Western Kentucky finished 9-4 overall and 6-2 in conference play last season, finishing third in the conference behind eventual champion Kennesaw State. Kennesaw State finished tied with Jacksonville State for the best conference record at 7-1. Now, the Hilltoppers are preparing to kick off one of the toughest schedules in Conference USA.
Week 1 — at Nevada
The Hilltoppers will travel to Nevada for the first game of the season. Nevada is coming off a 3-9 overall record and a 2-6 conference record. The Wolf Pack were not eligible for a bowl game last season.
Western Kentucky defeated Nevada 31-16 in 2025, and I believe the Hilltoppers will win decisively again this year, 42-22. Western Kentucky also owns a 3-0 overall record against Mountain West teams.
Week 2 — at Georgia
This game goes to Georgia. The Hilltoppers will travel to Athens to play the Bulldogs, who have consistently been one of the top college football programs in the country.
Georgia is coming off a 12-2 overall record and a 7-1 conference record. Western Kentucky previously played the Georgia Bulldogs in 2006, with Georgia winning 48-12.
This game will be a blowout victory for Georgia, with the Bulldogs winning 66-18.
Week 3 — at Indiana
Western Kentucky has played Indiana five times, with the Hoosiers holding a 5-0 advantage in the all-time series.
The series began in 2008 in Bloomington, when Indiana won 31-13. The teams met again in 2010, this time in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with Indiana winning 38-21. Western Kentucky traveled back to Indiana for the next matchup and won 38-10.
The teams met again in 2021 in Bowling Green, where Indiana narrowly defeated the Hilltoppers 33-31. The most recent matchup came in 2022, when Indiana defeated Western Kentucky in overtime.
In recent years, these matchups have been fairly competitive. I believe Indiana will win this game, 38-30.
Week 4 — vs. Mercyhurst
Western Kentucky has never played Mercyhurst in football.
I believe Western Kentucky will win this game comfortably. The Hilltoppers have proven to be successful against FCS opponents, going 13-3 against FCS teams since 2009. The three losses came against Central Arkansas in 2009 (28-7), Maine in 2018 (31-28), and Central Arkansas again in 2019 (35-28).
Western Kentucky should take care of business at home against Mercyhurst.
Week 5 — vs. New Mexico State
Western Kentucky has played New Mexico State three times, holding a 2-1 advantage in the series.
The teams first met in 2023 in Bowling Green, with New Mexico State winning 38-29. Since then, Western Kentucky has won the past two meetings: 41-28 in New Mexico in 2024 and 35-16 in Bowling Green in 2025.
New Mexico State finished last season 4-8 overall and 2-6 in conference play. I expect the Hilltoppers to continue their recent success against the Aggies with a decisive 42-20 victory.
Week 6 — vs. Missouri State
Western Kentucky has a long history with the Bears. The Hilltoppers are 9-2 all-time against Missouri State.
The teams first met in 1984, when Missouri State won 25-10. The Bears won again in 1985, this time by a score of 47-7.
Western Kentucky then went on a nine-game winning streak in the series. The Hilltoppers won in 1988 (21-14), 1989 (42-33), 2001 (42-33), 2002 (31-7), 2003 (9-6), 2004 (28-24), 2005 (37-28), 2006 (17-14), and most recently in 2025, when Western Kentucky won 27-22 in Missouri.
Missouri State is coming off a 7-6 overall record and a 5-3 conference record, which put the Bears in a tie for fourth with Louisiana Tech.
I believe Western Kentucky will win this game, but it will be a close one: 28-21.
Week 7 — at Sam Houston
Sam Houston is coming off a 2-10 overall record and a 1-7 conference record, which left the Bearkats tied for last in Conference USA with UTEP.
Western Kentucky and Sam Houston first met in 2004, when the Bearkats won 54-24. Since then, the Hilltoppers have won the last three meetings. Western Kentucky defeated Sam Houston 28-23 in Bowling Green in 2023, followed that up with a 31-14 victory in 2024, and then won 41-24 in Bowling Green last season.
This game should be no exception. I expect Western Kentucky to win comfortably, 48-20.
Week 8 — BYE
Western Kentucky will have its bye week in Week 8.
Week 9 — vs. Delaware
Delaware is coming off a winning season, finishing 7-6 overall and 4-4 in conference play. The Blue Hens finished tied with FIU and Missouri State in conference play.
