WKU football looking to continue improvement in 2020

How will WKU football fare in 2020?

Western Kentucky figures to be among the favorites to win C-USA alongside UAB, Southern Miss and Florida Atlantic.

With many tough games at home, the Hilltoppers are set up nicely for another stellar campaign in 2020.

Here’s a game-by-game look.

• Game 1: vs. UT Chattanooga (W) — Western Kentucky has plenty enough to take down UT Chattanooga at home to open the season.
• Game 2: at Indiana (L) — Indiana’s program is improving and it’s hard to see them losing at home this early in the season.
• Game 3: vs. Liberty (W) — This should be a fun game that could go either way, but WKU has the advantage of home field.
• Game 4: at Louisville (L) — WKU has given a scare to Louisville several times, but the 2020 Cardinals are projected to stick around the Top 25 all year.
• Game 5: at Middle Tennessee (W) — MTSU is still recovering from Brent Stockstill’s graduation and WKU should take advantage.
• Game 6: vs. Marshall (W) — Marshall took down WKU in Huntington last season but that script will likely flip in 2020.
• Game 7: at UAB (L) — UAB on the road will be the Hilltoppers’ toughest conference game of the season and may result in a loss.
• Game 8: vs. Old Dominion (W) — WKU is simply much better than Old Dominion.
• Game 9: at FAU (W) — No Lane Kiffin, means Florida Atlantic will likely struggle in 2020.
• Game 10: vs. Southern Miss (W) — WKU rolled over Southern Miss on the road last year and should handle business at home.
• Game 11: vs. FIU (W) — FIU is an up and coming program but likely doesn’t yet have what it takes to beat Western on the road.
• Game 12: at Charlotte (W) — Charlotte reached a bowl game last year but still lost to WKU by 16 and probably won’t have enough to beat them in 2020.

Prediction: 9-3, 7-1 C-USA

Having a great defense means everything in the Group of Five, as there are many high-scoring games due to a lack of defensive talent. The Hilltoppers have just that, including the conferences to defender in Malone.

The biggest question that could derail the Tops’ is the quarterback position. They will need Duncan to be healthy and effective or else this season could turn into a six or seven win-year as opposed to an eight or nine-win one.

With the projection of Duncan playing well, WKU has a great chance to go 9-3. They likely won’t win their two power-five matchups with road trips to Indiana and Louisville but have a great chance to rack up wins in C-USA play.

The two biggest challenges will be road trips to take on FAU and UAB. The Hilltoppers should be able to handle the Owls with Lane Kiffin now at Ole Miss, but UAB may be the team they cannot finish off.

All in all, 2020 has the makings of another great season in Bowling Green and another chance for WKU to win a C-USA title.