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Levi Lewis concludes his successful college career on Saturday night when he leads the No. 23 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns into the 2021 New Orleans Bowl at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. A "super senior" who is playing his sixth season, Lewis is 34-7 as the starting quarterback for the Ragin' Cajuns. He ranks first in program history in career passing touchdowns (73) and second in career passing yards (8,921). On Saturday he will lead a 12-1 Louisiana team looking to stretch its program-record winning streak to 13 straight games. The Ragin' Cajuns take on a 7-5 Marshall team that finished second in the East division of Conference USA. 

Kickoff is set for 9:15 p.m. ET. The Ragin' Cajuns are four-point favorites in the latest Louisiana vs. Marshall odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 55.5. Before locking in any Marshall vs. Louisiana picks or 2021 New Orleans Bowl predictions, be sure to check out the college football analysis and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,700 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters the 2021-22 college football bowl season on a 43-29 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Louisiana vs. Marshall and just locked in its New Orleans Bowl 2021 picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college football odds and betting trends for Marshall vs. Louisiana: 

  • Louisiana vs. Marshall spread: Ragin' Cajuns -4
  • Louisiana vs. Marshall over-under: 55.5 points
  • Louisiana vs. Marshall money line: Ragin' Cajuns -180, Thundering Herd +155
  • UL: Louisiana ranks second in the country in turnover margin (+1.00 turnovers per game).
  • MAR: The Thundering Herd rank 10th in the country in total offense (471.0 yards per game).

Why Louisiana can cover

The defense is on a roll. Over the last six games, Louisiana has given up just 14.0 points and 383.5 yards per game. For the season the Ragin' Cajuns give up just 18.3 points per game, which leads the Sun Belt and ranks 11th in the nation.

In addition, Louisiana has a huge edge over Marshall in turnover margin. The Ragin' Cajuns rank second in the country in turnover margin (+1.00 turnovers per game). By contrast, the Thundering Herd are 97th in the nation in turnover margin (-0.42).

Why Marshall can cover

Marshall has one of the best quarterbacks in Conference USA in Grant Wells. A redshirt freshman from Charleston, W.Va., Wells ranks second in the conference in several categories, including completion percentage (66.8), passing yards per game (286.1) and total offense (291.8 yards per game). For his efforts Wells received honorable mention all-Conference USA honors this season.

In addition, the Thundering Herd face a Louisiana offense that has struggled in the red zone this season. The Ragin' Cajuns are scoring on just 78.2 percent of their trips inside the red zone, which ranks 99th in the country. That bodes well for a Marshall defense that is one of the nation's best in the red zone, allowing opponents to score on just 72.2 percent of their trips, ninth best in the FBS.

How to make Marshall vs. Louisiana picks

SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 47 points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Louisiana vs. Marshall in the New Orleans Bowl 2021? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to back, all from the advanced model that is up almost $3,700 on its top-rated college football spread picks, and find out.