Week 3 of the 2021 college football season kicks off Thursday, September 16, with the non-conference showdown from Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana, so here is the best Ohio Bobcats vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns betting pick. 

The hosts are listed as heavy 20-point favorites on MyBookie Sportsbook. The Bobcats are +790 moneyline dogs, while the totals sit at 57.0 points. These two schools meet each other for the first time since 2019 when the Ragin’ Cajuns easily outlasted the Bobcats as 3-point road underdogs, 45-25.

The Bobcats are off to a poor start

The Ohio Bobcats (0-2; 0-2 ATS) are coming off a disappointing 28-26 home loss to the Duquesne Dukes in Week 2, as they were listed as huge 29-point favorites. It was their first defeat to the FCS rival in nearly two decades, while the Bobcats started the season with two straight losses for the first time since 2008.

Back in Week 1, Ohio lost to the Syracuse Orange 29-9 as a slight 2-point home fave. The Bobcats surrendered 283 rushing yards, racking up just 134 in a return, while sophomore QB Kurtis Rourke tossed for 142 yards and an interception, completing 21 of his 28 passing attempts.

Last week, Rourke threw for 168 yards and a TD, but the Bobcats’ defense fell apart and yielded 26 1st downs to the Dukes, who racked up 362 total yards and ran for 168. Ohio held the ball in possession for only 18 minutes which tells you enough about the Bobcats’ performance. 

The Ragin’ Cajuns bounced back in Week 2 

The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns started the new season with a heavy 38-18 defeat at the No. 21 Texas Longhorns, failing to cover an 8.5-point spread. They bounced back with a narrow 27-24 home victory over the Nicholls Colonels in Week 2, but the Ragin’ Cajuns disappointed their backers once more, as they couldn’t cover a huge 26-point spread.

Senior QB Levi Lewis leads the way for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Through the first two games in 2021, Lewis has completed 64.4 percent of his passing attempts for 586 yards and three touchdowns. However, the Ragin’ Cajuns have struggled to run the ball efficiently, posting just 90 rushing yards against Nicholls and 86 against Texas.

Louisiana-Lafayette desperately needs more from its defense, too. The Ragin’ Cajuns allowed 170 rushing yards at Texas and 152 against Nicholls at home. Also, Billy Napier’s boys have forced just one turnover over the first couple of weeks of the 2021 CFB season.

Trends:

Ohio:

  • 1-5 ATS in the last six games overall 

Louisiana-Lafayette:

  • 4-1 ATS in the last five games played on Thursday

Ohio Bobcats vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns Pick

The Ragin’ Cajuns shouldn’t have too many problems outlasting the Bobcats, though covering a 20-point spread won’t be an easy task. I don’t feel comfortable with so many points on the table, but I also cannot back the Bobcats, as they’ve struggled mightily on both sides of the ball in the previous two weeks.

This is an excellent opportunity for the Ragin’ Cajuns to finally get things going on the ground. Levi Lewis is looking good in his senior year, so give me the hosts to cover.

Pick: Take Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns -20.0 at -110     

The Total:

Both Ohio and Louisiana-Lafayette have some serious problems on the defensive end, so betting on the over on the totals seems like the best wager in this matchup. The Ragin’ Cajuns were allowing 21.8 points per game in 2021, while their run D ranked 84th in the country, yielding 180.9 yards per contest. On the other side, the Bobcats were allowing just 16.7 points, but their run D ranked 95th with 193.7 yards allowed per game.

The last three encounters between Ohio and UL Lafayette went in the over, and the previous two produced more than 57 points in total each.

Pick: Go over 57.0 points at -110