College football betting: Southern Miss-Troy kick off 61 days of football

College football betting: Southern Miss-Troy kick off 61 days of football By Adam Burke VSiN October 5, 2026 - 2:37 pm David Brandt, a Marine, Purple Heart recipient and farmer, went viral in 2018 when he was the subject of a news story and became internet celebrated for the quote, “It ain’t much, but it’s honorable work.” Sadly, Brandt died in 2023, but his meme lives on, and so do some of his farming techniques. All of that is to say that these Tuesday and Wednesday nighttime college football games won’t be pretty and won’t be much, but they will be honorable work. They won’t be large displays of talent. But they do help us get 61 consecutive days of CFB/NFL action, and we salute them for that. We begin with Southern Miss versus Troy out of the Sun Belt, a standalone 5 p.m. PT contest on ESPN2. It was astute of the Fun Belt and Conference USA to schedule these weeknight games as a way to generate TV revenue and modest exposure for the programs. For us, it’s nice to have something to sweat over and follow on the gridiron on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. However, most fans know little about these teams, so hopefully that’s where we step in at VSiN and where these previews prove useful. Southern Miss vs. Troy (-11, 49½) 5 p.m. Tuesday PT (ESPN2) It has not been an enjoyable season so far for Southern Miss and head coach Blake Anderson, who was promoted from offensive coordinator after Charles Huff accepted the Memphis coaching position. The Golden Eagles opened with a 49‑3 victory over Alcorn State but have since dropped all three FBS matchups, yielding 48 points to UConn and 43 points to Auburn. They did have a tight contest last week, falling 24‑21 at Tulane, yet it is difficult to win when allowing roughly six yards per carry. Troy stands at 2‑2, having defeated Sam Houston and Alabama State to open the year before losing the past two weeks to Missouri and Utah State. The 10‑point defeat to Missouri appears more favorable in light of what the Tigers accomplished against Florida the previous week. The 11‑point setback at Utah State is not an impressive showing, but it came during an unusual road trip to Logan, Utah, where the team played at elevation. The Trojans also missed two field goals, Goose Crowder threw three interceptions, and the squad committed a turnover on downs in positive territory. Looking ahead to the league opener for both sides, note that Troy averaged 6.3 yards per play in its sole FCS game and just 4.9 YPP in its three FBS contests. Southern Miss posted 6.5 YPP in the Alcorn State blowout but managed only 5.1 YPP in the three FBS games. Defensively, the pattern mirrors the offense: Troy has allowed 5.7 YPP to FBS opponents while Southern Miss has surrendered 6.4 YPP. Interestingly, Troy converted only 3 of 14 third‑down attempts against Alabama State and converts 37.8 percent of its third downs versus FBS foes, yet ranks 111th overall in conversion rate. Southern Miss sits 114th overall at 33.3 percent, but against FBS competition the Golden Eagles convert just 31 percent of third downs. On defense, Troy is one of the stronger third‑down units, limiting opponents to 32 percent conversion. Southern Miss fares worse, ranking 110th at 43.1 percent. Considering Troy and the double‑digit spread, a primary concern is that the Trojans have reached the red zone only nine times this season. Covering a spread of this magnitude requires scoring chances; Southern Miss has 13 red‑zone trips and ranks 20th in touchdown percentage within those opportunities, although it was 5‑for‑6 versus Alcorn State. Troy backup quarterback Goose Crowder has completed 52 percent of his passes, and the team averages 4.4 yards per attempt overall. Jahiem Merriweather averages 6 yards per attempt and is second on the squad in attempts, but his 127‑yard rush against Alabama State inflates the figure. Against FBS opponents, Troy averages just 3.9 yards per carry. Southern Miss has already used two different quarterbacks and has managed only 3.3 yards per attempt in FBS play. These are two inefficient offenses, to say the least, making the under 49½ a plausible outcome. The weather forecast is not promising. Nevertheless, even if the Golden Eagles struggle, an 11‑point head start could be sufficient versus a Troy offense that has failed to produce consistently. Pick: Southern Miss +11 VSiN, The Sports Betting Network