Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/23/2025

Game Time: 5:30 pm ET, Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Venue:  Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  WKU -2.5, Southern Miss +2.5; Over/Under:  57.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  WKU -2.5, Southern Miss +2.5; Over/Under:  57.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  WKU -2.5, Southern Miss +2.5; Over/Under:  57.5 points

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers:  8-4 (6-2) (3rd place, C-USA)

Southern Miss Golden Eagles:  7-5 (5-3) (2nd place, Sun Belt West)

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Western Kentucky Hilltoppers:  lost their last game on the road against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks 37-34.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles:  lost their last game at home against the Troy Trojans 28-18.

Western Kentucky is entering this game with an 8-4 record overall and they have a 6-2 record in their conference games too. They are 5-1 in their home games, 3-3 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, and they will be at a neutral site for this game. They lost their last game against Jacksonville State 37-34. Rodney Tisdale Jr. was the starting QB and he completed 17/24 passes for 180 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. La'Vell Wright led the team in rushing yards with 116 and 2 TDs. Moussa Barry led the receivers with 68 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Jaylen Wester led the defense in that game with 12 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Robby Harrison and Jai Eugene Jr. each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Southern Miss is entering this game with a 7-5 record overall and they have a 5-3 record in their conference games too. They are 4-3 in their home games, 3-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They lost their last game against Troy 28-18. Braylon Braxton was the starting QB and he completed 20/35 passes for 209 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Jeffery Pittman led the team in rushing yards with 51. Carl Chester led the receivers with 76 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Chris Jones led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles while J'Mond Tapp led the defense in sacks with 1. Jonathan Pennix came away with the only interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Western Kentucky listed as a 2.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Western Kentucky has looked good in their games this season with their 8-4 record overall and their 6-2 conference record which had them right near the top of the Conference USA. They haven't played in any neutral site games this year so this will be their first one, playing in the New Orleans Bowl. Meanwhile, Southern Miss has looked good in their games this season with their 7-5 record overall and their 5-3 conference record which had them right near the top of their division in the SBC. They haven't played in any neutral site games this season either. Southern Miss was a really up and down team this year and they didn't end the regular season playing great. They have lost 3 games in a row now and they are off a 28-18 loss at home to Troy in their last one. They aren't in a great situation here either, their head coach leaving for another job, so their motivation for this game is going to be in question. Western Kentucky ended their season with 2 losses in a row and they are off a loss to Jacksonville State in their last one which kept them out of the Conference USA Championship, but they were still very competitive, only losing that game on the road by 3, and they also lost to LSU by just 3 points the week before. Western Kentucky is in a much better situation here and they weren't playing badly down the stretch so they are going to bring their best effort here to end the year on a positive note. The best way to place a bet here is on Western Kentucky to cover the spread in this game. 

Western Kentucky Southern Miss Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Tuesday, December 23, 2025 (5:30 pm ET start time) is Western Kentucky 27 Southern Miss 17.

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Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: 9-5 ATS in non-conference games. 6-3 ATS off a road loss. 4-0 ATS vs. good passing teams averaging 250 or more passing yards/game. 6-3 UNDER off a road loss. 7-0 UNDER after allowing 37 points or more last game.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles: 6-17 ATS as an underdog. 1-7 ATS when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 4-10 ATS off a loss against a conference rival. 5-1 UNDER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%).

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers:  None.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles:  J. Moten (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. I. Ibraheem (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Davis (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed.

"We're really excited to return to the New Orleans Bowl. They do a great job. We get to play a great opponent in Southern Miss. It should be a great game." - Tyson Helton on his team playing in the New Orleans Bowl.

"We are really excited about our return to the New Orleans Bowl and a really special bowl experience. Our players and fans are really excited about the destination and the challenge of facing a very talented opponent in WKU." - Athletic Director Jeremy McClain on Southern Miss playing in the New Orleans Bowl.

WR Flowers, Cameron

WR Henry, Matthew

WR Hutchinson, K.D.

TE West, Jackson

QB Tisdale Jr., Rodney

RB Parrish, Marvis

WR Chester, Carl

WR Davis, Micah

WR Metcalf, Elijah

TE Morris, Kadinn

QB Braxton, Braylon

RB Pittman, Jeffery

Passing: Maverick McIvor (1,863)

Rushing: Marvis Parrish (511)

Receiving: Matthew Henry (762)

Touchdowns: La'Vell Wright (11)

Passing: Braylon Braxton (2,796)

Rushing: Jeffery Pittman (640)

Receiving: Elijah Metcalf (677)

Touchdowns: Jeffery Pittman (8)

Coaches:

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Tyson Helton (7th season)

Southern Miss Golden Eagles: Blake Anderson (Interim)