The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (3-2, 1-0 in the Sun Belt) travel to Allen E. Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Ga., on Thursday night to face the Georgia Southern Eagles (2-3, 0-1) in a Sun Belt Conference matchup.
Below, we’ll break down our Southern Miss vs. Georgia Southern prediction for Thursday night, plus the top PrizePicks player picks, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
There have been a vast improvement from the Golden Eagles in 2025, as they have eclipsed the win total from their 1-11 record in 2024. However, it has been a long time since they’ve won away from Hattiesburg; today marks 700 days since their last road victory.
Georgia Southern has already suffered its first conference loss at the hands of James Madison, and a second conference loss could be trouble, as its two conference losses last season kept them out of the Sun Belt Championship game.
Let's dive into this Southern Miss vs. Georgia Southern matchup on Thursday night.
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Southern Miss vs. Georgia Southern Prediction, Preview for Week 7
Below, we’ll preview Southern Miss and Georgia Southern as they prepare for their Thursday night matchup at 8 p.m. ET. tonight, including key stats on both sides.
Southern Miss Preview vs. Georgia Southern
- After an abysmal 1-11 record in 2024, Southern Miss made changes, starting by hiring the head coach of a Sun Belt rival.
- Southern Miss head coach Charles Huff was previously at Marshall, where he led the Fighting Herd to a 2024 Sun Belt Conference Championship.
- Huff has transformed this offense, moving it from last in points scored per game in 2024 (15.3) to fourth (31.0).
- Huff brought over defensive coordinator Jason Semore from Marshall. Under Semore’s leadership, the defense is allowing the fourth-fewest points per game in the Sun Belt (26.2), a significant improvement from allowing the most last season (37.8).
Georgia Southern Preview vs. Southern Miss
- Southern Miss is looking for its first road win in almost two years, and it’ll have to do it against a Georgia Southern team that plays very well at home.
- Since 2023, the Eagles are 9-3 at home.
- The Georgia Southern offense is highlighted by RB OJ Arnold, who has rushed for 309 yards and 6.2 yards per carry.
- Their defense has regressed, and is 13th in points allowed per game (37.4) after being sixth in 2024 (27.6). They also struggle to generate pressure, with the fewest sacks in the Sun Belt (4).
Southern Miss vs. Georgia Southern Picks for CFB DFS, PrizePicks
Here are three Southern Miss vs. Georgia Southern picks to consider for Thursday's matchup. Georgia Southern RB OJ Arnold and Southern Miss QB Braylon Braxton make up the top PrizePicks college football picks to target.
Southern Miss QB Braylon Braxton Projection: 242.4 Passing Yards
- Braylon Braxton has more than 242 passing yards in two of the last three games.
- Braxton leads the Sun Belt with 247.2 passing yards per game and is second in pass attempts (168).
- Georgia Southern is allowing the fourth-fewest passing attempts in the Sun Belt (138).
- The Eagles are 114th in opponents’ passer rating in the FBS (155.4).
- The team from Statesboro is 114th in the country in defensive passing EPA (0.26).
Georgia Southern RB OJ Arnold Projection: 63.5 Rushing Yards
- Georgia Southern RB OJ Arnold has more than 61 rushing yards in two of his last three games.
- Arnold is coming off rushing for only 10 yards in the 35-10 loss to James Madison in Week 6. The low rushing total was due to the Eagles abandoning the run early, as they trailed by multiple possessions for most of the game.
- Southern Miss is 20th in the FBS for rushing yards allowed per game on the road (101.0).
- Georgia Southern is 63rd in PFF Run Blocking Grade.
- Southern Miss is 111th in opponent rushing success rate (43.4%).
Georgia Southern WR Camden Brown Projection: 80.5 Receiving Yards
- Camden Brown has more than 111 receiving yards in back-to-back games.
- Brown leads the Sun Belt with 19.6 yards per reception, thanks to 5 receptions of 25+ yards.
- Southern Miss is 31st in 20+ yard receptions allowed (12).
- The Golden Eagles are ninth in defensive passing EPA (-0.29).
Make Southern Miss vs. Georgia Southern Picks on PrizePicks
Southern Miss reinvigorated program will try to win its first road game since November 2023 as it travels to Statesboro to take on Georgia Southern in this Thursday night Sun Belt matchup.
This Thursday college football matchup is a perfect chance to make CFB picks on PrizePicks to win real money.
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Check out the Playbook throughout the remainder of the CFB season for more analysis for your PrizePicks and CFB DFS Lineups.
