Western Kentucky-Old Dominion: Spread, Total, Breakdown, Best Bet for Famous Toastery Bowl

For it to be labeled as the Famous Toastery Bowl, you've probably never heard of it before.

In its inaugural showing, this game will dawn upon Charlotte, North Carolina. Of course, you might know the event by a different name: the Bahamas Bowl, played every season since 2014 in Nassau. However, the annual host venue -- Thomas Robinson Stadium -- is undergoing renovations. So, instead, to the "Queen City" we go...

Typically, the Bahamas Bowl pits together schools from the MAC and CUSA, respectively. This year, on the campus of UNC-Charlotte, we will have the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers going against the Old Dominion Monarchs. This one should highlight an archetypal "offensive team vs. defensive team" matchup.

Prior to Monday's kickoff, let us dive into the odds and lines for the upcoming Famous Toastery Bowl, placing emphasis on the most valuable of the traditional betting markets.

All college football odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Famous Toastery Bowl Betting Odds: Spread, Moneyline and Total

Kickoff: Monday (Dec. 18), 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+

Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium, Charlotte, NC

Spread: Old Dominion -2.5 (-115)

Moneyline:

• Western Kentucky: +114
• Old Dominion: -137

Total: 54.5

Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion Analysis

In terms of the Bahamas Bowl, WKU has appeared just once, winning the very first edition back on Christmas Eve of 2014. For the Monarchs, they also won their only trip to Nassau, hoisting the Prime Minister's Trophy in 2016.

The Hilltoppers will travel to Charlotte from Bowling Green, Kentucky with a 7-5 record. WKU's most impressive win occurred back on October 5th versus the SMU Mustangs. As noted, Western Kentucky boasts a quality offense, scoring 29.8 points per game this year.

Coming from the harbors of Norfolk, Virginia, Old Dominion (6-6) will attempt to achieve a winning season via the Famous Toastery Bowl. In three regular seasons with head coach Ricky Rahine, the Monarchs have yet to finish above .500. This weekend, they'll get a chance to do exactly that versus a high-flying Western Kentucky team.

Led by quarterback Austin Reed, the Hilltoppers move the football quite well. Starting all 12 contests, the senior signal-caller averaged 278.3 yards per game this year. Additionally, Reed yields a 31:11 touchdown-to-interception ratio, throwing scores to more than 10 different players. Of the WKU offensive unit, junior receiver Malachi Corley is the most gifted, finding the end zone 22 times over the past two campaigns.

On the year, ODU mikebacker Jason Henderson has been their most impressive player outright. From the middle of the Monarch's 3-3-5 defense, the junior linebacker has already logged 19.5 tackles for loss this season, which falls within the top five of FBS. From there, it is a group effort -- eight separate Old Dominion players have at least one interception, including cornerback Lamareon James (8 PD, 1 TD).

The Monarchs have competed at football's top level for exactly one decade, and as such, this is only their third trip bowling after splitting the previous two appearances. To the contrary, Western Kentucky has been an FBS member for 15 years, going 6-3 in bowl games. Hilltoppers head coach Tyson Helton is responsible for a prolific 3-1 postseason record since taking over in 2019.

I think this one will be decided by WKU's offense matching up with ODU's defense. As the most exciting thing happening this Monday afternoon, see if you can get your workplace to allow the office television to stay on ESPN (or livestream via ESPN+ with a subscription) -- the Famous Toastery Bowl should be a fun clash while presenting authentic betting value.

Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion Best Bet

Western Kentucky +2.5 (-105)

This is a contest where I could be persuaded to take the Hilltoppers moneyline at plus odds (+118 at authorship). However, for the sake of cashing tickets, I am most confident in Western Kentucky getting two with a hook. Due to the fact that WKU is priced with -105 odds against the spread on Friday, I don't mind playing it slightly safer by taking the points.

As noted, the speedy Hilltopper Corley will look to get the better of James, who is scrappiest of Old Dominion's corners. However, using his strength, I think Corley can win that battle -- or any matchup versus ODU's secondary.

Going against the Monarch nickel defense, Reed can still have a productive day throwing the football for Western Kentucky, as he distributes the rock around wonderfully, especially in the red zone. Utilizing the air raid scheme, exactly 12 different Hilltoppers have caught a touchdown in 2023.

At numberFire, the CFB power rankings look more favorably upon WKU compared to Old Dominion. Now that the regular season is over, Western Kentucky (-4.97 nERD) is ranked 10 places higher than the Monarchs (-6.74 nERD). Simply, it will be WKU with the points for me.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.