Unranked Western Michigan travels to Starkville to face unranked Mississippi State at 12:00 PM ET on Saturday on SEC Network. Can the Bulldogs cover the 20.5-point spread as home favorites this weekend? Read our Western Michigan vs. Mississippi State betting prediction to find out!
Western Michigan is 2-3 straight up this season and 3-2 against the spread. Their best win came against Ball State and their worst loss came against Toledo.
Mississippi State is 2-3 straight up this season and 1-4 against the spread. Their best win came against Arizona, and their worst loss came against South Carolina.
Western Michigan vs. Mississippi State Matchup & Betting Odds
391 Western Michigan Broncos (+20.5) at 392 Mississippi State Bulldogs (-20.5); O/U 56.5
12:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 7, 2023
Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, MS
Western Michigan vs. Mississippi State Public Betting Information
As of this writing, the public is favoring the Bulldogs in this game. Our CFB Public Betting page shows that 67% of public bets are on Mississippi State -20.5. Note that these numbers are subject to change and could be different once game time rolls around.
Western Michigan Broncos Game Notes
Western Michigan wide receiver Anthony Sambucci was integral to his team’s 42-24 win over Ball State last weekend. The junior from Lemont, Illinois recorded 5 catches for 73 yards and 3 touchdowns in his team’s home victory. Sambucci leads the Broncos in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns this season.
On defense, Western Michigan was led by junior linebacker Donald Willis. In his team’s triumph on Saturday, Willis led the team with 7 total tackles and recorded a team-high 2 sacks. The 6’2” 220-pound junior has 3 sacks in 4 games for the Broncos this year.
Mississippi State Bulldogs Game Notes
Mississippi State starting wide receiver Justin Robinson missed last week’s game with an undisclosed injury, but he’s probable for his team’s home clash with Western Michigan this weekend. Robinson has 12 catches for 144 yards in 4 games of action for the Bulldogs this season.
Mississippi State backup defensive tackle Trevion Williams will miss the rest of the season with an undisclosed injury. Williams had 6 total tackles in the Bulldogs’ opening two games against Southeast Louisiana and Arizona.
Western Michigan vs. Mississippi State Betting Trends
Western Michigan is 1-2 ATS as the road team this season.
Mississippi State is 7-4-1 ATS as a home favorite since the beginning of the 2021 season.
The over is 3-2 in Western Michigan’s last 5 games.
The over is 5-4-1 in Mississippi State’s last 10 games.
Western Michigan vs. Mississippi State Betting Prediction
Mississippi State has been struggling a bit this season as they are 2-3 straight up and 1-4 against the spread, but I think this is a get-right game for them this weekend. Western Michigan’s defense ranks 122nd in the FBS in opponent points per play (0.570) and 129th in opponent yards per point (10.8). Mississippi State’s offense ranks 57th in yards per point (14.0) and 69th in average yards per pass attempt (7.1) It’s worth noting that Mississippi State’s offensive numbers are suppressed as they’ve faced both LSU and Alabama this season, and failed to score more than 17 points against either team. Western Michigan’s defense should be much more porous than those schools’ defenses, and I believe that Mississippi State runs away with this one to get back to .500 for the season. I’ll lay the points with the Bulldogs in Starkville.