Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. Old Dominion Monarchs Betting Pick – Dec 18, 2023
College Football action on Monday from Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte will feature the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Hilltoppers come into the game with a 7-5 record. The Hilltoppers have won back to back games as they beat Florida International and Sam Houston State to wrap up the season.
For Old Dominion, they are 6-6 on the season. The Monarchs were able to finish with back to back wins to wrap up the season, and become bowl eligible. The Monarchs are favorites in this game. Old Dominion is listed at -4, with a total of 51.5 points on Monday.
Western Kentucky Looking to Keep Passing Attack
Western Kentucky was led by the offensive connection of quarterback Austin Reed and receiver Malachi Corley. Their strong connection saw them get together for nearly 1,000 yards on the season. The quarterback, Reed finished the regular season with four passing touchdowns in the regular season finale.
That put him at 31 touchdowns and 31 interceptions on the season. Corley needs just 42 yards in this game to reach 1,000. Elijah Young is the third offensive weapon for the Hilltoppers. He and Markese Stepp each had three rushing touchdowns for Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers are much more known for their ability to pass the football over running it.
Monarchs Looking to Defend to Win 7
Old Dominion was pretty weak on the offensive side of the football, scoring just 22.9 points per game. But, the defense was what kept them in football games. In their final two wins of the season, they allowed just 20.5 points per game.
Offensively, the Monarchs are led by quarterback Grant Wilson. The signal caller has over 2,200 passing yards with 16 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Javon Harvey and Dominic Dutton were the top targets on the season with four touchdown receptions.
This is just the third ever bowl game for the Monarchs. The program is 1-1. Back in 2016 they picked up a win over Eastern Michigan. After missing a bowl game last season, they lost their 2021 game in Myrtle Beach to Tulsa. This is the second bowl game for head coach Ricky Rahne.
Hilltoppers Over Monarchs
This should be a pretty competitive college football game. Both finished the season strong, and were eager to get into a bowl game. Both teams would love to finish strong and go into the off-season on a positive note. Both teams would also love to head to Christmas and give their fans an early gift here.
In the end, the Hilltoppers have been a little more battle tested. When push comes to shove, the offense of the Hilltoppers is a more dominant unit than the defense of the Monarchs. Old Dominion does not score well enough to keep pace in this game. The final bet for this game on Monday is the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers +4 over the Old Dominion Monarchs in Charlotte!
