The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (5-6) will tangle with the Georgia State Panthers (5-4) in the Mobile, Alabama-based Lending Tree Bowl on Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m. ET, Ladd-Peebles Stadium). Below, we analyze the Western Kentucky-Georgia State college football betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Western Kentucky +155 (bet $100 to win $155) | Georgia State -190 (bet $190 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Western Kentucky +3.5 (-105) | Georgia State -3.5 (-115)
- Over/Under: 51.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State: Three things to know
- The Hilltoppers opened the 2020 season by going just 1-4 straight up (0-5 ATS) over their first five games. But early losses included solid efforts against Louisville and Liberty (WKU would also lose to BYU later in the fall), and Western Kentucky would eventually right the ship and start to look like it did when it went 9-4 with a bowl win in 2019. WKU covered in the BYU game (Oct. 31) and in three others over its last five. The Hilltoppers have gone 3-0 SU since Nov. 14.
- Georgia State’s season includes a 2-3 mark in five games decided by one score. The Panthers head into their third bowl in four years having won three of their last four games. But GSU hasn’t played a game since Nov. 28. Georgia State won its first bowl game, with the Panthers defeating these Hilltoppers, 27-17, in the 2017 Cure Bowl in Orlando.
- The Panthers are averaging 32.7 points per game and going against a Hilltoppers defense yielding just 24.1 PPG. WKU led Conference USA in pass defense, allowing just 170.1 yards per game
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Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Western Kentucky 28, Georgia State 20
Money line (ML)
The Hilltoppers have put together some exceptional defensive performances over their last month of games. A bit of regression in the third-down numbers for the WKU offense and in the red-zone numbers for the GSU defense play in the Hilltoppers’ favor. So does Georgia State’s layoff. TAKE WESTERN KENTUCKY (+155).
Against the spread (ATS)
The Panthers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games played in December. The Hilltoppers are 5-1-1 ATS such games.
BACK THE HILLTOPPERS +3.5 (-105) in a game with a likable Under.
Over/Under (O/U)
The most value in this bowl game can be found on the WKU sides, but there is a solid chance the contest plays out in 20-something-20-something fashion. TAG THIS ONE WITH A SLIGHT LEAN ON THE UNDER 51.5 (-120).
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