IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl: Best Bets and Props for South Alabama vs. Western Michigan

College football's regular season and the Heisman Trophy Ceremony will wrap up on Saturday, and we won't waste a single breath to dive into bowl season.

Immediately after Travis Hunter is presumably crowned, the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl begins the postseason in what should be a fun one. The South Alabama Jaguars and Western Michigan Broncos are geared toward offense, and most of their best players stuck around and passed on the transfer portal.

The college football odds at FanDuel Sportsbook have the Jaguars listed as a 7.5-point favorite, and this game's total is 57.5 points. This game will be played at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.

Which best bets stand out from Saturday's game?

All college football odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

South Alabama vs. Western Michigan Betting Picks

South Alabama -7.5 (-115)
South Alabama Over 33.5 Points (-125)

Unless you're convinced that the MAC (7 bowl teams) is significantly stronger than the Sun Belt (8), it's hard to not think South Alabama rolls just a little over two hours from their campus.

The Jags were 24th in yards per play (6.2 YPP) this year compared to the Broncos' 72nd-ranked offensive output (5.4). They'll also face the easier defense; Western Michigan ranked 106th in rushing yards per attempt allowed and 111th in passing YPA allowed -- and that's in the MAC.

South Alabama was 73rd and 84th, respectively, in those categories with the pedigree of being a top-10 defense (in YPP allowed) last year under Major Applewhite. Their relative struggles could be due to an improved conference.

Keeping quarterback Gio Lopez in the transfer portal was also a huge boost of momentum. Lopes was 30th in all of FBS in QBR (72.7) and highly sought after by Power 4 schools, but he's not bleeping leaving straight from the source.

This line opened at 10.0 points and inched down, but I'm expecting it to reverse course as Lopez's availability (confirmed Wednesday) is known. I'll ladder this with South Alabama's team total just in case the Broncos keep pace, but this is a home game for the Jags against what is objectively a poor defense.

Jamaal Pritchett Over 89.5 Receiving Yards (-114)
Jamaal Pritchett Anytime Touchdown (+100)

As someone who loves player props, it's exciting to draw one of the best receivers in the nation so early into bowl season.

Jamaal Pritchett was sixth in all of FBS in target share (34.7%) this season. The senior saw 10.0 targets per game, converting that into seven games with at least eight catches. He topped 85 receiving yards in all but one contest decided by fewer than 16 points.

This is his "bon voyage" moment from the Jaguars as he prepares for a potential spot in the NFL Draft, and expect Lopez -- whose own props aren't up amid portal uncertainty -- to feed him early and often against Western Michigan's poor secondary. Their pass rate could be quite high after stud running back Fluff Bothwell did leave via the portal.

Against schools outside the top 100 in passing YPA allowed this year, Pritchett averaged 7.7 catches and 108.8 receiving yards per game. He also scored six times in those six games, so I'm tacking on a touchdown at even money.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.