Kennesaw State is hosting UTEP on Tuesday night of Week 10. The game will take place at 8:00 p.m. ET in Kennesaw, Georgia.
The Owls are 10-point home favorites in this game on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 50.5 points. This is a preview, prediction and pick for this UTEP at Kennesaw State C-USA conference matchup.
Kennesaw State vs. UTEP prediction, preview
Kennesaw State Preview
The Owls of Kennesaw State are having a fantastic season. In 2024, Kennesaw State made the jump from FCS to FBS football. It was a horrible season for the Owls, who finished 2-10 in their first year at the FBS level. That led to Kennesaw State parting ways with the only head coach they’d ever had, Brian Bohannon. After spending the previous four seasons as the running backs coach for the Tennessee Volunteers and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jerry Mack accepted the head coaching job at Kennesaw State. He has sparked this team to a 5-2 start, leading Conference USA heading into this game with a perfect 3-0 conference record. Kennesaw State uses two quarterbacks and that strategy has worked for its offense in conference play. The Owls are averaging over 34 points per game so far in C-USA play.
UTEP Preview
It is the second season under Scotty Walden at UTEP. This program has been in a rut for a long time. It has made just one bowl game in the past decade, with two- or three-win seasons much more common than five-win seasons. In fact, UTEP has won three or fewer games in six of the past eight seasons. The Miners were hoping to find a spark with former five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson transferring in this offseason. However, the former USC and Boise State quarterback proved that even at this level, he was not up to the task. Last week, UTEP made a quarterback change to Skyler Locklear, who started most of last season. It was an immediate success, as it beat Sam Houston 35-17 to get a conference win on the board. UTEP will hope to build off that coming into this week.
Kennesaw State vs. UTEP pick, best bet
My best bet for this game is for UTEP to cover the 10-point spread. The Miners have a real chance to start building some momentum after the quarterback change to Skyler Locklear. The offense looked much more sound with Locklear at the helm. UTEP is not a bad defensive team, but it was struggling to get any offense going this season. The Miners rank 16th in the nation in defensive success rate, with strong numbers against both the run and the pass. They should slow down Kennesaw State, making this a lower-scoring affair. UTEP now has much more stability in the offense, and it should be able to put up enough points to keep this game within a score.
