Jacksonville State vs WKU Prediction College Football Picks 11/30/24

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers battle in week 14 college football action from L.T. Smith Stadium on Saturday. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Jacksonville State vs. Western Kentucky prediction.

Jacksonville State Recap

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks come into this one looking to build on their 8-3 record after picking up a 21-11 win over Sam Houston last time out.

Gamecocks Prepping For C-USA Title Game

Tyler Huff has thrown for 1,966 yards, 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions on 61.4% passing while also recording 1,079 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Tre Stewart has a team-high 1,318 rushing yards with 19 TDs. Cam Vaughn leads the Gamecocks with 33 receptions for 522 yards and 3 TDs while Michael Pettway has 392 receiving yards and 3 TDs. Five more Gamecocks have 100+ receiving yards on the year. On defense, Antonio Carter has a team-high 90 total tackles while Reginald Hughes has a team-high 4.5 sacks this season. Zechariah Poyser and Geimere Latimer each have 3 interceptions as well on the year. As a unit, Jacksonville State has combined for 19 sacks and 11 interceptions this season.

Why the Jacksonville State Gamecocks will win

• Jacksonville State has won each of its last eight games.
• Western Kentucky has failed to cover the spread in eight of its last nine November games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Jacksonville State has covered the spread in four of its last five games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.

Western Kentucky Recap

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers come into this one looking to bounce back from a 38-21 loss to Liberty that dropped WKU to 7-4 on the year.

Hilltoppers Lose Back-To-Back Games

Caden Veltkamp has thrown for 2,364 yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 INTs on 68.5% passing. Elijah Young leads WKU on the ground with 647 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns while Kisean Johnson has 57 receptions for 779 yards and 6 TDs. Easton Messer has 558 receiving yards and 4 TDs while Dalvin Smith and K.D. Hutchinson each have 300+ receiving yards and two more Hilltoppers have 200+ receiving yards as well on the year. On defense, Devonte’ Mathews has a team-high 69 total tackles while Darius Thomas has a team-high 4 sacks. WKU’s defense as a whole has combined for 21 sacks and 9 INTs this season.

Why the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will win

• Western Kentucky has won 18 of its last 21 home games in November.
• Jacksonville State has failed to cover the spread in three of its last four November games against non-AP-ranked teams.

Jacksonville State vs. Western Kentucky Prediction

I’m on Western Kentucky here. This game means nothing to Jacksonville State and there’s a chance they play WKU here, so I really doubt that Jacksonville State wants to put anything on film for Western Kentucky to work with. This game could be meaningless for WKU as well if Liberty wins on Friday, but with at least something to play for, I have to roll with Western Kentucky in this one.