2023 Toastery Bowl Odds: Western Kentucky vs Old Dominion Analysis and Picks

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How to Bet Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion NCAA Football Odds & TV Info

When: Monday, 2:30 PM ET
Where: Jerry Richardson Stadium, Charlotte
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAF Lines: Old Dominion -2.5 (total 55.5)

Just one bowl game on Monday around college football and it features Western Kentucky of Conference USA facing Old Dominion of the Sun Belt Conference from the Famous Toastery Bowl in Charlotte with the Monarchs as short favorites on the NCAAF odds. 2023 Famous Toastery Bowl Betting & Expert Analysis Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion | MyBookie Sportsbook Bowls Odds, 2023/24 CFP College Bowl Game Lines

Series History

It’s the eighth meeting between WKU and Old Dominion and the first since the two met regularly as foes in Conference USA – the Monarchs have since joined the Sun Belt Conference. The Hilltoppers hold a 6-1 advantage in the series with wins in the last two meetings, including a 43-20 victory in Norfolk, Virginia, the last time the two programs met during the 2021 season. Old Dominion’s only win in the series came during the 2018 season when the Monarchs beat the Hilltoppers 37-34 at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

This bowl is replacing the Bahamas Bowl as The Famous Toastery, a brunch restaurant in Charlotte, serves as this year’s sponsor. The change is only temporary as renovations take place at the stadium that the Bahamas Bowl is normally played in and the game is expected to return to the country in 2024.

Why Bet on Western Kentucky Hilltoppers?

WKU will be without starting guard Quantavious Leslie (two-time first-team CUSA; 787 snaps played this year), center Vincent Murphy (822 snaps), right tackle Wes Dorsey (678 snaps), cornerback Upton Stout (418 snaps), linebacker Desmyn Baker (472 snaps) and safety Talique Allen (573 snaps) as they are all in the transfer portal.

It’s still possible that star QB Austin Reed could miss the bowl but as of now he’s on track to play. He finished the year with 3,340 yards passing, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. With backup Caden Veltkamp in portal, redshirt freshman Turner Helton (21 snaps) would likely get the start. Reed’s No. 1 target was wide receiver Malachi Corley who finished the year with 75 receptions for 958 yards and 11 touchdowns. Corley could also skip the bowl.

In WKU’s 41-28 win at FIU in the regular-season finale, Corley set the WKU program record for career receptions. He had six catches, including a touchdown reception, in the victory, and passed Taywan Taylor’s previous program high of 253 catches. Corley now has 255 career receptions as a Hilltopper, and he also ranks second in WKU history in touchdown receptions with 29 and third in receiving yards with 3,007.

Corley was picked for the CUSA All-Conference First Team Offense. Defensive tackle Hosea Wheeler and safety Kendrick Simpkins were named All-Conference Second Team Defense. With an appearance in WKU’s bowl game, kicker Cory Munson will set the program record for games played with 66, surpassing defensive lineman Juwuan Jones’ record of 65.

WKU is bowl eligible for the fifth time in five seasons under Coach Tyson Helton. The Hilltoppers went to bowl games in each of Helton’s first four years as head coach, with wins in three of those, including 44-23 over South Alabama in last year’s R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. WKU put up 677 yards of offense, including 497 yards and four touchdowns through the air from Reed. Three Hilltoppers recorded 100-plus yard receiving games in the victory.

WKU went to nine bowl games in the 11 seasons leading up to the 2023 campaign, with a 6-3 record in those games, and the bowl game this year will be the 10th for the program in 12 seasons. WKU is one of 16 programs that has played in a bowl game each season since 2019 and is also bowling again in 2023, including just one of four Group of Five teams. The Hilltoppers are one of nine programs that have won a postseason game in both 2021 and 2022 and are bowl eligible again this season, and one of just three Group of Five teams in that category.

Western Kentucky is tied for first with Louisiana Tech for wins in bowl games (6) among current CUSA teams during WKU’s FBS Era (since 2009).

Why Bet on Old Dominion Monarchs?

ODU finished 6-6 this season and 5-3 in the Sun Belt. Old Dominion had to win its regular-season finale at home on Nov. 25 vs. Georgia State to get bowl eligible. Down 21-0 at halftime, and seemingly out of the game late in the fourth quarter, the Monarchs staged an improbable rally and won 25-24. The victory made ODU bowl eligible for the second time in three seasons under head coach Ricky Rahne.

Quarterback Grant Wilson, who was the backup at Fordham last season, scored the game winner, a two-yard run up the middle, on the last play of the game. ODU had trailed, 24-14, with less than two minutes remaining and scored 11 points in the final 1:37.

The Monarchs have one of the best defensive players in the country in second-team All-American linebacker Jason Henderson. Henderson is looking to become the first player since Boston College’s Luke Kuechly to lead the country in tackles in back-to-back years. He leads the country with 170 tackles and 14.2 tackles per game and is third in the nation with 19.5 tackles for loss. Henderson delivered 11 double-digit tackle games this season and has 26 in his career. He has 436 career tackles which is currently third in Sun Belt Conference history. His 12.1 tackles per game career average is third most in FBS history behind only Kuechly and E.J. Henderson (2000-02) of Maryland. Alas, Henderson will not play in the bowl game.

The team also is good in the secondary led by safety Terry Jones and cornerback LaMareon James. Jones ranks fourth in the Sun Belt with 107 tackles and added four tackles for loss, four pass breakups, forced a fumble and recovered one. He notched six double-digit tackle games and totaled a career-high 13 tackles against Marshall and Coastal Carolina. Jones is in the transfer portal.

James started all 12 games at corner, breaking up a team-best eight passes. He tied for third in the Sun Belt with three fumble recoveries. He became the eighth player in FBS history to score a defensive touchdown on a fumble and interception return in the same game when he did it against Wake Forest.

Wilson started 10 games at quarterback and passed for 2,026 yards and 16 touchdowns and ran for a pair of scores. Running backs Kadarius Calloway and Keshawn Wicks combined for 1,146 yards and eight touchdowns. Isiah Paige led the Monarchs with 39 receptions while Reymello Murphy had a team-high 495 receiving yards.

WKU 30, Old Dominion 27