Two Conference USA teams looking for their first conference victory of the season will collide when the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs host the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders on Thursday at Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston, La. The Bulldogs (1-3, 0-1 in CUSA) have lost three straight games since a season-opening victory over Nicholls State. They are coming off a 17-10 loss at FIU. Meanwhile the Blue Raiders (1-4, 0-1) are on a four-game losing streak. They most recently lost at Memphis, 24-7.

Kickoff is 8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. The Bulldogs are 4.5-point favorites in the latest Louisiana Tech vs. Middle Tennessee odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 48. (See up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college football odds page.)

Before making any Middle Tennessee vs. Louisiana Tech picks or college football predictions, you NEED to see the predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks since inception, and is 8-4 on top-rated picks over the past two weeks of this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns.

The model knows that Louisiana Tech has one of the best defenses in CUSA. The Bulldogs lead the conference in total defense (299.5 yards per game) and rushing defense (101.3). They also rank second in CUSA in scoring defense (21.8 points per game). 

The model also has taken into account that Middle Tennessee has one of the hottest receivers in the country in Omari Kelly. A 6-foot, 180-pound junior from Trussville, Ala., Kelly has 19 receptions for 425 yards and three touchdowns over the last three games. He leads the conference and ranks 14th in the country in receiving yards per game (94.2).

For Saturday, the model has set its sights on Louisiana Tech vs. Middle Tennessee. We can tell you it is leaning Over the total, predicting a combined 54 points, and it also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college football picks.

Who wins Middle Tennessee vs. Louisiana Tech? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Louisiana Tech vs. Middle Tennessee spread you should be all over Thursday, all from the model on a roll on college football picks!