College Football Predictions – WKU Hilltoppers 2017 NCAA Football Preview
2016 Recap
2016 Record – 11-3
2016 ATS – 8-5-1
Yes, guy.
The Hilltoppers carved their way through the season once again and finished up with an 11-3 record and ANOTHER Conference USA Championship to their credit. They finished strong with 8 consecutive wins including a 51-31 win over Memphis in the Boca Raton Bowl. Mike Sanford Jr steps in as the new HC and will try to make it a THREE BAGGER this season. Do they have what it takes ? Let’s find out.
2017 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
Conference USA – TBD
East Division – TBD
OFFENSE
The Hilltoppers have been breathing fire on offense the past few seasons. They averaged 523 yards per game last year (#5 FBS) and scored 44+ points in ten consecutive games to end the campaign. QB Mike White is back for his senior year and is coming off a wonderful season in which he threw for over 4,300 yards and 37 TDs with only 7 INT.
White is going to have to develop chemistry with some new wideouts as the Hilltoppers lose a PAIR of 1,000 yard receivers. WR Nacarius Fant leads returning players with just 407 yards receiving (2016). The RB unit also takes a hit with the departure of RB Anthony Wales (1,621, 27 TD). The offensive line only returns 2/5 starters. It’s a legitimate concern to wonder if the Hilltoppers can be their usual explosive selves. Mike White at QB will help (#HotTake). Our best guess ? Still really good but down a notch.
DEFENSE
The Hilltoppers have played really good defense in five of the last six seasons. Last year they were ranked 2nd in CUSA total defense and #1 in scoring defense. A devastating offense and solid defense makes you hard to beat. HOT TAKE.
This year they return six starters to the mix and have some really good players at all three levels of the defense despite losing their three leading tacklers from a season ago. The defensive line features DE Derik Overstreet (8.5 TFL, 7 QBH) and DT Chris Johnson (12.5 TFL) and should be good once again. The depth on the DL took a hit recently when DE Tanner Reeves was kicked off the team (legal). LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe had 10 TFL and 5 QBH last season and the secondary includes 2nd Team CUSA CB Joe Brown.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Hilltoppers have one of the best special teams units in college football. That needs to be considered heavily when handicapping their games. PK Skyler Simcox was 16/22 on FG attempts last year and P Jake Collins was a 2nd Team CUSA honoree. The return men are devastating. Nacarius Fant returned 2 punts for TDs in 2016 and KR Kylen Towner averaged 40 (!) yards per return. WHOA NELLIE.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot
September 9 – at Illinois. A big conference tilt with Louisiana Tech is on deck. Not crazy about this spot even though logic dictates a big win.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
WKU has won bowl games the past three seasons and scored 45+ on each occasion.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 5.0
MEGALOCKS says:
Overall, we give the HILLTOPPERS a 5.0 ATS Value Rating (Average) this season.
It’s hard to know what to expect from the offense. It’s fair to assume it may be down a notch with all the personnel losses. The defense will be solid and the special teams are fantastic. New HC Mike Sanford Jr steps into a good situation but we don’t know if he will be able to replicate their recent success. They are big time contenders for the CUSA crown but we are taking a neutral ATS stance for now.
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