It’s difficult to not be impressed by what Jerry Mack has accomplished in his first season as Kennesaw State’s head coach.
The Owls are 8-3 overall, and at 6-1 in Conference USA play they are close to appearing in the CUSA title game. After losing to Wake Forest – by just a point – and Indiana, Kennesaw State has won eight of its last nine games.
However, KSU lost 35-26 at Jacksonville State a couple weeks ago. That led to the Owls losing sole control of the CUSA standings.
But then Jacksonville State suffered its first conference loss at FIU last week. And now KSU, Jax State, and Western Kentucky are in a three-way tie for first at 6-1 in league play.
But because the Hilltoppers and Gamecocks play each other today, at least one of those two teams will have two conference losses. That means KSU just needs to win to make it to the Conference USA Championship.
The Owls are going on the road to take on Liberty. The Flames, who were one of the preseason favorites to win the CUSA title again, are 4-7 overall and 3-4 against league foes. Liberty has lost its last three games – granted each of those was decided by a single possession.
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Kennesaw State vs. Liberty Betting Odds
Liberty is a +2.5 college football betting odds underdog against Kennesaw State, with the Over/Under being 55.5 as of this writing. The moneyline for Kennesaw State is -115, while it’s -105 for Liberty.
Kennesaw State vs. Liberty On TV
The matchup between Kennesaw State and Liberty will be televised on CBSSN.
The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29. The contest is taking place at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Kennesaw State vs. Liberty Prediction
I predict Kennesaw State will win and cover the 2.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Under 55.5 total points.
The fact that Liberty is playing at home is giving me a little pause. The Owls are 2-3 on the road this season. Granted, two of those games were against Wake Forest and Indiana, but they also lost to Jax State by nine points and beat New Mexico State by just three points away from home as well.
And despite all of Liberty’s issues this season, the Flames are 3-2 at home. Still, I expect Kennesaw State to find a way to earn a narrow victory.
The Owls have talent on both sides of the ball. They’re top three in CUSA in scoring offense, having put up 27.4 points per game, and are third in the league in scoring defense, as they have allowed 23.5 PPG.
After Owls quarterback Amari Odom threw for 387 yards and five touchdowns on 24-of-34 passing to go with a rushing touchdown last week against Missouri State, I think he will lead the Owls to another win and a CUSA title berth today.
