Week 0 Picks: Sam Houston vs. Western Kentucky
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Welcome back! Week 0 brings us our first taste of the 2025 college football season. While Farmageddon Irish Style is the big game of the week, there is also a conference game in Week 0. The Sam Houston Bearkats visit the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers for a showdown at 7 p.m. ET. Usually, teams have time to get things figured out before conference games. For most Conference USA teams, the biggest goal you can plausibly hope to attain is winning the conference, so this game has real stakes. Both of these teams are also dealing with changes that will likely take time to adjust to. So, you know, no pressure.
Sam Houston vs. Western Kentucky Betting Odds
Spread: Western Kentucky -10 (BetMGM Sportsbook); Sam Houston +10.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Total: Over 60.5 (BetMGM); Under 61.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Moneyline: Western Kentucky -375 (BetMGM Sportsbook), Sam Houston +310 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Western Kentucky may be the home team, but being a double-digit favorite suggests that it is the better team of the two. Or, at least, there are enough questions about Sam Houston, which is totally fair given the changes at the school.
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Sam Houston vs. Western Kentucky Betting Picks
Change is commonplace between seasons in college football. At the Group of Five level, it tends to be even more abundant. These are the sorts of schools that get raided for talent and coaches from schools with more prestige and more money. The preseason SP+ has Western Kentucky at 89 and Sam Houston at 108. While there is some substance to that, the known unknowns are abundant.
Let's start with the Hilltoppers. Previously, Tyson Helton found success when he ported over an FCS offense from Houston Christian. Zach Kittley is now the head coach at Florida Atlantic, and Bailey Zappe is a guy you have heard of. Helton is trying it again. Abilene Christian had its best season last year, its offensive coordinator, Rick Bowie, is now WKU's offensive coordinator, and its standout quarterback, Maverick McIvor, is now WKU's starting quarterback. Also, his name is Maverick McIvor.
Oddly, the key players from last year at Sam Houston remain in place more than at Western Kentucky. That's notable because the Bearkats weren't merely replacing a coordinator, but a head coach. The head coach who built up the program and carried it through the transition from FCS football to FBS football. K.C. Keeler left for Temple, and he's been replaced by journeyman offensive coordinator Phil Longo.
That's a lot of table setting, but it also gets to the heart of the matter. The team at home has the same head coach as last year, and its offensive coordinator and quarterback know each other well. The team on the road has a new head coach whose only other head coaching job was at LaSalle 20 years ago.
Sam Houston vs. Western Kentucky Best Bet: Western Kentucky -10 (BetMGM Sportsbook)
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Sam Houston vs. Western Kentucky Betting Predictions
I don't expect a high-scoring game necessarily, which would mean the Hilltoppers would have to keep the Bearkats from scoring much to cover the spread. I think there is a decent chance the Bearkats help on that front, though. The Phil Longo era begins at Sam Houston, with the team being thrown in the deep end. Western Kentucky has been one of the conference's better schools for a while. McIvor is jumping up a level, so it might not go entirely smoothly, but it's not like he's facing the Houston Cougars. I don't expect an aesthetically pleasing game, but it will be an interesting game. One of a few in Week 0, in fact.
