Western KY vs Old Dominion Free Picks
Hilltoppers Battle Monarchs in Charlotte
Western Kentucky faces Old Dominion in one of those games that doesn’t sound too enticing, but may be a decent contest. The Hilltoppers will air out the football, while Old Dominion likes to keep it on the ground. The two NCAAF teams are pretty evenly matched, so it should at least be somewhat competitive. Old Dominion has now moved from -1 to a 2.5-point favorite and the total is 55.5, up slightly from the 55 it opened at. The Monarchs are -135 on the moneyline. The Western KY vs Old Dominion free picks will look at both a side play and the over/under on this contest.
Famous Toastery Bowl
Hilltoppers vs Monarchs 
Day/Time:
Records: Western Kentucky (7-5) vs Old Dominion (6-6)
Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
Streaming: ESPN
Western Kentucky Line Will Be Key
The Hilltoppers have a top-notch quarterback in Austin Reed. He threw for 3,340 yards and 31 touchdowns this college football season. He was sacked just seven times, but without the three starters on the line, it might not be as easy to protect him. If the line does its job, Reed should have some success against the Old Dominion secondary.
The Hilltoppers aren’t the best running team around, so it’s unlikely they’ll do a lot on the ground unless the passing game is clicking. Old Dominion defends the run well, but if the Monarchs are playing soft to defend the pass, the Hilltoppers will run at them.
Western Kentucky’s defense is pretty average. The Hilltoppers were a little better defending the pass than the run, where they allowed 4.7 yards per carry. That’s not ideal against an Old Dominion team that runs 38 times per NCAAF game.
Western Kentucky held its own in pass defense, allowing 7.0 yards per pass to teams averaging 7.7 yards per attempt. The Hilltoppers held teams to 58.3% passing.
Old Dominion Couldn’t Make Big Plays
The Monarchs were 6-6, but with a bit of luck could have had a few more victories. They also could have had a few more defeats, as nine games were decided by a touchdown or less. Old Dominion was 5-4 in those games. But three-point losses to James Madison and Wake Forest were ones the Monarchs would like to have back.
Old Dominion was a little below average offensively, scoring 24.1 points against teams allowing 27.1 points. The rushing game averaged 4.3 yards against teams allowing 4.3 yards per attempt. The passing game was a little below average across the board.
On defense, the Monarchs held teams averaging 29.4 points to 27.8 points. The running defense allowed just 3.6 yards per carry, while the pass defense was pretty average. The Monarchs did hold teams averaging 5.9 yards per play to 5.4 yards per play.
Monarchs in Rare Favorite Role
Old Dominion finds itself in the unlikely role of favorite in this game. The Monarchs were favored just twice during the regular season and went 1-1 straight-up and 0-2 against the line. If both teams were at full strength, Western Kentucky would get the edge in the NCAAF predictions.
But as is now the way in college football, the NCAAF news shows the Hilltoppers are going to be missing three starting offensive linemen, along with one of their best cornerbacks and a linebacker.
Western Kentucky didn’t fare well in the underdog role this season, going 0-3 straight-up and 1-2 against the spread, so something will have to give in this one.
Neither team showed much of a tendency in totals, with Western Kentucky going 6-6 and Old Dominion going 5-6. The Monarchs were better against the spread, going 7-4 compared to 5-7 for Western Kentucky.
This is just the third time since 1993 the Monarchs will be playing in one of the NCAA football bowl games, so they should be motivated to be here. The team had to win their last two games to become college bowl eligible and will want to take advantage of that. This is the fifth straight year Western Kentucky is in a bowl game.
The Western KY vs Old Dominion free picks on the side will be Old Dominion, both against the spread and on the moneyline. The Monarchs match-up well with Western Kentucky with the rushing game. Losing one lineman or even two is something teams can overcome. But losing three starters is bound to have an impact on the Hilltoppers, both in running and passing.
The Western KY vs Old Dominion free picks on the total will be on the under 55.5. Old Dominion was 0-5 in totals when the over/under was 52 or higher this season. The Monarchs should try to run the ball often and take time off the clock.
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