Ball State Cardinals vs San Jose State Spartans Prediction, 12/31/2020 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Ball State Cardinals vs San Jose State Spartans

Date: Thursday, December 31, 2020

Location: Arizona Stadium

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Ball State (+4)

Total/Over-Under: 55.5

Arizona Stadium is the site where Nick Starkel and the San Jose State Spartans (7-0) will take on the Ball State Cardinals (6-1) on Thursday, December 31 in the Arizona Bowl. San Jose State opens this game as 4-point favorites. The O/U has been set at 55.5.

In their last outing, the Ball State Cardinals went up against the Buffalo Bulls and left there with a win by a score of 38-28. Tye Evans led the team in rushing in this contest. He tore off a long run of 30 yards but wasn't able to convert a rushing touchdown. He rushed for 94 yards by way of 18 carries which had him averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Yo'Heinz Tyler was the leader in receiving yardage with a tally of 91 yards on 6 receptions. He averaged 15.2 yards per reception in this contest. Drew Plitt went 20/32 with 263 yards by way of the pass and added 3 TD's. He tossed 1 interception for the contest.

The Cardinals have racked up 3,176 total yards for the year. Offensively they're holding an average of 177.0 yards rushing which has them sitting 53rd in the country. When it comes to getting in the endzone, Ball State has compiled 16 touchdowns through the air and 12 touchdowns via the ground. In terms of scoring points, the Ball State Cardinals are sitting at 34.3 points per contest. When talking about passing yards, the Cardinals have given up 2,071 yds which has them sitting in 86th in D-1. For the season, they have yielded 441.7 yards per game putting them at 104th in D-1. The Cardinals rank 68th in the nation concerning the opposition scoring, giving up 27.6 PPG. They are giving up an average of 3.9 yards per rush on the ground and 145.9 yards on the ground per game for the season. Over the course of their 7 games played this year, they are giving up 295.9 yards per game through the air in addition to giving up a completion percentage of 66.7%. Overall, they have given up 1,021 yards via the ground game in 7 games.

Drew Plitt has connected on 517 of his career 816 tosses for a completion percentage of 63.4%. He is averaging 203.0 yards per game. For his career, Plitt has thrown for a total of 6,293 yards with 49 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. His QB rating is 142.1 with a touchdown rate of 6.0% and an interception percentage of 2.9%. Since he has been in college, he has left the pocket to run 231 different times totaling 281 yds.

In their last game, the San Jose State Spartans went up against the Boise State Broncos and were on the winning end of this game by a score of 34-20. Kairee Robinson led the team on the ground in this game. His longest run of the day went for 24 yards but wasn't able to convert a rushing touchdown. He rushed for 39 yards on 12 carries which meant he averaged 3.3 yards per tote. Tre Walker led the team in receiving yardage with a total of 137 yards on 7 receptions. He averaged 19.6 yards per catch in this game. Nick Starkel went 32/52 with 453 yards via the pass and tossed 3 TD's. He finished the game without throwing an interception.

For the season so far, the Spartans currently have a total of 2,109 yards through the air as well as an average of 301.3 passing yards per outing, ranking them 20th in Division 1. The San Jose State Spartans average 444.7 yards/outing which is good for 27th in college football. They maintain an average of 143.4 run yards per game and have rushed for 1,004 yards for the year. Regarding how much they score, the Spartans rank 47th in the nation maintaining an average of 30.9 points per contest. San Jose State has surrendered a total of 793 yards on the ground (113.3 yards per game) as well as 7 touchdowns on the ground this season. The Spartans are allowing 17.9 points per game, which has them ranked 25th in the country. Over the course of the season, they have conceded 125 total points. They have yielded 7 touchdowns via the pass as well as 227.1 yards per contest, which puts them in 72nd in the country.

Starkel has passed for 38 TD's while tossing 20 picks in his career. His TD rate when attempting a pass is 6.1% and his interception percentage is 3.2%. He has taken off and run for -96 yds on 31 tries. He averages 193.1 yds per contest through the air with a 142.2 QB rating. In the 26 contests in his career, Nick Starkel has completed 372 of 618 attempts for 5,020 yds.

Who will win tonight's Cardinals/Spartans college football game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Spartans -4

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here