The Jacksonville State Gamecocks host the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers as we make the best Western Kentucky-Jacksonville State prediction based on the top college football odds from our best sports betting sites.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers went into their bye week as the winners of two straight conference matchups. Though they defeated the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs just 35-28 in their last game, they led that contest 35-7 at halftime.
Meanwhile, in Week 7 the Gamecocks' three-game winning streak came to an end against the undefeated Liberty Flames. They ended up losing 31-13, but the score was 17-13 as the two teams entered the fourth quarter.
Here is our best Western Kentucky-Jacksonville State prediction and our college football picks (odds via our best college football betting sites; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State prediction: Week 8
The Gamecocks' passing offense is wildly inconsistent. But based on what these two teams have done in 2023, it doesn't seem right to make the Hilltoppers touchdown road favorites.
Western Kentucky holds a clear passing-attack advantage, but that's the only area where they're significantly better than the Gamecocks. They're averaging 287.8 passing yards per game compared to just 158.6 for the Gamecocks. But the numbers actually favor the Gamecocks everywhere else.
The Gamecocks average 204 rushing yards per game, and Malik Jackson has carried the ball 104 times for 578 yards. The Hilltoppers are allowing 194 rushing yards per game, and they're 108th in the NCAA while giving up 4.9 yards per carry. Jackson is averaging 5.6 yards per carry this season.
The Gamecocks have been stout all sea son defensively too, permitting 362.7 yards per game. They only allow 231.1 passing yards per contest, and they're going to challenge quarterback Austin Reed and the Hilltoppers' passing attack.
Don't let the final score from Week 7 alarm you. The Gamecocks are a solid team on both sides of the ball.
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Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
| +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 |
| -110 | -115 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
There isn't much pricing discrepancy at our best sportsbooks. FanDuel is featuring an inflated price of -115, but the odds are -110 across the board elsewhere.
Currently, 73% of wagers at our best sports betting sites are backing the Gamecocks against the spread. We therefore recommend getting in sooner rather than later if you're on the Gamecocks.
It could be just a matter of time before this spread drops to 6.5. Take the best price you can get for the Gamecocks if you miss the key number.
Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State odds
Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State odds analysis
The Hilltoppers opened as 4.5-point favorites, and the spread has grown all the way to seven despite 73% of the wagers backing the Gamecocks. Oddsmakers will surely start to take the public tren ds into account now that the spread has hit the key number. Expect it to drop to +6.5 rather than grow to +7.5.
As for the total, it opened at 60.5. Right now 60% of wagers are backing the Under. The number should go down before kickoff, especially as bettors continue to back the defensive-minded Gamecocks.
Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State game info
- When: Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Burgess-Snow Field, Jacksonville, AL
- How to watch: ESPNU
- Weather: 43 degrees, 4-mph winds, 0% chance of precipitation
Western Kentucky-Jacksonville State prediction made 10/16/2023 at 12:08 p.m. ET.
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