Western Kentucky has the second-shortest odds to win the Conference USA championship this season while UTEP has the longest odds, so it’s no surprise there’s a large spread for Western Kentucky vs. UTEP on Thursday night. UTEP is no stranger to being significant underdogs this season as the Miners have been underdogs by 10 points or greater in three of their first five games en route to an 0-5 start. Meanwhile, Western Kentucky proved it can play with teams in the Power Four conferences as the Hilltoppers took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter against Boston College before losing, 21-20, on Sept. 28.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET from WKU’s Houchens Industries L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Ky. The Hilltoppers are 19.5-point favorites in the latest UTEP vs. Western Kentucky odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 56.5. Before making any Western Kentucky vs. UTEP picks, check out the college football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. It has generated a profit of over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks since inception, and is 8-4 on top-rated college football picks over the past two weeks of this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns.
The model has set its sights on WKU vs. UTEP. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football betting lines for the spread, money line and over/under for the UTEP vs. WKU game:
- Western Kentucky vs. UTEP spread: Western Kentucky -19.5
- Western Kentucky vs. UTEP over/under: 56.5 points
- Western Kentucky vs. UTEP: Western Kentucky -1176, UTEP +711
- WK: The Hilltoppers are 4-0 ATS over their last four games
- UTEP: The Miners are 6-4 ATS in conference games since the start of last season
- Western Kentucky vs. UTEP: See picks at SportsLine
- Western Kentucky vs. UTEP streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why you should back Western Kentucky
Tyson Helton enters his sixth year as the Hilltoppers head coach, taking over after their first and only losing season in conference play. He led an immediate turnaround as Western Kentucky went 9-4 overall and 6-2 in the conference the following season and the Hilltoppers are 29-11 in conference play with him as head coach. Helton was a college quarterback and spent most of his coaching career around QBs before taking the position of head coach at Western Kentucky. He’s overseeing one of the best passing offenses in the conference as the Hilltoppers are averaging 264.5 passing yards per game this season.
Western Kentucky has covered the spread in four straight games, including twice as the favorite. The Hilltoppers defeated Eastern Kentucky, 31-0, as 19.5-point favorites on Sept. 7 and they’ve won the two games they’ve been favored in by an average of 29.5 points. See which team to pick here.
Why you should back UTEP
The Miners are in their first year of the Scotty Walden-era after hiring him as head coach from Austin Peay, an FCS school. Walden led Austin Peay to four straight winning seasons, including making the FCS playoffs last year, before accepting the head coaching position at UTEP. The Miners rank outside the top 100 in college football in nearly every major statistical category, but to cover a three-score spread, UTEP just needs to make a few big plays and the quarterback change has brought signs of that being a stronger possibility.
The Miners scored 21 points last week in Cade McConnell’s first start of the season. McConnell ended last season as the starter but entered this year as the backup after losing the QB battle to Skyler Locklear, who joined Walden from Austin Peay. But after McConnell took over in the second half against Colorado State and passed for 220 yards compared to Locklear’s 56 yards in the first half, Walden has given McConnell back the QB1 position. McConnell has thrown for more than 200 yards in back-to-back games this season and it may only take a few scoring drives for UTEP to cover the spread on Thursday. See which team to pick here.
