WKU 2023 Future Odds: National Championship, Conference, Regular Season Wins and Player Props

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers carry big expectations into 2023. A bowl game seems like a fairly strong bet. Maybe even a conference championship, too. Should you buy in?

Read on as we break down some key 2023 WKU stats for our team preview.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers At A Glance

Hilltoppers Emerging as C-USA Favorite

Western Kentucky turned in another strong season in 2022, going 9-5 and beating South Alabama 44-23 in the New Orleans Bowl. The Hilltoppers are now 32-21 in four seasons under head coach Clay Helton, including 3-1 in bowl games. Despite that success, the Hilltoppers haven’t won Conference USA since 2016. But that could soon change.

Because of realignment, C-USA now looks drastically different. WKU is one of the few holdovers. In fact, oddsmakers have even plugged them as the +145 favorite. Is it reasonable? Of course. Helton’s got a good thing going. He returns the nation’s leading passer, Austin Reed (4,746 yards, 40 TD), in addition to Malachi Corley, who finished fourth in the country with 101 receptions for 1,295 yards. That tandem alone should keep WKU’s offense humming. The Hilltoppers, remember, averaged 36.4 points a year ago.

The Hilltoppers may struggle at points in non-conference play. Ohio State, for instance, is a seemingly impossible matchup. For WKU, it’s a payday and nothing more. But C-USA is winnable. Again, it’s a credit to Helton, who has kept WKU competitive year-in, and year out despite the ever-changing state of college football. There’s a lot to like here. Expect strong 2023 WKU stats.

National Championship Odds: You Can’t Be Serious

Realistically, there are a handful of schools capable of winning the national championship. WKU most certainly isn’t one of them. Don’t even bother trying to cash in at +50000. There’s no sense. It’s not happening.

Conference Odds: The Best of a (Fairly) New Bunch

The American Athletic Conference ransacked C-USA. Six schools were poached, including defending champion UTSA. North Texas is also gone, as are Charlotte, FAU, Rice, and UAB. WKU is now the favorite and with good reason.

The Hilltoppers were in the mix last year, going 6-2 in C-USA play. A 40-13 loss to North Texas ultimately kept them from making the championship game. The year before that, they were 7-1. Sense a theme? Amid constant turnover, Helton has done an impressive job keeping WKU in contention. Expect that to continue.

Regular Season Wins: On Target for Another High Total

For the second straight season, WKU is projected for 8.5 regular season wins. The Hilltoppers didn’t quite get there in 2022, needing a bowl game to secure their ninth victory. However, they very reasonably should be in the mix again.

Start with the schedule. No doubt, it’s tricky. The Hilltoppers are a 14-point favorite for the Sept. 2 opener against South Florida. Then the following week they get the FCS program, Houston Christian. Those are very winnable college football games. But after that? There are trips to Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State and defending Sun Belt champion Troy.

For the Hilltoppers, C-USA is there for the taking. They’re the clear favorite following the latest wave of conference realignment. For the moment, Middle Tennessee and Liberty are the Hilltoppers’ biggest threats. Fortunately, they get both schools at home. The rest of the conference is simply mediocre. Given that, the Hilltoppers are a good bet to post strong 2023 WKU stats.

To Make Playoffs: It’s a Nice Thought, However…

C-USA has never put a school in the College Football Playoff. That’s not going to change, at least not this season. Even if WKU was to climb the NCAA football standings and go undefeated, which it almost certainly won’t, it still wouldn’t get enough love from the selection committee. The oddsmakers aren’t even considering the possibility.

For college football best bets, odds, analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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