Western Kentucky vs Middle Tennessee Prediction & Odds – 9/14/2024

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are 7 point favorites against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. Early betting trends show 12% siding with Western Kentucky, while 88% are backing Middle Tennessee. The total of 54.5 has seen 76% of bets on the under and 24% on the over. The matchup on September 14, 2024, at 7:00 pm ET promises to be an exciting one, with both teams looking to secure a victory. Here, you will find our preview and best bet for this Western Kentucky vs Middle Tennessee contest.

Western Kentucky Going For First FBS Win In 2024

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are 1-1 this season, with one win over FCS Eastern Kentucky and one loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. The level of competition in Saturday's Western Kentucky vs Middle Tennessee game will serve as a middle ground between those two opponents for the Hilltoppers. As a result, it is hard to tell exactly what we are going to see from them in their first game against a team operating at a similar level of competition.

A big question mark for Western Kentucky will be how TJ Finley performs at quarterback in this Conference USA opener for both of these teams. Finley has just one passing touchdown to two interceptions across the first two games of the season for the Hilltoppers. Here we will get a much clearer picture of who Finley is going to be for the Hilltoppers than we did in the first two games of the year, which were mismatches for Western Kentucky in one direction or the other.

Middle Tennessee Aims For Bounce Back In Week 3

The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders have faced a similar start to the season as Western Kentucky. They beat FCS Tennessee Tech in their season opener before getting their doors blown off by Ole Miss of the SEC in Week 2. Just like the Hilltoppers, we will get a much better idea of who Middle Tennessee is after watching them play this weekend against a team that is at the same level.

The running game of Middle Tennessee is going to be a huge question mark going into Week 3 against Western Kentucky. The leading rusher for the Blue Raiders has just 50 rushing yards, which is a major concern after two games. Look for the running game to be a major barometer to the success, or lack thereof, for Middle Tennessee in this game that will set the tone for the rest of the season for MTSU.

Western Kentucky vs Middle Tennessee Best Bet

It is hard to judge how either of these teams are going to perform in the Conference USA opener for both Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee. We will take the points with Middle Tennessee as a home underdog here, in hopes that they are better equipped to run the football against an opponent that isn't one of the best in the country. This game should be tight, even if we don't have a great frame of reference on either side.

Visit the NCAAFB picks and predictions section for the rest of today's games.