starters in Ayden Jackson, Tracy Hill, Chance Gamble, and Justin Myers.
Fresno State Preview
The Matt Entz era at Fresno State didn’t get off to the greatest start with the Bulldogs losing 31-7 to Kansas in Week 0. Things looked bright early, however, when Fresno scored on its first possession of the game but had three turnovers, four punts, and a missed field goal throughout the remainder of its possessions.
QB EJ Warner was 18-for-29 passing for 179 yards and two interceptions and connected with 11 different receivers. Bryson Donelson led the team with 34 yards on the ground. There were a few questions surrounding the skill players — especially the wideouts — entering the season, and it looks those have yet to be answered.
The Bulldogs struggled to contain the Jayhawks’ rushing attack and surrendered 207 yards on the ground. I think this week they’ll see a more pass-oriented offense from Georgia Southern.
They should be prepared for that passing attack, though, with what has the potential to be one of the best secondaries in the Mountain West. Al’zillion Hamilton is an all-conference caliber cornerback, and nickelback Simeon Harris has proven he can play despite redshirting last year at Utah State.
The turnover among the linebackers and defensive line reared its head against Kansas, so it’ll be interesting to see if the first and second levels of the defense have a better outing against the Eagles.
Georgia Southern-Fresno State Prediction
I predict Georgia Southern will go on the road and find a way to win despite the long road trip.
I think the Eagles are just the more complete and experienced team right now and have much more chemistry based on what they’re returning. I wouldn’t be surprised if Georgia Southern looks like it’s in mid-season form and wins by two scores.