Western Kentucky and Delaware have played three times, with Delaware leading the all-time series 2-1. The Blue Hens won the first two meetings, defeating Western Kentucky 38-14 in Delaware in 1981 and 31-0 in 1982.
The Hilltoppers got revenge in 2025, defeating Delaware 27-24 on the road.
I believe this game will be really close, especially considering Western Kentucky will be coming off a bye week. I see the Hilltoppers winning on a game-winning field goal, 23-20.
Week 10 — at Middle Tennessee
Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee have played 75 times since 1914, with the Hilltoppers holding a 39-35-1 advantage in the all-time series.
Western Kentucky defeated Middle Tennessee 42-26 in the 2025 season. The matchup is also known as the “100 Miles of Hate” rivalry.
Middle Tennessee is coming off a 3-9 overall record and a 2-6 conference record.
I expect Western Kentucky to win this rivalry game decisively, 48-10.
Week 11 — vs. Jacksonville State
The Western Kentucky-Jacksonville State series has become increasingly heated, with the teams meeting nine times dating back to 1993, when Western Kentucky won 12-7.
I firmly believe Jacksonville State could become a true rivalry for Western Kentucky within the next couple of years, given how recent and competitive many of the matchups have been.
The most recent game in Bowling Green ended with Western Kentucky winning 19-17 on a walk-off field goal to advance to the Conference USA Championship Game. The teams played again the following week in Jacksonville, where the Gamecocks won 52-12.
The most recent matchup between the two teams came in Jacksonville, with Jacksonville State winning 37-34.
The history between Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State is competitive, and I believe this matchup could go either way. Still, with the Hilltoppers playing at home, I’m giving Western Kentucky the edge, 23-20.
Week 12 — at Liberty
Western Kentucky and Liberty have faced off five times, with Liberty holding a 5-0 advantage in the all-time series.
The first matchup came in 1995, with Liberty winning 49-36. The most recent meeting came in 2024, when Liberty defeated Western Kentucky 38-21.
Liberty has clearly been a problem for Western Kentucky since the beginning of the series, but the Hilltoppers have consistently been able to put points on the board against the Flames.
Liberty is coming off a 4-8 overall record and a 3-5 conference record, finishing fifth in the conference last season.
Last season may have been a down year for Liberty, but I don’t think it was a coincidence. The Flames were conference favorites entering the preseason, and they have generally been one of the teams expected to compete near the top of the league.
I don’t think Western Kentucky will be able to beat Liberty on the road. I predict a 49-28 Liberty victory.
Week 13 — vs. Kennesaw State
Western Kentucky has played Kennesaw State just once, with the Hilltoppers winning 31-14 in Bowling Green in 2024.
Kennesaw State is coming off a 10-4 overall record and a 7-1 conference record. The Owls won the Conference USA championship and finished first in the conference standings last season.
With the game being played in Bowling Green, I believe Western Kentucky will pull off the upset and defeat Kennesaw State 35-21 to finish the regular season.
Postseason
I have Western Kentucky advancing to the Conference USA Championship Game. The Hilltoppers were only one game away from reaching the championship last season, and the loss to Jacksonville State ultimately helped determine the championship matchup between Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State.
Western Kentucky could potentially face Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, or even a team such as Liberty in the Conference USA Championship Game.
The Hilltoppers have also been bowl eligible for seven consecutive seasons. Western Kentucky is 9-4 all-time in bowl games, including a 39-21 victory over Georgia State in 2020. The Hilltoppers also earned their first FBS bowl victory in 2012, defeating Central Michigan 32-24.
This season, I believe Western Kentucky will play in the Boca Raton Bowl.
Projected Season Stats
Passing
Rodney Tisdale, Jr.
3,512 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, 8 interceptions
Brock Glenn
2,600 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, 5 interceptions
Rushing
Ajay Allen
700 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns, 4 receiving touchdowns
Kalib Hicks
355 rushing yards, 5 rushing touchdowns, 7 receiving touchdowns
Receiving
KD Hutchinson
1,100 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns
Cameron Flowers
740 receiving yards, 7 touchdowns
Moussa Berry
600 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns
Quincy Burroughs
200 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
Zion Taylor
700 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns
Devin Hamilton
350 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
written by Isaiah Ramsey for Topper-Talk.com