Before playing in the New Orleans Bowl, both Western Kentucky and Southern Miss appeared like they were on track to compete in the championship games for their respective conferences.
WKU (8-4) was one of the favorites in Conference USA entering the season. The Hilltoppers started the year 5-1 overall with wins over Sam Houston, North Alabama, Nevada, Missouri State, and Delaware and a loss to Toledo. That gave WKU a 3-0 record in league play going into the second half of the season.
But the Hilltoppers ended up losing to FIU 25-6, and that set them back. They did follow that with wins over Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, and Middle Tennessee to keep them in CUSA title contention, though. But after a three-point loss to LSU, WKU ended up falling 37-34 at Jacksonville State to end the regular season, and that helped Jax State ultimately earn another CUSA title berth.
Southern Miss wasn’t a favorite in the Sun Belt going into the season, but maybe it should’ve been once Charles Huff took over as head coach. He led Marshall to a league championship in 2024 and brought several players over with him.
USM (7-5) did enjoy one of its best seasons in a while, though, earning bowl-eligibility for the first time since 2022. It did have higher hopes than that a few weeks ago, as the Golden Eagles were in great position to win the Sun Belt West.
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The Golden Eagles started out 2-2 with wins over Jackson State and App State and losses to Mississippi State and Louisiana Tech. But then they followed that with five consecutive wins over Jacksonville State, Georgia Southern, Louisiana, ULM, and Arkansas State.
With a 5-0 record against Sun Belt teams, it seemed USM was on its way to facing James Madison in the conference championship. But USM lost its next three contests to Texas State, South Alabama, and Troy. That last defeat prevented USM from earning that spot in the championship.
The Golden Eagles are now hoping to end their best season in a while on a high note, but that could be difficult without Huff, who left after one year and is now the head coach at Memphis.
Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss Betting Odds
Southern Miss is a -1.5 college football betting odds favorite against Western Kentucky, with the Over/Under being 58.5 as of this writing. The moneyline for Western Kentucky is +100, while it’s -120 for Southern Miss.
Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss On TV
The matchup between Western Kentucky and Southern Miss will be televised on ESPN.
The game will kick off at 5:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 23. The contest is taking place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss Prediction
I predict Western Kentucky will win and therefore cover the 1.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Over 58.5 total points.
I could see the absence of USM head coach Charles Huff having an effect on this game. And the Golden Eagles haven’t been playing their best at the end of the season anyway considering they’re on a three-game losing skid going into this bowl game.
With Conference USA Freshman of the Year Rodney Tisdale Jr. at quarterback, I expect the Hilltoppers will put up a good amount of points on offense. Tisdale, who became WKU’s primary signal caller in late October, has thrown for 1,367 yards, nine touchdowns, and six interceptions on a 67.7% completion rate while rushing for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
Tisdale and the rest of the Hilltoppers are clicking on offense. They’ve scored at least 34 points in three of their last four games. I expect that to continue in the New Orleans Bowl.
