Conference USA didn't turn out to be a great conference this year, but the teams at the top, the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, are both great stories. One will be crowned Conference USA champion on Saturday afternoon.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles +8.5
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers -8.5
Over/Under 71
ODDS ANALYSIS
Southern Miss has come a really long way from being an underdog on the road to Texas State. You wouldn't think that a 9-3 team would be a dog five times this year, but alas, the Golden Eagles are pups at +7, marking the sixth time they've been underdogs.
Western Kentucky has been favored in seven of its eight conference games this year, and the last time it was a pup against a C-USA club was way back in Week 2 against Louisiana Tech.
The total is one of the highest of the weekend at 72.
KEY MISMATCH
Jalen Richard is one of these running backs who can make things happen both with his legs and his hands out of the backfield. He has a pair of four touchdown games this season, and he's averaging almost seven yards every time he gets his hands on the ball.
Western Kentucky has a rush defense allowing just 154.4 yards per game, good for No. 50 in the nation, but it has had some problems against running backs with the skill set of catching the ball out of the backfield.
Richard is going to be pivotal in this one, knowing that he's SMS's best shot to move the ball up and down the field. He's a senior on a team which is relatively young around him, so look for him to have a good game on Saturday.
KEY STAT
8 – The number of consecutive games in which Michael Thomas has scored a touchdown for the Golden Eagles. We all know just how awesome this WKU offense is, but Southern Miss has put together an 'O' as well. Thomas has at least 84 yards in nine straight games.
BETTING ANGLE
The Golden Eagles have scored at least 56 points in three straight games, and not surprisingly, they've gotten the results many bettors desire. They've covered all three games and have pushed all three past the total.
What really makes that latter stat notable is the fact that six prior SMS games had failed to reach the total.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Golden Eagles are on fire right now, and they've already shown the grit to be able to go on the road and win a do-or-die game as they did last week in blowing out Louisiana Tech.
Beating this Western Kentucky team isn't going to be easy, particularly here in Bowling Green, but we think that Southern Miss has the makeup to do it. Of all of the championship games this week, this is going to be the one that is the most fun. It legitimately could go either way, and that's why we want the points on our side.
Don't be stunned if the Golden Eagles ultimately win the conference crown.
Southern Miss 48, Western Kentucky 45
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