The last two teams standing in Conference USA are the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Jacksonville State Gamecocks. These teams played on the final week of the regular season, with Western Kentucky winning to set up a rematch for the conference championship. Jacksonville State is favored by 1.5 points going into this game, while the total stands at 58.5 points. Here, we break down Western Kentucky vs Jacksonville State and make our college football betting picks for the Conference USA Championship Game from Jacksonville, AL.
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Can Western Kentucky Go 2-0 Against Jacksonville State?
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers got a win at home in the final week of the regular season against Jacksonville State to lock up a spot in the Conference USA Championship Game. They trailed by two points in the final minutes, but drove down the field to secure a game-winning field goal with second remaining. The reward for the Hilltoppers is a trip to Jacksonville to face the same Gamecocks for the right to be called Conference USA champions.
Western Kentucky’s offense struggled mightily in the late stages of the regular season despite their win in their finale against Jacksonville State. In their final three games, the Hilltoppers averaged just 15.6 points per game, going 1-2 in those three games. With everything on the line in this game, the Hilltoppers will need to do more on offense on the road to win here.
A huge key for the visitors in this Western Kentucky vs Jacksonville State rematch will be the time of possession battle. Western Kentucky won that facet of the game in resounding fashion in the first meeting between these teams, controlling the ball for over 36 minutes. If they can do that again, the Hilltoppers could be called CUSA champs soon enough.
Jacksonville State Looks to Settle Score With Hilltoppers
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks lost to Western Kentucky last week, in a game that didn’t impact the Gamecocks’ place in the CUSA title game. But they also lost their starting quarterback to injury in that game, as Tyler Huff could not complete that contest. Now Huff’s status is up in the air for the biggest game of the season for the Gamecocks.
This season, Huff averaged 8.4 yards per pass attempt, throwing 11 touchdown passes to five interceptions while rushing for over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. Without him, the Gamecocks offense will be much more predictable. But if their dual-threat quarterback can play, Jacksonville State will be a deserved favorite here.
So far this season, Jacksonville State has lost at home just once, with that loss coming in their season opener against Coastal Carolina. Since then, the Gamecocks have gone 5-0 at home, with four of those five wins coming by double-digits. While they have faced a soft schedule at home, the Gamecocks have taken care of business there and will look to do the same on Friday night.
Western Kentucky vs Jacksonville State Prediction
Our best bet for Western Kentucky vs Jacksonville State is for the under to cash at 58.5 points. These teams played a defensive game in the final week of the regular season and with Jacksonville State quarterback Tyler Huff banged up, we should see another defensive struggle in the Conference USA title game. This will be a close one throughout and both teams will play conservatively to help us stay under the total.
