Western Kentucky vs Southern Miss Predictions, Opt Outs & Latest Line

• Two former C-USA foes square off in the Superdome
• WKU looks for a nine-win season, but has several key bowl opt-outs
• Keep reading for my final Western Kentucky vs Southern Miss prediction, opt-outs, and closing New Orleans Bowl line

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The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (8-4) and Southern Miss Golden Eagles (7-5) square off in the New Orleans Bowl. The Caesars Superdome in New Orleanseans, Louisiana, will host the game at 5:30 PM ET on Tuesday, Dec. 23. ESPN will handle the broadcast.

Continue reading for my final Western Kentucky vs Southern Miss prediction, key opt-outs, and the closing New Orleans Bowl odds for this old conference matchup between the Hilltoppers and Golden Eagles.

Western Kentucky vs Southern Miss Prediction

My final Western Kentucky vs Southern Miss prediction: Southern Miss 27, Western Kentucky 24

Despite the Golden Eagles being underdogs, I am backing them to knock off Western Kentucky. I expect the Golden Eagles to come together under new head coach Blake Anderson and play a complete team game.

Western Kentucky vs Southern Miss Opt-Outs

Western Kentucky

• Dylan Flowers, CB (transfer portal)
• La’Vell Wright, RB (transfer portal)

The Hilltoppers will be without two key pieces. La’Vell Wright led the team with 10 rushing touchdowns. He was second on the team in rushing. Flowers had four pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a tackle for a loss on the season.

Southern Miss

• No injuries or opt-outs reported

Southern Miss’s team will be at full strength for the New Orleans Bowl. However, head coach Charles Huff accepted the Memphis job and will not coach the Golden Eagles. Former Arkansas State and Utah State head coach Blake Anderson will coach the Golden Eagles today.

For an update on bowl game opt-outs and injuries, check out our CFB bowl opt-out tracker.

Three Key Western Kentucky vs Southern Miss Matchups to Watch

Key Matchup #1: Western Kentucky’s Passing Offense vs Southern Miss’s Passing Defense

Owner of one of the best names in the country, Maverick McIvor has not played since mid-October with an injury. The senior was averaging 266.1 yards per game with 12 passing touchdowns.

In his place, the Hilltoppers have turned to freshman Rodney Tisdale. In his five starts, he has 10 total touchdowns, 241.4 yards per game, and a 66.5% completion rate. He got off to a hot start, leading WKU to three straight wins, but he has not played particularly well in his last two outings.

Rodney Tisdale Jr. (@RodneyTisdale_1), @ConferenceUSA 2025 Freshman of the Year. 🏆#GoTops #TopsOnTop #TheHill #WIT pic.twitter.com/PRcoetYvIk

— WKU Football Recruiting (@WKURecruiting) December 4, 2025

Two games ago, he passed for 3.3 yards per attempt with two attempts in a close loss to LSU, but his final showing of the season was a 180-yard, one-interception game in a three-point loss to Jacksonville State.

Southern Miss has an excellent coverage unit, tallying 32 forced incompletions and 21 interceptions. Safety Ian Foster has an 88.1 PFF coverage grade, eight forced incompletions, and three interceptions. He led the conference with 171 return yards with an FBS-leading two pick-sixes. Cornerback Josh Moten picked off five passes and had three additional forced incompletions.

Key Matchup #2: Western Kentucky’s Rushing Attack vs Southern Miss’s Run Defense

Western Kentucky’s leading rusher, Marvis Parrish, is slated to play in the New Orleans Bowl, but No.2 back (and touchdown machine La’Vell Wright) is in the transfer portal. Parrish ran for 511 yards on 5.2 yards per carry (with solid receiving production), but he inexplicably has not scored a rushing touchdown this season.

Wright was the more explosive back (5.8 yards per carry), and his 10 rushing touchdowns were 50% of Western Kentucky’s total for the season. Wright did not offer much as a pass catcher, though.

Southern Miss has quite a sturdy run defense, boasting a 91.9 PFF run-defense grade. While no player is a true standout, the unit plays well together. Interior defenders Brodarius Lewis and Isaiah Gibson stuff gaps in the line while linebacker Chris Jones (37 run stops) cleans up the mess.

Key Matchup #3: Braylon Braxton vs Himself

Braxton has only thrown seven interceptions this year, but the Golden Eagles are 4-0 when he does not throw a pick compared to 3-4 when he does throw a pick. As Southern Miss lost their last two games (with Braxton), Braxton tossed a pick in both games, a seven-point loss to South Alabama and a 10-point loss to Troy in the de facto Sun Belt West title game.

Under the Radar 💎 – Braylon Braxton, QB @SouthernMissFB, has slipped under my radar for far too long.

The former Tulsa and Marshall starter had an impressive senior campaign. In a weaker QB class, let’s see what he offers NFL teams⬇️

✅ Physical tools
✅ Winner
✅ Pre snap… pic.twitter.com/dgP3T8JYo6

— The Draft Lives Here (@draftlives_here) December 19, 2025

If Braxton plays a clean brand of football, Southern Miss is one of the better teams at the Group of Five level. If he turns the ball over, Southern Miss can get stuck in the mud offensively.

Western Kentucky vs Southern Miss Closing Line

Western Kentucky is a slight favorite in the final New Orleans Bowl odds. Western Kentucky bettors can get the Hilltoppers at -1 on the spread at Caesars (-108 odds) or -112 on the moneyline at DraftKings.

Southern Miss bettors can get the Golden Eagles at +1.5 on the spread at FanDuel (-114) or +100 on the moneyline, also at FanDuel. The spread has tightened from as high as +5.5.

The total is set between 58.5 and 59.5 points. Over bettors can get over 58.5 at DraftKings for -115 odds. Under bettors can get under 59.5 at BetMGM for -110 odds.

Odds as of December 23, 2025, at consensus College Football betting apps. Make sure you check out the best online sportsbook to bet on the New Orleans Bowl.

Western Kentucky vs Southern Miss History

Western Kentucky has won all four matchups against Southern Miss, all four coming while the teams were both in C-USA. Notably, this includes a C-USA Title Game in which Western Kentucky reversed a 14-point deficit early.

The Hilltoppers and Golden Eagles most recently played in 2020 with Western Kentucky winning a surprisingly low-scoring game at home, 10-7. Tyrrell Pigrome threw for 183 yards and ran for 32 yards and a touchdown in the win. In the loss, Southern Miss only recorded 221 yards with Frank Gore Jr. rushing for 66 yards.

New Orleans Bowl History

This is the 25th iteration of the New Orleans Bowl. It has been a bowl season staple since 2001, having been played at the Superdome (under three different names) each year, except for 2005. Traditionally, this is a matchup between the Sun Belt and Conference USA.

Western Kentucky has previously made one appearance in the New Orleans Bowl. In 2022, the Hilltoppers dominated the South Alabama Jaguars 44-23. Quarterback Austin Reed had 522 total yards and four touchdowns en route to Game MVP.

Southern Miss is the second-most common participant in the New Orleans Bowl behind Louisiana. This is Southern Miss’s sixth appearance, previously going 4-1 with wins in 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2016. Their lone loss came in 2009.

Last season, Sam Houston won the New Orleans Bowl 31-26 over Georgia Southern. The Bearkats forced five turnovers, including two interceptions by Jaylon Jimmerson, the game’s MVP. Georgia Southern did manage to amass 393 yards.