Western Kentucky entered the season with just one losing year in Conference USA play over its previous 10 seasons. The Hilltoppers won their first conference game of the season decisively with a 49-21 win over Middle Tennessee on Sept. 14. They're set to host the UTEP Miners, who are 0-5 and 0-2 in Conference USA, on Thursday night. Western Kentucky (3-2, 1-0) is 4-0 all-time against UTEP, most recently winning 21-13 on the road last season.
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 57.5. 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: 57.5 points
- Western Kentucky vs. UTEP: Western Kentucky -1176, UTEP +708
- 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
Although UTEP is 0-5 this season, the Miners have only lost one game by more than 20 points this season and that came in the season opener against a clearly superior Nebraska program. The Miners went 3-2 ATS as an away underdog last season and even during their eight-game losing streak dating back to last season, only one loss came by more than 20 points. UTEP is coming off back-to-back seasons with losing records, so although its hopes of pulling out an outright victory may be slim, the track record proves the Miners are a team that can cover the spread and stick with teams better than the oddsmaker suspect.
UTEP is coming off one of its better offensive performances, scoring 21 points in a 41-21 loss to Sam Houston last week despite averaging 13.8 points per game. Junior quarterback Cade McConnell has taken over as the QB1 midseason for UTEP and he completed 15 of 28 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown with an interception last week. McConnell finished last season as the starter for the Miners, so he has starter experience as he looks to retain the QB1 position in Scotty Walden's first season as head coach. See which team to pick here.
How to make Western Kentucky vs. UTEP picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 57 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins UTEP vs. Western Kentucky, and which side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Western Kentucky vs. UTEP spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $2,000 on its FBS college football picks since its inception, and find out.
