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Sacramento State vs. Ball State prediction, picks: How to bet on the ugliest game in college football

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Cite

Leboff, M. (2026, October 24). Sacramento State vs. Ball State prediction, picks: How to bet on the ugliest game in college football. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/24/betting/sacramento-state-vs-ball-state-prediction-best-bets-college-football-picks-predictions-saturday/

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-10-24 · by Michael Leboff

Quick Summary

This article predicts a college football game between Sacramento State and Ball State, where Ball State is favored by 14.5 points despite both teams having poor records. The author describes the matchup as likely one of the least exciting games of the season due to the ineptitude of both teams, with Sacramento State being particularly struggling, losing their six FBS matchups by an average margin of 29.3 points. Ball State is also described as a weak defensive team allowing 41.3 points per game. The article suggests betting on Sacramento State staying within the spread against Ball State's substantial advantage.
Written by AI on 2026-10-24, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Ball State beat Sacramento State 34-17 in a game described as one of the ugliest matchups of the season, played in Muncie, Ind. on Saturday. Keldric Luster threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, while TJ Horton added two rushing touchdowns for Ball State (now 3-5), which were heavy favorites despite their poor overall record. Sacramento State (1-7) struggled with just 266 total yards and only three conversions on third down, dropping them to six consecutive losses after an initial win against Mississippi Valley State.

Written for “Sacramento State Vs Ball State Game” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Sacramento State Vs Ball State Game
Sports · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 8% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 11 claims Outlet record 64/100
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles cover different aspects of college football and do not describe the same specific game or incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
25
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
8%
2 of 25 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-24 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16821 article(s) · 36 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 36 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Michael Leboff
126 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Michael Leboff
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 126 articles by Michael Leboff →

Topics

Ball State Cardinals FBS Hornets Sacramento State

Subjects

Ball State ORG · 7× FBS ORG · 7× Sacramento State ORG · 7× Hornets ORG · 4× Cardinals ORG · 2× Florida State ORG · 1× Hurricanes ORG · 1× Miami ORG · 1× Muncie GPE · 1× Seminoles ORG · 1×

Narrative

The Hornets were hardly an FCS powerhouse in recent years, but the school was so adamant about leaping to the big leagues that they agreed to join the MAC, which stands for the Mid-American Conference and was, until Sacramento State joined, solely comprised of teams from the Great Lakes Region.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-24
🔮 Not only did Florida State easily cover the three-score spread against newly minted No. 1 Miami in Week 7, but the Seminoles gave the Hurricanes all they could handle in a controversial double-overtime defeat.

Claims (25 extracted, 2 hedged)

Make it two in a row for our “Ugly Underdogs.” asserted
it → make → Underdogs
Not only did Florida State easily cover the three-score spread against newly minted No. 1 Miami in Week 7, but the Seminoles gave the Hurricanes all they could handle in a controversial double-overtime defeat. uncertain
they → cover → defeat
We will shift gears entirely this week, as we go from what was one of the most entertaining games of the season to one that will almost certainly be the opposite. asserted
that → shift → one
But I can’t get over one thing: Somehow, Ball State is a 14.5-point favorite over another FBS team in Week 8. asserted
State → get → Week
Make no doubt about it, Saturday’s showdown between Ball State (2-5) and Sacramento State (1-6) is likely to go down as the ugliest game in college football this season. asserted
showdown → make → football
And it’s not just because of the ineptitude of the two combatants, but more that one of these terrible two has been so poor that they’re actually a 14.5-point underdog against the other, who just happens to be ranked No. 131 (of 138) in the latest SP+ rankings. asserted
who → ’ → rankings
That’s right. asserted
That → ’ → ?
Ball State, which is 2-5 overall and 1-5 against FBS opponents, is laying 14.5 points against Sacramento State in beautiful Muncie, Ind., on Saturday afternoon. asserted
which → lay → afternoon
How did we get here? asserted
we → get → ?
It’s hard to express just how bad things have gone for Sacramento State in their first year at the FBS level. asserted
things → ’ → level
The Hornets were hardly an FCS powerhouse in recent years, but the school was so adamant about leaping to the big leagues that they agreed to join the MAC, which stands for the Mid-American Conference and was, until Sacramento State joined, solely comprised of teams from the Great Lakes Region. asserted
State → leap → Region
The move hasn’t paid off. asserted
move → pay → ?
And the Hornets have suffered two defeats by at least 40 points, including to Ohio last week. asserted
Hornets → suffer → Ohio
That sounds like plenty of reason to put the Hornets on your betting blacklist and not think about them until August, but that just isn’t how things work around these parts. asserted
things → sound → parts
As much as the idea of betting on Sacramento State may twist your guts, I’d argue that laying two touchdowns with Ball State is even more repulsive. uncertain
laying → bet → State
The Cardinals do have a win in their account in 2026 — it came in overtime against Bowling Green last time out — but they’ve been dreadful this season (and I say that with the utmost respect. asserted
I → have → respect
Ball State did come through for us by covering the 36.5-point spread against Northwestern in Week 6). asserted
State → come → Week
The Cardinals are allowing 41.3 points per game (134th in FBS), 6.8 yards per play (131st) and 9.2 yards per pass (135th). asserted
Cardinals → allow → pass
Overall, Ball State grades out as the 135th-best defense in FBS, per SP+. asserted
State → grade → SP+
Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps - Check out the best sports betting sites and apps Even Sacramento State’s terrible offense should be able to find some points against this bunch. asserted
offense → get → bunch
We’re not looking for the Hornets to dominate, or even go toe-to-toe with, Ball State on Saturday. asserted
Hornets → look → Saturday
We just need them to keep it within 14 points against the 131st-best team in FBS. asserted
them → need → FBS
That’s not asking too much, right? asserted
That → ask → much
The Play: Sacramento State +14.5 (-105, DraftKings) Why Trust New York Post Betting Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. asserted
Leboff → trust → industry
He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports. asserted
punters → love → sports
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