Victories didn’t come easily during head coach Butch Jones’ first three years at Arkansas State.
The Red Wolves won a combined nine games over those first three seasons before going 6-7 last year. College football betting odds had Arkansas State’s Over/Under for wins entering the year set at 4.5. Behind Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Jaylen Raynor, the Red Wolves were able to hit the Over and reach a bowl game.
This year’s Over/Under is at 6 with the Over at -110 and the Under at -110. Even though they play in a solid Sun Belt West, this seems like a reasonable number for a Red Wolves team with high expectations entering 2024.
How Many Games Will Arkansas State Win In 2024?
ASU should be able to get out of Weeks 1 and 2 with wins. To open the season, the Red Wolves host FCS Central Arkansas out of the UAC before hosting Tulsa the following week. They should be favored in both, and I expect them to win both, but they still can’t take either team lightly.
Weeks 3 and 4 feature trips to Michigan and Iowa State to cap the non-conference slate which means ASU could enter league play at 2-2. The Red Wolves will have a Week 5 bye, which will be a huge factor ahead of conference play and before a must-win contest against South Alabama. This is ASU’s homecoming game, and it’ll be looking to drop a five-game losing streak to the Jaguars. I like the Red Wolves to come away with a win here and end that streak.
After a meeting with Texas State, ASU visits Southern Miss where the Red Wolves should handle business before visiting Troy ahead of another bye week. The Red Wolves drew some favorable bye weeks this season with both breaks coming in between four-game stretches.
Out of its second bye, ASU will have two road games at Louisiana and Georgia State followed by a pair of home contests against ULM and Old Dominion to close out the regular season. I like the Red Wolves to finish strong and win their final three outings.
How Many Games Will Arkansas State Lose In 2024?
The Red Wolves’ Power Four matchups look to be too tall of tasks this season. I don’t anticipate them pulling an upset over Iowa State or the defending FBS champs, even though that would be fun to watch.
I also don’t expect ASU going into San Marcos and picking up a win over Texas State. I think the Red Wolves will split games against South Alabama and Troy, and I think they defeat the Jaguars, meaning they drop the home game against the Trojans. Beating Louisiana on the road also doesn’t seem very likely as of right now.
Arkansas State Football Best Bet
ASU is fortunate to draw the two worst teams out of the Sun Belt East this season, which I think will help their chances of making a bowl game significantly. If they were playing any of the five other Sun Belt East teams, I wouldn’t be as confident in them to win those two cross-division meetings. Because of that, I think ASU will win five conference games and also their first two games of the season to finish 7-5.
It’s worth noting the Red Wolves have 16 starters returning. They should make a little bit of noise in the Sun Belt this year and go Over 6 wins.
