The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will play the Old Dominion Monarchs on Monday afternoon in the Famous Toastery Bowl at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Western Kentucky finished the season by winning three of their last four games, while Old Dominion is on a two game winning streak. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Western Kentucky vs Old Dominion prediction.
Western Kentucky Preview
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are 7-5 (5-3) this season and they finished fourth in C-USA. Western Kentucky was 4-2 after their first six games of the season, but they lost three of the next four games to fall to 5-5. The Hilltoppers were able to defeat Sam Houston (28-23) and FIU (41-28) to finish the season strong and get to a bowl game. The WKU offense is scoring 29.8 points per game with 287.9 passing yards per game and 108.1 rushing yards per game. Austin Reed had a massive year at quarterback for Western Kentucky, but it sounds like he may not play in this game. Reed has thrown for 3,340 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions this season. Elijah Young has rushed for 460 yards and three touchdowns, while Malachi Corley has caught 75 passes for 958 yards and 11 scores. The Western Kentucky defense is allowing 28.2 points against per game this year.
Old Dominion Preview
The Old Dominion Monarchs are 6-6 (5-3) this year and they finished tied for third in the Sun Belt East Division. Old Dominion alternated wins and losses over their first six games of the season and ended up going 4-3 through seven games, but they lost their next three games to fall to 4-6. The Monarchs were able to defeat Georgia Southern (20-17) and Georgia State (25-24) in their last two games to gain bowl eligibility. The Old Dominion offense is averaging 22.9 points per game with 200.8 passing yards per game and 150 rushing yards per game. Grant Wilson has thrown for 2,026 yards, 16 touchdowns, and seven interceptions for the Monarchs this season. Kadarius Calloway has rushed for 594 yards and four touchdowns, while Reymello Murphy has caught 27 passes for 495 yards and three scores. The ODU defense is giving up 26.3 points against per game this season.
Old Dominion Monarchs Team Facts
- Old Dominion has won five of its last six games against opponents from the Conference USA.
- Old Dominion has failed to cover the spread in each of its last five games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Four of Old Dominion's last five games as a favorite have gone UNDER the total points line.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Team Facts
- Western Kentucky has lost eight of its last nine games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Western Kentucky has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Each of Western Kentucky's last five games in December have gone OVER the total points line.
Western Kentucky vs Old Dominion Betting Prediction
Both of these teams come into this game on a two game winning streak and will look to end their season with a nice bowl win here. Western Kentucky has one of the best passing attacks in the country, but it seems like they will be without their starting quarterback here. Old Dominion didn’t have the best offensive attack this season and their defense is allowing over 26 points against per game, but they will catch a huge break if Reed sits this game out. We have seen the line and total move quite a bit recently, so I am going to assume Reed is sitting out. Even with Western Kentucky using a backup quarterback, I like them in this game. Old Dominion is very average and they have only won two games this season by more than four points. Take Western Kentucky here.
AUTHOR: David Racey
