Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Marshall Thundering Herd Odds, College Football Pick

Marshall was the preseason favorite to win the Conference USA championship, and despite last week's loss, which ruined the Herd's run at perfection, they can still live up to those lofty expectations.

Louisiana Tech, meanwhile, got hot toward the end of this season, going 4-1 against the spread over its last five games, winning CUSA's West Division.

Two of the better teams to bet on this season meet when the Thundering Herd and the Bulldogs battle in the CUSA Championship Game on the Herd's home field in Huntington on Saturday afternoon.

Point spread: The Thundering Herd opened as 14.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 41.6-23.0 Thundering Herd

Why the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs can cover the spread

The Bulldogs are 6-1 SU over their last seven games and 6-2 ATS over their last eight after routing Rice 76-31 and easily covering the spread as seven-point favorites last week. Louisiana Tech led 28-17 at the half and then scored four times in the third quarter to pull away. The 'Dogs racked up 677 yards of offense on the Owls, ran for 269 yards and scored twice on defensive touchdowns.

So after going 4-8 in its first season under Skip Holtz last year, Louisiana Tech is playing for a conference title. The Bulldogs have been betting dogs four times this season; they're 4-0 ATS in that spot.

Why the Marshall Thundering Herd can cover the spread

The Herd had won 11 games in a row but got caught napping last week, giving up nine touchdowns in a 67-66 overtime loss to Western Kentucky. Marshall trailed almost all day, including by 10 points with 10 minutes to go, but rallied for two scores to force overtime before falling on a bold two-point call by the Hilltoppers. Prior to that, the Herd had won 10 of their 11 games by at least 19 points.

Marshall is averaging 289 yards per game on the ground and 286 through the air while giving up just 359 total yards per outing. Finally, after losing last year's conference title game to Rice as six-point favorites, the Herd might be hungry for redemption.

Smart pick

Marshall owns the edge on offense, but Louisiana Tech owns the edge on defense. And when you can get the team with the better defense plus points, that's probably the smart choice.

Betting trends

• Louisiana Tech is 4-2 SU in its last six games on the road.
• Marshall is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates, and get the free odds tracker app.