Famous Toastery Bowl point spread: Picking Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. Old Dominion Monarchs

Western Kentucky and Old Dominion are set to compete in the first Famous Toastery Bowl this year at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte. The bowl will replace what used to be 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 Bahamas in 2024. Old Dominion enters the matchup as a 2.5-point favorite according to FanDuel, which also has the over/under at 55.5.

How to watch Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion

Time: 2:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 18
Channel: ESPN, FuboTV (streaming)
Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina

Many expected a better season for Western Kentucky after it finished 9-5 in 2022 and returned the nation’s leading passer, Austin Reed. However, the Hilltoppers this year just 7-5, barely achieving bowl eligibility.

Reed still had an impressive season as WKU ranked 17th in the country with 287.9 passing yards per game. He finished the year with 3,340 yards passing, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Malachi Corley was his top target with 11 touchdowns and has a chance to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the season in this game.

Chris Vannini of The Athletic joined On3‘s Andy Staples on Monday to break down the matchup and what he seed from the Hilltoppers.

“Western Kentucky did not have the season a lot of us thought they would,” he said. “We thought it’s be Western Kentucky-Liberty playing for Conference USA. Western Kentucky lost a couple of games we didn’t expect. They had the nation’s leading passer last year, Austin Reed, came back with a lot of his weapons. But they took a step back in the passing offense. They’re still really good. He threw for 3,300 yards. Malachi Corley is a really good wide receiver.

“They just weren’t as explosive as they were a year ago. They have a couple of guys in the portal, but they may or may be playing. Western Kentucky last year had a number of guys in the portal who played and then some of them came back. They should still be able to throw the ball around a lot.”

As for Old Dominion, the Monarchs reached this bowl game by the skin of their teeth. They escaped Georgia State by a score of 25-24 in the season finale to achieve their sixth win.

ODU has a couple of exciting players in the backfield with running backs Keshawn Wicks and Kadarius Calloway. However, Vannini is more interested in watching the Monarch on defense, in particular linebacker Jason Henderson.

“Old Dominion, not great on offense,” he said. “Decent defense. Did you see how they made a bowl game by the way? They were down 24-14 with less than two minutes left. They kick a field goal and then they get a safety because of a bad snap from Georgia State. Old Dominion gets the ball back and scores on the final play of the game to win and get to a bowl game.

“Player to watch in this game is Jason Henderson. Linebacker, tackling machine. He had 170 tackles this year and 186 last year. However, 246 of his 356 tackles over the last two years are assisted.”

Ultimately, this seems like a game that Western Kentucky should have no issue winning thanks to the star power in its passing attack. They might not have lived up to preseason expectations, but Vannini still likes the Hilltoppers to take care of business here.

TRY FOR FREE: Fubo’s holiday offer just kicked off – For a limited time, new subscribers can save $20 on Fubo’s Pro, Elite, and Premier plans ($20 off the first and second months)

“I’m gonna go Western Kentucky in this game,” he said. “They won their bowl game last year in a blowout. Old Dominion doesn’t have enough firepower. I think Western Kentucky’s gonna be able to score a lot. Austin Reed’s gonna put up a lot of passing yards.”