The Delaware Blue Hens travel to face the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Tuesday to open the Week 9 college football schedule. Both teams enter with 3-4 overall records, though Western Kentucky holds a 2-1 mark in Conference USA play compared to Delaware's 1-2.
Delaware received a significant boost last week when quarterback Nick Minicucci returned from a knee injury and threw five touchdowns in a 61-38 victory over Missouri State.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium, with the game televised on CBS Sports Network. The Hilltoppers are listed as 1.5-point favorites, with an over/under of 56.5 points. The money line has Western Kentucky at -121 and Delaware at +106.
A projection model that simulates each FBS game 10,000 times favors the under on the total. The model notes that the past four Western Kentucky games against FBS opponents have all gone under, while four of Delaware's seven games have failed to reach the total this season. The teams combined for 51 points in last year's meeting, and the model projects 55 combined points this time, making the under the value play 56% of the time.
The model also indicates one side of the spread hits in 60% of simulations. Entering Week 9, the model carries a 68-59 record on top-rated college football picks, returning nearly $400 for $100 players.
