As the smaller conferences continue to push games earlier in the week to gain television exposure, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers host the Delaware Blue Hens in CUSA action Tuesday night. The Toppers return home after a bye week, and they are 2-1 in conference play. They beat Missouri State and Sam Houston, but lost to New Mexico State. Delaware is 1-2, with losses to Liberty and MTSU before beating Missouri State last week. WKU was expected to be atop this conference along with Liberty, so it is odd seeing them as just a narrow home favorite. That is suspicious to me, and with the Toppers only a 1.5-point favorite, I am looking at the game total under 56.5 instead.
Delaware has found a lot of success on offense, especially in the passing game. They rank 31st in the nation in passing yards per game. Western Kentucky, however, has been excellent in passing defense, ranking 39th in passing yards allowed. That seems like the kind of situation that could lead to fewer points than the market expects. Western has also had a tough time on offense often this season, as their Florida State transfer QB has not exactly exploded onto the scene. For two teams that have often been associated with nothing but offense, we might actually find ourselves in a bit more of a defensive slugfest. I’m taking the under.
Delaware vs Western Kentucky Prediction: Under 56.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable to Under52.5.
