Famous Toastery Bowl Free Picks & Best Bets: Old Dominion vs Western Kentucky Prediction – College Football 12/18

Old Dominion vs. Western Kentucky Best Bets: Famous Toastery Bowl Preview & Free Picks

Football content contributor Ron Marmalefsky offers his FAMOUS tips on The Famous Toastery Bowl being played on December 18th, between Old Dominion and Western Kentucky. What are his takeaways and things to watch from a betting perspective? Besides that this is obviously not going to be the best game ever played…

Read below now!

Western Kentucky finished 7-5 with a very interesting split.  They went 7-0 vs. teams that did not go bowling, and 0-5 vs. teams that did get a bowl invitation.  This game is in Charlotte, about 330 miles from Old Dominion. 

Old Dominion increased everyone’s blood pressure as they played ten one-score games.  The last two got them this bowl invite, culminating with a three-yard TD run with no time left on the clock to win their final game 25-24. 

Find free college football best bets and bowl game coverage this postseason.

New Customers Get 15% Off ALL Premium Expert Bowl Game Picks – Get Started Now!

 All FIRST TIME customers will receive 15% OFF anything and everything in their cart on their first purchase! There is no cap or limit, including from daily to long-term, and the discount is automatic with no coupon code needed!

Famous Toastery Bowl Picks and Best Bets: Old Dominion Preview

Old Dominion (ODU) had a rush ratio of 4.05-3.55 but after that, the stat sheet is all downhill.  Three RB’s shared the load, with injuries playing a role in the rotation.   Western Kentucky is more of a pass first team, so ODU’s fine run defense is not the main statistic to use in this matchup.  QB Wilson was a 57% passer, but did stretch the field.  I project 18-33 in this spot, but for slightly over 225 yards.  ODU will need to run effectively to set up the pass, and that could be possible. 

Old Dominion Defense – Famous Toastery Bowl Look

The Monarchs did not do a great job defending the pass.  They allowed 64% for the 2^nd year in a row, which plays into the hands of Western Kentucky’s extremely experienced QB.  Missing from ODU’s lineup will be the nation’s leading tackler as well as their top safety.  Defending the pass will be that much tougher.  As an aside, every ODU player in the portal is certain to miss the game. 

They believe that once you are in the portal you no longer have a roster spot.  Here are some very disturbing stats of note for ODU.  The sack ratio is possibly the worst in the NCAA at 15-61.  The team had an unthinkable -9:27 time of possession deficit.  The return defense is below average.  At least their kicker was solid (14-18).

Famous Toastery Bowl Best Bets, Predictions

Famous Toastery Bowl Picks: Western Kentucky Strengths and Weaknesses

Western Kentucky (WKY) had a 4.05-4.75 rush ratio.  They are not without some talent at RB, but stopping the run has been problematic.  The 2022 rush ratio were almost the exact opposite of these numbers. 

QB Reed was not as accurate as in 2022, but did get to 61.5% with a 31-11 touchdown to interception ratio.  His top target is Malachi Corley, who as of this writing is slated to play in this game.  WKY allowed just nine sacks all season long. 

Unfortunately, they could be missing three starting OL, all of whom are in the portal.  This is another area that must be researched.  There are two defensive starters in the portal, but those losses are not quite as significant. 

I like WKY’s ability to defend the pass.  The team did produce only 23 defensive sacks, but on paper at least, they have a chance to get to ODU’s QB based on the struggles the Monarch’s have had protecting their QB.  WKY attempted only eleven field goals, connecting on eight of those attempts. 

Famous Toastery Bowl Best Bets – The Keys to The Game:

Can ODU rely on its run game in order to both share time of possession, and give their pass attack some chance of success?  Can WKY exploit ODU through the air, taking advantage of their loss of two critical defensive players? 

Can ODU protect its QB against a relatively week pass rush.  Will there be any fallout with WKY missing as many as three OL?

Famous Toastery Bowl Best Bets – The Free Picks & Predictions

ODU’s goal is to run to win. 

Short of that, WKY looks too powerful through the air and I do not think the Monarchs are equipped to play from behind, given their pass protection woes, coupled with WKY’s decent pass defense. 

My lean is with WKY, and it gets stronger should WR Corley decide to play in this bowl game. 

The Pick:

Take Western Kentucky, as long as WR Corley suits up and plays. Even if he doesn’t, ODU is pretty terrible.

NCAAF Bowl Coverage: WagerTalk Has It All

Looking for even more college football coverage? Wagertalk will be provided bowl game predictions and previews for each CFB bowl game – find it here each day.

WagerTalk’s Live Bowl Game Odds Screen

WagerTalk’s college football live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books.

Track college football moneylines, spreads and betting percentages for all bowl games and monitor your NCAAF bowl games picks, including moneyline, spread bets, and totals betting.

**************************************************

Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips? Go beyond the anytime touchdown scorer picks!

• Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on and anytime touchdown scorer odds.
• Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)
• Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.

Make sure to bookmark all the above!